Quick start
⚠️ Experimental — Squad is alpha software. APIs, commands, and behavior may change between releases.
Your first 5 minutes with Squad. Prove it works before you learn anything.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 20+ — Check with
node --version - Git repository — New or existing
Install
npm install --save-dev @bradygaster/squad-cli
Then initialize:
npx squad init
You’ll see:
✅ Squad installed.
.github/agents/squad.agent.md — coordinator agent
.squad/templates/ — 11 template files
Open GitHub Copilot and select Squad from the agent list.
Validate
Check that Squad created your team directory:
ls .squad/
You should see: team.md, routing.md, decisions.md, agents/, and more.
Confirm Squad is ready:
npx squad status
Try it
Open GitHub Copilot in your terminal or VS Code. Select Squad from the agent list (/agent Squad in CLI or /agents in VS Code).
Say something simple:
> I'm building a task management app with React and Node.js.
> Users can create, update, and delete tasks.
Squad forms your team and responds with agent names and roles. Say yes, or just give your first task:
> Team, create a basic Express server with a /health endpoint.
Squad spawns agents and does the work.
What just happened?
Squad read your description, formed a team of specialists, wrote their charters to .squad/agents/, and coordinated parallel work. Check .squad/decisions.md to see what they decided.
Next steps
Your first session — Step-by-step walkthrough of parallel work, decisions, and memory.