compound-engineering-plugin Documentation

File: README.md Copy Chapter

Compound Engineering

AI skills that make each unit of engineering work easier than the last.

Install Copy Chapter

Claude Code Copy Section

/plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
/plugin install compound-engineering

Already have Compound Engineering installed? Compound Engineering moved to a root-native layout. You must refresh the marketplace before updating — see Existing Installs. Running /plugin update alone keeps you on the old version.

Cursor Copy Section

In Cursor Agent chat, install from the plugin marketplace:

/add-plugin compound-engineering

Or search for "compound engineering" in the plugin marketplace.

Grok Bot Copy Section

Grok Bot is its own app, but it uses your Cursor account and plugin library. There is no separate Grok Bot login. Install Compound Engineering once on that account and Grok Bot agents can load it.

In Cursor Agent chat:

/add-plugin compound-engineering

Or search for "compound engineering" in the Cursor plugin marketplace. Do not run /add-plugin in the Grok Bot chat, and do not clone this repository onto the Grok Bot computer.

Codex App Copy Section

Compound Engineering is not listed in Codex's built-in plugin marketplace yet. Add it as a custom marketplace:

1. In the Codex app, open Plugins from the sidebar.

2. Click the arrow next to Create, then select Add marketplace.

3. Enter:

   Field	Value
   Source	EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
   Git ref	main
   Sparse paths	leave blank

4. Click Add marketplace.

5. Search for Compound Engineering, install compound-engineering-plugin, then restart Codex.

The Codex app install is self-contained for Compound Engineering. Specialist reviewer and research behavior lives inside the skills as local prompt assets; no separate custom-agent install step is required.

Codex CLI Copy Section

Register the marketplace, then install the plugin.

1. Register the marketplace with Codex:

   bash Copy

   codex plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin

2. Install the plugin:

   bash Copy

   codex plugin add compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

   You can also launch codex, run /plugins, find the Compound Engineering marketplace, select the compound-engineering plugin, and choose Install. Restart Codex after install completes.

The native Codex plugin install is self-contained for Compound Engineering. Specialist reviewer and research behavior lives inside the skills as local prompt assets; no separate custom-agent install step is required.

For a non-default Codex profile, run every Codex-related step against the same CODEX_HOME. This example installs CE into a work profile:

CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex/profiles/work" codex plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
CODEX_HOME="$HOME/.codex/profiles/work" codex plugin add compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

The marketplace step only makes the plugin available; the plugin install is what activates the native CE skills for that profile.

Remove the legacy Codex tool map (pre-native installs)

If you previously installed Compound Engineering with the Bun convert / install --to codex CLI (before native Codex plugin support), that path may have inserted a managed block into your global Codex instructions file:

…

in $CODEX_HOME/AGENTS.md (default ~/.codex/AGENTS.md). That Claude-compat tool map is obsolete — CE skills name Codex tools inline — and one of its lines incorrectly told Codex to collapse subagent dispatch onto the main thread. Native plugin install does not add this block.

Paste this into Codex (or any agent with access to your home directory) to remove it:

Remove the obsolete Compound Engineering Codex tool-map block from my Codex home AGENTS.md.

1. Check `$CODEX_HOME/AGENTS.md` if CODEX_HOME is set, otherwise `~/.codex/AGENTS.md`. If I use Codex profiles, also check `~/.codex/profiles/*/AGENTS.md`.
2. Look for the exact sentinels `` and ``.
3. If both are present, delete only the span from the BEGIN line through the END line (inclusive), leaving any other user content untouched. Do not edit project/repo AGENTS.md unless those exact sentinels are present there.
4. If the file is empty after the removal, delete the file.
5. Show a short before/after summary of what you changed (or say the block was already absent). Do not add a replacement tool map.

Re-running the Bun convert/install CLI for Codex also strips the block if it is still present; it no longer inserts it.

Another editor or CLI? Kimi Code CLI, Cline, Grok Build CLI, Devin CLI, GitHub Copilot, Factory Droid, Qwen Code, OpenCode, Pi, oh-my-pi (omp), and Antigravity CLI are all supported — see More install options.

Philosophy Copy Chapter

Each unit of engineering work should make subsequent units easier -- not harder.

Invocation syntax: this README uses /skill-name examples for slash-skill hosts. In Codex, invoke installed skills with $skill-name (for example, $ce-plan and $lfg). In oh-my-pi (omp), these prompts can model-route to visible skills; use the native deterministic /skill:<name> form for manual-only or hidden skills (for example, /skill:ce-polish). /goal remains a Codex built-in command.

Traditional development accumulates technical debt. Every feature adds complexity. Every bug fix leaves behind a little more local knowledge that someone has to rediscover later. The codebase gets larger, the context gets harder to hold, and the next change becomes slower.

Compound engineering inverts this. 80% is in planning and review, 20% is in execution:

• Plan thoroughly before writing code with /ce-brainstorm and /ce-plan using one readiness-based plan artifact
• Review to catch issues and calibrate judgment with /ce-code-review and /ce-doc-review
• Codify knowledge so it is reusable with /ce-compound
• Keep quality high so future changes are easy

The point is not ceremony. The point is leverage. A good brainstorm makes the plan sharper. A good plan makes execution smaller. A good review catches the pattern, not just the bug. A good compound note means the next agent does not have to learn the same lesson from scratch.

Learn more

• Skill documentation catalog
• Compound engineering: how Every codes with agents
• The story behind compounding engineering

Workflow Copy Chapter

The core loop is six steps: brainstorm the requirements, plan the implementation, work through the plan, simplify what you wrote, review the result, then compound the learning -- and repeat with better context.

Each cycle compounds: /ce-compound writes learnings that the next /ce-brainstorm and /ce-plan read as grounding -- brainstorms sharpen plans, plans inform future plans, reviews catch more issues, patterns get documented. That return arrow is the whole point.

Artifact folders like docs/solutions/ and docs/plans/ are the defaults. A project whose docs/ is tracked content can relocate every CE artifact folder under one repo-relative root via the docs_root setting -- see configuration.

Additional skills Copy Section

These sit around the loop or get reached for on demand -- not every cycle needs them.

For the full catalog and how each skill chains together, see docs/skills. The complete inventory is below.

Quick Example Copy Chapter

Finding a direction -- when you don't have a specific idea yet, ideate first, then carry the strongest survivor into the loop:

/ce-ideate new drawing tools
/ce-ideate surprise me
/ce-ideate open issues     # ground ideas in your tracker's open issues (GitHub, Linear, Jira)

/ce-ideate does the homework first (codebase, past learnings, prior art on the web, optionally your issue tracker), then hands you a ranked set of grounded candidates to take into /ce-brainstorm.

Standard feature loop -- turn a rough idea into shipped, reviewed code:

/ce-brainstorm make background job retries safer
/ce-plan
/ce-work
/ce-simplify-code
/ce-code-review
/ce-compound

Simplifying code -- use it after fresh implementation work, or point it at code that keeps slowing changes down:

/ce-simplify-code
/ce-simplify-code simplify the code in my most-churned file

The first pass tightens recent branch changes before review. The targeted pass is useful when one file keeps absorbing unrelated fixes, follow-ups, or merge conflicts.

Debugging a bug -- when you start from broken behavior instead of a feature:

/ce-debug the checkout webhook sometimes creates duplicate invoices
/ce-code-review
/ce-compound

Autonomous -- hand off a feature and let the agent run the whole pipeline:

/ce-brainstorm describe the feature
/lfg

/lfg runs the loop hands-off: it plans, works through the plan, simplifies, runs code review and applies the fixes, runs browser tests, then commits. When a git remote exists it pushes, opens a PR, and watches CI with a bounded repair loop (it does not merge, and it can finish with leftovers if the repair budget is hit). With no remote it stops at local commits. Start it after /ce-brainstorm so it plans against real requirements rather than a one-line prompt. It's the autopilot version of the standard loop when you want to step away and come back to an open PR. When an eligible multi-area plan still has unplanned work, lfg also recommends and justifies the next separately planned area; only if you accept does it create a /ce-handoff for a fresh session and separate plan.

Getting Started Copy Chapter

After installing, run /ce-setup in any project. It reports optional tool capabilities, creates repo .compound-engineering/config.yaml when missing, refreshes the committed example, and gitignores an existing local override.

The compound-engineering plugin currently ships 33 skills. Its core workflows spawn specialist subagents on demand for research, review, planning, and implementation. Each skill seeds generic subagents with its own prompts instead of relying on standalone plugin agents, keeping the workflows portable across harnesses that handle formal agent definitions differently.

Full Skill Inventory Copy Section

More Install Options Copy Chapter

Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex are at the top. Everything here is equally supported.

Kimi Code CLI Copy Section

Kimi Code CLI can install Compound Engineering directly from this repository because the repo ships a native .kimi-plugin/plugin.json manifest:

/plugins install https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin

You can also browse it through Kimi's custom marketplace flow:

/plugins marketplace https://raw.githubusercontent.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin/main/.kimi-plugin/marketplace.json

After installing or updating, run /reload or start a new Kimi session so the plugin skills are loaded.

Cline Copy Section

Cline loads CE skills from on-demand SKILL.md directories. Enable Settings -> Features -> Enable Skills in the Cline extension, then link this repository's skills globally or per project:

git clone https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
./compound-engineering-plugin/.cline/scripts/install-skills.sh --global

Per-project install from a checkout:

./compound-engineering-plugin/.cline/scripts/install-skills.sh --project

Start a new Cline task after installing or updating skills. See .cline/INSTALL.md for pinning, local development, and uninstall steps.

Grok Build CLI (`grok`) Copy Section

xAI's Grok Build CLI (grok) installs Compound Engineering directly from this repository — the repo root is a valid Grok plugin (grok reads the existing Claude-compatible manifests, and the repo also ships a native .grok-plugin/plugin.json):

grok plugin install EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin

This tracks the repository; run grok plugin update to pull the latest. To browse it as a marketplace source instead, the repo ships a native .grok-plugin/marketplace.json:

grok plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
grok plugin install compound-engineering

Both paths track the repository directly (no commit pin), so no Bun install step is needed. Add --trust to skip the install confirmation. grok stores config under ~/.grok; start a new session after installing so the skills load.

Compound Engineering is also being submitted to the official xAI plugin marketplace; see docs/grok-marketplace-submission.md for the maintainer runbook.

Devin CLI Copy Section

Devin CLI can install Compound Engineering directly from GitHub because the repo ships a native .devin-plugin/plugin.json manifest:

devin plugins install EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin

Verify the install and inspect the skills:

devin plugins list
devin plugins info compound-engineering

Update to the latest version with devin plugins update compound-engineering. Plugins load at session start, so start a new Devin session after installing or updating for the skills to appear (as /compound-engineering:<skill> slash commands).

A few skills declare Claude-style allowed-tools names that Devin does not map (for example Bash); those skills still work, but some of their actions ask for permission instead of running auto-approved. See docs/specs/devin.md for details.

GitHub Copilot Copy Section

For VS Code Copilot Agent Plugins:

1. Run Chat: Install Plugin from Source from the VS Code command palette
2. Use EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin for the repo
3. Select compound-engineering when VS Code shows the plugins in this repository

For Copilot CLI, use:

Inside Copilot CLI:

/plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
/plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

From a shell with the copilot binary:

copilot plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
copilot plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

Copilot CLI reads the existing Claude-compatible plugin manifests, so no separate Bun install step is needed.

Factory Droid Copy Section

From a shell with the droid binary:

droid plugin marketplace add https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
droid plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

Droid uses plugin@marketplace plugin IDs; here compound-engineering is the plugin and compound-engineering-plugin is the marketplace name. Droid installs the existing Claude Code-compatible plugin and translates the format automatically, so no Bun install step is needed.

Qwen Code Copy Section

qwen extensions install EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin:compound-engineering

Qwen Code installs Claude Code-compatible plugins directly from GitHub and converts the plugin format during install, so no Bun install step is needed.

OpenCode Copy Section

Add Compound Engineering to the plugin array in your global or project opencode.json:

{
  "plugin": ["compound-engineering@git+https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin.git"]
}

Restart OpenCode after changing the config. The OpenCode plugin registers the Compound Engineering skills directory directly; no Bun installer or generated skill copy is required. See .opencode/INSTALL.md for pinning examples.

Pi Copy Section

Install Compound Engineering as a Pi package from this repository:

pi install git:github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin

Required companion for CE workflows that dispatch reviewer, research, or implementation subagents:

pi install npm:pi-subagents

Recommended companion for richer blocking questions:

pi install npm:pi-ask-user

oh-my-pi (omp) Copy Section

oh-my-pi (omp) installs Compound Engineering through its marketplace flow. The repo ships a native .omp-plugin/marketplace.json catalog whose plugin entry carries a release-managed version, so omp's update checker can see each new CE release:

omp plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
omp plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

To stay current automatically, enable auto-update:

omp config set marketplace.autoUpdate auto

The default notify mode only writes update availability to the debug log — it does not prompt — so without auto you will not hear about new releases. To upgrade by hand instead, run omp plugin upgrade compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin.

Other install paths (pin-style and contributor development)

omp install https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin installs the repository as an npm-style plugin. That path has no update mechanism — treat it as pinning a snapshot, not as the recommended install.

For local development from a checkout, use a live symlink instead:

omp plugin link "$PWD"

Run /reload-plugins or start a new omp session after installing so the skills load. omp's native deterministic command is /skill:<name> (for example, /skill:ce-plan); ordinary /skill-name prompts can also model-route to visible skills, but manual-only or hidden skills require the native form. See docs/specs/omp.md for details.

Antigravity CLI (`agy`) Copy Section

Google has replaced the consumer Gemini CLI with Antigravity CLI (agy), which still runs on Gemini models. Install Compound Engineering directly from GitHub — no clone step required:

agy plugin install https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin

Verify with agy plugin list. The repository root is the plugin package (plugin.json plus skills/).

For a local checkout or pinned release:

git clone https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
agy plugin install ./compound-engineering-plugin

The bundled .agy/ directory remains a compatibility entry point (agy plugin install ./compound-engineering-plugin/.agy). agy also loads GEMINI.md workspace context from the checkout.

See .agy/INSTALL.md for pinning, local development, uninstall, and legacy Gemini import.

Existing Installs Copy Section

Compound Engineering moved to a root-native, skills-only layout. An existing marketplace install keeps a cached marketplace snapshot that still points at the old plugins/compound-engineering path, so updating the plugin on its own reads that stale snapshot and leaves you on the previous version. Refresh the cached marketplace first, then update the plugin — order matters.

Claude Code

/plugin marketplace update compound-engineering-plugin
/plugin update compound-engineering

Codex CLI

codex plugin marketplace upgrade compound-engineering-plugin
codex plugin add compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

There is no codex plugin update; re-running add reinstalls from the refreshed snapshot. For a non-default profile, run both commands against the same CODEX_HOME.

Codex App

Refresh the marketplace from the Plugins panel (remove and re-add the EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin marketplace if there is no refresh control), then reinstall compound-engineering and restart Codex.

Grok Bot

Reinstall or refresh Compound Engineering on that Cursor account (/add-plugin compound-engineering in Cursor Agent chat, or marketplace search). Grok Bot then loads the new snapshot from the shared plugin library. Do not clone this repository onto the Grok Bot computer for a normal update.

If you configured a host with a direct path or sparse path under plugins/compound-engineering, edit or reinstall that source so it points at the repository root with no sparse path.

If a previous Bun-installed copy is still shadowing native plugin skills, run the current cleanup command from a checkout of this repository:

git clone https://github.com/EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin.git /tmp/compound-engineering-plugin-cleanup
cd /tmp/compound-engineering-plugin-cleanup
bun install
bun run cleanup --target all

Local Development Copy Chapter

bun install
bun test
bun run release:validate

From your local checkout Copy Section

For active development, load this checkout directly in the harness you want to test.

Claude Code

claude --plugin-dir "$PWD"

Cursor Agent CLI

cursor-agent --plugin-dir "$PWD"

Codex

For the normal production-like plugin installation, use the Codex App or Codex CLI instructions above. The workflow below is only for contributors who need Codex to load unreleased files from an exact checkout or linked worktree.

Advanced: test this exact checkout in Codex

Select the current worktree as the active Codex development source:

bun run codex:dev -- local

This creates one collection symlink at $CODEX_HOME/skills/compound-engineering-local (default ~/.codex/skills/compound-engineering-local) pointing to this worktree's skills/ directory. It removes installed Compound Engineering plugin variants through the Codex CLI so a cached marketplace plugin cannot shadow or duplicate the local skills. It does not copy skills, change the checkout, pull Git, or touch unrelated entries under $CODEX_HOME/skills.

The link exposes exactly what is in the selected worktree, including modified and untracked skills. Ordinary edits therefore need no reinstall, and current Codex versions detect direct skill changes automatically. Start a new session after switching between local and remote installation modes; if an ordinary skill edit does not appear, restart Codex.

Use these commands to inspect and switch modes:

bun run codex:dev -- status
bun run codex:dev -- refresh
bun run codex:dev -- remote
bun run codex:dev -- remove

• status reports local, remote, mixed, drifted, or absent state plus the linked checkout, worktree kind, branch, commit SHA, and dirty counts.
• refresh is an idempotent alias for local; use it to reconcile accidental plugin installs. The live link already reflects file changes.
• remote refreshes the official Git marketplace, installs and verifies compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin, then removes the local link. Use it to simulate the released user experience.
• remove removes Compound Engineering plugin variants and the managed link, leaving the checkout and unrelated user skills intact.

The script derives the repository path, so it works from checkouts in any location, including paths with spaces. It inherits the active CODEX_HOME; set CODEX_HOME on the command when testing an isolated profile. Run every mode against the same CODEX_HOME you use to launch Codex.

Do not use codex plugin marketplace add "$PWD" for live local development. It installs a cached copy of this checkout, so later edits are not reflected until the plugin is installed again; a matching manifest version also does not prove the cache matches the worktree. The codex:dev workflow instead keeps Codex linked to the current skill files.

Kimi Code CLI

Inside Kimi Code CLI:

/plugins install /path/to/compound-engineering-plugin

To test the local marketplace catalog instead, pass the catalog path:

/plugins marketplace /path/to/compound-engineering-plugin/.kimi-plugin/marketplace.json

Cline

/path/to/compound-engineering-plugin/.cline/scripts/install-skills.sh --global

Enable Settings -> Features -> Enable Skills in the Cline extension, then start a new task.

Devin CLI

devin plugins install /path/to/compound-engineering-plugin

Local installs are linked to the checkout rather than copied, so skill edits apply on the next Devin session without reinstalling.

OpenCode

{
  "plugin": ["/path/to/compound-engineering-plugin"]
}

Restart OpenCode after changing opencode.json.

Pi

pi -e "$PWD"

oh-my-pi (omp)

omp plugin link "$PWD"

Antigravity CLI (agy)

agy plugin install "$PWD"
agy plugin validate "$PWD"

Or install the bundled .agy/ entry point:

agy plugin install "$PWD/.agy"

See .agy/INSTALL.md for remote install and pinning examples.

Limitations Copy Chapter

OpenCode, Pi, and oh-my-pi (omp) use native package/plugin loading from this repository. The Bun CLI remains for repository development and converter maintenance, not normal installation.

Release versions are owned by release automation. Routine feature PRs should not hand-bump plugin or marketplace manifest versions.

FAQ Copy Chapter

Do I need Bun to install Compound Engineering? Copy Section

No. Bun is only needed for repo development tasks and converter maintenance.

Where do I see all available skills? Copy Section

The skill inventory is in this README, and the deeper skill catalog is in docs/skills/README.md. Each skill's authoritative runtime spec lives in skills/<skill>/SKILL.md.

Where is release history? Copy Section

GitHub Releases are the canonical release-notes surface. The root CHANGELOG.md points to that history.

Contributing Copy Chapter

Contributions are welcome. Issues, bug reports, and pull requests all help make this better, and we genuinely appreciate them — bug reports especially.

A note on what to expect: Compound Engineering is opinionated by design. It's maintained by @kieranklaassen and @tmchow, and its direction reflects a specific point of view about how AI-assisted engineering should work. So while we welcome help, we can't promise to accept every change — some proposals won't fit that vision even when they're good ideas on their own.

Open an issue or send a PR, and we'll fold in what moves the plugin in the right direction. We just want to be upfront that not everything will land.

License Copy Chapter

MIT

File: docs/specs/copilot.md Copy Chapter

GitHub Copilot Spec (Agents, Skills, MCP)

Last verified: 2026-04-18

Primary sources Copy Chapter

https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-cli/customize-copilot/create-custom-agents-for-cli
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/reference/copilot-cli-reference/cli-command-reference
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/reference/copilot-cli-reference/cli-plugin-reference
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/copilot-cli/about-cli-plugins
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/reference/custom-agents-configuration
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/about-agent-skills
https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/agents/coding-agent/mcp-and-coding-agent

Config locations Copy Chapter

Agents (.agent.md files) Copy Chapter

• Custom agents are Markdown files with YAML frontmatter stored in .github/agents/.
• File extension is .agent.md (or .md). Filenames may only contain: ., -, _, a-z, A-Z, 0-9.
• The documented custom-agent extension is singular .agent.md, not .agents.md.
• description is the only required frontmatter field.
• Current Copilot CLI docs do not list .agents/agents or ~/.agents/agents as custom-agent discovery paths. The .agents/* convention is documented for skills (.agents/skills, ~/.agents/skills), not agents.
• Copilot CLI also loads Claude-compatible agent directories (.claude/agents, ~/.claude/agents) after native Copilot agent directories and before plugin agents.
• AGENTS.md files are supported as custom instruction/context files, not as custom-agent profile files.

Plugins Copy Chapter

• Copilot CLI plugins bundle reusable agents, skills, hooks, MCP servers, and related configuration.
• Install from a registered marketplace with:

/plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
/plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

• The terminal equivalents are:

copilot plugin marketplace add EveryInc/compound-engineering-plugin
copilot plugin install compound-engineering@compound-engineering-plugin

• Copilot CLI looks for plugin manifests at .plugin/plugin.json, plugin.json, .github/plugin/plugin.json, or .claude-plugin/plugin.json.
• Copilot CLI looks for marketplace manifests at marketplace.json, .plugin/marketplace.json, .github/plugin/marketplace.json, or .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.
• Therefore the existing repository-level .claude-plugin/marketplace.json and plugin-level plugins/compound-engineering/.claude-plugin/plugin.json are expected to be sufficient for Copilot native plugin install. Do not add a parallel .github/plugin surface unless Copilot requires a Copilot-only manifest field in the future.

Frontmatter fields Copy Section

Character limit Copy Section

Agent body content is limited to 30,000 characters.

Tool names Copy Section

Skills (SKILL.md) Copy Chapter

• Skills follow the open SKILL.md standard (same format as Claude Code and Cursor).
• A skill is a directory containing SKILL.md plus optional scripts/, references/, and assets/.
• YAML frontmatter requires name and description fields.
• Skills are loaded on-demand when Copilot determines relevance.

Discovery locations Copy Section

MCP (Model Context Protocol) Copy Chapter

• MCP configuration is set via Repository Settings > Copilot > Coding agent > MCP configuration on GitHub.
• Repository-level agents cannot define MCP servers inline; use repository settings instead.
• Org/enterprise agents can embed MCP server definitions in frontmatter.
• All env var names must use the COPILOT_MCP_ prefix.
• Only MCP tools are supported (not resources or prompts).

Config structure Copy Section

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["package"],
      "tools": ["*"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "COPILOT_MCP_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Server types Copy Section

Prompts (.prompt.md) Copy Chapter

• Reusable prompt files stored in .github/prompts/.
• Available in VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains IDEs only (not on github.com).
• Invoked via /promptname in chat.
• Support variable syntax: ${input:name}, ${file}, ${selection}.

Precedence Copy Chapter

1. Built-in agents
2. ~/.copilot/agents
3. /.github/agents
4. /.github/agents
5. ~/.claude/agents
6. /.claude/agents
7. /.claude/agents
8. Plugin agents/ directories
9. Remote organization/enterprise agents

Within a repo, AGENTS.md files in directories provide nearest-ancestor-wins instructions.

Skills use separate first-found-wins precedence. Current docs list project .github/skills, .agents/skills, .claude/skills, inherited project skills, personal ~/.copilot/skills, personal ~/.agents/skills, personal ~/.claude/skills, then plugin skill directories.

Skills are deduplicated by the name field inside SKILL.md, not by directory name. If a personal or project skill has the same name as a plugin skill, Copilot uses the first-loaded personal/project skill and silently ignores the plugin skill. For example, a stale ~/.agents/skills/ce-plan/SKILL.md with name: ce-plan would shadow the native plugin's ce-plan; it should not show as two separate skills in Copilot CLI. Use /skills info ce-plan to confirm which location won.

This makes Copilot cleanup different from Codex duplicate cleanup: stale CE skills in ~/.agents/skills, ~/.copilot/skills, .agents/skills, or .github/skills may not create visible duplicates, but they can silently override newer plugin-provided CE skills.

File: docs/specs/cursor.md Copy Chapter

Cursor Spec (Plugin Marketplace, Rules, Commands, Skills, MCP)

Last verified: 2026-02-12

Primary sources Copy Chapter

https://docs.cursor.com/context/rules
https://docs.cursor.com/context/rules-for-ai
https://docs.cursor.com/customize/model-context-protocol

Plugin Marketplace Copy Chapter

Compound Engineering is published through the Cursor Plugin Marketplace.

In Cursor Agent chat, install with:

/add-plugin compound-engineering

Users can also search for "compound engineering" in the plugin marketplace.

The repo-owned marketplace files are:

.cursor-plugin/marketplace.json
.cursor-plugin/plugin.json

Do not use the old custom Bun converter/install path for Cursor.

Config locations Copy Chapter

Rules (.mdc files) Copy Chapter

• Rules are Markdown files with the .mdc extension stored in .cursor/rules/.
• Each rule has YAML frontmatter with three fields: description, globs, alwaysApply.
• Rules have four activation types based on frontmatter configuration:

• Precedence: Team Rules > Project Rules > User Rules > Legacy .cursorrules > AGENTS.md.

Commands (slash commands) Copy Chapter

• Custom commands are Markdown files stored in .cursor/commands/.
• Commands are plain markdown with no YAML frontmatter support.
• The filename (without .md) becomes the command name.
• Commands are invoked by typing / in the chat UI.
• Commands support parameterized arguments via $1, $2, etc.

Skills (Agent Skills) Copy Chapter

• Skills follow the open SKILL.md standard, identical to Claude Code and Codex.
• A skill is a folder containing SKILL.md plus optional scripts/, references/, and assets/.
• SKILL.md uses YAML frontmatter with required name and description fields.
• Skills can be repo-scoped in .cursor/skills/ or user-scoped in ~/.cursor/skills/.
• At startup, only each skill's name/description is loaded; full content is injected on invocation.

MCP (Model Context Protocol) Copy Chapter

• MCP configuration lives in .cursor/mcp.json (project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global).
• Each server is configured under the mcpServers key.
• STDIO servers support command (required), args, and env.
• Remote servers support url (required) and optional headers.
• Cursor infers transport type from whether command or url is present.

Example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "package-name"],
      "env": { "KEY": "value" }
    }
  }
}

CLI (cursor-agent) Copy Chapter

• Cursor CLI launched August 2025 as cursor-agent.
• Supports interactive mode, headless mode (-p), and cloud agents.
• Reads .cursor/rules/, .cursorrules, and AGENTS.md for instructions.
• CLI permissions controlled via .cursor/cli.json with allow/deny lists.
• Permission tokens: Shell(command), Read(path), Write(path), Delete(path), Grep(path), LS(path).

File: docs/specs/kiro.md Copy Chapter

Kiro CLI Spec (Custom Agents, Skills, Steering, MCP, Settings)

Last verified: 2026-02-17

Primary sources Copy Chapter

https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/
https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/custom-agents/configuration-reference/
https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/skills/
https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/steering/
https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/mcp/
https://kiro.dev/docs/cli/hooks/
https://agentskills.io

Config locations Copy Chapter

• Project-level config: .kiro/ directory at project root.
• No global/user-level config directory — all config is project-scoped.

Directory structure Copy Chapter

.kiro/
├── agents/
│   ├── <name>.json              # Agent configuration
│   └── prompts/
│       └── <name>.md            # Agent prompt files
├── skills/
│   └── <name>/
│       └── SKILL.md             # Skill definition
├── steering/
│   └── <name>.md                # Always-on context files
└── settings/
    └── mcp.json                 # MCP server configuration

Custom agents (JSON config + prompt files) Copy Chapter

• Custom agents are JSON files in .kiro/agents/.
• Each agent has a corresponding prompt .md file, referenced via file:// URI.
• Agent config has 14 possible fields (see below).
• Agents are activated by user selection (no auto-activation).
• The converter outputs a subset of fields relevant to converted plugins.

Agent config fields Copy Section

Example agent config Copy Section

{
  "name": "security-reviewer",
  "description": "Reviews code for security vulnerabilities",
  "prompt": "file://./prompts/security-reviewer.md",
  "tools": ["*"],
  "resources": [
    "file://.kiro/steering/**/*.md",
    "skill://.kiro/skills/**/SKILL.md"
  ],
  "includeMcpJson": true,
  "welcomeMessage": "Switching to security-reviewer. Reviews code for security vulnerabilities"
}

Skills (SKILL.md standard) Copy Chapter

• Skills follow the open Agent Skills standard.
• A skill is a folder containing SKILL.md plus optional supporting files.
• Skills live in .kiro/skills/.
• SKILL.md uses YAML frontmatter with name and description fields.
• Kiro activates skills on demand based on description matching.
• The description field is critical — Kiro uses it to decide when to activate the skill.

Constraints Copy Section

• Skill name: max 64 characters, pattern ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$, no consecutive hyphens (--).
• Skill description: max 1024 characters.
• Skill name must match parent directory name.

Example Copy Section

---
name: workflows-plan
---

# Planning Workflow

Detailed instructions...

Steering files Copy Chapter

• Markdown files in .kiro/steering/.
• Always loaded into every agent session's context.
• Equivalent to the repo instruction file used by Claude-oriented workflows; in this repo AGENTS.md is canonical and CLAUDE.md may exist only as a compatibility shim.
• Used for project-wide instructions, coding standards, and conventions.

MCP server configuration Copy Chapter

• MCP servers are configured in .kiro/settings/mcp.json.
• Only stdio transport is supported — command + args + env.
• HTTP/SSE transport (url, headers) is NOT supported by Kiro CLI.
• The converter skips HTTP-only MCP servers with a warning.

Example Copy Section

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "playwright": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/mcp-playwright"]
    },
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@context7/mcp-server"]
    }
  }
}

Hooks Copy Chapter

• Kiro supports 5 hook trigger types: agentSpawn, userPromptSubmit, preToolUse, postToolUse, stop.
• Hooks are configured inside agent JSON configs (not separate files).
• 3 of 5 triggers map to Claude Code hooks (preToolUse, postToolUse, stop).
• Not converted by the plugin converter for MVP — a warning is emitted.

Conversion lossy mappings Copy Chapter

Overwrite behavior during conversion Copy Chapter

File: docs/specs/opencode.md Copy Chapter

OpenCode Spec (Config, Agents, Plugins)

Last verified: 2026-04-19

Primary sources Copy Chapter

https://opencode.ai/docs/config/
https://opencode.ai/docs/tools
https://opencode.ai/docs/permissions
https://opencode.ai/docs/plugins/
https://opencode.ai/docs/agents/
https://opencode.ai/docs/commands/
https://opencode.ai/docs/skills
https://opencode.ai/config.json

Config files and precedence Copy Chapter

• OpenCode supports JSON and JSONC configs.
• Config sources are merged rather than replaced, with global and project config both participating in the final config.
• Global config is stored at ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json, and project config is opencode.json in the project root.
• Custom config file and directory can be provided via OPENCODE_CONFIG and OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR.
• The .opencode and ~/.config/opencode directories use plural subdirectory names (agents/, commands/, modes/, plugins/, skills/, tools/, themes/).

Core config keys Copy Chapter

• model and small_model set the primary and lightweight models; provider configures provider options.
• tools is still supported but deprecated as of OpenCode v1.1.1; permissions are now the canonical control surface.
• permission controls tool approvals and can be configured globally or per tool, including pattern-based rules.
• mcp, instructions, disabled_providers, enabled_providers, and plugin are supported config sections.
• plugin can list npm packages to load at startup.
• skills.paths and skills.urls can add extra skill discovery locations, but CE should not depend on them until the layout is smoke-tested locally with OpenCode.

Tools Copy Chapter

• OpenCode ships with built-in tools, and permissions determine whether each tool runs automatically, requires approval, or is denied.
• Tools are enabled by default; permissions provide the gating mechanism.

Permissions Copy Chapter

• Permissions resolve to allow, ask, or deny and can be configured globally or per tool, with pattern-based rules.
• Defaults are permissive, with special cases such as .env file reads.
• Agent-level permissions override the global permission block.

Agents Copy Chapter

• Agents can be configured in opencode.json or as markdown files in ~/.config/opencode/agents/ or .opencode/agents/.
• Agent config supports mode, model, variant, temperature, top_p, hidden, steps, options, permission, and other schema fields. tools still exists but is deprecated.
• mode can be primary, subagent, or all; omitted mode defaults to all.
• hidden: true hides subagents from the @ autocomplete menu.
• permission.task controls which subagents an agent may invoke.
• Model IDs use the provider/model-id format.

Skills Copy Chapter

• Skills are reusable SKILL.md definitions loaded on demand through OpenCode's native skill tool.
• OpenCode searches direct child skill directories in its built-in roots:
  • .opencode/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
  • ~/.config/opencode/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
  • .claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
  • ~/.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
  • .agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
  • ~/.agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md
• The config schema also exposes skills.paths and skills.urls for extra skill sources. Do not switch CE to those until tested against a local OpenCode install; direct ~/.config/opencode/skills/<name>/SKILL.md remains the stable writer shape.
• Skill frontmatter recognizes name, description, license, compatibility, and metadata; unknown fields are ignored.
• Skill names must be lowercase alphanumeric with single hyphen separators and must match the directory name.

Commands Copy Chapter

• Commands can be configured in opencode.json or as Markdown files in ~/.config/opencode/commands/ or .opencode/commands/.
• Markdown command frontmatter can include fields such as description, agent, model, and subtask; the body becomes the prompt template.
• If a command targets an agent whose mode is subagent, OpenCode invokes it as a subagent by default. subtask: true can force subagent invocation.

Plugins and events Copy Chapter

• Local plugins are loaded from .opencode/plugins/ and ~/.config/opencode/plugins/. npm plugins can be listed in plugin in opencode.json.
• Plugins are JavaScript/TypeScript modules. Each exported plugin function receives OpenCode context and returns hooks/event handlers.
• Local plugins and custom tools can use npm dependencies declared in a package.json in the OpenCode config directory; OpenCode runs bun install at startup.

Notes for this repository Copy Chapter

• The current documented global CE install root should stay ~/.config/opencode, not ~/.agents, to avoid conflicts with harnesses that also read ~/.agents.
• The current CE writer shape is still appropriate in April 2026:
  • ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
  • ~/.config/opencode/agents/*.md
  • ~/.config/opencode/commands/*.md only when a source plugin ships commands
  • ~/.config/opencode/plugins/*.ts
  • ~/.config/opencode/skills/*/SKILL.md
• OpenCode's plugin system is useful for JS/TS hooks and custom tools, but current docs do not describe a native marketplace command that consumes CE's .claude-plugin/marketplace.json and installs the full skills/agents/commands payload.
• Keep the custom Bun writer until OpenCode documents a native distribution path for packaged skills and agents.
• The compound-engineering plugin currently emits skills and subagent Markdown files for OpenCode. It should not emit deprecated tools config; permission config is enough for non-default permission modes.