> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://recursive-mode.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install Script

> Reference for install-recursive-mode — the bootstrapper that creates the /.recursive/ control-plane scaffold in your repository.

`install-recursive-mode` creates the canonical `/.recursive/` control-plane layout inside a target repository. Run it once after installing the Recursive Mode skill package to prepare any repo for recursive-mode runs.

## What it does

The installer performs the following actions:

* Creates the `/.recursive/` control-plane directory tree
* Upserts the canonical workflow spec into `/.recursive/RECURSIVE.md`
* Creates the memory plane under `/.recursive/memory/` with all required subdirectories
* Initializes `/.recursive/STATE.md` and `/.recursive/DECISIONS.md`
* Preserves any unrelated content in files it touches

## Usage

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash Python theme={null}
  python scripts/install-recursive-mode.py --repo-root .
  ```

  ```powershell PowerShell theme={null}
  pwsh -NoProfile -File scripts/install-recursive-mode.ps1 -RepoRoot .
  ```

  ```bash Bash theme={null}
  bash scripts/install-recursive-mode.sh --repo-root .
  ```
</CodeGroup>

Replace `.` with the path to your repository root if you are running the script from a different directory.

## What gets created

After running the installer, your repository will contain the following scaffold:

```
.recursive/
├── RECURSIVE.md              # Canonical workflow spec
├── STATE.md                  # Current repository state ledger
├── DECISIONS.md              # Decision ledger and run index
├── run/
│   └── .gitkeep
└── memory/
    ├── MEMORY.md             # Durable memory router
    ├── domains/
    ├── patterns/
    ├── incidents/
    ├── episodes/
    ├── archive/
    └── skills/
        ├── SKILLS.md         # Skill memory router
        ├── availability/
        ├── usage/
        ├── issues/
        └── patterns/
```

<Note>
  Each memory subdirectory contains a `.gitkeep` file so the directory is tracked by Git even before any memory docs are added.
</Note>

## Idempotency

The installer is safe to run multiple times. It uses marker-delimited upserts for managed blocks, so re-running it refreshes the canonical workflow spec and bridge docs without overwriting any content you have added outside those blocks. Files that already exist are not truncated or replaced.

<Tip>
  Run the installer again after upgrading the Recursive Mode skill package to pull in the latest canonical workflow spec and bridge content.
</Tip>

## Options

| Flag                                               | Default | Description                                       |
| -------------------------------------------------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `--repo-root` / `-RepoRoot`                        | `.`     | Path to the repository root to bootstrap          |
| `--skip-recursive-update` / `-SkipRecursiveUpdate` | `false` | Skip the `RECURSIVE.md` canonical workflow upsert |