Install a durable AI engineering handbook into any repository.

npm · CLI guide · Changelog · Website

Why devcanon?

AI coding tools work better when a repository explains how engineering decisions should be made. devcanon installs a modular .ai/ handbook covering architecture, product design, frontend, backend, APIs, databases, security, accessibility, testing, deployment, observability, and common feature blueprints.

The handbook is framework-neutral, versioned with the project, and designed to preserve existing conventions instead of imposing a generic visual language.

Install globally

npm install --global devcanon
devcanon

Running devcanon without arguments opens the interactive terminal:

devcanon › /init
devcanon › /setup
devcanon › /configure
devcanon › /studio
devcanon › /check
devcanon › /update --dry-run
devcanon › /help

If the shell opens in the wrong directory, switch targets without leaving devcanon:

devcanon › /cd /path/to/your/project
devcanon › /init

Use without installing

npx devcanon init

When the terminal is interactive, Devcanon offers a short, optional product setup before installation. Choose your kind of product and stack, or skip every technical choice. Devcanon then creates a plain-language product brief and a complete AI build prompt in .ai/prompts/build-product.md.

You can run the setup again at any time:

devcanon setup

Use a preset created in the web or desktop Studio:

npx devcanon init --preset dc1_<your-preset-code>

The preset writes reviewable .ai/preset.md and .ai/preset.json files. It never hides configuration in a remote account.

Pin it to a project

npm install --save-dev devcanon
npx devcanon init

Existing repositories are first-class

From the repository root:

devcanon init

devcanon creates missing files and preserves every differing local file. Updates remain reviewable:

devcanon update --dry-run  # preview
devcanon update            # add missing files; preserve conflicts
devcanon update --force    # intentionally replace conflicts
devcanon check             # validate the installed handbook

Edit one standard from an interactive file picker, or open it directly:

devcanon configure
devcanon configure --file design.md

For a local visual editor, run devcanon studio. Studio binds only to 127.0.0.1, uses a one-time access token, and lets you save Markdown or apply safe handbook updates in the browser.

Target another repository by path:

devcanon init ../my-project

What gets installed

AGENTS.md                 AI-tool discovery file, created only if absent
.ai/
├── AGENTS.md             Handbook entry point and precedence rules
├── architecture.md       Modular boundaries and dependency direction
├── design.md             Product hierarchy, tokens, and visual restraint
├── security.md           Secure engineering defaults
├── testing.md            Risk-based verification strategy
├── ...                   33 focused engineering standards
├── product.md            Optional product and stack brief
└── prompts/              Reusable guides and generated build prompt

The root AGENTS.md points compatible AI tools to .ai/AGENTS.md. Existing root instructions are never overwritten.

Safety model

• Missing standards are installed.
• Identical standards are left untouched.
• Modified standards are preserved and reported.
• --force is required to replace local changes.
• --dry-run previews every operation.
• --no-root-agents skips the root discovery file.
• The CLI has no runtime dependencies and requires Node.js 20+.

Documentation

• Complete CLI reference
• Release history
• devcanon website repository
• Contributing guide
• Security policy

Web and desktop Studio

The separate website includes a preset builder, installation choices, documentation, and release history. Devcanon Studio packages that builder for macOS, Windows, and Linux; releases are distributed from GitHub.

License

Source-available under the PolyForm Shield License 1.0.0 © Kareem. Published versions previously released under MIT remain available under their original terms.