[opensourcedex]

Archon is a free, open source orchestration & scheduling project written in TypeScript and released under MIT. It has 23,495 GitHub stars, 3,474 forks and 321 open issues, and was last pushed 13 hours ago. On this registry it ranks #9 of 64 tracked projects in Orchestration & Scheduling, with 5 head-to-head comparisons available. It gained 17 stars over the last 3 tracked days.

What is Archon?

What it is

Archon is an open-source workflow engine for AI coding agents, written in TypeScript and released under the MIT license. It lives in the AI coding ecosystem, alongside tools such as Claude Code, and is distributed through the Bun runtime and the GitHub CLI. The project describes itself as a harness builder: it lets a developer encode a development process as a YAML workflow and then run that workflow reliably across projects. Workflows are stored in a .archon/workflows/ directory and committed to the repository, so the same definition can be invoked from the CLI, a web UI, Slack, Telegram, or GitHub.

The concrete problem Archon addresses is the non-determinism of agent-driven development. When an AI agent is asked to fix a bug, the outcome varies between runs: it may skip planning, forget to run tests, or produce a pull request description that ignores the project template. Archon replaces that open-ended behaviour with a defined sequence of phases, validation gates, and artifacts. The workflow owns the structure, while the AI supplies intelligence only at the steps where it adds value. Deterministic nodes such as bash scripts, test runs, and git operations sit alongside AI nodes for planning, code generation, and review.

Key capabilities

  • YAML workflow definitions that specify phases, dependencies, loops, and validation gates, committed to the repository under .archon/workflows/.
  • Isolated execution through a dedicated git worktree per run, allowing several fixes to proceed in parallel without conflicts.
  • Mixed node types, combining deterministic bash and git operations with AI-driven planning, implementation, and review steps.
  • Loop constructs with conditions such as ALL_TASKS_COMPLETE and APPROVED, including interactive human approval gates that pause the run.
  • Fresh-context iteration, where each loop pass starts a new session rather than carrying prior context forward.
  • Portable invocation from the CLI, web dashboard, Slack, Telegram, or GitHub, using the same workflow definition.
  • A guided setup wizard that configures credentials and platform integrations and installs the Archon skill into target projects.

Who uses it and how

  • Developers running a feature workflow that plans, implements in a loop until tests pass, requests approval, and then opens a pull request.
  • Teams that want the same development sequence applied across multiple repositories rather than relying on per-session agent behaviour.
  • Users who start several isolated fixes at once and return to finished pull requests with review comments attached.
  • Projects that need a human approval gate before changes are pushed, using the interactive loop node.
  • Organisations that trigger workflows from chat platforms or the web dashboard instead of a terminal.

Getting started

The README recommends the full setup, a roughly five-minute guided wizard that configures credentials, platform integrations, and the Arch

project readme (upstream, from github) — read inline

Archon

The first open-source harness builder for AI coding. Make AI coding deterministic and repeatable.

coleam00%2FArchon | Trendshift

License: MIT CI Docs

Archon is a workflow engine for AI coding agents. Define your development processes as YAML workflows - planning, implementation, validation, code review, PR creation - and run them reliably across all your projects.

Like what Dockerfiles did for infrastructure and GitHub Actions did for CI/CD - Archon does for AI coding workflows. Think n8n, but for software development.

Why Archon?

When you ask an AI agent to "fix this bug", what happens depends on the model's mood. It might skip planning. It might forget to run tests. It might write a PR description that ignores your template. Every run is different.

Archon fixes this. Encode your development process as a workflow. The workflow defines the phases, validation gates, and artifacts. The AI fills in the intelligence at each step, but the structure is deterministic and owned by you.

  • Repeatable - Same workflow, same sequence, every time. Plan, implement, validate, review, PR.
  • Isolated - Every workflow run gets its own git worktree. Run 5 fixes in parallel with no conflicts.
  • Fire and forget - Kick off a workflow, go do other work. Come back to a finished PR with review comments.
  • Composable - Mix deterministic nodes (bash scripts, tests, git ops) with AI nodes (planning, code generation, review). The AI only runs where it adds value.
  • Portable - Define workflows once in .archon/workflows/, commit them to your repo. They work the same from CLI, Web UI, Slack, Telegram, or GitHub.

What It Looks Like

Here's an example of an Archon workflow that plans, implements in a loop until tests pass, gets your approval, then creates the PR:

# .archon/workflows/build-feature.yaml
nodes:
  - id: plan
    prompt: "Explore the codebase and create an implementation plan"

  - id: implement
    depends_on: [plan]
    loop:                                      # AI loop - iterate until done
      prompt: "Read the plan. Implement the next task. Run validation."
      until: ALL_TASKS_COMPLETE
      fresh_context: true                      # Fresh session each iteration

  - id: run-tests
    depends_on: [implement]
    bash: "bun run validate"                   # Deterministic - no AI

  - id: review
    depends_on: [run-tests]
    prompt: "Review all changes against the plan. Fix any issues."

  - id: approve
    depends_on: [review]
    loop:                                      # Human approval gate
      prompt: "Present the changes for review. Address any feedback."
      until: APPROVED
      interactive: true                        # Pauses and waits for human input

  - id: create-pr
    depends_on: [approve]
    prompt: "Push changes and create a pull request"

Tell your coding agent what you want, and Archon handles the rest:

You: Use archon to add dark mode to the settings page

Agent: I'll run the archon-idea-to-pr workflow for this.
       → Creating isolated worktree on branch archon/task-dark-mode...
       → Planning...
       → Implementing (task 1/4)...
       → Implementing (task 2/4)...
       → Tests failing - iterating...
       → Tests passing after 2 iterations
       → Code review complete - 0 issues
       → PR ready: https://github.com/you/project/pull/47

Previous Version

Looking for the original Python-based Archon (task management + RAG)? It's fully preserved on the archive/v1-task-management-rag branch.

Getting Started

Most users should start with the Full Setup - it walks you through credentials, installs the Archon skill into your projects, and gives you the web dashboard.

Already have Claude Code and just want the CLI? Jump to the Quick Install.

Full Setup (5 minutes)

Clone the repo and use the guided setup wizard. This configures credentials, platform integrations, and copies the Archon skill into your target projects.

Prerequisites - Bun, Claude Code, and the GitHub CLI

Bun - bun.sh

# macOS/Linux
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex

GitHub CLI - cli.github.com

# macOS
brew install gh

# Windows (via winget)
winget install GitHub.cli

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install gh

Claude Code - claude.ai/code

# macOS/Linux/WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

git clone https://github.com/coleam00/Archon
cd Archon
bun install
claude

Then say: "Set up Archon"

The setup wizard walks you through everything: CLI installation, authentication, platform selection, and copies the Archon skill to your target repo.

Quick Install (30 seconds)

Already have Claude Code set up? Install the standalone CLI binary and skip the wizard.

macOS / Linux

curl -fsSL https://archon.diy/install | bash

x64 compatibility: The macOS/Linux quick install requires AVX2 on x64 CPUs. Older Intel/AMD hardware and virtual machines that mask AVX2 should use the source installation guide. ARM64 quick installs are unaffected.

Windows (PowerShell)

irm https://archon.diy/install.ps1 | iex

Homebrew

brew install coleam00/archon/archon

Compiled binaries need a CLAUDE_BIN_PATH. The quick-install binaries don't bundle Claude Code. Install it separately, then point Archon at it:

# macOS / Linux / WSL
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
export CLAUDE_BIN_PATH="$HOME/.local/bin/claude"

# Windows (PowerShell)
irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex
$env:CLAUDE_BIN_PATH = "$env:USERPROFILE\.local\bin\claude.exe"

Or set assistants.claude.claudeBinaryPath in ~/.archon/config.yaml. The Docker image ships Claude Code pre-installed. See AI Assistants → Binary path configuration for details.

Start Using Archon

Once you've completed either setup path, go to your project and start working:

cd /path/to/your/project
claude

Use archon to fix issue #42

What archon workflows do I have? When would I use each one?

The coding agent handles workflow selection, branch naming, and worktree isolation for you. Projects are registered automatically the first time they're used.

Important: Always run Claude Code from your target repo, not from the Archon repo. The setup wizard copies the Archon skill into your project so it works from there.

Web UI

Archon includes a web dashboard for chatting with your coding agent, running workflows, and monitoring activity. Run archon serve to start it, whichever way you installed. A binary downloads the matching web UI on first run. A source checkout serves the copy you build: run bun run build:web once from the repo root, then archon serve.

Register a project by clicking + next to "Project" in the chat sidebar - enter a GitHub URL or local path. Then start a conversation, invoke workflows, and watch progress in real time.

Key pages:

  • Chat - Conversation interface with real-time streaming and tool call visualization
  • Dashboard - Mission Control for monitoring running workflows, with filterable history by project, status, and date
  • Workflow Builder - Visual drag-and-drop editor for creating DAG workflows with loop nodes
  • Workflow Execution - Step-by-step progress view for any running or completed workflow

Monitoring hub: The sidebar shows conversations from all platforms - not just the web. Workflows kicked off from the CLI, messages from Slack or Telegram, GitHub issue interactions - everything appears in one place.

See the [Web UI Guide](https://archon.diy/adapters/we

readme truncated — read the full docs on github

Frequently asked questions

Is Archon free to use?

Archon is open source under the MIT licence. There is no licence fee and no seat count — you can self-host it or, where the project offers one, pay a vendor for a managed version instead.

What does Archon do?

The first open-source harness builder for AI coding. Make AI coding deterministic and repeatable.

What is Archon written in?

Archon is primarily written in TypeScript. Its source is publicly available at https://github.com/coleam00/Archon, and it has 23,495 GitHub stars.