agents-live

PyPI version Python 3.12 or later License: MIT

Take your agents live. Turn Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and OpenAI Codex agents into scheduled and file-triggered local automations, without moving them to another agent platform.

Definitions can be conforming Agent Skill directories or flat Markdown files in configured repository directories. Agents Live reads their namespaced execution metadata, adds local triggers, and repairs drift using standard host tools.

Agents/markdown-polisher/SKILL.md

---
name: markdown-polisher
description: Polish Markdown documents when they change.
metadata:
  agents-live.schema-version: "2"
  agents-live.selector: "claude"
  agents-live.mode: "write"
  agents-live.watch: "docs/** debounce 1s"
---
Correct spelling, grammar, and Markdown formatting errors in the selected files.
Preserve their meaning, links, code, and frontmatter. When a `Files changed:`
list is present, process only those files.

Quick start

See Installation for required host tools and platform-specific instructions.

curl -fsSL \
  https://github.com/johnshew/agents-live/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh
agents-live init
agents-live start markdown-polisher

The watcher sleeps until a file changes, then runs the agent immediately with the changed paths. Add or edit a Markdown file under docs/, then open the file to see the fixes.

Manage the running agent with status and stop:

agents-live status
agents-live stop markdown-polisher

There is no polling interval or clock tick. The agent runs only when the operating system reports a change in the watched directory.

Lightweight

There is no listener service, separate application runtime, or database to deploy and maintain. The core stack is the Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or OpenAI Codex CLI you already use, uv, and your host scheduler and file-watch facility.

Cron-only agents have no persistent process. A file-watch agent uses one small local watcher. There are no externally reachable ports or databases. Custom post-processors and plugins may bring their own dependencies; Agents Live core does not require them.

Safe by default

Execution modes make write access explicit:

  1. plan is read-only. The agent emits JSON for a validated post-processor to apply.
  2. pipeline limits the agent to a schema-checked data channel shared with your pre-processors and post-processors.
  3. write grants full write access as an explicit per-agent choice.

This is tool policy, not a sandbox. Agents still inherit the permissions of your local account and agent CLI.

The example uses write so it can fix documents directly. For tighter control, use the complete plan and pipeline Markdown-polisher examples. They apply the same correction task through validated, deterministic write boundaries.

Installation

Agents Live supports Linux, WSL, and native Windows. macOS is currently untested. First install and sign in to at least one supported provider CLI:

Linux and WSL

On Debian, Ubuntu, or WSL, install the host tools used by schedules and file watchers, then run the latest stable installer:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y cron inotify-tools
curl -fsSL \
  https://github.com/johnshew/agents-live/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh

agents-live --repo /path/to/repository init

cron runs scheduled agents and automatic maintenance. inotifywait is only needed for file or directory watches. The installer links agents-live and al from ~/.local/bin to the stable current commands and adds that directory to supported shell profiles. Open a new shell if the current one did not already include ~/.local/bin on PATH.

The installer refuses to replace an existing ~/.local/bin/agents-live or ~/.local/bin/al that does not point to this installation. Remove or rename the conflicting command, then run the installer again.

On WSL, use these Linux instructions inside the distribution. The first convergence also stages and verifies Windows-side liveness so scheduled work can wake the distribution without an open terminal.

Windows

Run PowerShell as your normal user. Install a provider CLI if one is not already available:

winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode
# Or: winget install GitHub.Copilot

Run the latest stable installer, then initialize a repository:

irm https://github.com/johnshew/agents-live/releases/latest/download/install.ps1 | iex
agents-live --repo C:\path\to\repository init

The installer updates both the current PowerShell process and the persistent user PATH. Native Windows uses Task Scheduler and directory change notifications, so no separate scheduler or watcher package is required.

Manage the installation

agents-live upgrade
agents-live uninstall

See the command reference for pinning, rolling back, or removing installed versions. The diagnostics guide covers installation conflicts, existing repositories, and repair.

Go further

Definitions live under a registered repository's Agents/ directory by default, and Agents Live also searches .claude/skills/, .github/skills/, and .agents/skills/, claiming a skill there only when it carries agents-live. execution metadata. Set agent_directories = ["foo"] in .agents-live.toml to also discover immediate foo/<name>.md files and foo/<name>/SKILL.md bundles. Register another repository with agents-live init --repo <path>. Once registered, run, start, stop, and status fall back to the other registered repositories when a name is not present locally.

Cross-machine assignment is optional. Repository registration and ownership backend installation leave a project local-only. Run agents-live ownership enable to validate the backend and owners document before enabling transfers; agents-live ownership status reports the mode.

See the command reference for repository workflows, health checks and repair, upgrades, dashboards, shell completion, plugins, ownership, and multi-repository operations. The architecture guide covers runtime, safety, persistence, and maintenance behavior.

Documentation

Every workflow is an ordinary CLI command.

Design documents and the high-level backlog for the project itself live in docs/; they are not installed with the skill.

Contributing

Bug reports and pull requests are welcome in Issues.

License

MIT

Project links

Data verified by PyPI on Sep 7, 2026
Data provided by the project maintainers, verified at the time the release was uploaded to PyPI.

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Avatar for johnshew from gravatar.com johnshew

GitHub Statistics

Data verified by PyPI on Sep 7, 2026
The GitHub source repository was provided by the project maintainers and verified by PyPI at the time of upload. Stars, forks, and open issues/PRs are derived from that repository and have not been independently verified.

License expression

MIT
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Requires

Python >=3.12

Classifiers

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