1. Install

Prerequisites:

No Python? The framework deploys and works without Python. Validation runs in degraded mode — Python-dependent checks report WARN instead of FAIL. Pass --no-python to suppress warnings from a Git Bash or POSIX shell: bash .agentcortex/bin/validate.sh --no-python. On Windows PowerShell, prefer powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\.agentcortex\bin\validate.ps1 -NoPython.

Install (first time):

```bash

Preview what will be deployed (no changes made)

./agentic-os/installers/deploy_brain.sh --dry-run /path/to/your-project

Deploy into your project

./agentic-os/installers/deploy_brain.sh /path/to/your-project

**Update (after first install):** the installer lives inside your project. Run it from your project root — it reads the deploy manifest and auto-fetches the latest framework version from GitHub.

> **Existing files won't be overwritten.** If your project already has `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, or other framework-managed files, they are preserved. The new framework version is saved as `<filename>.acx-incoming` sidecar. Review and merge manually — or ask your AI agent: *"Merge each .acx-incoming into its target, preserving my project-specific content and adopting framework updates."*

> **AI-agent install:** If you're asking an AI assistant to install Agentic OS, point it to this README. The commands above are deterministic — no platform-specific heuristics required.

**Optional local pre-commit validation:** enable the bundled Git hook sample to run Agentic OS validation before each commit.

On Windows, run the setup from PowerShell:

The hook runs `validate.ps1` from Git Bash on Windows when PowerShell is available, otherwise it runs `validate.sh`. Validator failures block the commit; guarded SSoT receipt warnings remain advisory.

<details>
<summary><b>Windows (PowerShell / CMD)</b></summary>

Preview what will be deployed (no changes made)

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\agentic-os\installers\deploy_brain.ps1 -DryRun C:\path\to\your-project

Deploy into your project

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\agentic-os\installers\deploy_brain.ps1 C:\path\to\your-project

Already installed? Run from your project root to update:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\installers\deploy_brain.ps1 .

Validation after install

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\.agentcortex\bin\validate.ps1

Lightweight validation when Python is not installed

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\.agentcortex\bin\validate.ps1 -NoPython

Quick Start

Rules vs. enforcement

Most of the framework is rules — plan before coding, don't refactor what nobody asked for, declare your confidence. An agent can ignore those, and sometimes will. The part it can't ignore is underneath:

A passing run is a receipt you can check, not a promise you take on faith.

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CMD alternative

.\agentic-os\installers\deploy_brain.cmd C:\path\to\your-project

Use the PowerShell entrypoint when possible. It resolves Git Bash directly and does not require a WSL distro.
Git Bash is still required on Windows for shell-based deploy and validation scripts; the PowerShell entrypoint simply locates and invokes it for you.

FAQ

What is Agentic OS? Agentic OS is an open-source governance framework for AI coding agents. It gives agents like Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Google Antigravity a repeatable workflow — plan, build, review, test, ship — and enforces quality gates so they can't skip steps or call a task "done" without verifiable evidence.

How is it different from Cursor Rules or a plain AGENTS.md file? A rules file tells the agent how to behave. Agentic OS adds the workflow and the gates that hold it to that behavior: phase sequencing, evidence requirements, scope discipline, and a single source of truth that remembers decisions across sessions. It's the difference between a prompt the agent might follow and a workflow it has to.

Which AI coding agents does it support? Any agent that can read Markdown instructions. It ships native entry points for Claude Code (CLAUDE.md) and Codex / Antigravity (AGENTS.md), and works with Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and other LLM agents through the same model-agnostic workflow files.

Do I need to know a specific programming language? No. The governance layer is plain Markdown. Python is optional — it only unlocks the deeper validation checks. Everything deploys and runs without it.

Does it lock me into one AI vendor? No. The workflows are model-agnostic Markdown, so the same governance works whether you switch between Claude, Codex, Gemini, or anything else.

Is it free? Yes — MIT licensed. Use it, fork it, ship it.

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