Building a good AI setup takes real work. harness-kit makes it portable. Package your plugins, skills, MCP servers, hooks, and conventions into a config you can apply to any harness on any machine — and share with your team in one file. Works with Claude Code today. Designed to travel.
/plugin marketplace add harnessprotocol/harness-kit
Fallback: install with script (skills only)
If your Claude Code build doesn't support the plugin marketplace:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/harnessprotocol/harness-kit/main/install.sh | bashDownloads skill files to ~/.claude/skills/ over HTTPS. This installs only the skill files; the full plugin (e.g. index rebuild script) comes from the marketplace install.
Install explain — no dependencies, works in any codebase:
/plugin install explain@harness-kit
Then try it:
/explain src/auth/middleware.ts # explain a specific file
/explain the payment processing flow # search the codebase for a concept
/explain src/services/ # map a directory
Produces a structured explanation: summary, key components, how it connects, patterns, gotchas, and where to start if you need to change it.
| Plugin | What it does | Try it |
|---|---|---|
explain |
Layered explanations of files, functions, directories, or concepts | /explain src/auth/ |
review |
Code review for a branch, PR, or path — structured output with severity labels | /review |
docgen |
Generate or update README, API docs, architecture overview, or changelog | /docgen readme |
research |
Process any source into a structured, compounding knowledge base | /research https://... |
data-lineage |
Trace column-level data lineage through SQL, Kafka, Spark, and JDBC codebases | /data-lineage orders.amount |
orient ¹ |
Topic-focused session orientation across graph, knowledge, journal, and research | /orient auth |
stage ¹ |
Capture session information into a staging file for later reflection | /stage |
harness-share |
Export your plugin setup to harness.yaml, import it anywhere, and validate against the Harness Protocol v1 spec |
/harness-export · /harness-import · /harness-validate |
¹ Personal-workflow plugins designed for projects using the knowledge graph + journal pattern.
Plugins from the broader ecosystem that complement the kit. These are developed and maintained by their respective authors.
| Plugin | Author | What it does | Install |
|---|---|---|---|
superpowers |
Jesse Vincent | Structured dev workflows — TDD, systematic debugging, brainstorming-before-coding, subagent delegation, and git worktree isolation | See below |
/plugin marketplace add obra/superpowers-marketplace
/plugin install superpowers@obra
Capture your installed plugins into a harness.yaml file, commit it to your dotfiles, and restore it on any machine — or share it with a teammate.
/harness-export # write harness.yaml from your current setup
/harness-import harness.yaml # interactive wizard to pick what to install
/harness-validate # validate harness.yaml against the Harness Protocol v1 schema
The import wizard shows each plugin with its description and lets you pick a subset — your config is a starting point, not a mandate.
harness.yaml follows the Harness Protocol v1 open spec — a vendor-neutral format for portable AI coding harnesses that can declare plugins, MCP servers, environment variables, and instructions in one shareable file.
Shell fallback (no Claude Code required):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/harnessprotocol/harness-kit/main/harness-restore.sh | bash -s -- harness.yamlSee harness.yaml.example for the config format.
harness-kit targets Claude Code, but SKILL.md files are plain markdown — copy them into any tool's instruction system. VS Code Copilot reads CLAUDE.md natively via the chat.useClaudeMdFile setting, so the conventions guide works without modification. For per-tool setup (Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, MCP), see the Cross-Harness setup guide.
A standalone guide to organizing Claude Code configuration with separation of concerns. Worth reading even if you don't use any plugins.
| File | Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
CLAUDE.md |
Global + Project + Package | Operational: build, test, architecture |
AGENT.md |
Global + Project | Behavioral: tone, autonomy, workflow |
SOUL.md |
Global only | Identity: values, relationship, memory |
Read the full guide: Claude Conventions
See CONTRIBUTING.md for plugin guidelines, skill conventions, and PR process.
- FAQ — What is this, why do I need it, how does it work
- Plugins vs. Skills — Why everything ships as a plugin, even when it's just a prompt
- Claude Conventions — Organizing Claude Code config with separation of concerns
Apache 2.0