Bora

Bora — Brazilian Portuguese slang for let's go

Bora is a CLI that keeps your AI collaborator oriented across sessions, models, and projects.

Whether you're a developer building software with an AI coding agent, or a writer using AI to research and plan a manuscript, bora solves the same two problems:

1. Context decay. Every new AI chat starts from zero. You re-explain the project, often inconsistently, and details get lost.
2. Model drift. Switching between Claude, GPT, Gemini, or a local model means starting the briefing over.

Bora fixes this by maintaining a small, structured set of Markdown files inside your project. Any model — any tool — can read them to get oriented in seconds. The files travel with your project, stay in version control, and are always the authoritative source of what's happening and why.

Bora 0.5.0 ships two isolated profiles:

• dev — for software projects: hierarchical tickets, a dated Requirements spec, implementation plans on each ticket, a four-skill pack (bora, bora-plan, bora-tdd, bora-execute), and per-project status dashboards.
• write — for writing projects: chapter scaffolding, research interaction logs, story context, and summary generation.

Contents

• Installation
• Profiles
• For developers
  • How it works
  • Quick start
  • Commands
  • AI tool skills
  • Conventions
• For writers
  • How it works
  • Quick start
  • Commands
  • Obsidian integration
  • Conventions
• Working across models
• Upgrading
• Contributing

Installation

The recommended way to install Python CLIs globally is pipx, which gives bora its own isolated environment and puts it on your PATH without touching your system Python.

Install pipx (if you don't have it)

# macOS
brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath

# Linux / WSL
python3 -m pip install --user pipx
python3 -m pipx ensurepath

# Windows (PowerShell)
python -m pip install --user pipx
python -m pipx ensurepath

After running pipx ensurepath, open a new terminal so the updated PATH takes effect.

Install bora

# From PyPI (once published):
pipx install bora

# From GitHub:
pipx install git+https://github.com/tonyknight/Bora.git

Verify the install:

bora --version

Upgrade

pipx upgrade bora

Upgrading the CLI does not change files in an existing repo. In each project, run bora dev upgrade so AGENTS.md and the installed skill pack match this version. See Upgrading.

Uninstall

pipx uninstall bora

Alternative: pip --user

If you prefer not to use pipx:

pip install --user bora

If bora isn't found after install, your user binary directory (~/.local/bin on Linux/macOS) may not be on your PATH. Add it:

# ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Development install (from source)

git clone https://github.com/tonyknight/Bora.git
cd Bora
pipx install -e .

Changes to the source take effect immediately — no reinstall needed.

Profiles

Every bora project has a profile stored in .bora/profile.json. The profile determines which commands are available and which appear in --help.

Bora enforces profile isolation: running a dev command in a write project (or vice versa) exits with a clear error. This keeps the two workflows from interfering with each other.

If you run a command in a project that has no profile yet (for example, a project created before 0.3.0), bora prompts you to choose one and writes the file before continuing.

For developers

How it works (dev)

bora dev init <project_path> scaffolds one project under a hierarchical path. Multiple projects may coexist under docs/ai/. There is no active-project pointer — every command takes an explicit <project_path>.

Example: bora dev init "QromaCore/Hamburg/Gallery Refactor" on 2026-08-14 yields:

AGENTS.md              ← AI agent instructions (repo root only)
docs/
  ai/
    QromaCore/
      Hamburg/
        Gallery Refactor/
          (2026-08-14) Gallery Refactor.md              ← project briefing
          (2026-08-14) Gallery Refactor Requirements.md ← architecture + spec
          Status.md                                     ← auto-generated dashboard
          tickets/
            .gitkeep
.bora/
  profile.json         ← profile lock (dev)

Deeper paths are valid too: bora dev init Acme/Platform/Auth/OAuth Refresh (depth 4). {ProjectName} is the last segment.

The dated briefing describes what is being built and why. After the human and agent discuss architecture, they fill the sibling Requirements file — that document is the per-project spec and the source of tickets (from its Tasks Breakdown). Each ticket holds its own ## Implementation plan (T01, T02, …); Requirements is not a commit script. Status.md is regenerated from that project's tickets any time you run bora dev status <project_path>. Never hand-edit it.

After Requirements are approved, say go. The agent creates tickets, loads bora-execute, and walks the whole board. After each ticket it shows completed vs remaining. You should not need to type bora dev again until you want a PR. Merge and PR stay your git.

Each ticket is a Markdown file under docs/ai/<path>/tickets/ with YAML frontmatter for machine-readable state (status, priority, depends_on, subtasks, plan_status, current_task) and a free-form body for human-readable context (description, acceptance criteria, implementation plan, notes). Ticket IDs are unique per-project, not repo-global.

An AI agent reads root AGENTS.md first (scope guardrail and Requirements workflow), then the human-referenced project briefing. It runs bora dev ticket …, bora dev plan …, bora dev lint, and bora dev status itself — you run init, skill install, and upgrade.

Quick start (dev)

First-time on a machine, then once per project. Example: add a Share Extension to an existing photo app.

# Once on the machine
pipx install bora
bora dev skill install all          # or claude / opencode — required

# Once per new Bora project (the only project command you must type)
cd ~/src/PhotoApp
bora dev init "PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension" --tags Codebase,Target,Project

# Write what/why in the dated briefing (not Requirements, not a ticket)
$EDITOR "docs/ai/PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension/(YYYY-MM-DD) Share Extension.md"

Then start an agent session and point it at that briefing:

Work in docs/ai/PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension. Discuss architecture with me before filling Requirements. Do not create tickets yet.

After you approve Requirements, say go. The agent creates tickets from the Tasks Breakdown, writes an implementation plan on each ticket, and walks the board with TDD. You watch commits of the form {ticket-id} T01: …. Merge/PR is still your git.

Skill install is required. Without it you have Markdown; you do not have bora-plan / bora-tdd / bora-execute.

Missing <project_path> is an error. There is no active-project fallback. Chat-only models (no shell): bora dev context "PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension" and paste — execute quality is weaker.

Ticket, plan, lint, and status commands are agent API. You do not need to type them on the happy path. For reference:

bora dev ticket new "PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension" "Add Share Extension target" --priority high
bora dev plan show "PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension" 01
bora dev status "PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension"
bora dev context "PhotoApp/iOS/Share Extension" | pbcopy

Dev commands

Project initialisation

Removed in 0.4.5

• bora dev project — versioning and docs/ai/Projects/ archival are gone. Hierarchy and optional tags are set at init: bora dev init <project_path> --tags ….
• bora dev decision — record decisions in the project's Requirements file (typically under Architecture or Open questions).

Tickets

Every ticket command requires <project_path> first. Missing it is an error.

Implementation plans

Plans live on the ticket (## Implementation plan), not in Requirements and not in a plans/ folder. There is no bora dev plan new and no bora dev execute — “go” in chat starts bora-execute.

Project state

AI tool skills

AI tool skills

Claude Code, OpenCode, and other agentic tools support skills — directories containing a SKILL.md that the agent loads when its description matches the current task. Bora 0.5.0 ships a pack of four skills:

Worktree, review, debug, and finish skills are planned for 0.5.5 — they are not in this release.

Install the pack after bora dev init <project_path>:

# User-level — available in every project
bora dev skill install claude
bora dev skill install all

# Project-level — ships inside this repo
bora dev skill install claude --project

Show what's installed where:

bora dev skill list

Remove:

bora dev skill uninstall claude          # user-level
bora dev skill uninstall claude --project  # this repo only

The uninstall command only removes directories whose SKILL.md declares a bora-owned name (bora, bora-plan, bora-tdd, bora-execute). Pass --force to override.

Dev conventions

• Ticket IDs are generated, not chosen. The format is YYYYMMDD-NN-slug. Never rename ticket files — the ID is the source of truth for depends_on and parent references. IDs are unique per-project, not repo-global.
• Status.md is per-project and auto-generated. Never hand-edit it. Update tickets and run bora dev status <project_path>. There is no root docs/ai/Status.md aggregation. After each ticket, bora-execute shows these buckets in chat (completed vs remaining) and continues — it does not ask whether to go on.
• Implementation plans live on the ticket. ## Implementation plan with T01…Tn is the commit script. Do not put it in Requirements or a plans/ folder.
• Commit criteria gate done work and git commits. Before marking a ticket or plan task done, and before any git commit, satisfy the Commit criteria section of that project's Requirements file: the plan task's Verify command passed (RED then GREEN), the change meets the requirement, and build/tests pass (including platform builds such as macOS/iOS when that is the target). Commit message format: {ticket-id} {task-id}: {title} (for example 20260814-01-add-target T01: add Share Extension target). One commit per plan task. Bora does not create git commits; this is agent workflow. Resume with git log --grep=<ticket-id>.
• AGENTS.md is root-only. It contains the scope guardrail, skill-check gates, and the discuss-architecture → write Requirements → “go” → execute-the-board workflow. init writes it once (not overwritten unless you pass --force). Existing repos catch up with bora dev upgrade, which refreshes the managed region and preserves Project-specific instructions.
• Subtasks live in two places by design. Major subtasks appear in frontmatter (subtasks: list) — they're queryable and visible in Status.md. Small subtasks are Markdown checkboxes in the ticket body — they're counted but not individually tracked. Plan tasks (T01…) are the commit script; they are not the same as frontmatter subtasks.
• Decisions live in the Requirements file. After agreeing with the human, edit Architecture or Open questions in the dated Requirements file. There is no decision command.
• No migration for flat layouts. Hierarchical docs/ai/<path>/ projects are the layout since 0.4.5. New work does not convert docs/ai/Project.md trees.

For writers

How it works (write)

bora write init scaffolds a writing project:

AGENTS.md              ← AI agent instructions (role, boundaries, workflow rules)
doc/ai/
  Project.md           ← story overview: premise, plot, characters, worldbuilding
Summary.md             ← latest AI-generated context briefing (ephemeral)
Summary/               ← archive of previous summaries
.bora/
  profile.json         ← profile lock (write)

As you create chapters, bora adds:

Chapters/
  Chapter 001 - The Arrival/
    001 - The Arrival.md       ← manuscript (author-only, agents never write here)
    001 - ChapterProject.md    ← planning: beats, arcs, pacing, agent notes
    001 - Research.md          ← research log: AI interactions, sources, verification

The core workflow is:

1. Write your chapter notes and research questions in ChapterProject.md.
2. Ask your AI to research topics. The agent logs interactions in Research.md.
3. Run bora write status to compile everything into a structured briefing.
4. Paste the briefing into a new chat with your AI. Ask it to generate an updated Summary.md.
5. Save the response as Summary.md. Next time you run bora write status, it's archived and a fresh one is generated.

The AI never touches your manuscript. The creative work stays yours.

Quick start (write)

# Create and enter your project directory
mkdir my-novel && cd my-novel

# Scaffold the write project
bora write init

# Set up your story context
$EDITOR AGENTS.md              # tell your AI its role and boundaries for this story
$EDITOR doc/ai/Project.md      # add your premise, characters, plot structure

# Create your first chapter
bora write chapter "The Arrival"

# Fill in the chapter plan
$EDITOR "Chapters/Chapter 001 - The Arrival/001 - The Arrival ChapterProject.md"

# Add a second chapter
bora write chapter "The Conflict"

# Compile a briefing for your AI model
bora write status

# Paste the output into Claude / ChatGPT / your model of choice
# Ask: "Based on this project context, generate an updated Summary.md"
# Save the response as Summary.md

Write commands

Project initialisation

Chapters

Project status

Skills

Obsidian integration

If you use Obsidian as your writing environment, bora can install a vault-aware prompt that orients your AI to the project's structure:

bora write skill install obsidian

This creates .obsidian/plugins/bora-writer/ with:

• SKILL.md — a prompt template describing the vault structure, the chapter layout, the Research.md format, and the rule that agents never write to manuscript files. Paste its contents into your AI model's system prompt or context window.
• manifest.json — Obsidian community plugin metadata.
• README.md — setup instructions.

To remove it:

bora write skill uninstall obsidian

Write conventions

• Agents never write to manuscript files. The 001 - Chapter Name.md files are author-only. If an agent modifies one, treat that as a mistake — the AGENTS.md template instructs it not to.
• Research.md is a mixed Markdown/YAML log. Each topic section has a small YAML block (topic, date, agent, word_count, verified) followed by the free-form interaction. The YAML lets you track what's been verified and by whom.
• Summary.md is ephemeral. Every bora write status run archives it. Don't invest in maintaining it by hand — that's the AI's job.
• ChapterProject.md drives the briefing. The status field (draft, in-progress, completed) and target_words feed the compiled status output. Keep them up to date.
• Chapter IDs are calculated, not counted. Deleting a chapter directory doesn't reset the counter — the next chapter always gets max(existing IDs) + 1. You won't accidentally reuse an ID.

Working across models

Bora is model-agnostic. It produces plain Markdown and YAML that any LLM can read.

Chat-only models (web Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.)

For dev projects, run bora dev context <project_path> --budget <N> and paste the output as your first message. The model gets the same complete briefing every time.

For write projects, run bora write status and paste the output. Ask the model to generate a Summary.md and save its response.

Agentic tools with file access (Claude Code, Cursor, Aider, etc.)

The model reads AGENTS.md and follows its instructions to discover the rest. For dev projects, install the skill pack so bora-execute can walk the board after you say go. The agent runs bora dev ticket …, bora dev plan …, bora dev lint, and bora dev status from its shell.

Local models

The same flows work with local models. Smaller models (under ~14B parameters) may occasionally produce malformed YAML frontmatter in ticket or planning files. Run bora dev lint <project_path> after any model writes to a ticket file to catch these early.

Upgrading

From 0.4.5 to 0.5.0

Installing a new CLI does not by itself change files in the repo. After pipx upgrade bora (or equivalent), in each existing project:

bora dev upgrade

That command refreshes the managed region of AGENTS.md (so agents pick up plan-on-ticket, execute-the-board, and the new commit format) and rewrites any already-installed skill pack. It does not touch project briefings, Requirements, or tickets. Review git diff AGENTS.md and keep local rules under Project-specific instructions.

Do not use bora dev init --force as an upgrade path — that overwrites project scaffold files.

Existing 0.4.5 projects keep working without upgrade (old AGENTS.md, tickets with no plan section). New tickets from ticket new include an empty ## Implementation plan.

From 0.3.x to 0.4.5

0.4.5 replaces the flat docs/ai/Project.md layout with hierarchical docs/ai/<Codebase>/<Target>/<Project>/ projects. Every dev command takes an explicit <project_path>. There is no active-project pointer and no bora dev project / bora dev decision command.

New work: bora dev init <project_path> [--tags …]. That creates a dated briefing, a dated Requirements file, per-project Status.md, and tickets/. There is no migration for existing flat trees — start a new hierarchical project alongside them if you still have the old files.

From 0.3.x to 0.3.5

0.3.5 added .bora/project.json to track the active project file. That pointer is unused in 0.4.5 hierarchical projects; <project_path> is authoritative.

Summary archives are named (YYYY-MM-DD) Summary.md instead of YYYY-MM-DD - Summary.md. Existing archives are not renamed.

From 0.2.x to 0.3.x

Bora 0.3.0 moved all commands under bora dev or bora write. The old top-level bora init prints a deprecation warning and exits.

1. Upgrade bora:

   pipx upgrade bora
   

2. Add a profile file. Run any bora dev command and choose dev at the prompt — bora writes the file automatically. Or create it manually:

   mkdir -p .bora
   cat > .bora/profile.json << 'EOF'
   {
     "version": "0.3.5",
     "profile": "dev",
     "initialized_at": "2026-01-01T00:00:00+00:00",
     "config": { "auto_archive": true, "research_log_mode": "full_interaction" }
   }
   EOF
   

3. All existing tickets, docs/ai/ files, and AGENTS.md are untouched. Commands that used to be bora ticket ... are now bora dev ticket ....

Contributing

The source is in bora/. Here's what each module does:

Tests live in tests/, one file per phase. Run them with:

python -m pytest tests/ -v

To manually smoke-test a dev project:

mkdir /tmp/test-bora && cd /tmp/test-bora && git init
bora dev init Acme/App
bora dev ticket new Acme/App "Test ticket" --priority high --no-edit
bora dev ticket set Acme/App 01 status in-progress
bora dev status Acme/App
bora dev lint Acme/App

To smoke-test a write project:

mkdir /tmp/test-write && cd /tmp/test-write
bora write init
bora write chapter "First Chapter"
bora write chapter "Second Chapter"
bora write status

License

MIT.