24 KiB
How to install GSD Core on your runtime
Install GSD Core (@opengsd/gsd-core) into the AI coding runtime you use every day. This guide gives you the standard installer path for each supported runtime, then covers the manual path for machines without Node.js.
What you need: Node.js 18+ and npm (or npx). If you do not have Node.js, jump to Installing without Node.js.
Why the installer is required
GSD Core ships agent and command files in Claude Code's native frontmatter format. Each supported runtime expects a different schema, directory layout, and command-invocation syntax. The installer performs the necessary transformations — for example, converting tool lists and colour values for OpenCode and writing TOML agent entries for Codex.
Do not copy files from agents/ or commands/ directly. Doing so bypasses the transformations and produces schema-validation errors or missing commands.
Standard install
Run the installer from any directory. It prompts for your runtime and whether to install globally (all projects) or locally (this project only).
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest
That is the only command you need for a fresh install or to re-run the installer after switching runtimes.
Per-runtime instructions
Claude Code
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --claude --global
Skills land in ~/.claude/. Commands appear as /gsd-* slash commands in your next Claude Code session. Restart Claude Code to pick them up.
Override the install directory:
CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.claude-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --claude --global
Hook coverage
GSD registers the following Claude Code hook events automatically on install:
| Event | Hook | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
SessionStart |
gsd-check-update.js, gsd-session-state.sh |
Update check, session orientation |
PostToolUse |
gsd-context-monitor.js, gsd-read-injection-scanner.js, gsd-phase-boundary.sh, gsd-graphify-update.sh |
Context monitoring, read-time scan, phase boundary detection |
PreToolUse |
gsd-prompt-guard.js, gsd-read-guard.js, gsd-workflow-guard.js, gsd-worktree-path-guard.js, gsd-validate-commit.sh |
Prompt guard, read-before-edit, workflow + worktree safety, commit validation |
SubagentStop |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context headroom tracking after subagent completion |
Stop |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context headroom tracking before model stop |
PreCompact |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context awareness before conversation compaction |
FileChanged (matcher: config.json) |
gsd-config-reload.js |
Hot-reloads .planning/config.json context mid-session when you edit your GSD config — no session restart required |
The FileChanged hook is always-on and a no-op when .planning/config.json does not exist in the project. Editing that file while a session is running injects an additionalContext summary of the new configuration so the agent picks up model overrides, workflow toggles, and hook settings immediately.
Claude Code — native plugin install
GSD Core ships a .claude-plugin/plugin.json manifest, which enables installation and lifecycle management through the Claude Code plugin system. This path is additive — the npm installer above remains fully supported, and the two approaches differ in namespace and lifecycle only.
Install paths
Option A — marketplace or git install (once listed):
claude plugin install gsd-core
Option B — zero-friction skills-dir load: Claude Code automatically discovers any directory under ~/.claude/skills/ that contains a .claude-plugin/plugin.json as a plugin. To use gsd-core this way, place (or symlink) the gsd-core package directory there:
# Example: place the package under ~/.claude/skills/gsd-core/
# Claude Code loads it as gsd-core@skills-dir on the next session start.
# No explicit install step required.
Command namespace
Plugin commands are namespaced as /gsd-core:<command> — for example, /gsd-core:plan-phase. This is distinct from the classic npm/file-copy installer, which exposes commands as /gsd:<command>. Use whichever namespace corresponds to your install method.
Lifecycle
claude plugin enable gsd-core
claude plugin disable gsd-core
claude plugin update gsd-core
Hooks
The plugin wires gsd-core's always-on guard and update hooks automatically via hooks/hooks.json. No manual hook registration is required.
Prerequisites
The gsd-tools binary (installed as part of the @opengsd/gsd-core npm package) must be available on your PATH for gsd commands to execute their backing logic. The plugin delivers the command, agent, and hook surface; the npm package delivers the runtime CLI.
Node.js (node) must also be available on your PATH. The plugin's always-on guard hooks (wired in hooks/hooks.json) are invoked as node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/<script>". Some Claude Code distributions ship as a standalone binary and do not expose a node executable on PATH; in those environments the plugin's hooks will not run. Verify with node --version before relying on the plugin hooks.
Runtime build (self-healing). The runtime CLI's compiled modules under gsd-core/bin/lib/*.cjs are build artifacts (ADR-457): they are compiled from src/*.cts by npm run build:lib and shipped prebuilt in the npm tarball. A plugin-marketplace or git-clone install materializes the repository tree directly and never runs that build step, so those files are initially absent. The CLI heals this automatically: the first gsd-tools invocation detects the missing output and compiles it once (using the bundled typescript devDependency), then proceeds normally. You may see a one-time gsd: runtime library not built — compiling once… notice on stderr; subsequent commands are unaffected. If auto-build cannot run (for example node_modules was pruned to production-only and typescript is unavailable), the CLI prints an actionable message telling you to run npm install && npm run build:lib in the plugin directory.
Claude plugin marketplace discovery (ZCODE and compatible runtimes)
GSD Core also ships a .claude-plugin/marketplace.json marketplace manifest (sibling to plugin.json). Runtimes that implement the Claude plugin marketplace contract — such as ZCODE — can discover and install GSD Core from a custom marketplace source without a manual clone:
- In your runtime's plugin UI, add a custom marketplace source pointing at
open-gsd/gsd-core(GitHubowner/repoform). - GSD Core appears in the catalog and can be installed directly from the UI.
This path is additive and changes nothing about the Claude Code plugin install above (.claude-plugin/plugin.json is unchanged). The marketplace entry's source is ./, so it reuses plugin.json's commands / skills / hooks mapping. The catalog version tracks package.json (it lives at plugins[0].version and is stamped by the release version-sync), so the version you see in the marketplace matches the npm release.
OpenCode
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --opencode --global
The installer writes four surfaces under ~/.config/opencode/ (XDG) or ~/.opencode/: flat slash commands in command/, file-based subagents in agents/, on-demand skills in skills/<name>/SKILL.md, and a native plugin in plugins/gsd-core.js. It converts agent frontmatter to OpenCode's schema — removing the tools: field and converting colour values to hex — and emits each skill with spec-compliant frontmatter (name matching the skill directory plus a description). Skills are loaded on demand via OpenCode's native skill tool; commands remain invokable as /gsd-*. See Installing without Node.js — OpenCode transformations if you need to understand what changes.
GSD safety hooks on OpenCode. OpenCode does not register lifecycle hooks the way Claude Code does (its hooksSurface is none), so GSD's prompt-injection guard, read-before-edit guard, injection scanner, and context monitor would otherwise be inert. The bundled plugin (plugins/gsd-core.js) closes that gap: OpenCode auto-discovers plugins/*.{ts,js} files under its config directory at startup and the adapter bridges OpenCode's event bus (tool.execute.before/after, session.created, file.edited) onto GSD's existing hook scripts, spawning them as subprocesses. No opencode.json entry is needed — the plugin is loaded by directory auto-discovery (the config plugin array is for npm packages only). A blocking hook aborts the tool call; an advisory hook surfaces its message without blocking.
Override the install directory:
OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR=~/.config/opencode-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --opencode --global
Kilo
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --kilo --global
The installer writes the same three surfaces under ~/.config/kilo/ (XDG) or ~/.kilo/ as for OpenCode — flat commands in command/, subagents in agents/, and skills in skills/<name>/SKILL.md — since Kilo derives from OpenCode and shares its config schema and skill layout.
Override the install directory:
KILO_CONFIG_DIR=~/.config/kilo-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --kilo --global
Codex
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --codex --global
Skills land in ~/.codex/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.md. Agents are written with per-agent TOML entries in config.toml. Restart Codex (or run codex --reload) after install.
Minimum supported version: Codex CLI 0.130.0. Earlier versions had additional skill-root scanning that can produce duplicate listings.
Hook coverage
GSD registers the following Codex hook events automatically on install (requires Codex CLI 0.137.0+ for the stable hook-event schema):
| Event | Hook | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
SessionStart |
gsd-check-update.js |
Update check at session open; Windows installs also emit a commandWindows field pointing to the .cmd shim so Codex picks the correct executor on Windows without requiring per-OS config regeneration |
SubagentStart |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Inject context / GSD_AGENT_NAME awareness at subagent open |
Stop |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context headroom tracking before model stop |
PostToolUse |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Mirror the context-monitor coverage available in Claude Code |
All registered hooks are managed by GSD and are removed cleanly on --uninstall.
Kimi CLI
Support boundary — legacy
kimi-clivs Kimi Code. This integration targets the legacy/Pythonkimi-clicustom-agent contract. Thekimi --agent-file <configRoot>/agents/gsd.yamllaunch shown below is accepted bykimi-cli. The newer npm Kimi Code (@moonshot-ai/kimi-code, e.g.0.11.0) does not accept--agent-file; it discovers skills through fixed skill roots and--skills-dir. The generated/skill:gsd-*skills work in both, but the custom-agent (--agent-file) surface is specific to legacykimi-cli. For Kimi Code, point it at the installed skills root with--skills-dir <configRoot>/skillsinstead of using--agent-file.
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --kimi --global
Skills land in Kimi's first existing generic user skills root:
~/.config/agents/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.mdwhen~/.config/agents/skillsalready exists, or when neither generic root exists yet~/.agents/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.mdwhen~/.agents/skillsalready exists and~/.config/agents/skillsdoes not
Start a new Kimi CLI session after install, then invoke GSD skills with /skill:gsd-*, for example:
/skill:gsd-new-project
The installer also writes the GSD custom agent definition to the same selected config root: <configRoot>/agents/gsd.yaml with its prompt at <configRoot>/agents/gsd.md; subagents land under <configRoot>/agents/subagents/gsd-*.yaml and <configRoot>/agents/subagents/gsd-*.md.
Kimi custom agents do not auto-activate just because the files exist. Launch Kimi with the generated agent file when you want the GSD agent surface:
kimi --agent-file ~/.config/agents/agents/gsd.yaml
If your machine already uses ~/.agents/skills and does not have ~/.config/agents/skills, GSD installs there instead and the launch command becomes:
kimi --agent-file ~/.agents/agents/gsd.yaml
Kimi also discovers user skills from the brand-specific ~/.kimi-code directory. If your Kimi setup is already centered on ~/.kimi-code, install there explicitly:
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --kimi --global --config-dir ~/.kimi-code
Then launch the generated agent from that directory:
kimi --agent-file ~/.kimi-code/agents/gsd.yaml
For brand-specific scripted installs, use:
KIMI_CONFIG_DIR=~/.kimi-code npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --kimi --global
Avoid arbitrary KIMI_CONFIG_DIR roots unless your Kimi configuration also adds the matching skills/ directory to Kimi's extra skill directories. GSD can write files there, but Kimi will not auto-discover skills outside its documented generic and brand-specific roots without that Kimi-side configuration.
--kimi --local is intentionally deferred and guarded in v1; use the global install path above for Kimi CLI.
GitHub Copilot
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --copilot --global
Skills land in ~/.copilot/. GSD installs as agent .md files and repository instruction files.
GSD also wires Copilot's lifecycle hooks and instruction files:
AGENTS.md(local installs) — written at the repository root, which GitHub Copilot CLI reads as primary instructions, alongsidecopilot-instructions.md.- Lifecycle hook — a
sessionStarthook config is written to.github/hooks/gsd-session.json(local) or~/.copilot/hooks/gsd-session.json(global). It is a self-contained inlinecommandhook (no separate hook script to install), so it can never reference a missing script. The hook is advisory-only: at session start it surfaces whether the project has a.planning/workflow.
Both are removed (and any user-authored content preserved) on --uninstall.
Override the install directory:
COPILOT_CONFIG_DIR=~/.copilot-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --copilot --global
Cursor
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --cursor --global
Skills land in ~/.cursor/. GSD installs skills, agents, and rule references.
Override the install directory:
CURSOR_CONFIG_DIR=~/.cursor-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --cursor --global
Windsurf / Devin Desktop
Windsurf has rebranded to Devin Desktop. Both runtime names are accepted — use either --windsurf or --devin-desktop.
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --windsurf --global
# or equivalently:
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --devin-desktop --global
Use a workspace install for Windsurf slash commands. Workspace installs write /gsd-* commands as Windsurf workflow files under .windsurf/workflows/. Windsurf discovers those .md workflow files in Cascade and exposes them through the / menu. Global-scope Windsurf workflow installation is intentionally a no-op for now because global workflow locations are outside GSD's normal user-owned runtime config directory.
Override the install directory:
WINDSURF_CONFIG_DIR=~/.codeium/windsurf-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --windsurf --global
Cline
GSD gives Cline both skills (≥ v3.48.0) and the .clinerules/ directory integration — no custom slash commands are registered.
# Global install (all projects — skills + rules directory)
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --cline --global
# Local install (this project only — rules directory only)
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --cline --local
GSD writes the .clinerules/ directory form:
.clinerules/gsd.md— the GSD rule file. Cline loads every.md/.txtfile in the.clinerules/directory automatically; no custom slash commands are registered..clinerules/hooks/PreToolUse— a lifecycle hook (Cline v3.36+). It is an executable script that receives the tool-call context as JSON on stdin and returns a JSON decision (cancel/errorMessage/contextModification). The GSD hook guards.planning/artifacts from direct edits and otherwise allows the operation; it fails open, so a hook error never blocks you. Cline runs hooks on macOS and Linux only.
Global install additionally:
- Emits each GSD command as
~/.cline/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. Cline ≥ v3.48.0 loads skills from~/.cline/skills/automatically — no configuration needed. - Merges GSD instructions into
~/.agents/AGENTS.md, the cross-tool global instruction file Cline reads. The block is marker-delimited, so your ownAGENTS.mdcontent (and other tools' entries) is preserved, and--uninstallstrips only the GSD block.
Local install writes the .clinerules/ directory into the current project only. No skills
directory is created for local scope.
Cline's global hook directory (
~/Documents/Cline/Rules/Hooks/) is not yet populated by the installer — project-scope hooks (.clinerules/hooks/) and the globalAGENTS.mdinstruction target cover the common cases.
CodeBuddy
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --codebuddy --global
GSD installs four surfaces. Slash command definitions land in ~/.codebuddy/commands/gsd-*.md and appear as /gsd-help, /gsd-phase, /gsd-ship, etc. in the / menu. Subagents land in ~/.codebuddy/agents/gsd-*.md. Skills land in ~/.codebuddy/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.md — emitted with user-invocable: false so they stay out of the / menu (the commands surface is the sole / entry point) and remain available for model invocation. CodeBuddy hooks are written to settings.json. No mcp.json is written: GSD ships no MCP server.
Qwen Code
Qwen Code uses the same open skills standard as Claude Code 2.1.88+.
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --qwen --global
Skills land in ~/.qwen/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.md.
GSD's main-loop skills are emitted with Qwen's optional numeric priority frontmatter field so the most-used workflows surface first in the /skills TUI list. Higher values sort earlier (per Qwen's skills spec), so core commands such as /skills for new-project (100), plan-phase (90), and execute-phase (85) appear above utility skills, which are left unset (default 0). This affects only the /skills list order — slash-command completion and /help remain alphabetical.
Override the install directory:
QWEN_CONFIG_DIR=~/.qwen-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --qwen --global
Hook coverage
Qwen Code supports 15 hook events. GSD registers the following events automatically on install:
| Event | Hook | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
SessionStart |
gsd-check-update.js, gsd-session-state.sh |
Update check, session orientation |
PostToolUse |
gsd-context-monitor.js, gsd-read-injection-scanner.js, gsd-phase-boundary.sh, gsd-graphify-update.sh |
Context monitoring, read-time scan, phase boundary detection |
PreToolUse |
gsd-prompt-guard.js, gsd-read-guard.js, gsd-workflow-guard.js, gsd-worktree-path-guard.js, gsd-validate-commit.sh |
Prompt guard, read-before-edit, workflow + worktree safety, commit validation |
SubagentStop |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context headroom tracking after subagent completion |
Stop |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context headroom tracking before model stop |
PreCompact |
gsd-context-monitor.js |
Context awareness before conversation compaction |
Augment Code
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --augment --global
Skills land in ~/.augment/skills/ and slash command definitions land in ~/.augment/commands/. GSD installs skills, agents, and commands (/gsd-phase, /gsd-ship, etc.). No hook or statusline ownership.
Antigravity
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --antigravity --global
The installer auto-detects the Antigravity config directory (~/.gemini/antigravity, ~/.gemini/antigravity-ide, or ~/.gemini/antigravity-cli). Uses Gemini-compatible settings policy.
Override the install directory:
ANTIGRAVITY_CONFIG_DIR=~/.gemini/antigravity-alt npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --antigravity --global
Trae
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --trae --global
Skills land in ~/.trae/. GSD installs skills, agents, and rule references.
ZCode
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --zcode --global
ZCode is Z.ai's desktop Agentic Development Environment for the GLM-5.2 model. GSD installs skills (nested SKILL.md bundles), slash commands, and subagents under ~/.zcode/:
- Skills →
~/.zcode/skills/gsd-<name>/SKILL.md(invoke with$gsd-<name>in chat) - Commands →
~/.zcode/commands/gsd-<name>.md(invoke with/gsd-<name>) - Subagents →
~/.zcode/agents/gsd-<name>.md
ZCode's skill format is identical to Claude Code's, so no runtime-specific converter is required — GSD lands as a pure declarative descriptor with no hardcoded installer branches. ZCode also natively imports skills and MCP config from ~/.claude; if you install GSD for both Claude and ZCode, you may see duplicate GSD skills inside ZCode, which is expected. To connect ZCode's MCP servers to GSD's companion server, see how to connect the GSD MCP server.
Local vs global install
All examples above use --global, which installs GSD once for your user account. To scope an install to a single project, replace --global with --local:
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --claude --local
A local install writes into the .claude/ directory at your project root. Local install settings take precedence over global ones when both exist.
Installing prerelease editions (Next / Nightly / Insiders / Preview)
Prerelease editions of runtimes (Windsurf Next / Devin Desktop Next, Cursor Nightly, VS Code Insiders, Codex preview channels, etc.) read from a sibling config directory. Set the matching *_CONFIG_DIR env var before running the installer:
WINDSURF_CONFIG_DIR=~/.codeium/windsurf-next npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --windsurf --global
Select the corresponding stable runtime in the installer prompt. GSD does not enumerate prerelease editions as separate named runtimes — they are best-effort via this env-var mechanism and are not separately tested in release CI.
Installing without Node.js
If you cannot run npx (for example, on a Windows machine without Node.js), you have two options.
Option A — Use a machine that has Node.js. Any machine with Node.js will do: WSL, a Linux VM, a CI runner, or a Docker container. Run the installer there, then copy the output directory to your target machine. For OpenCode:
npx @opengsd/gsd-core@latest --opencode --global
# Then copy ~/.config/opencode/agents/ to the Windows machine
Option B — Manually transform the source files. The agent source files live in agents/ in the GSD Core repository and are in Claude Code's native frontmatter format. Each runtime expects a different shape. For the exact field transformations per runtime, see Manual install / no-Node.js setup in the User Guide, which covers the OpenCode transformations in full detail and points to the installer's convert*Frontmatter functions for other runtimes.
After install
Restart your runtime to pick up new commands and agents. Then start a new project or onboard an existing repo:
/gsd-new-project # greenfield project
/gsd-onboard # existing codebase
If the command is not found after restart, verify the install directory matches the runtime's expected config path. The prerelease-editions section above covers the most common mismatch.
"… is not on your PATH" after install
If the installer's global bin directory is not on your PATH, it prints a one-time warning with a copy-paste command for your shell. The suggestion list covers zsh, bash, and fish (plus PowerShell, cmd.exe, and Git Bash on Windows). For fish, run the line it prints:
fish_add_path '/path/to/global/bin'
If the directory is already on your PATH but the installer still warns, open a new fish session (exec fish) to pick up the change.