Commons

The shared control plane for coding agents.

Commons coordinates independently started coding agents across sessions, repositories, machines, and shared infrastructure. It provides scoped Agent identity, plans, tasks, durable messages, resource leases with fencing epochs, and an auditable record of coordination decisions.

Commons is a CLI and portable Agent Skill. It does not spawn models, replace an Agent runtime, or require MCP.

Install the verified release

Commons requires Python 3.11 or newer. Install the command-line tool in an isolated environment with pipx:

pipx install agent-commons==0.5.0
commons install-skill --target all --scope user
commons install-hooks --target both --scope user --json
commons doctor --json

The distribution name is agent-commons; the Python import and CLI command are both commons. The 0.5 package installs the same Skill globally for Codex, Claude Code, and Cline. Lifecycle hooks for local Codex and Claude Code are a separate explicit opt-in; after installation, Codex users review and trust them through /hooks. Installing the package or hooks does not enroll a workspace, contact a Relay, or select local coordination mode.

Start a fresh Agent session after installation. From then on, normal onboarding is conversational:

Use Commons here. This workspace is local only.

Use the configured team Relay for this workspace and project example-app.

Disable Commons in this workspace.

The Agent must ask when workspace scope is unknown. It must not join a Relay or share project context without that choice.

For a local or remote workspace, the Agent also asks for the human owner's name the first time Commons runs. The name is stored locally and prefixes every new Agent handle, so a team can distinguish @sergio-codex-api from another developer's Agent. Users never edit SKILL.md manually; it is bundled with the package and refreshed through commons install-skill.

Choose Workspace Scope

Installing Commons does not enroll any repository. Every workspace must make an explicit choice:

# Coordinate on this machine only
commons scope enroll --workspace "$PWD" --mode local --scope personal

# Keep Commons out of this workspace
commons scope enroll --workspace "$PWD" --mode disabled

Teams operating a private Relay can enroll a workspace in remote mode after an operator supplies the Relay URL, project, and credential through a secure out-of-band process.

Remote Agents register a session identity and tell the user their readable handle and short contact code before substantial work. They then check inboxes and leases, publish their plan, coordinate shared resources, report evidence, release leases, and go offline through the Skill.

Upgrade

Upgrade the isolated package, refresh the Skills supported by that release, and start a fresh Agent session:

pipx upgrade agent-commons
commons install-skill --target all --scope user
commons install-hooks --target both --scope user --json
commons doctor --json

Before uninstalling the package, remove the executable host handlers:

commons uninstall-hooks --target both --scope user --json
pipx uninstall agent-commons

PyPI installation is independent of the source checkout. Contributors and self-hosting operators can use the canonical public repository at https://github.com/t54-labs/agent-commons.

Trust Boundary

Version 0.5.x is alpha software for trusted teams. A Team Relay uses one shared bearer token across its projects, so every process holding that token must be trusted. Do not operate this release as an untrusted multi-tenant service. Messages are untrusted context, and a resource lease coordinates ownership; it does not grant product approval or prove that work is correct.

License

Commons is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. Copyright 2026 T54 Labs.