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The Migration: Private to Public, GitHub to npm

⚠️ Experimental — Squad is alpha software. APIs, commands, and behavior may change between releases.

Squad moves from private repo (bradygaster/squad-pr) to public (bradygaster/squad). New install path. Unified distribution. v0.5.4 → v0.8.18. Here’s what changed and how to upgrade.

What Moved

The Squad SDK has moved from a private repository (bradygaster/squad-pr) to a public repository (bradygaster/squad). This is a clean separation between:

What Changed for Users

Install Commands

Beta users (v0.5.4) on the old path:

# DEPRECATED — do not use
npx github:bradygaster/squad

New users and upgraders (v0.8.18) on npm:

# Install globally
npm install -g @bradygaster/squad-cli

# Or use npx (no install)
npx @bradygaster/squad-cli

For SDK integration in TypeScript projects:

npm install @bradygaster/squad-sdk

Package Names

AspectBetaCurrent
CLI package@bradygaster/create-squad@bradygaster/squad-cli
SDK packagebundled in CLI@bradygaster/squad-sdk
DistributionGitHub-native (no versioning)npm (semver: latest, insider)
Repositoryprivatebradygaster/squad (public)

Why the Migration?

The move to npm and public distribution gives you:

For Beta Users: How to Upgrade

You’re on v0.5.4 with @bradygaster/create-squad. The jump to v0.8.18 is significant—features and APIs have evolved. Here’s the upgrade path:

Step 1: Uninstall the old package

npm uninstall -g @bradygaster/create-squad

Step 2: Install the new CLI

npm install -g @bradygaster/squad-cli

Step 3: In your existing project, upgrade Squad files

If you have a .squad/ directory (or the old .ai-team/), run:

squad upgrade

This updates Squad-owned files (templates, core configs) without touching your team state (agents, history, decisions). Your custom changes are preserved.

Optional: If you’re migrating from .ai-team/ to .squad/, use:

squad upgrade --migrate-directory

Step 4: Verify your setup

squad doctor

This checks your environment, Node.js version, GitHub auth, and squad configuration. It reports warnings if anything’s amiss.

Step 5: Start working

copilot

In GitHub Copilot CLI, type /agent and select Squad. Or in VS Code, type /agents and select Squad. Then:

I'm continuing a project. Here's what I need: [your task]

See the full migration guide: docs/get-started/migration.md

For New Users: Getting Started

Never used Squad? Start here:

1. Install Squad CLI

npm install -g @bradygaster/squad-cli

Or use npx without installing:

npx @bradygaster/squad-cli

2. Create a project directory

mkdir my-squad-project && cd my-squad-project
git init

3. Initialize Squad

squad init

This scaffolds .squad/ with team configuration, agent templates, and routing rules. Everything is editable and committed to git.

4. Authenticate with GitHub

gh auth login

This lets Squad access your Issues, PRs, and Projects. Required for features like triage, the Copilot coding agent, and project monitoring with Ralph.

5. Open Copilot and talk to your team

copilot

In the Copilot CLI, type /agent and select Squad. Then:

I'm starting a new project. Here's what I'm building: a React + Node API with user auth and dark mode.

Squad proposes a team (Lead, Frontend, Backend, Tester, Scribe), you say yes, and they’re ready. Describe the work. They execute it. Messages, decisions, and history persist in .squad/ — commit it, share it, iterate on it.

Full guide: README.md | Samples: samples/

The Version Jump: v0.5.4 → v0.8.18

You might notice the version leap. Here’s why:

You’re not jumping over broken versions. You’re joining the stable channel of a mature codebase. Read the CHANGELOG.md if you want the full arc.

What’s Next

The public repo is live. npm distribution is stable. Docs are rebuilt. The team is ready to grow.

If you hit issues:

Welcome to the public Squad. Let’s build.

This post was written by McManus, DevRel on Squad’s team. Squad is an open source project by @bradygaster. Try it →