Basic Usage

hi installs one Harness Baseline from the public Registry into your repository and keeps it current. The Baseline lifecycle has four commands.

cd /path/to/repo
hi init     # choose Packs, Software Scopes, and providers; install the Baseline
hi update   # install the latest Baseline
hi diff     # show per-path drift; writes nothing
hi check    # cheap status: current, update-available, unavailable, not-installed

hi init and hi update need network access and no credential. Agents should activate $hi-cli before following command output or the .devpunks handoff.

Workflow

The operator confirms Packs, Software Scopes, providers, and the Commit Gate policy. The CLI detects the repository, fetches Registry Items, writes managed files, and records the installed Baseline. The agent authors the repository-owned guidance and runs the supported skill flows.

Setup

hi init

hi init fetches the catalog and checks the CLI range first; if the Registry is unreachable or the CLI is too old, it writes nothing. It detects the repository, proposes Packs and Software Scopes, proposes providers from the git remote, and asks for confirmation on a TTY (--yes accepts the proposal). It writes .devpunks/settings.json and installs the Baseline. Run it again to reconfigure; it pre-fills your current settings.

Harness installs no wiki. Wiki setup belongs to your project; when a wiki exists, the next agent can run $docs-onboarding against it.

After init, the next agent reads .devpunks/installed.json and .devpunks/AGENT-HANDOFF.md, authors root and scoped AGENTS.md from the prompt specs in .devpunks/specs/prompts/, tailors .agents/subagents/manifest.mjs, and runs hi update once so the harness agent files for Claude, Codex, Cursor, and OpenCode are rebuilt.

Staying Current

hi check
hi diff
hi update

hi check compares the installed Baseline with the Registry latest; the session-start hook runs it for you. hi diff shows each managed path that differs (update-available, local-edit, conflict, shape-drift, missing, stale, link-failed). hi update installs the latest Baseline. Without --yes, it keeps files you edited; hi update --yes overwrites them, and git keeps your version. Files you own (AGENTS.md, the subagent manifest, .codex/config.toml, and your own skills) are never overwritten.

Capability Map

Capability	Type	Who drives it	What it produces
`hi init`	Command	Operator + CLI	Project settings, installed Baseline, and the post-command handoff.
`hi update`	Command	Operator + CLI	Latest Baseline applied; one report row per path.
`hi diff`	Command	Operator + CLI	Per-path Drift Check; writes nothing.
`hi check`	Command	Operator + CLI	Baseline status for the session hook.
`$requirements-phase`	Skill flow	Agent + operator	Project knowledge and context persisted into EPIC and child stories or sub-issues.
`$delivery-phase`	Skill flow	Agent	Spec, plan, implementation, review, validation, and docs closeout for a scoped goal.
`$debugging-phase`	Skill flow	Agent	Evidence-backed cause, bounded fix, rerun proof, or a concrete blocker.
`$review-phase`	Skill flow	Agent	Findings, risks, missing validation, and simplification or refactor guidance.
ClawPatch lifecycle	Hybrid	Agent + ClawPatch	Discovered findings, selected finding resolution, revalidation, or triage.
`$docs-ingest-phase`	Skill flow	Agent	Routed wiki/project docs and repo-docs alignment after proven changes.
`hi report`	Command	Operator + CLI	Harness, tooling, or docs friction issue for maintainer triage.

Reporting Harness Friction

hi report --title "Skill guidance stale" --body "The generated guidance references an old command." --type docs

Reports open GitHub issues in wearedevpunks/harness-intelligence for backoffice triage. They are for Harness/tooling/docs feedback, not project product backlog by default.

Success Check

After hi init, verify:

hi check --json reports status: current
.devpunks/installed.json and .devpunks/AGENT-HANDOFF.md exist
the skill and agent surfaces match the selected Packs
the next agent can activate $hi-cli and follow the handoff

For the full model, see the CLI scaffolding runbook. For methodology and supported skill flows, continue to Harness Foundations and Supported Flows.