Installation

The primary distribution channel is Claude Code's plugin marketplace. For other tools, see Using with other tools below.

Plugin Marketplace (Claude Code)

Add the marketplace once, then install plugins by name:

/plugin marketplace add siracusa5/harness-kit
/plugin install research@harness-kit

Repeat for any plugin you want:

/plugin install explain@harness-kit
/plugin install data-lineage@harness-kit
/plugin install orient@harness-kit
/plugin install capture-session@harness-kit
/plugin install review@harness-kit
/plugin install docgen@harness-kit

Fallback: Install Script

If your Claude Code build doesn't support the plugin marketplace yet:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/siracusa5/harness-kit/main/install.sh | bash

This downloads skill files to ~/.claude/skills/ over HTTPS. It installs only the skill files — bundled scripts (like the research index rebuilder) require the full marketplace install.

Verify

After installing, invoke any skill to confirm it loaded:

/research
/explain src/main.ts

If the skill responds with its workflow, you're set.

Using with other tools

SKILL.md files are plain markdown — copy them into any tool's instruction system. VS Code Copilot reads CLAUDE.md natively via the chat.useClaudeMdFile setting, so the conventions guide works without modification.

For per-tool setup instructions (Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, MCP wiring), see Using with Other Tools.

Requirements per Plugin

Plugin	Requirements
research	gh CLI (GitHub sources only), Python 3.10+ (index rebuild)
explain	None
data-lineage	None
orient	None (optional: MCP Memory Server)
capture-session	None
review	gh CLI (PR review only)
docgen	None

Some plugins require environment variables for optional features. See the Secrets Management guide for how to configure them.