Getting Started

Getting Started

Get Harness running in under 10 minutes.

Requirements

Requirement	Version
VS Code	≥ 1.85
Node.js	≥ 20 (on PATH — extension spawns the bundled CLI)
GitHub account	For Copilot (recommended first agent)

1. Install the extension

From release: Download harness-vscode.vsix from Releases → Ctrl+Shift+P → Extensions: Install from VSIX... → Reload.

From source:

git clone https://github.com/nbsjunior/harness.git
cd harness
npm install
npm run package:vsix
code --install-extension packages/extension/harness-vscode.vsix

The .vsix includes the compiled CLI — no separate install needed.

2. Open Harness

1. Open a project folder in VS Code
2. Click the Harness icon in the Activity Bar (sidebar)
3. Wait for Harness CLI daemon ready in View → Output → Harness

3. Configure GitHub Copilot

1. Ctrl+Shift+P → Harness: Copilot Login (or run gh auth login --scopes copilot)
2. Open Harness: Open Configuration → verify Copilot shows ready
3. Run Harness: Doctor to confirm agents

4. Send your first message

1. In the chat panel, select Copilot at the bottom
2. Mode Ask (default)
3. Type a question → Ctrl+Enter or click ↑

Next steps

• Chat Interface — providers, modes, new chat
• Copilot Modes — Ask / Agent / Spec+Agent
• Configuration — all agents and API keys
• Troubleshooting — common errors