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This guide walks you through installing the skill package, bootstrapping your repository, and starting your first run.
1

Install the skill package

Add recursive-mode to your agent environment with the skills CLI:
npx skills add try-works/recursive-mode
This installs the root recursive-mode skill. To see everything included in the package before installing, run:
npx skills add try-works/recursive-mode --list
2

Bootstrap your repository

Run the installer against your target repository. Choose the script that matches your environment:
bash "<SKILL_DIR>/scripts/install-recursive-mode.sh" --repo-root .
Replace <SKILL_DIR> with the path where the skill was installed. Run this command from your repository root, or pass the path explicitly with --repo-root <path>.
The bootstrap script creates the entire /.recursive/ scaffold in your repository, including:
  • /.recursive/RECURSIVE.md — the canonical workflow spec
  • /.recursive/STATE.md — current repository state
  • /.recursive/DECISIONS.md — decisions ledger
  • /.recursive/memory/MEMORY.md — durable memory router
  • /.recursive/memory/skills/SKILLS.md — skill memory router
  • /.recursive/memory/{domains,patterns,incidents,episodes,archive}/ — memory shards
  • /.recursive/memory/skills/{availability,usage,issues,patterns}/ — skill memory shards
  • /.recursive/run/ — directory for run artifacts
The script is safe to re-run. It upserts managed blocks and preserves any unrelated existing content.
3

Verify the scaffold

Confirm the scaffold was created correctly by listing the /.recursive/ directory:
ls .recursive/
You should see: AGENTS.md, DECISIONS.md, RECURSIVE.md, STATE.md, memory/, and run/.The canonical workflow contract that your agent will follow lives in:
/.recursive/RECURSIVE.md
If your agent needs a lightweight index of what to read under /.recursive/, it should start with /.recursive/AGENTS.md.
4

Start your first run

Once the repository is bootstrapped and your requirements or plan live in repository files, start a run with a short command:
Implement the run
Other valid entry commands:
Implement run 75
Implement the plan
Create a new run based on the plan
Start a recursive run
Requirements stay in repository documents — not in prompts. Keep your commands short and command-like. The agent reads the relevant repo files to understand what to do.
The agent creates a run directory under /.recursive/run/<run-id>/ and begins progressing through the audited phases defined in /.recursive/RECURSIVE.md.