HelloAGENTS

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[!IMPORTANT] Looking for v2.x? The old Python line now lives in helloagents-archive. The v3 line is a full rewrite based on Node.js, Markdown rules, skills, and small runtime scripts.

🏅 This project is linked & recognized by the LINUX DO community.

Contents

• What HelloAGENTS Does
• Core Features
• Quick Start
• CLI Management
• Commands in Chat
• Project Knowledge Base
• Workflow and Delivery
• Configuration
• How Each CLI Is Integrated
• Verification
• FAQ
• Troubleshooting
• License

What HelloAGENTS Does

AI coding CLIs can move fast, but they can also stop at advice, skip checks, lose project context, shift responsibility when tasks get hard, or report completion before the work is really done.

HelloAGENTS adds a workflow layer on top of Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Grok Build, Cursor, and Codex CLI. It anchors the agent as a capable executor, blocks responsibility-shifting patterns, helps the agent choose the right path, use task-specific quality skills, keep a project knowledge base, and verify work before delivery.

Without HelloAGENTS

With HelloAGENTS

Problem	Without HelloAGENTS	With HelloAGENTS
Stops too early	Ends with suggestions	Continues into build, verify, and closeout
Shifts responsibility	Refuses hard tasks, suggests other tools	Exhausts alternative paths, stays on task
Quality is inconsistent	Depends on each prompt	14 quality skills activate by task type
Context is scattered	Plans live in chat history	Project knowledge and plan files stay on disk
Completion is vague	Natural language says “done”	Delivery checks use state, evidence, and verification
Config writes are risky	CLI files can drift	Install, update, cleanup, and doctor flows check managed files

Core Features

1) 14 built-in workflow skills

HelloAGENTS ships 14 built-in skills. They are loaded only when the current stage needs them, so simple tasks stay light while complex work gets stricter checks.

Skill	Focus
hello-ui	UI planning, design contracts, implementation mapping, visual validation
hello-api	API design, validation, error format, compatibility
hello-security	auth, secrets, permissions, injection risks
hello-test	TDD, coverage, edge cases, test structure
qa-review	unified quality review, verification commands, blocking fixes, delivery evidence, closeout
helloagents	command routing, workflow stage rules, project knowledge, and state coordination
hello-errors	error handling, logs, retry and recovery behavior
hello-perf	performance, caching, query and rendering risks
hello-data	database, migrations, transactions, indexes
hello-arch	architecture, boundaries, code size, maintainability
hello-debug	bug diagnosis and escalation when stuck
hello-subagent	subagent delegation and result integration
hello-write	documentation, reports, and written deliverables
hello-reflect	reusable lessons and knowledge updates

All UI work first follows the shared UI quality baseline. In host global mode, in initialized projects, or in explicit UI workflows, hello-ui adds deeper design-contract execution, design-system mapping, and visual validation on top of that baseline. When visual evidence is required, HelloAGENTS records it in the current session artifacts/visual.json.

2) Commands for different work styles

Commands run inside the AI CLI chat with a ~ prefix. The command skill is read directly; unrelated skills are not loaded unless the workflow needs them.

Command	Purpose
~ask	Interactive clarification: Q&A to pin down goals, direction, scope, and constraints; does not write files
~auto	Chooses the main path and keeps going until delivery or a real blocker
~plan	Requirements, solution design, task breakdown, and plan package
~build	Implementation from the current request or an existing plan
~prd	Modern product requirements document through guided dimension-by-dimension exploration
~loop	Long-running entry; in Codex it prefers /goal -> ~auto -> ~qa
~init	Initialize the project workflow and sync project knowledge
~test	Write tests for a target module or recent change
~qa	Run the unified quality loop: review, verification commands, fixes, and closeout
~commit	Generate a conventional commit message and sync knowledge
~clean	Archive finished plans and clean temporary runtime files
~help	Show commands and current settings

Compatibility aliases:

• ~do → ~build
• ~design → ~plan
• ~review → ~qa
• ~idea → ~ask (deprecated)

Use ~ask for clarifying requirements, comparing approaches, weighing value, and scoping — pure conversation, no files created.

3) Project knowledge base

HelloAGENTS can create and maintain a project knowledge base under .helloagents/.

The knowledge base helps future turns understand the repo without re-discovering the same facts. It can store:

File or directory	Purpose
context.md	project overview, stack, architecture, module index
guidelines.md	non-obvious coding conventions inferred from the repo
verify.yaml	verification commands such as lint, test, build
CHANGELOG.md	project-level change history
DESIGN.md	stable UI design contract when the project has UI work
modules/*.md	module-specific notes and lessons
plans/<feature>/	active plan packages
archive/	archived plan packages

~init initializes the project workflow: it writes the project-level full carrier marker, prepares project state, and creates or updates the knowledge base.

4) Structured plan packages

Complex work can be stored as plan packages instead of a single paragraph in chat.

For ~plan, HelloAGENTS uses:

• requirements.md
• plan.md
• tasks.md
• contract.json

For ~prd, HelloAGENTS also creates PRD files such as:

• prd/00-overview.md
• prd/01-user-stories.md
• prd/02-functional.md
• prd/03-ui-design.md
• prd/04-technical.md
• prd/05-nonfunctional.md
• prd/06-i18n-l10n.md
• prd/07-accessibility.md
• prd/08-content.md
• prd/09-testing.md
• prd/10-deployment.md
• prd/11-legal-privacy.md
• prd/12-timeline.md

contract.json is used by the workflow to decide qaMode, qaFocus, optional advisor checks, and optional visual validation.

tasks.md also includes a Codex /goal entry. For long-running Codex work, use that prepared entry instead of giving /goal a raw product document. The default chain is /goal -> ~auto -> ~qa: Codex keeps the long-running continuation, ~auto executes the AFK work, and ~qa remains the final quality gate before closeout.

5) State and recovery

Long tasks need a small recovery snapshot, but one shared state file is not safe enough for concurrent work.

HelloAGENTS now resolves the current state file from state_path:

• with a stable or reusable session id: .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/STATE.md
• before a reusable session id is available: .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/default/STATE.md

<workspace> is the current Git branch, detached-<sha> for a detached HEAD, or workspace for non-Git projects. <session> is the current project-local session token. .helloagents/sessions/active.json only keeps the latest active workspace/session mapping plus alias bridges, so the same CLI session stays in one directory and /resume can reuse it.

For project-local sessions, HelloAGENTS first uses stable host identifiers such as sessionId, conversationId, threadId, or HELLOAGENTS_NOTIFY_SESSION_ID. If the host only exposes a window or terminal id such as WT_SESSION, TERM_SESSION_ID, or WINDOWID, HelloAGENTS uses it only as a lightweight alias bridge and reuses the mapped session first instead of fanning out duplicate directories. If a session starts before a stable host identifier is available, HelloAGENTS can begin in default and keep reusing that same active directory after the same CLI session later exposes a stable identifier, instead of splitting into a second session directory.

STATE.md records where the current workflow stopped. It is not a universal memory file for every conversation. Codex /goal does not replace state_path, turn-state, or local evidence files; it only handles long-running continuation on the Codex side.

6) Verification and delivery evidence

HelloAGENTS does not treat “tests passed” and “task complete” as the same thing. Delivery can also require plan coverage, task checklist status, review evidence, advisor evidence, and visual evidence.

Runtime state now stays intentionally small:

• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/STATE.md
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/runtime.json
• .helloagents/sessions/active.json
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/artifacts/qa-review.json
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/artifacts/advisor.json
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/artifacts/visual.json
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/artifacts/closeout.json
• optional .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/events.jsonl
• ~/.codex/.helloagents/notify-state.json for Codex-native closeout de-duplication only

STATE.md only keeps the human-readable recovery snapshot. runtime.json is machine-only and keeps the minimal runtime state. artifacts/*.json stays limited to structured receipts. events.jsonl remains opt-in trace output and stays off by default. Project-local STATE.md is now materialized more lazily.

Standard runtime evidence and transient runtime state now expire after 72 hours. Long-running Codex goal flows still keep their 720-hour upper bound where the workflow explicitly needs it.

Delivery gate, guard, and QA gate messages use action-oriented wording such as processing path, closeout action, and visual validation action, so blocked flows show what to do next without turning executable steps into optional suggestions. Final closeout also enforces a single HelloAGENTS wrapper, so one reply does not emit duplicate closeout headers. That wrapper is now reserved for direct final-user delivery only. Intermediate reports, delegated task results, and sub-agent replies stay natural, and sub-agent stop hooks reject wrapped closeout replies.

7) Safer install, update, cleanup, and diagnostics

The CLI manages host files explicitly:

• install writes only the selected target unless --all is used
• update refreshes the selected target or all targets
• cleanup removes managed injections and links
• uninstall performs scoped cleanup before package removal
• doctor reports drift in carriers, links, hooks, config entries, plugin roots, cache copies, versions, and real Claude/Gemini global install artifacts; for Codex, it also surfaces native codex doctor output when available
• Codex managed notify = ["helloagents-js", "codex-notify"] stays portable, and doctor, cleanup, and uninstall also recognize wrapped --previous-notify chains used by Codex App / Computer Use
• per-host mode tracking is written only after host setup succeeds, and failed native global cleanup keeps the host tracked as global instead of silently layering standby on top
• direct switch-branch clears stale HELLOAGENTS* lifecycle env before its internal npm install/sync steps, and package preuninstall falls back to --all when no explicit host args are provided, so stale shell env does not shrink branch-switch or uninstall cleanup scope
• Windows .cmd / .bat lifecycle calls now run through an explicit command wrapper, so host installs, branch switching, and doctor flows do not emit Node DEP0190 shell deprecation warnings
• Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Grok Build, Cursor, and Codex CLI config writes, updates, cleanup, uninstall, mode switching, and branch switching are covered as one tested lifecycle chain instead of separate best-effort paths

Quick Start

1) Install the package

npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents

If another executable named helloagents already exists in your PATH, use the stable managed-entry alias:

helloagents-js

By default, postinstall installs the package command, initializes ~/.helloagents/helloagents.json, and syncs runtime files to ~/.helloagents/helloagents. No host CLI is deployed unless you set HELLOAGENTS=target[:mode], such as HELLOAGENTS=codex:global.

For npm 11 and later, keep --allow-scripts=helloagents on direct package install or upgrade commands so npm can run the managed postinstall without approval warnings. If you are still on npm 10 or earlier, you can omit that flag.

2) Deploy to a CLI

Use standby mode for selected projects and explicit activation:

helloagents install codex --standby
helloagents install --all --standby

Use global mode when you want full rules everywhere:

helloagents --global
helloagents install --all --global

After reinstalling, refreshing, or switching modes, restart the target AI CLI or open a new session; already running sessions do not reload injected rules automatically.

3) Verify inside your AI CLI

Type:

~help

You should see the available chat commands and the current settings.

4) Create project knowledge

Initialize the project workflow:

~init

CLI Management

Shell commands

helloagents --standby
helloagents --global
helloagents install codex --standby
helloagents install --all --global
helloagents update codex
helloagents cleanup claude --global
helloagents uninstall gemini
helloagents switch-branch beta
helloagents switch-branch beta claude --global
helloagents doctor
helloagents doctor codex --json
helloagents codex goals status
helloagents codex goals enable

Supported targets:

• claude
• gemini
• grok
• cursor
• codex
• --all

If you omit --standby or --global, HelloAGENTS first reuses the tracked/detected mode for that CLI, then falls back to standby.

npm and one-shot script entries

Use these when you do not want to depend on the helloagents binary being available during package updates. In HELLOAGENTS=target[:mode], target can be all, claude, gemini, grok, cursor, or codex; mode can be standby or global. For install, an omitted mode is treated as standby. For update, cleanup, uninstall, and branch switching, an omitted mode is forwarded unchanged so HelloAGENTS can reuse the tracked or detected mode for that CLI first. If you do not provide HELLOAGENTS, the one-shot install scripts now behave like plain package install: they install or update the package only and do not auto-deploy any host CLI. For a custom tarball or package spec, set HELLOAGENTS_PACKAGE instead of HELLOAGENTS_BRANCH. For a guaranteed refresh of an already installed package, prefer npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run sync-hosts -- ... after the package command. The one-shot shell and PowerShell wrappers auto-detect npm 11+ and append --allow-scripts=helloagents only where that flag is supported.

Host configs use the stable helloagents-js entrypoint and runtime root ~/.helloagents/helloagents, so Node global package paths can change without breaking managed hooks or Codex notify. Codex hooks use standalone ~/.codex/hooks.json instead of adding large hook blocks to config.toml, and Codex global plugin roots plus plugin cache now link back to that same stable runtime root. Claude Code global installs use a dedicated local marketplace projection under ~/.helloagents/host-projections/claude-marketplace, Gemini global extension packaging uses ~/.helloagents/host-projections/gemini, Grok Build global installs use the materialized marketplace projection ~/.helloagents/host-projections/helloagents-grok-marketplace, and Cursor global installs use the curated local-plugin projection ~/.helloagents/host-projections/cursor-local-plugin/helloagents plus a real copied install directory at ~/.cursor/plugins/local/helloagents, so host-specific packaging stays isolated from the shared runtime root without relying on symlink-only plugin loading.

npm commands

macOS / Linux:

# Install to Codex in standby mode
HELLOAGENTS=codex npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents

# Install to Codex in global mode
HELLOAGENTS=codex:global npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents

# Update the package, then refresh Claude in standby mode
npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents@latest
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run sync-hosts -- claude --standby

# Switch to the beta branch, then refresh all CLIs in standby mode
npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents https://github.com/hellowind777/helloagents/archive/refs/heads/beta.tar.gz
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run sync-hosts -- --all --standby

# Clean Gemini integration before package uninstall
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run uninstall -- gemini --standby
npm uninstall -g helloagents

Windows PowerShell:

# Install to Codex in standby mode
$env:HELLOAGENTS="codex"; npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents

# Install to Codex in global mode
$env:HELLOAGENTS="codex:global"; npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents

# Update the package, then refresh Claude in standby mode
npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents@latest
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run sync-hosts -- claude --standby

# Switch to the beta branch, then refresh all CLIs in standby mode
npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents https://github.com/hellowind777/helloagents/archive/refs/heads/beta.tar.gz
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run sync-hosts -- --all --standby

# Clean Gemini integration before package uninstall
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run uninstall -- gemini --standby
npm uninstall -g helloagents

After the package is installed, you can also call its npm scripts directly:

npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run deploy:global
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run sync-hosts -- --all --standby
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run cleanup-hosts -- codex --standby
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run uninstall -- --all

Fresh installs can still use HELLOAGENTS=target[:mode] directly. For update, branch switching, or any forced host re-sync of an already installed package, the explicit npm run sync-hosts step above is the deterministic path.

One-shot scripts

macOS / Linux:

# Install
HELLOAGENTS=codex curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.sh | sh

# Update
HELLOAGENTS=claude:standby HELLOAGENTS_ACTION=update curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.sh | sh

# Switch branch
HELLOAGENTS=all:global HELLOAGENTS_ACTION=switch-branch HELLOAGENTS_BRANCH=beta curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.sh | sh

# Cleanup host integration without uninstalling the package
HELLOAGENTS=codex:standby HELLOAGENTS_ACTION=cleanup curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.sh | sh

# Uninstall
HELLOAGENTS=gemini HELLOAGENTS_ACTION=uninstall curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.sh | sh

Windows PowerShell:

# Install
$env:HELLOAGENTS="codex"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.ps1 | iex

# Update
$env:HELLOAGENTS="claude:standby"; $env:HELLOAGENTS_ACTION="update"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.ps1 | iex

# Switch branch
$env:HELLOAGENTS="all:global"; $env:HELLOAGENTS_ACTION="switch-branch"; $env:HELLOAGENTS_BRANCH="beta"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.ps1 | iex

# Cleanup host integration without uninstalling the package
$env:HELLOAGENTS="codex:standby"; $env:HELLOAGENTS_ACTION="cleanup"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.ps1 | iex

# Uninstall
$env:HELLOAGENTS="gemini"; $env:HELLOAGENTS_ACTION="uninstall"; irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hellowind777/helloagents/main/install.ps1 | iex

The shell and PowerShell wrappers now parse HELLOAGENTS once, keep plain package install/update behavior when no target is specified, clear lifecycle env before update, branch switching, and uninstall, and then run one explicit sync or cleanup path.

Branch switching

switch-branch installs the requested npm/GitHub ref first, then syncs host CLIs through npm scripts so it does not depend on the helloagents executable during updates:

helloagents switch-branch beta
helloagents switch-branch beta claude --global
helloagents branch beta --all --standby

The direct helloagents switch-branch ... command also clears stale HELLOAGENTS* lifecycle env before its internal npm install and host-sync steps.

Use normal npm commands when you only want to change the package and not sync host CLIs immediately:

npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents https://github.com/hellowind777/helloagents/archive/refs/heads/beta.tar.gz
npm install -g --allow-scripts=helloagents helloagents@latest
npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run uninstall -- --all
npm uninstall -g helloagents

Standby mode files

CLI	Files written or updated	Cleanup behavior
Claude Code	~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, ~/.claude/settings.json, ~/.claude/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents	removes managed marker block, HelloAGENTS hooks/permissions, and symlink
Cursor	~/.cursor/hooks.json, ~/.cursor/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents	removes managed Cursor hooks and the runtime symlink
Gemini CLI	~/.gemini/GEMINI.md, ~/.gemini/settings.json, ~/.gemini/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents	removes managed marker block, HelloAGENTS hooks, and symlink
Grok Build	~/.grok/AGENTS.md, ~/.grok/hooks/helloagents.json, ~/.grok/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents	removes managed marker block, managed Grok hooks file, and symlink
Codex CLI	~/.codex/AGENTS.md, ~/.codex/config.toml, ~/.codex/hooks.json, ~/.codex/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents, managed backups	removes managed marker block, managed config keys, managed hooks, symlink, and the latest managed backup

Global mode files

CLI	Install method	Files involved
Claude Code	native plugin install	~/.helloagents/host-projections/claude-marketplace, Claude Code plugin metadata/cache managed by the host
Cursor	native local plugin install	~/.helloagents/host-projections/cursor-local-plugin/helloagents, materialized into ~/.cursor/plugins/local/helloagents
Gemini CLI	native extension install	~/.helloagents/host-projections/gemini, ~/.gemini/extensions/helloagents
Grok Build	native marketplace + plugin install	~/.helloagents/host-projections/helloagents-grok-marketplace, ~/.grok/config.toml, ~/.grok/installed-plugins/registry.json, Grok plugin cache managed by the host
Codex CLI	native local-plugin chain	~/.agents/plugins/marketplace.json, ~/plugins/helloagents/ -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents, ~/.codex/plugins/cache/local-plugins/helloagents/local/ -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents, ~/.codex/config.toml, ~/.codex/hooks.json, ~/.codex/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents

In global mode, HelloAGENTS now attempts the host-native install commands automatically. Claude Code uses the local marketplace projection, Gemini uses the local extension projection, Grok Build uses the materialized local marketplace projection, Cursor refreshes a real local-plugin copy under ~/.cursor/plugins/local/helloagents, and Codex keeps linking back to the same stable runtime root, so install, update, branch switching, mode switching, cleanup, and uninstall all refresh against one consistent runtime copy. If a host command is unavailable, run the same commands manually:

/plugin marketplace add "~/.helloagents/host-projections/claude-marketplace"
/plugin install helloagents@helloagents
gemini extensions link "~/.helloagents/host-projections/gemini"
grok plugin marketplace add "~/.helloagents/host-projections/helloagents-grok-marketplace"
grok plugin install "~/.helloagents/host-projections/helloagents-grok-marketplace/plugins/helloagents" --trust

For Cursor, copy the contents of ~/.helloagents/host-projections/cursor-local-plugin/helloagents into ~/.cursor/plugins/local/helloagents. On Windows, do not rely on a symlink or junction that points outside ~/.cursor.

For Claude Code, the CLI also tries the equivalent claude plugin marketplace add ... and claude plugin install ... commands. The marketplace is named helloagents, and the plugin is also named helloagents, so the install target is helloagents@helloagents. Restart the host CLI after a global install.

When you switch Claude or Gemini back to standby, HelloAGENTS first removes the native plugin or extension. If that cleanup fails, the host stays tracked as global instead of silently stacking standby on top.

Codex global mode is installed by HelloAGENTS automatically through the local-plugin path.

Commands in Chat

Typical flows

Goal	Use
Clarify requirements, compare approaches, decide scope & value	~ask "should this become a full platform or just a thin wedge?"
Let HelloAGENTS choose the path and continue	~auto "add JWT login"
Review a plan before implementation	~plan "refactor payment module"
Implement from a clear request or active plan	~build "finish task 2 in the plan"
Build a full product requirement document	~prd "modern dashboard for operations team"
Run a long Codex task through /goal -> ~auto -> ~qa	~loop "finish the auth refactor"
Initialize or refresh the project workflow	~init
Validate current work	~qa
Generate commit message and sync knowledge	~commit

Project initialization vs host global deployment

In standby mode, projects that are not initialized get lighter rules and explicit ~command entry points. A project becomes initialized after ~init writes the project-level <!-- HELLOAGENTS_PROFILE: full --> marker.

In global mode, HelloAGENTS applies full rules by default at the host level.

Project Knowledge Base

Local mode

By default, project knowledge lives in the project:

.helloagents/

This directory is the local knowledge, plan, state, and runtime directory.

Repo-shared mode

When project_store_mode = "repo-shared":

• local .helloagents/ keeps project-local state and runtime files
• stable knowledge and plan files move to ~/.helloagents/projects/<repo-key>/
• multiple worktrees of the same git repo can share the same stable knowledge

Runtime state and evidence remain local to the working project:

• state_path
• .helloagents/sessions/active.json
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/runtime.json
• .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/artifacts/*.json

Temporary sessions outside project-local storage

For read-only work with no local output, if neither the current directory nor its parents contain a project-local .helloagents/ directory, HelloAGENTS keeps short-lived runtime state under the user-level directory:

~/.helloagents/runtime/<scope-key>/

This only stores short-lived STATE.md, runtime.json, and artifacts/. Optional events.jsonl trace files are only written when trace mode is enabled. It is not project knowledge. Expired transient sessions are removed by TTL cleanup.

Once the task creates or modifies local files, or otherwise leaves local output in the current project, HelloAGENTS creates the project-local .helloagents/sessions/<workspace>/<session>/STATE.md automatically instead of keeping that task only in the user-level transient runtime.

Knowledge creation rules

Command or setting	Behavior
~init	initializes the project workflow and syncs the knowledge base
kb_create_mode = 0	disables automatic knowledge updates
kb_create_mode = 1	syncs knowledge automatically only when the KB already exists
kb_create_mode = 2	for coding tasks, auto-creates or syncs the KB when it already exists or the project is initialized

Workflow and Delivery

Workflow stages

HelloAGENTS uses this stage model for structured work:

Routing and tiering → Goal clarification → Planning → Implementation → Quality loop → Closeout and archive

Stage	Purpose
Routing and tiering	decide whether the task should go through ~ask, ~plan, ~build, ~qa, ~prd, or automatic flow
Goal clarification	clarify goal, constraints, and success criteria
Planning	prepare plan files and choose needed skills
Implementation	implement and run local checks
Quality loop	review, run commands, and check contract and evidence
Closeout and archive	update state, knowledge, and closeout evidence

HelloAGENTS also keeps an always-on core-rule layer in bootstrap.md / bootstrap-lite.md. That layer anchors the agent as a capable executor in a trusted environment, blocks responsibility-shifting to users or other tools, enforces exhausting alternative paths before declaring blockage, corrects proposal bias, distinguishes real external constraints from internal inertia, and keeps user-visible wording in one language unless code identifiers, commands, paths, config keys, or necessary proper names must stay unchanged.

Delivery tiers

Tier	Typical use
T0	read-only analysis, idea exploration, comparison
T1	low-risk focused fixes or explicit verification
T2	multi-file features, new projects, structured plans
T3	high-risk or irreversible work such as auth, payment, database, release, production operations

UI workflow

UI work follows this priority:

1. current plan.md or PRD UI decisions
2. .helloagents/DESIGN.md
3. any loaded hello-ui implementation and validation rules; all UI work must still satisfy the shared UI quality baseline

For heavier UI work, contract.json can require:

• ui.styleAdvisor.required
• ui.visualValidation.required

Those requirements are closed with the current session artifacts/advisor.json and artifacts/visual.json.

Verification sources

Verification commands are detected in this order:

1. logical .helloagents/verify.yaml
2. package manager scripts such as package.json
3. automatic detection

When project_store_mode = "repo-shared", logical .helloagents/verify.yaml resolves from the shared project store.

Configuration

Config file:

~/.helloagents/helloagents.json

Default shape:

{
  "output_language": "",
  "output_format": true,
  "notify_level": 0,
  "ralph_loop_enabled": true,
  "guard_enabled": true,
  "kb_create_mode": 1,
  "project_store_mode": "local",
  "auto_commit_enabled": true,
  "commit_attribution": "",
  "install_mode": "standby",
  "host_install_modes": {}
}

Key	Default	Meaning
output_language	""	follow the user language unless set
output_format	true	direct final-user closeout from the main agent uses the HelloAGENTS layout; intermediate, delegated, and sub-agent output stays natural
notify_level	0	0 off, 1 desktop, 2 sound, 3 both
ralph_loop_enabled	true	run the QA stop gate for explicit ~qa / ~loop or required closeout gates
guard_enabled	true	block dangerous commands
kb_create_mode	1	0 off, 1 sync existing KB automatically, 2 auto-create or sync the KB for coding tasks
project_store_mode	"local"	local or repo-shared
auto_commit_enabled	true	auto-create a local commit at closeout when verification passed and the working tree changed; false skips only the automatic commit
commit_attribution	""	optional text appended to commit messages
install_mode	"standby"	current default install mode
host_install_modes	{}	managed per-CLI mode map, such as { "codex": "standby" }; recorded only after successful host setup and used before falling back to install_mode

auto_commit_enabled is initialized to true only when the config file is first created. Later installs and updates only fill missing keys and do not overwrite your existing value.

How Each CLI Is Integrated

Claude Code

• standby writes ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md
• standby updates ~/.claude/settings.json with managed hooks and permissions
• standby creates ~/.claude/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents
• global mode uses Claude Code's plugin system
• switching from global back to standby removes the native plugin first; if that cleanup fails, HelloAGENTS keeps Claude tracked as global

Gemini CLI

• standby writes ~/.gemini/GEMINI.md
• standby updates ~/.gemini/settings.json with managed hooks
• standby creates ~/.gemini/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents
• global mode uses Gemini's extension system
• switching from global back to standby removes the native extension first; if that cleanup fails, HelloAGENTS keeps Gemini tracked as global

Grok Build

• standby writes ~/.grok/AGENTS.md
• standby writes a managed global hooks file at ~/.grok/hooks/helloagents.json
• standby creates ~/.grok/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents
• global mode uses Grok Build's native marketplace plus plugin install path
• global packaging is materialized under ~/.helloagents/host-projections/helloagents-grok-marketplace
• switching from global back to standby removes the native plugin and marketplace source first; if that cleanup fails, HelloAGENTS keeps Grok tracked as global

Cursor

• standby updates ~/.cursor/hooks.json
• standby creates ~/.cursor/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents
• global mode uses Cursor's native local-plugin path
• global packaging is materialized under ~/.helloagents/host-projections/cursor-local-plugin/helloagents
• the installed local plugin is copied into ~/.cursor/plugins/local/helloagents, so Cursor does not depend on an external symlink target
• switching from global back to standby removes the local plugin copy first; if that cleanup fails, HelloAGENTS skips standby injection

Codex CLI

Codex is rules-file driven by default.

• standby writes ~/.codex/AGENTS.md
• standby writes a portable managed model_instructions_file = "~/.codex/AGENTS.md"
• standby writes a managed and portable notify = ["helloagents-js", "codex-notify"] command for closeout notification, so reinstalling, updating, or moving to another machine does not require rewriting an absolute path
• standby writes silent Codex hooks to ~/.codex/hooks.json
• Codex SessionStart stays silent and reads the current ~/.helloagents/helloagents.json at runtime instead of baking a config snapshot into config.toml, so first-turn and post-compaction settings stay current
• install and update also sync HelloAGENTS-managed Codex hook trust state in ~/.codex/config.toml, so Codex 0.129.0+ does not re-prompt for the managed hooks
• that hook trust state is machine-local generated metadata derived from the current absolute ~/.codex/hooks.json path; unlike model_instructions_file = "~/.codex/AGENTS.md", it is not portable config and should be regenerated on each machine
• standby creates ~/.codex/helloagents -> ~/.helloagents/helloagents
• global mode installs the native local-plugin chain, but keeps ~/.helloagents/helloagents as the single managed runtime source by linking plugin roots, plugin cache, and ~/.codex/helloagents back to it
• doctor, cleanup, and uninstall also recognize wrapped notify chains such as --previous-notify ["helloagents-js", "codex-notify"], so Codex App / Computer Use wrappers do not cause false drift reports or break notify restoration
• for Codex app/plugin discovery, global is the native path; standby remains the lighter default for explicit project work
• cleanup removes only the HelloAGENTS-managed hook trust entries, while keeping user-owned hook state untouched
• Codex hooks only synchronize runtime state and enforce Stop gates; they do not inject HelloAGENTS rules or route text through hook output
• Codex closeout de-duplicates Stop hooks and native codex-notify, so one turn does not notify twice, and clientless delegated child-completion events stay silent when the managed Stop hook is active
• /goal remains Codex-native. Enable it explicitly with helloagents codex goals enable when long-running plan execution is needed
• Current OpenAI docs still mark /goal as experimental, and Codex app support is still preview. HelloAGENTS therefore treats /goal as an opt-in Codex-native accelerator, not as a required runtime dependency
• Goal-aware commands resume from tasks.md, contract.json, and state_path; they do not create goals automatically or mark them complete before HelloAGENTS verification and closeout

Verification

Run all tests:

npm test

The current suite covers:

• install, update, cleanup, uninstall, branch switching, and mode switching
• stale lifecycle-env protection for direct switch-branch and package preuninstall
• Windows .cmd / .bat lifecycle dispatch without Node DEP0190 warnings
• one-shot shell and PowerShell lifecycle dispatch, plus wrapper env cleanup and mode-routing rules for install, update, cleanup, uninstall, and branch switching
• Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, and Codex host integration behavior, including global-to-standby cleanup and failed native cleanup tracking
• Codex managed model_instructions_file, notify, hooks.json, hook trust state, local plugin, marketplace, and cache behavior
• Codex cleanup and canonical managed notify restoration rules, including wrapped --previous-notify chains
• Codex /goal feature toggles, long-running route context, and goal-aware command contracts
• helloagents doctor
• project storage and repo-shared behavior
• workspace-session scoped state_path, runtime signals, and evidence
• runtime injection, routing, guard, verification, visual evidence, delivery gates, closeout de-duplication, sub-agent wrapper and notification suppression, and successful-mode tracking after native install failures
• end-to-end host config write, update, cleanup, uninstall, mode-switch, and branch-switch flows across Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Grok Build, Cursor, and Codex CLI
• README and skill contract alignment

FAQ

What is the role of docs/?

docs/ is reference material for users and AI agents. It may lag behind implementation; runtime behavior is defined by source code, rule templates, skills, templates, and tests.

Is this a CLI tool or a prompt framework?

Both.

• cli.mjs handles install, update, cleanup, diagnostics, and host config
• rule templates define the loaded workflow rules
• skills/ defines task-specific behavior
• scripts/ provides runtime helpers for routing, guard, notify, verification, state, and evidence

Should I use ~init or --global?

Use ~init inside a repo when you want to initialize that project workflow and sync project knowledge.

Use helloagents --global when you want host-wide deployment across supported CLIs.

What is the difference between standby and global?

standby is lighter and explicit. It deploys rules to selected CLIs while leaving each repo uninitialized until you run ~init.

global applies full rules broadly at the host level. Claude, Gemini, and Grok use native plugin, extension, or marketplace installs. Cursor and Codex use native local-plugin paths; Cursor specifically materializes a real plugin copy under ~/.cursor/plugins/local/helloagents. If you mainly want Codex app/plugin discoverability, use global. If you mainly want a lighter, explicit project workflow, keep standby.

Do Codex hooks show injected content?

No HelloAGENTS rule or route text is injected through hooks. HelloAGENTS Codex hooks only write runtime state and enforce Stop gates; successful hooks stay quiet, while blocked or failed hooks show the necessary reason.

Can I turn off notifications or guard checks?

Yes.

• set notify_level to 0 to disable notifications
• set guard_enabled to false to disable command guards

Does npm uninstall -g helloagents remove project knowledge?

No. Run npm explore -g helloagents -- npm run uninstall -- --all before package removal so HelloAGENTS can reuse the tracked or detected mode for each CLI and clean host integrations plus the stable runtime copy. Project .helloagents/ files and ~/.helloagents/helloagents.json are intentionally preserved unless you remove them yourself.

Troubleshooting

~help is not recognized

Check:

npm list -g helloagents
helloagents doctor

Then restart the target CLI.

A CLI appears installed but behavior is stale

Run:

helloagents doctor
helloagents update codex
helloagents --standby
helloagents --global

Use the command that matches your installed mode and target CLI.

Codex still uses old files after a local branch switch

Refresh Codex:

helloagents update codex

For global mode, you can also run:

helloagents --global

Notifications do not work

Check notify_level first.

• Windows: PowerShell must be able to show desktop notifications or play sound
• macOS: afplay should be available
• Linux: install aplay, paplay, or notify-send

Guard blocks a command you intended to run

Review the command. Guard blocks known destructive operations and warns about risky writes. If you still want to disable it:

{ "guard_enabled": false }

License

Code is licensed under Apache-2.0. Documentation is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Contributing

• Bug reports: open an issue
• Feature requests: open an issue
• Pull requests are welcome

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