⚡ Jump Start

Jump Start is a spec-driven agentic engineering framework that turns ideas into production code through sequential, AI-guided phases.

It keeps requirements, plans, architecture, and implementation artifacts in your repository so they stay reviewable, diffable, and reusable by both humans and AI assistants.

Why Jump Start

• Start with problem discovery before code generation.
• Keep specs as the source of truth instead of letting implementation drift drive decisions.
• Use explicit human gates between phases.
• Support greenfield builds and brownfield codebase analysis.
• Work across GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.

Quick Start

Recommended fast path:

npx jumpstart-mode quickstart

Standard interactive install:

npx jumpstart-mode

Use the quickstart wizard when you want the fastest route into the workflow. Use the standard install when you want full control over setup options such as project type, assistant integration, and the optional local copilot-observability dashboard.

Common install examples:

# Install into the current directory
npx jumpstart-mode

# Install into a specific directory with a project name
npx jumpstart-mode ./my-project --name "My Project"

# Install for an existing codebase
npx jumpstart-mode ./existing-app --type brownfield --copilot

# Include the optional local observability dashboard
npx jumpstart-mode . --copilot-observability

# Set up and launch the observability dashboard
npx jumpstart-mode . --run-copilot-observability

# Preview without writing files
npx jumpstart-mode --dry-run .

Then start from the default router:

• In GitHub Copilot, choose Jump Start: AutoNav.
• In command-based assistants, run /jumpstart.autonav.

If you already know the project type:

• Greenfield projects typically route into Challenge first.
• Brownfield projects typically route into Scout first.

Upgrade

For existing installations:

npx jumpstart-mode upgrade

Install Flags

Key installer flags:

• --type <greenfield|brownfield> to override auto-detection.
• --copilot to include GitHub Copilot integration files.
• --copilot-observability to copy and set up the local observability tool.
• --run-copilot-observability to launch the dashboard after setup.
• --conflict merge to preserve existing AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md content while updating Jump Start blocks.
• --dry-run to preview changes without writing files.
• --force to overwrite framework-owned files during installation.

If your repository already has AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md, prefer --conflict merge over skip so assistant integration stays intact.

The bundled observability tool is local-first and optional. Setup details, privacy posture, and dashboard usage live in copilot-observability/README.md.

Workflow

flowchart LR
    A[AutoNav] --> B[Scout or Challenge]
    B --> C[Analyze]
    C --> D[Plan]
    D --> E[Architect]
    E --> F[Build]

Each phase produces repository-owned artifacts that become input to the next phase. Human approval sits between phase transitions.

Documentation Map

Getting Started

• docs/quickstart.md for the under-a-minute wizard path
• docs/onboarding.md for full installation, configuration, assistant setup, and observability options

Concepts

• docs/how-jumpstart-works.md for the full framework model, agent behavior, and quality gates
• docs/framework-reference.md for project structure, living insights, brownfield vs greenfield behavior, and headless execution context

Reference

• docs/commands.md for slash-command and agent entry points
• docs/cli-reference.md for CLI subcommands, install flags, upgrade flow, and enterprise features
• docs/agent-access-reference.md for subagent, template, and delegation mechanics

Extending

• docs/extending-jumpstart.md for custom agents, bundled skills, modules, hooks, and portability

Typical Use Cases

• A new product or internal tool that needs disciplined requirements and architecture before implementation
• An existing codebase that needs AI help without losing context or spec traceability
• Teams that want AI-generated outputs to remain version-controlled and reviewable
• Organizations that need reusable workflows across multiple assistants and projects

Package Notes

• Package name: jumpstart-mode
• CLI binaries: jumpstart-mode and jumpstart
• Node requirement: >=14.0.0
• Bundled optional tool: copilot-observability/

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.