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 project—new or existing—with 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 — What language/framework? (affects gitignore suggestions)
- Existing CI/CD — Any workflows in .github/workflows/?
- Existing instructions — Is there a copilot-instructions.md?
- Git status — Is this a git repo? Any uncommitted changes?
Installation Structure
.agent/ (State - Created Fresh)
.agent/
├── constitution.md # Project-specific rules (from template)
├── memory.md # Empty, grows over time
├── focus.md # Empty, session state
├── baseline.md # Empty, captured on first baseline
├── docs/ # Agent-generated documentation
├── issues/
│ ├── critical.md # P0 issues
│ ├── high.md # P1 issues
│ ├── medium.md # P2 issues
│ ├── low.md # P3 issues
│ ├── history.md # Archived issues
│ ├── references/ # Detailed specs for complex issues
│ │ └── README.md
│ └── .counter # Issue ID counter (starts at 0)
└── specs/ # Requirement specifications
.github/ (Framework - Merged)
.github/
├── copilot-instructions.md # MERGE with existing or create
├── SKILL-TIERS.md # Skill hierarchy reference
├── skills/ # All AgentOps skills
│ ├── agent-ops-baseline/
│ ├── agent-ops-constitution/
│ ├── agent-ops-critical-review/
│ ├── agent-ops-dependencies/
│ ├── agent-ops-docs/
│ ├── agent-ops-focus-scan/
│ ├── agent-ops-git/
│ ├── agent-ops-guide/
│ ├── agent-ops-housekeeping/
│ ├── agent-ops-implementation/
│ ├── agent-ops-improvement-discovery/
│ ├── agent-ops-install/
│ ├── agent-ops-interview/
│ ├── agent-ops-planning/
│ ├── agent-ops-recovery/
│ ├── agent-ops-retrospective/
│ ├── agent-ops-spec/
│ ├── agent-ops-state/
│ ├── agent-ops-tasks/
│ ├── agent-ops-testing/
│ └── agent-ops-validation/
├── prompts/ # Prompt files (additive)
│ ├── agent-*.prompt.md
│ └── ...
├── agents/ # Agent definitions
│ └── AgentOps.md
└── reference/ # Reference documents
├── api-guidelines.md
├── cautious-reasoning.md
└── 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
□ Check if .agent/ exists
□ Check if .github/ exists
□ Check if copilot-instructions.md exists
□ Check if git repository
□ Identify project type (package.json, pyproject.toml, etc.)
Step 2: Report & Confirm
📦 AgentOps Installation
Target: /path/to/project
Mode: [Fresh | Merge | Update]
Will create:
✚ .agent/ (full structure)
✚ .github/skills/ (21 skills)
✚ .github/prompts/ (17 prompts)
✚ .github/agents/AgentOps.md
✚ .github/reference/ (3 docs)
Will merge:
⊕ .github/copilot-instructions.md (append AgentOps section)
Will preserve:
○ .github/workflows/ (untouched)
○ .github/CODEOWNERS (untouched)
○ 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
□ Run initial constitution interview (optional)
□ Capture baseline (optional)
□ Add .agent/ paths to .gitignore if desired
□ Create initial focus.md entry
Step 6: Verify Installation
□ All required files exist
□ copilot-instructions.md valid
□ Skills readable
□ 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 → ignore .agent/ (personal state)
- Team project → track .agent/ (shared context)
- Open source → ignore .agent/ (contributor-specific)
Uninstall
To remove AgentOps:
□ Delete .agent/ folder
□ Delete .github/skills/agent-ops-*/ folders
□ Delete .github/prompts/agent-*.prompt.md files
□ Delete .github/agents/AgentOps.md
□ Delete .github/reference/ folder
□ Remove AgentOps section from copilot-instructions.md
□ 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.mdextension - Check prompts are in
.github/prompts/ - Verify frontmatter format
"Agent mode not available"
- Check
.github/agents/AgentOps.mdexists - Verify VS Code Copilot Chat extension is current
- Agent mode may need enabling in settings