Get started with Guild Stack

After this page you can install Guild Stack, restart the host when required, run one small task, and verify that the run wrote .guild/ evidence. The fast path uses /guild:guild "your task" and keeps host details out of the way until you need them.

Guild Stack gives your AI coding host a gated specialist workflow. It drafts a spec, proposes a team, writes a plan, and dispatches work only after the load-bearing approvals. A plain one-off run is first-class; you do not need an initiative to start.

First run · route 01

map / active

One bounded task, five inspectable stops

1. RequestName the task/guild:guild “one bounded change”
2. GateApprove scopeSpec, team, and lane plan stay visible.
3. DispatchRun the laneFocused context and explicit authority.
4. ReviewChallenge + verifyFindings must resolve before the route closes.
5. TerminusOpen the receiptThe final message is not the source of truth..guild/runs/<run-id>/

Fast path

1. Install

The installer detects supported host targets, renders the right package or bootstrap path, and reports capability degradation instead of hiding it.

curl -fsSL https://guildstack.dev/install.sh | bash

Domain unavailable? The same script ships in the repo:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lookatitude/guild/main/install.sh | bash

The script never uses sudo and never edits shell profiles. It runs host plugin commands, renders local package trees, or prints the universal AGENTS.md package instructions.

Preview the install plan without changing anything:

curl -fsSL https://guildstack.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- --dry-run --host claude-code-cli

Install only into the current project when the host supports project scope:

curl -fsSL https://guildstack.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- --project

Install into a selected set of hosts with an explicit consent flag:

curl -fsSL https://guildstack.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- --hosts cursor,opencode,pi-cli --yes

Bare auto-detect installs every supported host it finds on your PATH, plus Kiro, Qoder, or Trae when their .kiro/, .qoder/, or .trae/ project marker is present. Writing Guild Stack into more than one host requires --yes or an interactive prompt. A single-host install is not gated. App and connector surfaces are routed to bootstrap instructions instead of a CLI package install.

2. Restart the host

Restart Claude Code after installing or updating through the marketplace. Claude Code loads plugin commands, skills, agents, hooks, and MCP servers at session startup, so a freshly installed or updated plugin stays invisible until the next session.

If you install through another host package or bootstrap path, start a fresh session before checking the command surface.

3. Run the first task

Use a small real task first:

/guild:guild "Add one unit test for the billing helper and explain the change."

Or start without a brief and let Guild Stack propose the next step:

/guild:guild

Guild Stack reads the project, proposes a phase, and asks before load-bearing work proceeds. The first run writes durable state under .guild/:

.guild/
|-- spec/           # approved task spec
|-- team/           # resolved specialist team
|-- plan/           # per-specialist lane plan
|-- context/        # per-run specialist context bundles
|-- runs/           # telemetry, handoff receipts, assumptions, review
`-- reflections/    # proposed improvements

First-run command panel

Start narrow, then inspect the receipt.

Fast path

/guild:guild "Add one unit test..." Runs a bounded task through spec, team, plan, implementation, review, and verification gates.

/guild:status Shows the current run state, pending gates, and the latest recorded evidence path.

/guild:fix <run-id> Checks hook registration, command availability, telemetry, and run traces before proposing repairs.

4. Verify it loaded

After installation:

1. Start a fresh host session in a project where Guild Stack is installed.
2. Confirm the bootstrap card or /guild:<verb> command surface appears.
3. Run a small /guild:guild "..." task.
4. Check for .guild/runs/<run-id>/logs/v1.4-events.jsonl.

If the command surface or run evidence is missing:

/guild:fix

If a specific run failed or telemetry looks inconsistent:

/guild:fix <run-id>

/guild:fix runs diagnostics, checks hook registration and run-trace wiring, writes a fix plan, and asks before applying edits.

Go deeper when you need it

Keep this page focused on one successful first run. Use the dedicated references when the job changes:

When you need to…	Continue with
Choose a release channel, update safely, or inspect an install receipt	Installation and updates
Compare current host support and capability limits	Host support
Tune approvals, lifecycle behavior, or project settings	How Guild Stack works and Configuration

Run your first task with /guild:guild "your task". When you want to understand why it paused or what it wrote, continue with How Guild Stack Works.