README

AI-DLC - one core, many harnesses

AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Life Cycle) turns AI coding assistants into
structured, verifiable software-delivery workflows. One harness-neutral core
runs natively in Claude Code, Kiro CLI, Kiro IDE, Codex CLI, Cursor, opencode,
and GitHub Copilot.

!version
!license

The Quick Start below installs the latest stable AI-DLC release.

 Quick Start

 1. Install AI-DLC

macOS, Linux, or WSL:

bash
curl -fsSL https://github.com/awslabs/aidlc-workflows/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh


Windows PowerShell:

powershell
irm https://github.com/awslabs/aidlc-workflows/releases/latest/download/install.ps1 | iex


The installer sets up everything AI-DLC needs: the native aidlc command and
every harness runtime. You do not need to install Bun or Node.js; a native
install runs its hooks and commands through aidlc and does not call bun.
On Windows, it installs for the current account
and automatically registers the bin directory in User PATH. Run it from a normal
PowerShell window; one opened with "Run as administrator" gets a warning and a
prompt, since installing as administrator is less safe. Open a new terminal
if another session cannot find aidlc. To skip both persistent and
current-process PATH changes, use
-NoModifyPath.
Windows uninstall removes only the User PATH entry recorded as installer-owned.
On macOS, Linux, or WSL, follow the installer's PATH instruction if needed.

Prefer to manage the project files yourself, or cannot install a native
executable? The manual-copy path is the one place Bun is needed: install
Bun, download aidlc-copy-runtime-X.Y.Z.tar.gz from the
release, and copy
the complete runtime// directory into your project. This path does
not require the native aidlc command.

 2. Configure a project

From the project root, select the harness you use:

bash
cd /path/to/your-project
aidlc config --harness claude
aidlc doctor


Replace claude with kiro, kiro-v2, codex, cursor, opencode, or
copilot. Running aidlc config without --harness starts the interactive
setup when a terminal is available. If you use Kiro IDE's own terminal in a
project folder you have not trusted yet, Kiro first asks whether you trust it.
Choose Trust Folder & Continue only for your own project or one you have
checked, because trusting lets the folder's .kiro hooks run commands on your
machine; otherwise choose Cancel and review the folder first (see
First run).

 3. Start a workflow

Open your harness in the configured project and describe the work:

text
/aidlc Build a REST API for inventory management


Codex CLI uses $aidlc instead of /aidlc. In Kiro IDE, first choose aidlc
in the chat panel's agent picker. AI-DLC selects a workflow from the request,
asks for missing decisions, and stops at approval gates before moving forward.

For provider setup, trust prompts, and harness-specific prerequisites, use the
guide in the table below. The complete walkthrough is in
Getting Started.

 Pick your harness

| Harness | Configure