Quickstart

Up and running in five minutes.

The basics: install it, type one command, and approve your first piece of work. Everything else is in the docs when you need it.

  1. 01

    Check you have Node.js 22 or later

    Run node --version. If it’s older than 22, or missing:

    • Windowswinget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS
    • macOSbrew install node
    • Linuxnvm install --lts
  2. 02

    Add Groundwork to your project

    In your project’s folder, new or existing, run:

    It asks which AI tool you use:

    • Claude Codenative commands and subagents
    • OpenCodenative commands and subagents
    • Anything elseplain markdown files any AI tool can read

    Your existing files are never replaced.

  3. 03

    Open your AI tool and type /gw

    The first time, it asks a few quick questions: what the project is called and does, whether you’ve picked a language or framework, how much explanation you want, and whether you’d like to approve every piece of work or once per milestone. Then it sets itself up and tells you what’s next.

    Not using Claude Code or OpenCode? Ask your agent to “read .groundwork/commands/gw.md and follow it”.

  4. 04

    Say what you want to build

    In plain words. It asks a few specific questions, writes down the answers, and breaks the idea into small pieces of work called cards. Nothing starts until you agree to the plan.

    your ai tool

    you/gw a page where my book club votes on next month’s book

    agentWho can vote? One vote or rank several? Hide results until it closes?

    youAnyone with the link. One vote. Hide results.

    agentHere’s the plan: 2 phases, 5 cards. Does this look right?

  5. 05

    Let it build, then approve

    Each card is tested, built and reviewed, then it stops and tells you what changed, how to check it yourself, and anything to watch out for. The card is waiting for you. Type /gw-approve to save it and move on, or /gw-reject with a reason to send it back.

    Coming back tomorrow, or in a different tool? Just type /gw. It reads where you left off.

Cheat sheet

Four commands cover almost everything.

/gw
Start, or carry on where you left off. The only one you need to remember.
/gw-approve
Accept the finished work. It gets saved to your project’s history.
/gw-reject
Send it back, with a reason. It goes around again.
/gw-quick
A small change or bug fix, without the full process.

Want the detail? The docs walk through a first session step by step, and every command.

Read the docs →Watch a real build