| name | agent-ops-install |
| description | Install AgentOps into a new or existing project. Handles .agent/ setup and .github/ merging. |
| category | extended |
| invokes | ["agent-ops-interview"] |
| invoked_by | [] |
| state_files | {"read":[],"write":["constitution.md","memory.md","focus.md","baseline.md","issues/*.md"]} |
AgentOps Installation
Purpose
Install the AgentOps framework into any projectโnew or existingโwith intelligent merging.
Installation Modes
Mode 1: Fresh Install (empty or new folder)
Creates full structure from scratch.
Mode 2: Merge Install (existing .github/)
Preserves existing content, adds AgentOps alongside it.
Mode 3: Update Install (existing AgentOps)
Updates skills/prompts to latest versions without touching state files.
Pre-Installation Checklist
Before installing, gather:
- Project type โ What language/framework? (affects gitignore suggestions)
- Existing CI/CD โ Any workflows in .github/workflows/?
- Existing instructions โ Is there a copilot-instructions.md?
- Git status โ Is this a git repo? Any uncommitted changes?
Installation Structure
.agent/ (State - Created Fresh)
.agent/
โโโ constitution.md # Project-specific rules (from template)
โโโ memory.md # Empty, grows over time
โโโ focus.md # Empty, session state
โโโ baseline.md # Empty, captured on first baseline
โโโ docs/ # Agent-generated documentation
โโโ issues/
โ โโโ critical.md # P0 issues
โ โโโ high.md # P1 issues
โ โโโ medium.md # P2 issues
โ โโโ low.md # P3 issues
โ โโโ history.md # Archived issues
โ โโโ references/ # Detailed specs for complex issues
โ โ โโโ README.md
โ โโโ .counter # Issue ID counter (starts at 0)
โโโ specs/ # Requirement specifications
.github/ (Framework - Merged)
.github/
โโโ copilot-instructions.md # MERGE with existing or create
โโโ SKILL-TIERS.md # Skill hierarchy reference
โโโ skills/ # All AgentOps skills
โ โโโ agent-ops-baseline/
โ โโโ agent-ops-constitution/
โ โโโ agent-ops-critical-review/
โ โโโ agent-ops-dependencies/
โ โโโ agent-ops-docs/
โ โโโ agent-ops-focus-scan/
โ โโโ agent-ops-git/
โ โโโ agent-ops-guide/
โ โโโ agent-ops-housekeeping/
โ โโโ agent-ops-implementation/
โ โโโ agent-ops-improvement-discovery/
โ โโโ agent-ops-install/
โ โโโ agent-ops-interview/
โ โโโ agent-ops-planning/
โ โโโ agent-ops-recovery/
โ โโโ agent-ops-retrospective/
โ โโโ agent-ops-spec/
โ โโโ agent-ops-state/
โ โโโ agent-ops-tasks/
โ โโโ agent-ops-testing/
โ โโโ agent-ops-validation/
โโโ prompts/ # Prompt files (additive)
โ โโโ agent-*.prompt.md
โ โโโ ...
โโโ agents/ # Agent definitions
โ โโโ AgentOps.md
โโโ reference/ # Reference documents
โโโ api-guidelines.md
โโโ cautious-reasoning.md
โโโ code-review-framework.md
Merge Strategy for copilot-instructions.md
If NO existing file:
Create from AgentOps template.
If existing file WITHOUT AgentOps:
# Original content preserved above
---
# AgentOps Protocol (appended)
[AgentOps instructions here]
If existing file WITH older AgentOps:
Replace AgentOps section only, preserve user customizations above the --- separator.
Installation Procedure
Step 1: Detect Environment
โก Check if .agent/ exists
โก Check if .github/ exists
โก Check if copilot-instructions.md exists
โก Check if git repository
โก Identify project type (package.json, pyproject.toml, etc.)
Step 2: Report & Confirm
๐ฆ AgentOps Installation
Target: /path/to/project
Mode: [Fresh | Merge | Update]
Will create:
โ .agent/ (full structure)
โ .github/skills/ (21 skills)
โ .github/prompts/ (17 prompts)
โ .github/agents/AgentOps.md
โ .github/reference/ (3 docs)
Will merge:
โ .github/copilot-instructions.md (append AgentOps section)
Will preserve:
โ .github/workflows/ (untouched)
โ .github/CODEOWNERS (untouched)
โ Existing prompts with same names (skip)
Proceed? [Y/n]
Step 3: Create .agent/ Structure
Always created fresh (never merge state files).
Step 4: Copy/Merge .github/ Content
- Skills: Copy all (overwrite if updating)
- Prompts: Copy new only (skip existing with same name)
- Agents: Copy AgentOps.md
- Reference: Copy all
- Instructions: Merge per strategy above
Step 5: Post-Install Setup
โก Run initial constitution interview (optional)
โก Capture baseline (optional)
โก Add .agent/ paths to .gitignore if desired
โก Create initial focus.md entry
Step 6: Verify Installation
โก All required files exist
โก copilot-instructions.md valid
โก Skills readable
โก Report success
Invocation
Interactive (recommended for first install)
/agent-install
Walks through options, asks questions, confirms before acting.
Quick Install (defaults)
/agent-install --quick
Uses defaults, minimal prompts, good for experienced users.
Update Only
/agent-install --update
Updates skills/prompts/references only, doesn't touch .agent/ state.
Dry Run
/agent-install --dry-run
Shows what would be created/modified without making changes.
Gitignore Recommendations
Suggest adding to .gitignore:
# AgentOps state (optional - some teams prefer to track)
# .agent/
# Always ignore (contains sensitive session data)
.agent/focus.md
.agent/baseline.md
# Or track everything for team visibility:
# (no ignores)
Decision factors:
- Solo project โ ignore .agent/ (personal state)
- Team project โ track .agent/ (shared context)
- Open source โ ignore .agent/ (contributor-specific)
Uninstall
To remove AgentOps:
โก Delete .agent/ folder
โก Delete .github/skills/agent-ops-*/ folders
โก Delete .github/prompts/agent-*.prompt.md files
โก Delete .github/agents/AgentOps.md
โก Delete .github/reference/ folder
โก Remove AgentOps section from copilot-instructions.md
โก Delete .github/SKILL-TIERS.md
Troubleshooting
"Skills not loading"
- Check copilot-instructions.md has skill references
- Verify skill files have correct frontmatter
- Restart VS Code / Copilot
"Prompts not appearing"
- Prompts need
.prompt.md extension
- Check prompts are in
.github/prompts/
- Verify frontmatter format
"Agent mode not available"
- Check
.github/agents/AgentOps.md exists
- Verify VS Code Copilot Chat extension is current
- Agent mode may need enabling in settings