CoDev

Human-guided AI software delivery.

CoDev installs a small, production-minded collaboration system into any Git repository. It helps a developer and AI move through four understandable steps: Understand, Build, Review, and Ship. It supports bounded three-agent execution without turning product development into an unattended coding loop.

Why CoDev

• One workflow for solo developers and multi-developer teams.
• Repository-grounded plans instead of invented APIs or architecture.
• A bounded builder and an independent, read-only reviewer.
• Human authority over material decisions, merge, deployment, and rollout.
• Versioned, conflict-aware installation across existing repositories.
• No runtime dependency in the software being built.

Quick start

CoDev is a Python 3.11+ command-line tool. Target repositories may use any language or build system. Install it with an isolated tool manager; pipx and uv tool are the two supported, primary installation methods. Neither adds CoDev or its dependencies to a target repository.

Install from PyPI

pipx install open-codev-workflow
# or
uv tool install open-codev-workflow

Install from a wheel

For private, air-gapped, or pre-release distribution, install the supplied wheel directly instead of publishing it to a package index:

pipx install ./dist/open_codev_workflow-0.1.1-py3-none-any.whl
# or
uv tool install ./dist/open_codev_workflow-0.1.1-py3-none-any.whl

Store the wheel with its SHA-256 checksum in a controlled artifact location. The development workflow for building a wheel is documented below.

Initialize a repository

codev init --target ../my-project --platform all
codev check --target ../my-project

To preview or apply a later bundle update:

codev diff --target ../my-project
codev update --target ../my-project
codev remove --target ../my-project --dry-run

init, diff, and update preflight the entire operation. A locally modified managed file becomes a visible conflict; CoDev never silently replaces it.

What gets installed

my-project/
├── AGENTS.md                         # a managed policy block; local text survives
├── .agents/skills/                   # seven lifecycle skills
├── .opencode/agents/                 # orchestrator, builder, reviewer
├── .opencode/opencode.json           # safely merged; existing agent settings survive
├── docs/                             # workflow, prompts, handbooks, cookbook
├── evals/development-workflow/       # behavioral scenarios
├── scripts/                          # deterministic validators
└── .codev/lock.json                # installed version and source hashes

Use --platform codex to omit the OpenCode adapter. Use --platform opencode or --platform all for the three-agent OpenCode topology. Core skills and human/AI workflow references are installed for every platform.

Design principles

1. Local at use time. Agents read ordinary files in the target repository.
2. Central at maintenance time. This repository is the canonical source.
3. Human at authority boundaries. Automation supplies evidence, not approval.
4. Small by default. Deeper design and delivery planning appear only when risk or coordination requires them.
5. Safe to adopt. Existing instructions and OpenCode settings are preserved.

Read Architecture for the distribution model, Adoption for rollout guidance, and Brand for the visual and writing system.

Development

python -m unittest discover -s tests -v
python -m compileall -q src tests
python -m codev_workflow --version

Optional development checks:

ruff check .
ruff format --check .
mypy
python -m build

CoDev is licensed under BSD-3-Clause.