install-chief

Install the Chief Agent Framework into the current project.

Arguments

The first argument is the target version (branch or tag). Optional.

• No argument → install the latest stable release (highest semver tag). Find it by running git ls-remote --tags https://github.com/thaitype/chief-agent-framework.git, strip refs/tags/, ignore ^{} entries, and pick the highest semver version.
• canary → latest canary branch (active development, unreleased)
• v1.0.0, v2.0.0, etc. → specific tagged version

Steps

1. Check for existing installation

Check if the Chief Agent Framework is already installed by looking for these signals:

1. .agents/agents/chief-agent.md exists
2. .chief/ directory exists
3. AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md at root contains the keyword "Chief Agent Framework" (check file content, not just existence — these files may exist from other setups)

If any of these match → the framework is likely already installed. Warn the user and suggest upgrading instead. Show them:

npx skills@latest add thaitype/chief-agent-framework --skill upgrade-chief
/upgrade-chief

Do NOT proceed unless the user explicitly confirms they want a fresh install.

If none match → proceed.

2. Ask coding agent and install mode

Ask the user:

1. Which coding agent? — Supported agents: claude-code, opencode, codex, cursor, copilot, gemini-cli, amp, windsurf, kiro, aider
2. Install mode? (relevant for claude-code and copilot)
   • link (recommended) — symlinks from agent-specific directory to .agents/
   • copy — copies files instead of symlinking
   • On Windows, link mode requires Developer Mode enabled and git config --global core.symlinks true. If unavailable, suggest copy mode.
   • For all other agents, mode does not affect behavior since they read AGENTS.md and .agents/ directly

3. Clone and run setup script

git clone --depth 1 --branch <version> https://github.com/thaitype/chief-agent-framework.git .chief-agent-tmp
bash .chief-agent-tmp/scripts/setup.sh --agent <agent> --mode <mode>

If the setup script fails completely (non-zero exit code or crashes), skip to step 3b for full manual install. Do NOT run rm -rf .chief-agent-tmp yet — it's needed for manual steps.

If the setup script succeeds, proceed to step 4.

3b. Full manual install (fallback if setup script fails)

If the setup script failed, perform the entire install manually:

# Core files (source is under template/)
cp -r .chief-agent-tmp/template/.agents .agents
cp -r .chief-agent-tmp/template/.chief .chief
cp .chief-agent-tmp/template/AGENTS.md AGENTS.md

For claude-code only, set up Claude Code integration:

Link mode:

ln -s AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md
mkdir -p .claude/agents .claude/skills
for f in .agents/agents/*.md; do ln -s "../../$f" ".claude/agents/$(basename "$f")"; done
for d in .agents/skills/*/; do ln -s "../../$d" ".claude/skills/$(basename "$d")"; done

Copy mode:

cp AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md
mkdir -p .claude/agents .claude/skills
cp .agents/agents/*.md .claude/agents/
cp -r .agents/skills/* .claude/skills/

For copilot only, set up GitHub Copilot integration:

Link mode:

mkdir -p .github/agents
for f in .agents/agents/*.md; do ln -s "../../$f" ".github/agents/$(basename "$f")"; done

Copy mode:

mkdir -p .github/agents
cp .agents/agents/*.md .github/agents/

For all other agents — no extra steps needed.

For non-claude-code agents, ask the user for model names:

1. Thinking Model (for chief-agent, e.g. o3, gemini-2.5-pro)
2. Coding Model (for builder/tester/review-plan, e.g. gpt-4.1, gemini-2.5-flash)

Replace ${thinking_model} with the Thinking Model in chief-agent, and ${coding_model} with the Coding Model in all other agent files. For claude-code, auto-replace with opus and sonnet (no prompt needed). For copilot, update files in .github/agents/. For other agents, update files in .agents/agents/.

Skip any file or directory that already exists (warn the user).

4. Verify installation

After the setup script or manual install completes, verify that the installation is correct:

1. Core files exist:

   • .agents/agents/chief-agent.md
   • .agents/agents/builder-agent.md
   • .agents/agents/tester-agent.md
   • .agents/agents/review-plan-agent.md
   • .agents/skills/grill-me/SKILL.md
   • .chief/project.md
   • .chief/_rules/
   • AGENTS.md

2. Claude Code only (if agent is claude-code):

   • CLAUDE.md exists (symlink or copy depending on mode)
   • .claude/agents/ contains entries for all 4 agents
   • .claude/skills/ contains entry for grill-me
   • If link mode: verify symlinks resolve correctly

3. Copilot only (if agent is copilot):

   • .github/agents/ contains entries for all 4 agents (symlinks or copies depending on mode)
   • If link mode: verify symlinks resolve correctly
   • Model values have been replaced if the user provided model names

5. Fix issues (fallback)

If any verification check fails, fix it manually:

• Missing core file → copy from .chief-agent-tmp/template/ if it still exists, otherwise clone again and copy the specific file
• Missing CLAUDE.md → create symlink (ln -s AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md) or copy depending on mode
• Missing .claude/ symlinks → create them individually:

  mkdir -p .claude/agents .claude/skills
  ln -s ../../.agents/agents/<file>.md .claude/agents/<file>.md
  ln -s ../../.agents/skills/<skill> .claude/skills/<skill>
  

• Broken symlink → remove and recreate
• Wrong mode (e.g. user wanted link but got copy) → remove and recreate with correct mode

6. Clean up

Ensure .chief-agent-tmp is removed:

rm -rf .chief-agent-tmp

7. Next steps

Tell the user:

1. Edit .chief/project.md with your project details (or run chief-agent: use grill-me to help me fill in project.md)
2. Review AGENTS.md and customize if needed
3. Start using: ask chief-agent to plan your first milestone

Important rules

• NEVER overwrite existing files without explicit user approval
• If the framework is already installed, suggest /upgrade-chief instead
• Always clean up .chief-agent-tmp even if the install is cancelled or fails
• If the setup script fails, attempt manual fixes before giving up
• Report all verification results to the user — even successful ones