Quickstart
Go from an empty canvas to a running, self-orchestrating workflow in under five minutes. Start by preparing the local tools Harness Flow uses to clone repositories and run agents.
Harness Flow is an execution engine, not a task manager. If a concept feels unfamiliar, jump to Core concepts first.
1. Install & connect
Prepare your machine before opening Harness Flow. The desktop app checks these prerequisites before it lets workflows run.
1. Install Git
Install Git first, then verify that the desktop runtime can find it.
git --version
# If macOS prompts you, install the Xcode Command Line Tools.2. Authenticate repository access
Configure repository access before Harness Flow tries to clone private repos.
gh auth login
ssh -T [email protected]3. Install Codex
Install Codex CLI and run it once to sign in.
curl -fsSL https://chatgpt.com/codex/install.sh | sh
codex4. Install Claude Code
Install Claude Code and authenticate it before using it as a harness.
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude auth login5. Install OpenCode
Install OpenCode and connect a provider from the TUI.
curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash
opencode
/connect6. Install Harness Flow
Once Git and at least one harness are ready, install the desktop app and connect your repositories.
2. The three primitives
Every automation in Harness Flow composes from exactly three building blocks. Master these and the rest of the product follows.
| Primitive | What it is | Defined by |
|---|---|---|
workflow | A recursive graph of nodes: branches, loops, and nests. | The canvas |
harness | The engine holding real access: GitHub, filesystem, and repo context. | A config + token |
specialist | A reusable system prompt plus skills like security auditing. | A YAML manifest |
3. Build your first workflow
Start from a template or drag nodes onto the canvas. The example wires a pull-request trigger into a refactor node, a review node, and a paused human approval gate.
- Add nodes. Drop a refactor node and point it at the
claude-codeharness. - Add a review node. Attach the
security_auditspecialist. - Add an approval gate. Place a gate node after review so nothing merges without sign-off.
The canvas updates live as a workflow runs. Nodes light up blue while running and amber when they need you.
4. Attach a harness
A node does nothing until it's pointed at a harness. The claude-code harness runs with your repo's filesystem, branch, and Git history.
5. Add a human-in-the-loop gate
Pause any node for review. The workflow waits in your pending-actions tray until you approve, edit, or reject the plan.
6. Inject specialists & skills
A specialist is a reusable system prompt plus a set of skills. Define one once at global scope and share it across every repo, or pin it to a single project.
GitHub triggers
Kick a workflow off an opened PR, a pushed branch, or a label. Harnesses act with scoped, revocable repo access.
Scope & sharing
Resources live where they belong. Define a specialist at global scope to reuse it everywhere, or pin it to project scope to keep it local to one repository.