howells

Arc

The full arc from idea to shipped code.

• Claude Code: install as a plugin and run /arc:* commands in Claude.
• Codex: this repo includes .agents/skills so the same skills/*/SKILL.md workflows can run directly in Codex (no Claude plugin install required).

What It Does

Arc provides skills covering the complete development lifecycle:

ENTRY   /arc:go       - Main entry point, routes to right workflow
          ↓
WHY     /arc:vision     - High-level goals (500-700 words)
          ↓
WHAT    /arc:ideate     - From idea to design doc
          ↓
DO      /arc:implement  - Plan + execute with TDD
        /arc:design     - UI/UX design with wireframes
        /arc:build      - Quick build (no formal plan)
        /arc:testing    - Test strategy and execution
        /arc:letsgo     - Production readiness checklist
        /arc:legal      - Generate privacy policy and terms

CROSS-CUTTING
        /arc:review     - Review a plan for feasibility
        /arc:audit      - Comprehensive codebase audit (includes hygiene)
        /arc:document   - Feature documentation
        /arc:suggest    - Opinionated next-step recommendations (+ discovery mode)
        /arc:naming     - Generate and validate project names
        /arc:deps       - Dependency management and updates
        /arc:responsive  - Mobile responsive audit & fix
        /arc:seo        - Deep SEO audit for web projects
        /arc:tidy       - Clean up completed plans
        /arc:prune-agents - Kill orphaned subagent processes

TOOLS   /arc:commit     - Smart commit + push with auto-splitting
        /arc:rules      - Apply coding standards to project

Arc also ships a small bootstrap skill, using-arc, which acts as the control plane for session start. It keeps startup context small and routes into the richer workflows only when they clearly apply.

Key Principles

• Review is woven throughout, not bolted on at the end — Each design section gets micro-reviewed before moving on
• Reviewers advise, the user decides — Suggestions are presented as questions, not mandates
• One question at a time — Never overwhelm with multiple questions
• YAGNI where appropriate — Simplifications suggested, but user has final say
• TDD mandatory — Tests first, implementation second
• Frontend-design integrated — Bold aesthetic direction, not generic AI slop

Install

Claude Code (recommended)

claude plugins install arc@howells

Installs the full plugin: skills, agents, hooks, commands, references, and disciplines. This is the complete Arc experience — skills can dispatch specialized subagents, use worktrees, track tasks, and chain workflows together.

Any agent (via skills.sh)

npx skills add howells/arc

Installs skill prompts to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, and 40+ agents. This only copies SKILL.md files — you get the skill instructions but not the supporting agents, hooks, or orchestration that power the full workflow.

Codex

Codex discovers skills from ~/.agents/skills (legacy ~/.codex/skills still works, and repo-local .agents/skills is also discovered).

Recommended (install once, use anywhere):

Run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/howells/arc/main/.codex/install.sh | bash -s -- --auto-update --interval-hours 6

Install once without auto-update:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/howells/arc/main/.codex/install.sh | bash

Using In Codex

Install Once (Recommended)

Follow .codex/INSTALL.md (or run the one-line installer above), then invoke Arc skills in any project.

Repo-Local (Project Skills)

If you open this repo itself in Codex, it includes .agents/skills/* symlinks so Codex can discover the skills without a global install.

Invoking Skills

Invoke skills explicitly (recommended):

• In CLI/IDE: run /skills or type $ to pick a skill
• In the Codex app: type $<skill-name> in chat

$start
$ideate add user authentication with magic links

Codex loads the selected skill’s SKILL.md and follows its workflow. On supported platforms, Arc also injects using-arc at session start so skill routing is consistent without preloading the whole system.

Codex Notes