Command Guide

This guide helps you pick the right aios command based on what you want to do. For full syntax and options, see the CLI Reference.

Start a New Project

What You Want	Command
Guided setup wizard	`aios`
Create a project from scratch	`aios init <project-name>`
Create from a starter template	`aios starter <starter-name> <project-name>`

aios init demo-project
aios starter fullstack-saas demo-saas

What You Want	Command
Add AIOS structure without overwriting	`aios adopt`

aios adopt
aios adopt ./my-existing-project

aios adopt never overwrites existing files. It adds missing structure and installs the local .aios/ workflow kit.

What You Want	Command
Check if project has expected structure	`aios validate`
See what to do next	`aios next`
Print resolved config	`aios config`

aios validate
aios next

aios next is read-only. It prints a recommendation without changing any files.

All aios create commands generate document stubs from templates. They do not write application code.

aios create feature "Habit reminders"
aios create task "Implement login API"
aios create adr "Use server date for completion"

What You Want	Command
Install or repair `.aios/` kit	`aios kit install`
List native agent targets	`aios agent list`
Install skills to native agent folders	`aios agent install`
List available prompts	`aios prompt list`
Show a specific prompt	`aios prompt show <name>`

aios kit install
aios agent list
aios prompt list
aios prompt show discover-product

AIOS has two ways to deliver skills to your agent:

Portable: Skills live in .aios/skills/. The project is self-contained. Any agent can read them.
Native: Skills are copied into agent-specific folders like .agents/skills/, .qwen/skills/, or .opencode/skills/. The agent discovers them automatically.

Use --skill-delivery portable|native|both when running aios init, aios adopt, or aios starter.

Integration commands are optional. They manage local rules for external tools like RTK (concise output) and Caveman (terse status updates).

What You Want	Command
List available integrations	`aios integration list`
Check current status	`aios integration status`
Enable an integration	`aios integration add <name>`
Remove an integration	`aios integration remove <name>`
Diagnose issues	`aios integration doctor`
Repair missing rules	`aios integration repair`

aios integration list
aios integration add rtk
aios integration doctor

Enabling an integration adds local rules to your project. External tool installation only runs with explicit confirmation.

Command	What It Does	Risk
`aios`	Opens setup wizard	Safe
`aios init`	Creates new project directory	Safe (fails if directory exists)
`aios adopt`	Adds structure to existing project	Safe (never overwrites)
`aios validate`	Checks structure	Read-only
`aios next`	Recommends next step	Read-only
`aios create ...`	Generates document stubs	Safe (creates new files only)
`aios kit install`	Installs or repairs `.aios/`	Safe (repairs missing files, skips existing)
`aios agent install`	Copies skills to agent folders	Safe (skips existing skill files)
`aios integration add`	Enables integration rules	Adds local rules, optional external install