primer

# Primer

Primer helps you build real software with AI agents one verified milestone at a time.

The main work happens inside your AI coding agent. The `primer` CLI sets up the workspace, verifies prerequisites, and powers the milestone workflow under the hood.

Instead of handing an agent a huge vague task, Primer gives you a milestone contract, a verification step, and a clear next action.

Primer is a good fit if you want to:

- start from a real workspace instead of a blank prompt
- keep the agent focused on the current step
- verify progress before moving on
- learn the system as you build it

Current recipes:

- `cli-tool`: build a practical task tracker CLI in Python
- `interpreter-mini`: build a small expression language in Python
- `operating-system`: build an x86 operating system from bootloader to shell

## Table of Contents

- [Start Here](#start-here)
- [Guides](#guides)
- [5 Minute Demo](#5-minute-demo)
- [How Primer Works](#how-primer-works)
- [Why Primer](#why-primer)
- [Is Primer Beginner-Friendly?](#is-primer-beginner-friendly)
- [Who It's For](#who-its-for)
- [Installation](#installation)
  - [Recommended quick install (macOS/Linux)](#recommended-quick-install-macoslinux)
  - [Homebrew (macOS/Linux)](#homebrew-macoslinux)
  - [npm / npx](#npm--npx)
  - [Cargo](#cargo)
  - [Native binaries](#native-binaries)
  - [Build from source](#build-from-source)
  - [Install from local source](#install-from-local-source)
  - [Sanity check after install](#sanity-check-after-install)
  - [Shell completions](#shell-completions)
- [AI Tool Integration](#ai-tool-integration)
- [Available Recipe](#available-recipe)
- [Tracks](#tracks)
- [Agent Workflow Actions](#agent-workflow-actions)
- [CLI Setup Commands](#cli-setup-commands)
- [JSON Examples](#json-examples)
- [Workspace Model](#workspace-model)
- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [License](#license)

## Start Here

If you want the fastest path from zero to building inside yo