Project context and controlled changes for AI coding agents.
An agent can write a convincing patch while working from yesterday's understanding of your project. Werkfaden gives it a different starting point: source-linked Markdown, explicit relationships, a searchable project record, and a verified route for changing governed files.
Start with one query · Inspect the evidence · Read the operating contract
By Yannick Wende. Formerly presented as KAIROS. The public name changes; the KAIROS engine, CLI and historical release identities do not.
| You need | The framework provides |
|---|---|
| A current view of the admitted codebase | Source-linked Markdown with exact byte/hash ledgers and a derived SQLite projection |
| A bounded place for the agent to look | Section-addressed search, typed references, project goals and task context |
| A controlled way to change the project | Workshop candidates, shadow verification and postchecks for governed source and Markdown |
Initial intake reads the original project. Analysis with possible write side effects belongs on an isolated copy. After project seal, governed changes must go through Workshop transactions, rather than editing the live project and repairing its documentation afterwards.
These are application-level workflow rules, not an automatically installed operating-system sandbox. Boundary details.
Download or clone the pinned engine release, open its directory, and ask the framework how to begin:
python kairos_cli.py search "How do I onboard an arbitrary existing codebase into KAIROS?"
No project workspace or model-provider connection is needed for that first framework query. Keep the existing kairos_cli.py spelling: this is a public-brand change, not a renamed executable.
The first-use guide takes you from that query to reviewed project intent and initial intake. Do not point an agent at your live source tree and tell it to improvise the procedure.
Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Rust, Go, Java/Kotlin/Groovy, .NET, Ruby and PHP use bounded static source membership and exact ledgers. That does not claim complete import resolution, runtime behavior or build participation.
C/C++/CUDA retains compiler-backed translation-unit membership and compiler-guided include authority. Mixed projects combine the two without treating Python files as C++ translation units. Unsupported or unresolved authority is refused rather than guessed. Onboarding and scope.
The pinned engine is v0.1.0-alpha.6, commit 13db71aa841c7859e68f5728d0c925ea76343e20. Its final-seal run records 205 regression tests and a 10-case scripted cold-start matrix.
Those are framework-integrity results, not a benchmark proving better model answers, fewer tokens, faster development or bug-free applications. This presentation update is not a new sealed software release. Claim-by-claim evidence.
Start with a small private, non-commercial project and a coding agent you already use. It is most relevant when session handoffs, stale project context and uncontrolled edits are becoming the problem. This is a command-line developer preview, not a one-click product or an LLM provider.
Licensing matters: the existing license permits personal, private, non-commercial use. Professional, organizational, educational, commercial and redistribution uses require Yannick's written permission. This is not an open-source license; the new brand grants no additional rights.
Try the first query, then report your first-use experience. A useful report says what you expected, what happened, and where you stopped. Never post private source, credentials or customer data.
Follow the work on X and Bluesky. For technical attribution, cite the pinned engine commit; for the public project name, use Werkfaden.