openrig/docs/reference/getting-started.md

Getting started: meet the kernel, then make one useful change

Install OpenRig, use a working provider login, and meet the kernel operator with the advisor and TUI beside it. No starter team is needed to reach that view. Tell the operator what you want to do, then choose a project team for a bounded change you can exercise. Reuse the accounts and terminal tools you already have.

Want the welcome screen, the OpenRig view, or to show me my agents / see my agents? After installation and sign-in, the path is rig daemon start (if stopped), then rig terminal open saved:kernel --window. The second command opens the desktop window itself. An agent can run it from its shell on the daemon's desktop; it does not need to type into your current terminal. See Open the kernel conversations. rig tui is the team dashboard; installation ends when you are talking to the operator in the welcome view.

Before you start

You need Node.js 22 or 24 and tmux, on macOS or Linux. On Linux, the distribution's own Node.js can be older (Ubuntu 24.04's is 18); install a supported version with nvm (nvm install 22) or NodeSource. On a Mac with Apple silicon, use Node.js 22 (see the compatibility history). Native Windows isn't supported. On Windows, use WSL2: it's the Windows route OpenRig supports, though OpenRig's automated tests don't run on it yet. One user's working setup is below. Node 20 and odd-numbered releases (23, 25 and so on) are not supported; Node 26 and later even-numbered releases are untested.

Choose permissions before starting the team. Ordinary OpenRig launches use Codex's -s workspace-write, with approval policy from your native configuration, or Claude Code's acceptEdits, which still leaves commands subject to native rules and prompts. A team seat with no permission policy, per-seat choice or (for Codex) named profile also gets a per-launch team default: Claude runs ordinary rig commands, project reads and common tests without prompting, while lifecycle commands such as rig up and rig down still ask; Codex also gets the OpenRig workspace root and its pod's state directory as writable directories. The kernel's own seats get a wider operational default. Codex's sandbox normally blocks network access, including the local OpenRig daemon, so before that plain launch OpenRig asks Codex for its own configuration and adds network access inside the sandbox only when Codex answers that no configuration layer sets sandbox_workspace_write.network_access and no managed requirement could restrict it; if Codex can't be asked or doesn't answer in time, the launch is left unchanged. To keep it off, set network_access = false under [sandbox_workspace_write] in your Codex configuration. If Codex does not answer within a few seconds, the seat starts without it. A command allowance does not change general sandbox/network settings. The starter's profile: default selects OpenRig resources, not a native permission profile. Agent-guided setup recommends keeping the team default and offers to remember selected OpenRig commands in your native settings only if you want that. An existing explicit choice is reused; No or no answer keeps the team default and leaves settings unchanged. Broader access is separate.

If permission prompts are slowing you down, consider the workshop bundle. It ships with broad access and non-interruptive mode: its agents bypass permission prompts and supported harness warning dialogs. The listing and before-install view explain that access before you choose it.

Everything below reports what is currently true, never a guarantee that downstream work will succeed. "Daemon up" does not mean every agent is healthy; "kernel ready" does not mean every kernel agent is healthy; a workspace root being live does not mean it is the right one for your project.

WSL2: a reported working setup

WSL2 is the Windows route OpenRig supports. OpenRig's automated tests don't run on it yet; this is one user's working setup. dajiaohuang ran OpenRig 0.6.6 under WSL2 on Ubuntu 24.04, with Node.js 24.14.1, tmux 3.4, Codex CLI 0.161.0 and Pi (@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent) 1.0.4, headless, as the distribution's root user.

• What worked, with one Codex seat and one Pi seat: rig doctor, starting the daemon (rig daemon start --no-kernel), launching both seats, replies to rig send and rig capture, and stopping with rig down --snapshot followed by a warm restore with rig up --existing.
• What mattered:
  • the install and the OpenRig instance on the Linux filesystem;
  • Linux-native Node.js and harnesses, not the Windows npm or pi that WSL inherits;
  • Pi credentials the managed seat can reach, because a global Pi login isn't shared with managed seats. This user put them in the seat's agent directory. For openrouter, zai, kimi-coding or minimax, a key in the daemon environment also works (OPENROUTER_API_KEY, ZAI_API_KEY, KIMI_API_KEY or MINIMAX_API_KEY): name it in recovery.provider_auth_env_allowlist, give the seat a <provider>/<id> model, then restart the daemon and relaunch the seat. Any other provider goes in the seat's agent directory;
  • the current @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent package in its own npm prefix, not the deprecated @mariozechner one.
• Not tested: the kernel and operator, herdr, reboot, suspend and resume, cross-host operation and long-running work.

Install and sign in

One command, when the person wants the full setup. It needs Node.js 22 or 24 with npm already installed. First run the preview, which prints what the script will do and changes nothing, and show the person that plan:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mvschwarz/openrig/v0.6.6/scripts/install.sh | sh -s -- --dry-run

With their yes, run the same command without --dry-run: curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mvschwarz/openrig/v0.6.6/scripts/install.sh | sh. It installs the latest published @openrig/cli with npm install -g, runs the Node.js and SQLite check, then rig setup --dry-run and rig setup. rig setup checks both Claude Code and Codex and may install a missing one, as described below. A failed step prints FAILED [n/4] <command or check> (exit <code>). Where a provider isn't signed in yet, step 4 ends that way and rig setup lists each sign-in under "Some steps need attention". If the only remaining failures are provider sign-ins, the install steps finished: sign in to each selected provider as below, then continue at Start the kernel. To install only what the selected providers need, go step by step instead:

Choose your providers

Ask: “Which working account do you want this team to use: Claude Code, Codex, or both?” Reuse an explicit choice already made. Recommend the account the user already has working; a second subscription is not a prerequisite.

Install OpenRig (npm install -g @openrig/cli) and check tmux -V. With npm 11 or later, an npm warn install-scripts line for @openrig/cli is expected: only the postinstall Node.js and SQLite check was skipped, and node "$(npm root -g)/@openrig/cli/scripts/check-abi.mjs" runs it. Check only the selected providers:

• Claude Code: claude --version and claude auth status. If sign-in is missing, ask once: “Please run claude auth login in your launch environment.”
• Codex: codex --version and codex login status. If sign-in is missing, ask once: “Please run codex login in your launch environment.”

Install a missing selected CLI using its provider's installation instructions. The other provider's CLI/login is optional. Herdr is installed by default unless you decline it; cmux remains optional. Do not copy credentials or start repeated sign-in attempts. Recheck the selected login after the user completes it. rig setup --dry-run previews the broader setup; applying rig setup checks both harnesses and installs a missing one with npm; on macOS it uses an existing Homebrew (it does not install Homebrew) to install a missing tmux (elsewhere tmux is checked, not installed). Herdr installs on macOS and Linux; pass --no-herdr to decline it. Setup also writes an OpenRig-managed block (mouse on, a longer history) into ~/.tmux.conf. It is optional for this selected-provider path, not a requirement to fix an unused provider.

Start the kernel and check its state

With a working selected login, start the daemon if it is stopped, then read its state and the kernel seats:

rig daemon start  # only if the daemon is stopped
rig status
rig ps --nodes --rig kernel

Starting the kernel, including its operator and advisor, is part of installing OpenRig. Keep it for a normal install: it helps you choose and start your project team. rig daemon start --no-kernel is for automation or an explicit request to omit the kernel; it leaves you without that operator.

On a fresh instance, explicit daemon startup chooses the kernel variant from successful native auth probes: Claude alone, Codex alone, or both. It starts the kernel in the background without a project starter. An absent unused provider is fine; if both accounts are authenticated, the kernel uses both even when your later project uses just one. A request to use only one provider for everything is a separate choice.

Started is not ready. Read the Kernel: boot state in rig status and the individual seat state in rig ps --nodes --rig kernel. The view may open while agents finish starting; describe that state, without claiming they are ready. A missing or unknown readiness signal is not proof of readiness. Follow Incomplete setup and restart for login, trust, startup or missing-seat problems.

rig setup itself does not start the daemon. Preserve a daemon and kernel that already exist: ordinary daemon startup skips a managed kernel, and OPENRIG_NO_KERNEL=1 skips automatic kernel startup. If neither runtime is authenticated, kernel boot reports auth_blocked. Do not restart or recreate an existing kernel merely to open its view. The startup TUI (rig) offers its own kernel setup and individual-seat recovery; it does not automatically boot agents when it starts the daemon.

Open the kernel conversations

This is the welcome screen or OpenRig view. If someone asks to “show me my agents”, “show me the terminals” or “see my agents”, use rig terminal open saved:kernel --window; you do not need to have run setup yourself to discover or use it. When the person has already asked you to open it, act on that request. Otherwise offer it as below.

rig setup installs Herdr by default on macOS and Linux. If the person declines Herdr, use rig setup --no-herdr; the welcome view can use plain tmux. Setup checks both PATH and the installer's default ~/.local/bin/herdr location. It leaves existing cmux settings alone and does not open a view during setup.

On a Mac, the installing agent also asks once, "Install Ghostty for the OpenRig view?" On Yes it reruns setup with --ghostty, preserving earlier choices such as --no-herdr. This installs the documented Homebrew cask and checks for the app. On No it uses --no-ghostty; Terminal.app remains available. Plain setup reports this offer without installing Ghostty or waiting for input. The person types no command.

The installing agent asks: “Open the OpenRig view now?”

• Yes: the installing agent runs the command below. It opens a new terminal tab or window itself. The person copies and types no commands.
• No: leave the current terminal alone and offer to open the view later.
• Over SSH or without a local display: explain that no local desktop view was opened. Background use remains valid; see the headless handoff below.

rig terminal open saved:kernel --window --json

Run this on the daemon's desktop, as the same user. The command prefers a new Ghostty tab on macOS when Ghostty 1.3 or newer is installed, otherwise a new Terminal window. With no existing window, including an installation run from Claude Desktop, it creates one. macOS may ask for Automation permission; let the person answer that system prompt. A denied or uncertain action is reported once, not replayed in another app. On Linux a local graphical display and a supported terminal are required (Ghostty, the system terminal, GNOME Terminal, Konsole or xterm). Linux reports a window request; verify what actually appeared.

The command runs Herdr when installed, using the daemon's configured session and socket. Otherwise it creates a plain tmux viewing session. Explicitly choose the latter with --provider tmux --window. Neither route types into or replaces the installing agent's terminal. Existing conversations continue in their original sessions.

Opening the same Herdr view with the same current plan selects its existing OpenRig workspace in the new window, preserving its tabs and contents. The receipt reports reuse and any currently absent or degraded seats; it does not claim to refresh the layout or create new tiles. Changed membership or attachment targets create a fresh workspace. A note identifies older workspaces and gives the command to close them after inspection; nothing is closed automatically. If the workspace inventory cannot be read, the command creates a fresh workspace and reports the inventory problem.

Confirm the view

The default saved:kernel composition is TUI | advisor | operator, in three columns, for Claude-only, Codex-only and mixed kernels. The queue worker remains reachable through the TUI. The composition uses the installed kernel's current bindings; no YAML edit, seat launch or daemon restart is needed. A custom saved view named kernel still takes precedence.

Inspect opened, absent, degraded, window and any notes. Confirm the new surface visibly shows the intended conversations and TUI, and that the original terminal remains intact. The person sees Herdr only in a terminal they can see. Creating its workspace or switching the shared TUI to :terminals does not open that terminal. A created window or successful CLI response alone is not visual confirmation. A partial view remains partial. If the shared TUI tile shows a shell, the installing agent starts rig tui in that new tile.

Opening the view can happen while the kernel finishes starting. Report its actual state; do not start or restore seats just to obtain a view. If the kernel is absent or blocked, follow Incomplete setup and restart.

What can interrupt installation and the welcome screen

For an installing agent, a blocked step needs an explanation, not silence. Name the command, the reported reason and what remains unfinished. These checks cover different points in the same journey:

What you see	Why and what to do next
A missing Node.js, npm or tmux; an install download or command fails	The named prerequisite or install step did not finish. Read its error and the platform and provider instructions, resolve that step, then recheck it. FAILED [4/4] with only selected-provider sign-ins outstanding means the package installed but those logins still need the person.
The installing harness refuses a tool call or asks for permission	Its native rules, sandbox or automatic permission decision apply before OpenRig can run. Claude Code's auto mode can deny calls as well as approve them. Show the specific refusal and ask the person to review it in the harness permission controls or run that named step themselves. Keep their chosen restrictions; a refused call does not prove the OpenRig command failed.
Herdr or Ghostty installation is unavailable or declined	Herdr is optional for the view: --window uses plain tmux when Herdr is absent, and its install failure is a warning. On macOS, Terminal.app is the fallback when supported Ghostty is absent. An explicitly requested Ghostty install can fail setup; resolve that install or decline it with --no-ghostty, preserving earlier choices. Address separate required-tool or login failures. Existing cmux remains supported.
macOS asks for Automation access, or the window action is denied	The command asks the desktop terminal app to open a new surface. Let the person answer the system prompt. Read the error and inspect any new window before retrying an uncertain action; do not silently switch apps and open a duplicate.
No local display, or the configured daemon is remote	--window needs the daemon's desktop. An SSH shell or remote daemon address alone does not give the agent that desktop. Explain the limit and use the manual or SSH handoff with the actual operator binding.
Herdr shows its introduction or agent-integration panel	These are Herdr's first-run panels. Follow the displayed controls: Return continues the intro and Esc closes the integration panel. Opening this view does not require installing Herdr's agent integrations or changing your Claude/Codex settings.
Three columns are cramped in an 80×24 window	The desktop app's window size can be smaller than the composed layout. Enlarge the newly opened window so the dashboard and conversations are readable. Changing or restarting the team is unnecessary.
The command returned, but visibility is unconfirmed	With authorized desktop tools, inspect the new window and a screenshot of its contents. A window listing alone proves only that a window exists. If the agent has only shell access, report what the command confirmed and ask the person to confirm the visible TUI, advisor and operator. Do not report visual success without seeing it.

After a failure, inspect any newly opened surface before retrying. A tmux failure may name a newly created viewing session for inspection. Do not replace a failed local desktop action with commands for the person to copy; finish or explain the failed action. Close only the viewing window, or use Ctrl-b, then d in plain tmux, to leave the underlying conversations running.

Existing provider workspaces

The existing provider-only commands remain available when a terminal is already open. They create a workspace inside that provider, without opening an OS window:

rig terminal views --json
rig terminal open saved:kernel --provider herdr --json
rig terminal open saved:kernel --provider cmux --json

Use rig terminal status --json to inspect provider availability and liveness. For the first desktop handoff, use --window. Only if the window cannot open, rig tui --shared is the dashboard-only fallback, not the operator's conversation.

Talk to the operator in any terminal

For an explicitly requested manual attachment, inspect the current bindings:

rig ps --nodes --rig kernel --json

Find logicalId: operator.agent and use its canonicalSessionName in a new terminal on the same host and account:

env -u TMUX tmux attach-session -t '=<canonicalSessionName>'

The installing agent fills in the actual session name. This optional manual route is separate from the first-install desktop action above.

Plain terminal: a new viewing session

rig terminal open saved:kernel --provider tmux --window --json creates and opens the three-column view itself. It reuses the daemon's composition and preserves existing sessions. The result names the viewing session. No pane names or shell commands need to be assembled by the person.

Headless or SSH handoff

A provider running on the server does not establish a window on the person's desktop. Say “No visible terminal was opened here.” Ask the person to open a new terminal window or tab. The installing agent gives one complete connection and attachment command for that terminal, using the known SSH host and account. For Herdr, inspect rig terminal status --provider herdr --json and use the provider's reported launch.socketPath with the installed Herdr binary; do not guess an endpoint or inherit a different HERDR_SESSION. Once that client is open, the agent can select saved:kernel with the existing-workspace route above. For a manual operator-only conversation, use the current operator binding from Talk to the operator in any terminal. If only an HTTP daemon address is known, obtain the SSH connection details instead of inventing them. No new account or credential provisioning is part of this handoff. Report any headless or unverified branch.

Installing-agent handoff

Ask what the person wants to do and which project folder to use. Hand that goal to the ready kernel operator; do not implement the person's project yourself. Find the operator.agent row with rig ps --nodes --rig kernel --json and take its canonicalSessionName. Use that returned session name, not the logical ID:

rig send <canonicalSessionName> 'This is the agent that installed OpenRig. The person will answer in your pane. Goal: <goal>. Project folder: <absolute path>.'

Alternatively, have the person type the goal and folder in the operator pane. Show where the operator answers in the existing view or give the exact attach command above, with the observed name filled in. The rig tui --shared fallback is only for a window that cannot open; it shows the dashboard, not this conversation. If the person gives the installing agent a goal later, forward the goal, folder and constraints with rig send; leave implementation with the operator's team. The operator helps the person choose and start a team, then hands the goal to its lead. Leave the project work with that team.

Finish installation when the operator is ready and the person is talking to it; daemon health alone is not completion. Use the existing recovery routes if the operator needs attention. If the person chooses to talk later, keep that choice, leave the exact connection step, and say that the conversation handoff is still pending. SSH, headless use, and declining a desktop view remain valid background outcomes.

Stopping OpenRig keeps a team's work, and the branch a team makes is your change: an agent tidying up says what's on it before offering to remove it. The operator starts a team when you ask for one in its conversation, so an agent reporting back checks rig ps or the team's tasks before saying a team started on its own.

Choose your first team

Tell the kernel operator what you want to do. It asks about your goal, presents three teams with one recommendation, and fits the team to the providers you have. Review that choice before launching it.

rig specs preview starter --kind rig and the factory preview include the three choices and their uses, in text and JSON. The reminder respects a team you already picked; previewing a spec does not launch it.

Team	Talk to	Agents and purpose
starter	dev-build@starter	dev-build (Claude Code) and dev-review (Codex, pinned gpt-6-astra) for one bounded change
workshop	orch-lead@workshop	A lead, builder, QA and reviewer for ongoing work in one repository. It's a rig bundle, not built in: the operator installs it from its pinned listing
factory	orch-lead@factory	Seven: a lead, advisor, build, QA, design and two independent reviewers for sustained product work. It uses the most concurrent capacity

As shipped, starter needs both Claude Code and Codex. With only one of them, the operator writes an adapted copy of the team for your providers and keeps its name; there are no per-provider variants. first-project is starter's old name and still starts it, so an old rig up first-project now starts a Claude builder and a Codex reviewer. If you already have a rig named first-project (or starter), rig up first-project refuses instead and names the rig up <name> --existing command that brings that rig back.

Claude seats use the native default model, as the Claude kernel does: OpenRig does not pass a model override. Read the selected harness's configured model and show it alongside the team and launch command before proceeding. Confirm account access to any pin; if unavailable, ask for a supported model choice rather than silently substituting a model or provider. After launch, confirm the actual native model before assigning work.

Launch the starter team

cd <your-repository>
rig specs preview starter --kind rig
rig up starter --cwd . --plan
rig up starter --cwd .
rig status
rig ps --nodes --rig starter

Preview the selected seats, models and resources. Plan checks resolution and preflight for the working directory. The kernel is already your entry point; this step starts the chosen project team. Read readiness for the project seats, not only daemon health. Resolve a named authentication, trust or permission prompt before giving that seat work. When a seat stops at such a prompt, rig up reports Status: partial, prints Startup attention (<seat>): <reason> and exits 1; rig ps --nodes repeats it as "Startup details". The reason ends with the command to run once the prompt is answered: rig seat continue <seat>, which delivers the seat's startup context in the same conversation. No new team is needed when returning to an existing project.

When a seat pauses, open its existing terminal with o in the startup view. Read the proposed command, working directory and target instance. For an intended local rig call, choose the native prompt's one-time approval if that is the scope you want; a saved command-prefix allowance also affects future matching calls. Decline an unexpected operation and tell the same agent what to do instead. Approval controls whether an action may run; the sandbox controls its filesystem and network access. Turning approvals off does not grant network access.

After answering, watch for the command's result and the agent continuing. Read the corresponding task and its history from your ordinary terminal. If an operation timed out, read its result before asking for another attempt: it may already have taken effect. A delivered message or disappearing prompt alone is not progress. If startup is still waiting for context delivery, use c (or rig seat continue <seat>) for the same occupant, then r to refresh. If the command times out, check rig seat status <seat> before trying again. Do not start another seat to clear a prompt.

Starter is a deliberately small starting point. For a bigger team, factory is built in (seven agents, using more concurrent capacity), and so are the specialist teams code-review, research and pm. Inspect rig specs ls --kind rig and rig specs preview <name> --kind rig before selecting one (pm is also an agent spec's name, so a preview without --kind rig reports it as ambiguous). A team published on GitHub, such as workshop, installs from its folder link with rig up <link> (see publishing a rig bundle).

Give the builder an outcome

For example, in a project that imports CSV files:

rig send dev-build@starter 'Improve the CSV import error when a required column is missing: name the column and leave the existing data unchanged. Add a regression check, ask dev-review for an independent check of the exact candidate, and record the result and how I can try it. Keep the change local; do not publish.'

Replace the example with a real problem in your repository. Include what the user should observe, a boundary and how success can be checked. The builder creates and claims a durable task, implements it, and routes the selected independent check. You should not have to relay the review between terminals. rig send is the initial conversation; the queue and repository artifacts retain the work. An unbound shell does not need to impersonate a queue owner.

Seat addresses carry the rig name (for example, dev-build@starter). From an actual project seat, follow the work with rig queue list --limit 1000: its default scope is the caller's current rig. queue list has no --rig option. From an observer shell or another rig, use rig queue list --destination dev-build@starter --limit 1000 and the same command for dev-review@starter, after verifying those live addresses. These show each destination's obligations, not a whole-rig view. An unbound shell must not pretend to be a seat to change scope; use --all-rigs only when that broader view is intended. Then read rig queue show <id> --full and rig queue transitions <id>. A delivered message is not a reviewed result. Read the artifact, exercise its behavior, and check the candidate reviewed.

Share the dashboard and return to it

For “show me my agents” or the welcome screen, the installing agent runs rig terminal open saved:kernel --window and checks the result. It does not finish by suggesting a dashboard command for the person to type.

Only if that window cannot open, rig tui --shared is the dashboard-only fallback. Explain the window failure and help with this fallback if chosen; it does not show the advisor or operator conversation.

A fresh kernel runs the ordinary TUI in its existing operator-human terminal. This command attaches another client to that terminal. Ctrl-b, then d detaches without quitting the TUI; return with the same command and the view stays where it was. Another authorized agent can capture or operate that same pane. It should tell you before changing your view. The terminal is not a human inbox and does not prove anyone is watching it.

Plain rig tui remains an independent local view. If an older kernel or a TUI you quit shows a shell, run rig tui in that shell once. --shared does not start or replace a terminal, so a missing binding is reported with recovery guidance rather than creating a second kernel.

Herdr users follow the same launch and task path. To place the managed team in Herdr, use rig terminal open starter --provider herdr; for the shared dashboard together with the kernel conversations, use the saved first view. The equivalent cmux provider is also available. Read the opened/absent/degraded result: a partial terminal view is not a healthy team. Repeated terminal-open calls can create another provider workspace; return to the one already open when you want to preserve it. This is terminal integration, not native plugin enrollment.

For team views with interactive panes, the open result distinguishes the dashboard overview from the team's lead conversation and asks whether you can see the team. This reminder is omitted from the default kernel view and entirely read-only watch views. If the provider cannot open, each labelled fallback command joins a different seat. Keep all returned commands complete when sharing them; a created workspace alone does not confirm visibility.

Continue real project work

Return to the same owner with the next outcome, citing the earlier result. The seat address and durable queue survive closing your viewing terminal. Keep intent, acceptance and evidence in the repository's existing project, mission and slice artifacts; the starter reads those before inventing a path. rig context work-install lists what the project declares (intent, context files, skills). Without --project it picks the project by the seat's rig, then by the working directory, and stops with project_required and the exact --project commands only if several still match.

If the project has no work tree, start with rig workspace doctor and rig scope mission create --help, then rig scope slice create --help. Set the actual intended outcome before creating work. rig scope retains what is being built. When repeated coordination warrants a workflow, discover with rig workflow specs, inspect its owners and inputs, and instantiate the selected name with rig workflow instantiate --help. A workflow is not needed merely to make the first local change.

For a continuing team, OpenRig Software Factory offers manual/team work, queue-supported orchestration without Workflow, and an optional explicit Workflow path, with wake defaults, token costs and permission choices visible. Give its short request to your existing agent. After installation, discover the compatible bundled recipe with rig context show skills/core/openrig-software-factory --json; retain a missing/version-mismatch result rather than silently using newer instructions. Its growth section keeps three choices clear: stay with the pair, add one or two seats to the running rig with rig grow and no YAML, or optionally author a custom rig. It covers new-seat context/work ownership, concurrency costs and saving the expanded spec. This guide remains the short first-use path.

Stop your teams

rig down <rig-name> ends that rig's agent sessions and work in progress. Read rig ps --nodes --rig <rig-name> first so you can see who will stop. For example, to stop starter:

rig down starter

For "stop everything", list the rigs with rig ps --json and run rig down for each one you want stopped. Include kernel last if you want its operator, advisor and queue worker stopped too; its operator cannot continue helping after its own session ends. Check each result before calling the shutdown done.

rig daemon stop stops only the background service and preserves agent tmux sessions. If you also want that service stopped, run it after stopping the rigs. If the operator is handling this full shutdown and kernel is included, it gives you this last step before running rig down kernel: once kernel is down, run rig daemon stop in your own shell and check the result. The operator's session ends with kernel, so it cannot run that final command for you afterwards. If the daemon is already stopped, use rig daemon start --no-kernel to restore the lifecycle API without booting a new kernel, then stop the remaining rigs.

Incomplete setup and restart

Observation	Next action
Tool missing or login fails	Use the specific setup/auth hint; recheck that executable in the launch shell. Do not send work to an unready seat.
"Startup attention" or "Startup details" names a prompt	Answer the login, trust or bypass prompt in that seat's terminal, then run the rig seat continue <seat> it shows.
"Readiness timeout after 30s — harness did not become interactive"	The harness took longer than the readiness window. Raise it for the next launch with rig config set runtime.readiness_timeout_seconds <1-600>, then relaunch that seat.
Daemon is healthy, kernel is still starting	Read rig status and rig ps --nodes --rig kernel; kernel readiness is separate.
Shared terminal is absent	Inspect the existing kernel binding and recovery state; use standalone rig tui while resolving it.
Viewing terminal was closed	Open the conversations again with rig terminal open saved:kernel --window; rig tui --shared is only the dashboard fallback if that window cannot open. Do not relaunch the team.
Daemon restarted but tmux survived	Re-read rig status and the existing queue; a daemon restart is not a fresh project.
Host reboot lost tmux sessions	Open rig, start the daemon if needed (press S if it opens on the work views), and select the existing rig and seats. Resume is the default; a fresh conversation needs a separate decision.
Launch reports no usable snapshot	Inspect the existing rig and retained project files, then follow the same-seat recovery below.
Work is waiting on a prompt or decision	Read the row, transition and named prompt; preserve the obligation until the missing decision arrives.

If a snapshot is unavailable, the startup view checks the selected seat's retained startup source and authoritative occupant relation. It reports a missing or ambiguous source instead of selecting an arbitrary historical row. Repair the named source, retry, or leave the seat stopped. Check the retained queue, project notes and observed result before continuing work.

rig setup prints the short form of this path after ready, incomplete and dry-run results; JSON output includes it as nextSteps. This guidance does not mean the kernel is ready: retain any named failures, check the actual seat state, then offer rig terminal open saved:kernel --window. If the person chooses a manual attachment after a failure, derive the exact command from the current operator binding above; not every failure prints one. Hand the goal and project folder to the ready operator rather than implementing the project during installation. rig status points back here while no rigs are registered.

Use the startup and work TUI

Type rig in an ordinary terminal to open the startup and work TUI. It shows the daemon address; d expands the selected instance path and diagnostics. If the daemon is stopped, press Enter to start that daemon, then choose the rigs and seats you want. Kernel is recommended first; selecting its operator does not start every kernel seat. The same view is available with S from ordinary TUI work. ? opens Help even while connection checks are pending. w skips startup; Esc goes back, or leaves startup from its first page. These choices do not start a daemon or a seat. L opens local reading before or after connecting: choose configured Specs, project intent, projects, or missions and slices, then select a directory or file. r reads the selected source again; Esc returns. Local reading uses this machine's configured workspace paths and file allowlist, including when the selected daemon address is remote. It shows disk provenance, missing or denied sources, binary files and the 1 MiB text truncation boundary. These disk snapshots may change after reading and do not supply live queue, execution or topology state. Once connected, the TUI opens the ordinary work views by itself unless you have already pressed a key; S returns to startup. A stalled live read does not prevent Help or local reading. When terminal transport is unavailable, t starts the empty terminal service so recovery choices can be inspected. It launches no seats.

For a previously occupied seat, Enter attempts its previous conversation. If history is unavailable, read the reason. f opens a separate fresh-start decision for that named seat; Esc declines without launching it. A confirmed fresh conversation receives the configured context and retains the old history, but does not resume that history. Authentication or runtime failures require repair of that prerequisite. o opens the existing native terminal here; detach to return (tmux defaults to Ctrl-b, then d). Decide native trust/auth prompts there. If a fresh start paused before context delivery, c finishes that delivery to the same occupant (from a shell, rig seat continue <seat> does the same). r reads actual state again; d expands details.

Kernel framing (what rig setup does and does not do)

Explicit CLI daemon startup retains its automatic kernel behavior. The TUI starts the daemon with kernel auto-boot disabled so the user can select seats:

• rig setup installs/verifies the runtime; it does not start the daemon or the kernel.
• Starting the daemon (rig daemon start, or implicitly via rig up or rig context add) is what boots the kernel rig in the background.
• Starting it from bare rig prepares no agents automatically. The TUI offers kernel setup and individual seat selection after connecting.
• Kernel readiness is a distinct signal from daemon health. The daemon's HTTP health binds early; the kernel can still be booting or a kernel agent can be unhealthy while the daemon is up. rig status surfaces kernel readiness separately (via /api/kernel/status); rig daemon start --wait-for-kernel polls it.

The scope <-> workflow bridge

Two related primitives, often confused by new operators:

• rig scope manages durable, on-disk artifacts - missions and slices (markdown/YAML files in your workspace). These are the persistent record of what work exists.
• rig workflow manages a runtime instance - when you rig workflow instantiate <name>, the daemon creates a workflow instance plus an entry qitem that routes the first step to an owner. This is the live coordination of who does the next step.

Scope files retain what the work is; workflow instances and their queue packets retain who acts next. Creating or editing a mission does not start work. You can instantiate a named workflow with rig workflow instantiate <name> --root-objective <text> --created-by <session> (both options are needed), or explicitly inspect an authored lifecycle with rig workflow compile and create its runtime with rig workflow instantiate-lifecycle. Compilation alone does not start work. OpenRig Software Factory shows a small reviewed example and how to retain custody through a genuine wait.

Have your agent configure permissions

For a team with no permission policy, your agent recommends keeping the team default, unless you already made an explicit choice for these harnesses and this scope. It offers additional remembered allowances only if you want them:

Remember these selected OpenRig commands in your native settings for this project? This is separate from the team launch default; stricter rules and Claude lifecycle asks remain. Yes / No — keep the team default

A remembered allowance can cover the whole rig family, but on Claude team seats lifecycle commands such as rig up and rig down still ask. It is not global YOLO or permission to invent work. The scope is your personal settings for this project unless you explicitly choose user-wide sessions, which can affect your other projects.

On an actual Yes, the agent backs up the relevant files, adds the existing native rules without duplicates, and preserves stricter rules and unrelated settings. It checks bare and actual absolute-path invocations, rule loading and repeated harmless reads in the target conversation. No or no answer leaves settings alone and keeps the team default. Unsupported scope or a managed restriction is reported; it is not permission to grant broader access.

The agent remembers an explicit choice, scope and exact additions in existing onboarding context, so setup does not ask again. You do not need to approve each routine edit separately. To undo, say “Undo the OpenRig command allowances added by this setup; keep my other rules.” The agent removes only its recorded additions, preserves earlier rules and later edits, and verifies reloading. Other pre-existing allowances may still permit commands after this undo.

Use the maintained Applying a permission policy procedure:

rig context get skills/applying-a-permission-policy/SKILL.md

In a source checkout, read its source. In an npm installation, the same file is under @openrig/cli/daemon/assets/plugins/openrig-core/skills/applying-a-permission-policy/SKILL.md below the matching npm root -g or local npm root. Use the version supplying your rig executable. It covers Codex/Claude command rules, actual config roots, preserving restrictions and verifying the target conversation. A missing guide or unsupported native version is a reported gap, not permission to silently bypass.

The broader launch-mode recipes below are optional. Command-family rules do not require changing the starter's sandbox or everyone else's defaults.

Opt-in permissive operation

Permissive operation lets agents act with your account's filesystem and network access with fewer permission stops. They can damage files or send data without another confirmation. Use it only for work and an environment you deliberately trust; it does not supply missing credentials or override organization policy.

Make changes in a user-owned spec before its first launch. To customize the starter, run rig specs show starter --kind rig and find its Path, ending in specs/rigs/launch/starter/rig.yaml. Copy that whole specs directory to ./openrig-specs in your repository, keeping its layout: copying only rig.yaml breaks its relative agent and culture references. Leave the installed copy alone. The examples below use ./openrig-specs/rigs/launch/starter/rig.yaml. If you already have a running starter, follow the existing-session advice below before changing it; this is not a live permission switch.

Codex: select sandbox and approvals together

For Codex versions supporting named .config.toml profiles, create ~/.codex/starter-permissive.config.toml (under CODEX_HOME instead if you set it for the daemon's launch environment):

sandbox_mode = "danger-full-access"
approval_policy = "never"

In the copied rig, add this field to each Codex member that should use it (in starter, that's dev.review); keep the member's existing profile: default:

codex_config_profile: starter-permissive

Leave permission_policy absent or set it to none, with no member-level YOLO override. OpenRig then passes -p starter-permissive instead of its default -s workspace-write, so the native profile supplies both settings. Higher-priority native project configuration or managed requirements can still change/refuse the result. Inspect native /status before assigning work.

rig policy current --spec ./openrig-specs/rigs/launch/starter/rig.yaml
rig up ./openrig-specs/rigs/launch/starter/rig.yaml --cwd . --plan
rig up ./openrig-specs/rigs/launch/starter/rig.yaml --cwd .

OpenRig's permission_policy: builtin:yolo setting selects -s danger-full-access -a never on fresh, resume and fork launches, replacing the named-profile argument. The profile recipe above remains useful when you want to maintain those choices in native configuration. The legacy environment-only OPENRIG_YOLO=1 path remains sandbox-only when no resolved policy is present. A standalone codex --yolo command is not an OpenRig setting. At full access, Codex can show its full-access and GPT-5.1 migration notices at first launch. When OpenRig itself selects full bypass for the seat (builtin:yolo, a full_bypass flag policy, or an explicit seat full_bypass), rig up <spec> --non-interruptive hides them with per-launch -c overrides (see non-interruptive mode). Full access chosen inside a native Codex profile, with permission_policy absent or none, doesn't qualify.

To return to a restricted next launch, change the selected profile to:

sandbox_mode = "workspace-write"
approval_policy = "on-request"

[sandbox_workspace_write]
network_access = false

Per-seat permission mode

Permission mode is the native execution choice; work posture is project guidance. For an existing managed seat, select future-launch permissions explicitly:

rig seat set-permissions dev-build@starter --mode full_bypass --reason "Operator selected broader access"
rig seat status dev-build@starter --json

This records the actor, reason and old/new choice on that seat. It does not relaunch it, alter native history, change sibling seats, or edit permission rules/hooks. A later lifecycle action remains a separate decision. The explicit seat choice overrides the inherited member/rig policy; --mode inherit clears it without changing that inherited policy. floor selects the existing normal launch path (including a Codex named profile when configured); it does not rewrite a native profile or force its approval settings. An explicit floor also replaces any team or kernel launch default with the plain floor flags; inherit brings the default back.

Codex and Claude accept floor and full_bypass. Additional Claude native modes, including auto, require support advertised by the managed executable's help. OpenRig resolves the first executable on its managed launch PATH at the seat's absolute working directory, then uses that exact path for discovery and launch. It does not use interactive shell aliases or a shell's modified PATH. Relative PATH entries and a relative CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR resolve from the seat directory.

For these explicit native modes, fresh, resume, fork and legacy restore use the same managed environment: PATH, HOME, CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR (default HOME/.claude) and the configured classic-renderer setting. Other shell customizations are excluded. The existing managed identity and allowlisted provider-auth channel is retained by variable name; credentials are not copied into launch commands or capability evidence. Help runs without that credential channel. Existing login files remain under the managed home. Configure the daemon's managed launch environment deliberately before selecting a mode; this is not a probe of an arbitrary interactive shell.

Each selection and each later launch checks support again, without a cache. A changed node/occupant, binding, cwd, executable or capability environment refuses at the next check: after help, before selection/audit mutation, and immediately before paste and Enter. A failure after a valid paste is partial input, not a successful launch or a claim that earlier input was rolled back. An existing explicit selection is retained on refusal; no fallback is chosen. Ordinary and inherited launch paths are unchanged. The status response distinguishes desired settings, generation-bound launch arguments and an unverified native effect. Inspect the native session after an authorized launch before claiming its actual permission behavior.

The rig-level verbs are rig policy permissions list, show, current and apply. Existing rig policy list/show/current/apply remain compatibility aliases with the same JSON and exit behavior. Pi resource trust and the per-seat typing guard are separate controls.

Claude Code: a different launch flag

In the shipped starter, dev-build runs Claude Code. For a Claude Code seat, OpenRig normally passes --permission-mode acceptEdits: edits can proceed, while other actions follow native rules and prompts. For a seat with no permission policy or per-seat choice it also passes the per-launch team default (--settings allowing ordinary rig commands, project reads and common tests, with a session hook asking for lifecycle commands while allowing literal help forms such as rig down --help); personal and project rules still apply. Nothing is written to your settings files. To explicitly select the bypass launch flag for that rig:

rig policy apply yolo --spec ./my-claude-rig/rig.yaml
rig policy current --spec ./my-claude-rig/rig.yaml

This records permission_policy: builtin:yolo; the next managed launch passes --dangerously-skip-permissions. Member-level policies take precedence.

On a machine where nobody has accepted it yet, Claude Code then shows its bypass-permissions warning in each new seat, and OpenRig reports the seat as needing attention without sending its startup context. Either accept the warning once beforehand (run claude --dangerously-skip-permissions in your repository, accept, then /exit; Claude Code remembers it), or accept it in the seat and run rig seat continue <seat>. Or launch with rig up <spec> --non-interruptive, which accepts it with a launch flag and writes nothing to your settings; see non-interruptive mode.

rig policy apply auto --spec ./my-claude-rig/rig.yaml (also rig setup --policy auto --spec ./my-claude-rig/rig.yaml) records builtin:auto instead: Claude seats launch with --permission-mode auto, and Codex and Pi seats, which have no auto mode, launch at the floor. To return future launches to the team default, remove permission_policy from the spec along with any member-level bypass override. rig policy apply none --spec ./my-claude-rig/rig.yaml instead records plain acceptEdits without the team allowances. Native rules and managed restrictions still matter; this flag is not a promise about sandbox or account access. See Claude permissions.

Already running: changing a file or running rig policy apply does not revoke a live agent's permissions, nor rewrite a stored rig's policy on restore. Pause work and use the native permission controls for that conversation (current Codex and Claude CLIs expose /permissions); inspect the effective mode again. Keep the launch spec/profile consistent for subsequent launches. If the native version cannot apply the change in place, preserve the work and use the supported same-seat stop/resume path after checking its retained policy; do not erase the rig or start a duplicate to reset permissions. A resume can reapply the stored launch mode, so verify the native mode again before continuing work.

Custom settings and precedence

• OpenRig: member permission_policy overrides rig permission_policy. Normal managed launches bind the default mode explicitly when neither is set; exporting OPENRIG_YOLO=1 in a client shell is not a reliable per-team recipe. A custom policy file is relative to the declaring rig spec, with no absolute path or ... surface: flag selects a launch mode. Config-surface policies (locked, standard, open, or custom) describe intent: recording one does not translate and enforce its rules. Apply and inspect the actual native settings separately. See RigSpec policy references.
• Codex: personal settings live in ~/.codex/config.toml or CODEX_HOME; trusted project settings live in .codex/config.toml. Current precedence is CLI overrides, trusted project settings, selected profile, user settings, cloud defaults when supplied, /etc/codex/config.toml on Unix, then built-in defaults, subject to managed requirements. OpenRig's explicit sandbox flag wins over a file's sandbox_mode; use codex_config_profile for a custom sandbox instead. For workspace edits with network access while retaining approvals, use a named profile with sandbox_mode = "workspace-write", approval_policy = "on-request" and [sandbox_workspace_write] network_access = true. That grants network access generally, not just to the local daemon. See Codex configuration and sandbox/approval controls.
• Claude Code: use ~/.claude/settings.json, shared project .claude/settings.json, or personal project .claude/settings.local.json. Managed settings precede launch flags, then project-local, project-shared and user settings. Permission-rule lists combine; a higher-level allow is not a way to defeat a deny. OpenRig's acceptEdits launch flag overrides a file's permissions.defaultMode; selected runtime resources may also merge into project-local settings. See Claude settings and precedence and OpenRig's runtime config disclosure.

These recipes do not establish every provider/version/config combination. Check the installed version and effective settings. Newer permission-profile or automatic review features are provider choices, not implicit OpenRig capabilities. Selecting rules or a broader mode does not change the shipped defaults.