---
title: Set up in your harness
description: Wire Smithers into the coding agent you already drive (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and the rest), then paste one prompt so the agent installs and starts using Smithers for you.
---

Smithers is driven by an agent, not clicked by a human. You ask your coding
agent for an outcome and it reaches for Smithers to run the work, watch it, and
clear approvals on your behalf. Setting up takes one of two paths: paste a prompt
and let your agent wire everything, or run three commands yourself.

## Fastest path: let your agent do it

Paste this into your harness of choice (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Copilot, or
any agent with shell access). It installs the workflow pack, syncs Smithers'
generated CLI skill files where supported, registers the MCP server, then reports
which starter fits your next task.

```text Setup prompt
Set up Smithers (a durable AI workflow orchestrator) in this repo for me.

1. Run `bunx smithers-orchestrator init` to scaffold `.smithers/`.
2. Sync Smithers skill files where supported and register its MCP server:
   `bunx smithers-orchestrator skills add`
   `bunx smithers-orchestrator mcp add`
3. Read `bunx smithers-orchestrator docs` so you know the CLI verbs and components.
4. Run `bunx smithers-orchestrator starters` and tell me which workflow fits the
   task I describe next.

From now on, when I ask for multi-step, long-running, or human-in-the-loop work,
use Smithers to orchestrate it instead of doing it inline.
```

`init` prints what it scaffolds, which coding agents it detected on your machine,
and the next commands to try. `skills add` syncs the generated CLI skill set to
supported skill locations; `mcp add` registers Smithers as an MCP server for
detected MCP-capable agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini, OpenCode,
Amp, Windsurf, and more.

## Or wire it by hand

```bash
# 1. Scaffold the workflow pack into .smithers/
bunx smithers-orchestrator init

# 2. Sync the generated Smithers CLI skill set where supported
bunx smithers-orchestrator skills add

# 3. Register Smithers as an MCP server in every detected agent
bunx smithers-orchestrator mcp add
```

Scope the MCP install with `--agent <name>` for one harness, or use
`--no-global` with skills to write into the current repo instead of your home
directory:

```bash
bunx smithers-orchestrator mcp add --agent cursor
bunx smithers-orchestrator skills add --no-global
```

<Note>
No skills directory in your agent? Point it at `bunx smithers-orchestrator docs-full`
(prints the full docs bundle) or `bunx smithers-orchestrator ask "<question>"`,
and add a few standing lines to `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md` so it remembers
Smithers is available.
</Note>

## Pick your harness

Each page covers the exact paths, config files, and any harness-specific steps.

| Harness | Setup page |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | [agents/claude-code](/agents/claude-code) |
| Codex | [agents/codex](/agents/codex) |
| Cursor | [agents/cursor](/agents/cursor) |
| GitHub Copilot | [agents/copilot](/agents/copilot) |
| Pi | [agents/pi](/agents/pi) |
| Hermes | [agents/hermes](/agents/hermes) |
| OpenClaw | [agents/openclaw](/agents/openclaw) |

The full support matrix and the three integration surfaces (skill, MCP server,
standing instructions) live in [Agent Support](/agents/overview).

## Verify it worked

Ask your agent to list the workflows; under the hood it runs:

```bash
bunx smithers-orchestrator workflow list
bunx smithers-orchestrator starters
```

If the MCP server registered, the agent can now call `list_workflows`,
`run_workflow`, `watch_run`, and `resolve_approval` directly. See the
[MCP Server reference](/integrations/mcp-server) for every tool.

## Next steps

- [Quickstart](/quickstart) runs a seeded workflow immediately.
- [Installation](/installation) covers the `.smithers/` layout in detail.
- [Agent Support](/agents/overview) is the per-harness hub.
