Agent Framework CLI

Specification-driven agents for every AI editor — one command, all platforms.

agent-framework-cli installs a governed engineering workflow into your project and emits the right agent files for whichever AI editor you use: GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, or any Open Plugins-compatible tool.

One command. All platforms.

npm install -g agent-framework-cli
acli setup

acli setup asks two questions (project type + memory backend), installs all dependencies, and scaffolds your project. Open your AI editor and start:

/acli.run Build a user authentication system with OAuth support

Platform Support

acli init asks which editors you target. Agents are emitted to all selected destinations automatically.

| Platform | Output location | Format | |---|---|---| | GitHub Copilot | .github/agents/{name}.agent.md | VS Code agent frontmatter | | Cursor | .cursor/rules/{name}.mdc | YAML frontmatter + alwaysApply | | Claude Code | AGENTS.md | Aggregated markdown sections | | Windsurf | .windsurf/rules/{name}.md | YAML frontmatter + trigger | | Open Plugins | .agents/plugins/agent-framework/agents/{name}.agent.md | Open Plugins spec |

Every acli install / acli remove writes to all configured platforms and keeps the Open Plugins manifest (.plugin/plugin.json) in sync.

The Power Stack

| Tool | What it does | |------|---| | spec-kit | Spec-driven development — keeps every feature grounded in structured requirements | | Fleet | Multi-agent orchestration — architect, security, dev, and QA run in the right order | | Superpowers Bridge | Connects your editor to TDD enforcement, brainstorming, and structured code review | | Beads (optional) | Semantic memory — architecture decisions and task state survive every session | | Open Plugins | Canonical extension format — share and install custom plugins across any conformant tool |

Why bother?

AI coding assistants write code fast but without discipline. Left unchecked:

• Features get built from vague prompts instead of structured specs
• Architecture drifts because every session starts fresh
• Tests get skipped, security gets overlooked, reviews get bypassed

Agent Framework wraps your AI editor in a governed engineering workflow — spec before code, review before merge, memory that persists.

The Lifecycle

Run /acli.run <feature> — the orchestrator drives everything. You only step in at three approval gates.

| # | Phase | What happens | |---|---|---| | 1 | Specify | Constitution + feature spec authored | | 2 | Clarify | Ambiguities resolved before any planning | | 3 | Plan | Architecture decisions + implementation plan | | 4 | Checklist | Security, a11y, and performance gates generated | | 5 | Tasks | Prioritised, dependency-ordered task breakdown | | | 🚦 Gate 1 | You approve the plan before any code is written | | 6 | Analyze | Cross-artifact consistency validated | | | 🚦 Gate 2 | You confirm everything is aligned | | 7 | Review | Cross-model plan review | | 8 | Implement | Dev + QA loop — up to 5 iterations before escalation | | 9 | Verify | Full test suite + acceptance criteria checked | | 10 | Finish | Branch cleanup, merge readiness confirmed | | | 🚦 Gate 3 | You give final approval before merge |

5 Agents, 1 Team

| Agent | Job | |---|---| | orchestrator | Routes work, enforces gates, runs tasks in parallel | | architect | Writes specs, plans, ADRs — tech-agnostic and rigorous | | security | OWASP checklists, threat modeling, vulnerability review | | development | TDD implementation, plan-conformant, hands off cleanly | | qa | Code review, test coverage, acceptance validation |

Slash Commands

Everyday:

| Command | What it does | |---|---| | /acli.run <feature> | Full lifecycle start to finish | | /acli.onboard | Analyse and bootstrap an existing codebase | | /acli.implement | Jump straight to implementation |

Spec & Planning:

| Command | What it does | |---|---| | /acli.constitution | Define your project principles & architecture boundaries | | /acli.specify | Author a structured feature spec with acceptance criteria | | /acli.plan | Generate implementation plan + architecture decision records | | /acli.tasks | Break the plan into prioritised, dependency-ordered tasks | | /acli.checklist | Generate security, a11y, and performance quality gates |

Review & Ship:

| Command | What it does | |---|---| | /acli.critique | Spec-aligned code review with severity ratings | | /acli.debug | Structured root-cause analysis | | /acli.finish | Branch cleanup and merge readiness check |

Agency Roster

Install any of 140+ community-built agents from the Agency roster — organized across engineering, design, marketing, product, and more.

# Browse all available agents by division
acli agency list

# Narrow to a specific division
acli agency list --division engineering

# Search by keyword
acli agency search "data engineer"
acli agency search "frontend"

# Install by slug or keyword
acli agency install engineering-frontend-developer
acli agency install frontend-developer          # matches by keyword
acli agency install engineering/frontend-developer  # division-scoped

# Force overwrite an existing install
acli agency install engineering-frontend-developer --force

Agents are installed to all platforms in .agent-framework.json and the index is cached locally for 24 hours. Use --refresh to fetch the latest roster.

| Platform | Output path | |---|---| | GitHub Copilot | .github/agents/{slug}.agent.md | | Cursor | .cursor/rules/{slug}.mdc | | Claude Code | .claude/agents/{slug}.md | | Windsurf | .windsurf/rules/{slug}.md | | Open Plugins | .agents/plugins/agency-agents/agents/{slug}.agent.md |

Extension Ecosystem

Extend the framework with additional agents, skills, and rules via the acli extensions command.

# See what is installed and what is available
acli extensions list --available

# Install a known extension
acli extensions add brownfield          # speckit brownfield onboarding
acli extensions add fleet               # multi-agent fleet orchestration

# Install any custom open-plugins package
acli extensions add my-plugin --from https://example.com/my-plugin.zip --ecosystem open-plugins

# Build and share your own plugin
acli extensions create my-plugin       # scaffold structure + starter agent + skill
acli extensions pack my-plugin         # zip for distribution

Supported extension ecosystems

| Ecosystem | Install mechanism | Discovery | |---|---|---| | speckit | specify extension add CLI | spec-kit extension registry | | open-plugins | Download + extract zip | .agents/plugins/*/plugin.json manifest |

Workspace Layout

.github/
  agents/         ← GitHub Copilot agent definitions
  skills/         ← reusable skills
  prompts/        ← slash commands
.cursor/
  rules/          ← Cursor rule files (.mdc)
.windsurf/
  rules/          ← Windsurf rule files (.md)
.agents/
  plugins/        ← Open Plugins packages (manifest + agents/skills/rules)
AGENTS.md         ← Claude Code agent registry (auto-generated)
.specify/
  memory/         ← constitution, architecture, quality standards
  specs/          ← specs, plans, checklists, tasks
.beads/           ← persistent memory (if beads-based memory selected)
.agent-framework.json  ← framework config (platforms, agents, dependencies)

CLI Reference

| Command | Description | |---|---| | acli setup [--check] | Install dependencies + scaffold project (interactive) | | acli init [--platforms …] | Initialise framework, select target platforms | | acli install <agent> | Install a framework agent to all configured platforms | | acli remove <agent> | Remove an agent from all configured platforms | | acli list agents\|skills | List available or installed agents/skills | | acli update [agent] | Re-emit agents to all configured platforms | | acli config | View or modify framework configuration | | acli agency install <name> | Install a community agent from the Agency roster | | acli agency list [--division] | Browse 140+ community agents by division | | acli agency search <query> | Search community agents by keyword | | acli extensions list | List installed extensions | | acli extensions add <name> | Install an extension | | acli extensions remove <name> | Remove an extension | | acli extensions create <name> | Scaffold a new custom plugin | | acli extensions pack <name> | Package a plugin as a distributable zip |

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• Python >= 3.8 (for spec-kit)
• One or more supported AI editors: GitHub Copilot (VS Code), Cursor, Claude Code, or Windsurf

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. MIT licensed.

Supercharge your agentic development — stop fiddling with agent config and start shipping.

agent-framework-cli sets up everything you need to follow a perfect SDLC lifecycle with GitHub Copilot, in one command. Spec → Plan → Implement → Review → Ship, with quality gates and persistent memory baked in.

One command. Full setup.

npm install -g agent-framework-cli
acli setup

That's it. acli setup asks you two quick questions, installs all dependencies, and scaffolds your project. Open Copilot Chat and go:

/acli.run Build a user authentication system with OAuth support

The Power Stack

Agent Framework wires together four best-in-class tools so you don't have to:

| Tool | What it does for you | |------|----------------------| | spec-kit | Spec-driven development engine — keeps every feature grounded in structured requirements, not vibes | | Fleet | Multi-agent orchestration — runs architect, security, dev, and QA agents in the right order with the right context | | Superpowers Bridge | Connects Copilot to brainstorming, TDD enforcement, and structured code review workflows | | Beads (optional) | Semantic memory across sessions — your architecture decisions, ADRs, and task state survive every conversation |

Choose Git-based memory (zero extra tooling, context in plain files) or Beads-based memory (advanced semantic search + chunking). acli setup asks you at install time.

Why bother?

AI coding assistants write code fast but without discipline. Left unchecked:

• Features get built from vague prompts instead of structured specs
• Architecture drifts because every session starts fresh
• Tests get skipped, security gets overlooked, reviews get bypassed
• Nobody knows why a decision was made two weeks ago

Agent Framework wraps Copilot in a governed engineering workflow — spec before code, review before merge, memory that persists.

The Lifecycle

Run /acli.run <feature> — the orchestrator drives everything. You only step in at three approval gates.

| # | Phase | What happens | |---|-------|-------------| | 1 | Specify | Constitution + feature spec authored | | 2 | Clarify | Ambiguities resolved before a line of planning | | 3 | Plan | Architecture decisions + implementation plan | | 4 | Checklist | Security, a11y, and performance gates generated | | 5 | Tasks | Prioritised, dependency-ordered task breakdown | | | 🚦 Gate 1 | You approve the plan before any code is written | | 6 | Analyze | Cross-artifact consistency validated (spec ↔ plan ↔ tasks) | | | 🚦 Gate 2 | You confirm everything is aligned | | 7 | Review | Cross-model plan review | | 8 | Implement | Dev + QA loop — up to 5 iterations before escalation | | 9 | Verify | Full test suite + acceptance criteria checked | | 10 | Finish | Branch cleanup, merge readiness confirmed | | | 🚦 Gate 3 | You give final approval before merge |

5 Agents, 1 Team

| Agent | Job | |-------|-----| | orchestrator | Routes work, enforces gates, runs tasks in parallel | | architect | Writes specs, plans, ADRs — tech-agnostic and rigorous | | security | OWASP checklists, threat modeling, vulnerability review | | development | TDD implementation, plan-conformant, hands off cleanly | | qa | Code review, test coverage, acceptance validation |

Slash Commands

Everyday:

| Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | /acli.run <feature> | Full lifecycle start to finish | | /acli.onboard | Analyse and bootstrap an existing codebase | | /acli.implement | Jump straight to implementation |

Spec & Planning:

| Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | /acli.constitution | Define your project principles & architecture boundaries | | /acli.specify | Author a structured feature spec with acceptance criteria | | /acli.plan | Generate implementation plan + architecture decision records | | /acli.tasks | Break the plan into prioritised, dependency-ordered tasks | | /acli.checklist | Generate security, a11y, and performance quality gates |

Review & Ship:

| Command | What it does | |---------|-------------| | /acli.critique | Spec-aligned code review with severity ratings | | /acli.debug | Structured root-cause analysis | | /acli.finish | Branch cleanup and merge readiness check |

Brownfield? No problem.

/acli.onboard auto-scans your existing codebase, generates a tailored constitution + reference architecture, and gets you into the lifecycle without starting from scratch.

Workspace Layout

.github/
  agents/    ← agent definitions
  skills/    ← reusable skills
  prompts/   ← slash commands
.specify/
  memory/    ← constitution, architecture, quality standards
  specs/     ← specs, plans, checklists, tasks
.beads/      ← persistent memory (if beads-based memory selected)

CLI Reference

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | acli setup [--check] | Install dependencies + scaffold project (interactive) | | acli install <agent> | Install a specific agent | | acli remove <agent> | Remove an installed agent | | acli list agents\|skills | List available agents or skills | | acli update [agent] | Update agents, prompts, and skills | | acli config | View or modify framework configuration |

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18
• VS Code + GitHub Copilot Chat
• Python >= 3.8 (for spec-kit)

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. MIT licensed.