Prerequisites
System requirements and setup
Prerequisites
Prompt-first procedure: Describe the outcome you want in your agent conversation. The agent should select and load the appropriate AIWG assets, explain material changes, request any needed approval, and report verification evidence. Exact commands and flags appear only in the CLI reference.
First time using AIWG? Begin with Install, Connect, and Verify. This guide assumes AIWG is already installed, `all` is deployed for your provider, and the agent-owned context regeneration procedure has connected the agent to this project.
Before installing AIWG, ensure you have the following requirements.
Required
Node.js ≥20.0.0
node the version option # Should show v20.x.x or higher
npm the version option
AIWG's package runtime supports Node 20 or newer. For new installs, prefer the current LTS line, Node 24.
Contributor and release workflows have stricter npm requirements:
| Use case | Requirement | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Install and run AIWG | Node 20+ | Matches the package `engines.node` floor |
| Change dependencies or regenerate lockfiles | npm 11.5+ | Required for the committed `min-release-age=7` gate |
| Publish AIWG releases | Node 24 in the release workflow | Current npm 11.x plus npm trusted-publishing support |
Reuse a healthy Node version manager if one is already installed. Do not stack `nvm`, `fnm`, `asdf`, `mise`, Volta, or another manager. If no manager exists, the new-user defaults are `nvm-sh` on macOS, Linux, and WSL, and `nvm-windows` on native Windows. See Install Node.js and npm Safely for the platform-specific checks and official installation sources.
macOS users should start with the macOS Install Guide. npm's own documentation recommends a Node version manager on macOS to avoid global-package permission errors such as `EACCES` under `/usr/local/lib/node_modules`.
AI Platform (Choose One or More)
| Platform | Best For | Install |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Multi-agent orchestration, artifact generation | claude.ai/code |
| Warp Terminal | Terminal-native AI, command-line workflows | warp.dev |
| Factory AI | Custom droid workflows | factory.ai |
| Cursor | IDE-native rules | cursor.sh |
| GitHub Copilot | GitHub integration | VS Code extension |
Deploy the complete system separately for each provider your team uses:
Use AIWG to complete this documented outcome: Deploy the complete system separately for each provider your team uses
Have it inspect the current state, explain the plan, ask before material
changes, and report the result with verification evidence.
Platform Support Status
| Platform | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | ✅ Tested & Validated | Multi-agent orchestration, native plugins |
| GitHub Copilot | ✅ Tested & Validated | copilot-instructions.md |
| Warp Terminal | ✅ Tested & Validated | Terminal-native workflows |
| Factory AI | ✅ Tested & Validated | Native droid format, AGENTS.md |
| OpenCode | ✅ Tested & Validated | AGENTS.md |
| Cursor | ✅ Tested & Validated | Native rules format, AGENTS.md |
| OpenAI/Codex | ✅ Tested & Validated | Native prompts format, AGENTS.md |
| Devin Desktop | ✅ Supported | Uses the tested `.windsurf/` compatibility adapter; select with `devin` |
Operating Systems
| OS | Status |
|---|---|
| macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon) | ✅ Supported |
| Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, RHEL) | ✅ Supported |
| WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) | ✅ Supported |
| Native Windows (PowerShell) | ✅ Supported |
Optional (Recommended)
Git
Required for the agent-owned -new operation project scaffolding and version control.
git the version option
# Install if needed:
# macOS: brew install git
# Ubuntu: sudo apt-get install git
# Fedora: sudo dnf install git
Quick Compatibility Check
# Check Node.js and npm
node the version option && echo "Node.js present" || echo "Node.js missing"
npm the version option && echo "npm present" || echo "npm missing"
# Check Claude Code (if using)
claude the version option 2>/dev/null && echo "✅ Claude Code" || echo "ℹ️ Claude Code not installed"
# Check Factory AI (if using)
factory the version option 2>/dev/null && echo "✅ Factory AI" || echo "ℹ️ Factory AI not installed"
# Check Git (optional)
git the version option && echo "✅ Git" || echo "ℹ️ Git optional"
All checks passed? Continue to Quick Start