Back to docs

Quick Start

Get started with H·AI·K·U in 5 minutes

Get H·AI·K·U running in your project and complete your first feature.

Installation

/plugin marketplace add gigsmart/haiku-method
/plugin install haiku --scope project

The Two Commands You Need

H·AI·K·U uses just two main commands:

CommandWhat it does
/haiku:haiku-startDefine what you're building and how you'll know it's done
/haiku:haiku-pickupStart the autonomous execution loop through the stage pipeline

Your First Feature

Step 1: Create an Intent

/haiku:haiku-start

The AI guides you through:

  1. What you want to build
  2. Success criteria - how you'll know it's done
  3. Units - how to break down the work (for complex features)

Example session:

User: /haiku:haiku-start
AI: What do you want to build?
User: Add user authentication with email/password
AI: [Asks clarifying questions via interactive prompts]
AI: Here are the success criteria I captured...
AI: Intent created! Run /haiku:haiku-pickup to start.

Step 2: Run

/haiku:haiku-pickup

The AI now works autonomously through the stage pipeline:

  • Creates a feature branch
  • Plans the implementation
  • Builds to meet your criteria
  • Reviews its own work
  • Continues until all criteria are satisfied

You can watch, intervene if needed, or let it run.

Step 3: Continue After Context Resets

If the session runs long, the AI will suggest clearing context:

AI: "Context getting full. Run /clear to continue."
User: /clear
User: /haiku:haiku-pickup

Your progress is preserved - the AI picks up where it left off.

Other Commands

CommandPurpose
/haiku:haiku-gate-reviewPre-delivery code review -- catches issues before external CI/bots
/haiku:haiku-pickup [slug]Resume an existing intent after a break
/haiku:haiku-reset-intentWipe the whole intent (every stage, every branch) and recreate from the preserved title/description
/haiku:haiku-reset-stageWipe a single stage (units, outputs, artifacts, branch) so the agent re-runs it from scratch — other stages stay put
/methodology [question]Ask questions about H·AI·K·U

Example: Complete Workflow

User: /haiku:haiku-start
AI: What do you want to build?
User: Add a dark mode toggle to the settings page
AI: [Guides through requirements and criteria]
AI: Intent created!

User: /haiku:haiku-pickup
AI: [Works autonomously through planner → builder → reviewer]
AI: Intent complete! All criteria satisfied.

User: Great, let's create a PR
AI: [Creates PR with summary of changes]

After Construction

When your intent completes, the engine reflects on the run automatically before sealing it — synthesizing what happened along the active studio's reflection dimensions. There's no command to invoke; the reflection artifact is written as part of intent completion.

Next Steps