KnownsKnowns/Docs

Quick Start

Initialize a Knowns project and run the first workflow.

Source fileb4192f7Updated Jun 26, 2026, 7:11 AM

Quick Start

This is the fastest path to a working Knowns project. By the end, your repository will have Knowns project state, one task, one doc, working validation, and a Web UI you can open again later.

Run these commands from the repository you want Knowns to manage.

1. Initialize the project

bash
knowns init
# or, without a global install:
npx knowns init

The init flow configures:

  • project name
  • git tracking mode (with per-section toggles)
  • lightweight project instruction shims such as CLAUDE.md and AGENTS.md
  • semantic search
  • embedding model

knowns init creates the local Knowns project store and lightweight compatibility shims. Runtime-critical AI guidance comes from MCP initial and on-demand help, so those files should stay small. AI platform integrations such as MCP configs, skills, and runtime hooks are configured separately with knowns setup <target> --global for user-level setup, or knowns setup <target> when you intentionally want repo-local integration files.

2. Create a task

bash
knowns task create "Setup project" -d "Initialize project with Knowns"

Tasks are the main unit of planned work. They give both people and AI assistants a concrete target.

3. Create a document

bash
knowns doc create "Architecture" -d "System overview" -f architecture

Docs hold durable project knowledge. They are better than repeating the same context in every AI chat.

4. Check the project

bash
knowns search "architecture" --plain
knowns validate --plain

Search confirms retrieval can find project context. Validate checks the Knowns project structure before you build more workflow on top of it.

5. Open the Web UI

bash
knowns browser --open

The Web UI shows the same project state as the CLI, including tasks, docs, graph views, config, and chat workflows.

6. Optional: connect your AI platform

Use setup for the platform you actually use:

bash
knowns setup codex --global
knowns setup claude --global
knowns setup agents

Use --global for your normal personal assistant setup so Knowns updates user-level MCP config, skills, and runtime hooks across repositories. Use knowns setup agents when you only need repo-local compatibility shims such as AGENTS.md.

After setup, agent workflows can use the lightweight shim files, MCP config, and skills for that platform. Claude uses /kn-* skill commands; Codex uses $kn-* skill commands.

See Platforms for supported setup targets.

7. Sync generated artifacts when needed

bash
knowns sync
knowns update

Use knowns sync after cloning, after changing selected platforms, or after updating the CLI. Use knowns update when you want Knowns to refresh generated project artifacts to the current CLI behavior.

8. Open the Web UI again later

bash
knowns browser --open

What you have now

  • a Knowns project initialized in this repository
  • lightweight compatibility shims for agents
  • one task and one doc to prove the project model works
  • a way to search, validate, and browse project context
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