FAQ

FAQ

What is the main advantage of Harness?

One IDE (VS Code), many AI providers — without juggling Cursor IDE, Copilot chat, and Claude in separate apps. Plus SDD (.harness/specs/) and context engineering (attached files) in the same sidebar. See Why Harness.

Do I need to install the CLI separately?

No. The VSIX bundles the compiled CLI at extension/cli/dist/index.js.

Which agent should I start with?

GitHub Copilot — easiest if you already use gh auth login and have Copilot enabled.

Can I use Harness without GitHub Copilot?

Yes. Configure any agent in Configuration. Each agent has its own API key requirements.

Is Cursor the same as running Cursor IDE?

No. Harness calls the Cursor Cloud Agents API (api.cursor.com), not the IDE's internal api2.cursor.sh API.

Where are API keys stored?

VS Code Secret Storage (via Configuration panel) or environment variables. Never in .harness/config.yaml.

Extension vs CLI?

See Dual Mode. Same router; extension adds UI and IPC.

How do I contribute?

See Development Guide and AGENTS.md.