Don't run the agent yet. Compile the intent first.

ni is a Project Intent Compiler for AI Agents.

ni turns a planning conversation into a docs contract, checks readiness, locks the accepted plan, and compiles a bounded downstream handoff prompt.

Why ni

AI agents move fast. ni slows down only the part that should be slow: deciding what the project actually means before implementation starts.

• Capture missing users, acceptance criteria, risks, non-goals, and blockers.
• Check planning readiness with deterministic CLI rules.
• Lock the accepted plan and hash the trusted planning sources.
• Compile a short prompt for downstream actors without executing it.

Install

README shows two primary first-success paths. Source, local build, Linux, release-archive, and advanced uninstall details live in Install ni.

macOS

Install the verified v0.5.0 release binary with the curl installer after inspecting it:

VERSION="0.5.0"
curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Nam-Cheol/ni/main/install.sh
sed -n '1,320p' install.sh
sh install.sh --dry-run --version "$VERSION"
BINDIR="$HOME/.local/bin" sh install.sh --update-path --version "$VERSION"

Open a new shell, then verify the global command:

ni --help
ni version

Uninstall the installer-installed binary and the ni-managed PATH block, if one was added:

BINDIR="$HOME/.local/bin" sh install.sh --uninstall

Homebrew: Planned / v0.5 candidate.

Windows

Install with the PowerShell installer, which installs to %LOCALAPPDATA%\ni\bin by default and updates User PATH only:

$Version = "0.5.0"
Invoke-WebRequest "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Nam-Cheol/ni/main/install.ps1" -OutFile "install.ps1"
Get-Content .\install.ps1
.\install.ps1 -DryRun -Version $Version
.\install.ps1 -Version $Version

Open a new PowerShell session, then verify the global command:

ni --help
ni version

Uninstall the installer-installed binary and the User PATH entry added by ni:

.\install.ps1 -Uninstall

Windows installer code and static safety checks are present. Real-host Windows execution remains deferred on this macOS-only development host until a Windows install transcript exists.

First project in 5 minutes

Public v0.5.0 install parity note: the current first-project flow below uses the current-tree ni init . onboarding. The published v0.5.0 binary verifies ni --help and ni version, but does not support the positional ni init . form; see docs/126.

mkdir my-project
cd my-project
ni init .
ni status --proof --next-questions
ni end
ni run --max-chars 4000

ni init . opens a guided project intent wizard and creates .ni/contract.json, .ni/session.json, and docs/plan/**.

ni status --proof --next-questions is the CLI-authoritative readiness gate. A model can draft updates, but ni status decides readiness.

ni end locks the accepted plan and writes .ni/plan.lock.json only after the CLI gate permits it.

ni run --max-chars 4000 compiles a bounded downstream handoff prompt. It does not execute the prompt, run agents, run shell commands, or prove product readiness.

What ni does

Command	Role
ni init .	Create a planning workspace and guided intent draft.
ni status --proof --next-questions	Check readiness, blockers, and next planning questions.
ni end	Lock the accepted plan through the CLI gate.
ni run --max-chars 4000	Compile a bounded prompt from a valid lock.

What ni does not do

ni is not a task runner, SPEC runner, multi-agent execution layer, queue, shell adapter, PR automation system, release automation system, or downstream execution runtime.

Status

• v0.5.0 publication: verified.
• Release binary: Available.
• Curl installer: Available.
• Homebrew: Planned / v0.5 candidate.
• Windows real-host execution: deferred until a Windows transcript exists.
• Model workspace packs: Experimental. Host-level/global install remains unverified unless documented.
• No-terminal method: Experimental / assisted.
• Skills are UX; CLI is authority.

Read next

Read	Why
Install ni	Detailed install, release binary, curl installer, and uninstall paths.
Intent Lock Protocol	Readiness, locking, hash trust, and blocked handoff rules.
No-Terminal Planning	Assisted workflow boundaries; not deterministic validation.
Model Workspace Status	Experimental model workspace boundaries and verification state.
Benchmark Claim Boundaries	What benchmark READY, not_measured, and prompt evidence do and do not prove.
Command reference	The implemented CLI surface.

License: ni is licensed under the MIT License.