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Install — Generic (Any Agent/Framework)

Recommended: Run ./install.sh from the repo root for automated installation. Supports Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, and OpenClaw. The manual steps below are for reference or troubleshooting.

Universal principle

First Principles is a cognitive base — it changes how the agent reasons, not what tools it uses. Installation means injecting cognitive-protocol.md into the agent's always-on instructions (system prompt, rules file, or configuration).

Platform mapping

Platform Where to inject File to use
Claude Code ~/.claude/first-principles.md + ref in CLAUDE.md cognitive-protocol.md
Codex Prepend to AGENTS.md cognitive-protocol.md
Gemini system_instruction field cognitive-protocol.md
Cursor Prepend to .cursorrules cognitive-protocol.md
ChatGPT Custom Instructions → system prompt cognitive-protocol.md
LangChain System message in chain cognitive-protocol.md
AutoGPT / CrewAI Agent system prompt cognitive-protocol.md
Any other Find the "always-on instructions" config and inject there cognitive-protocol.md

Step by step

  1. Locate your agent's system prompt or always-on rules file
  2. Copy the contents of cognitive-protocol.md (~30 lines)
  3. Paste it into the system prompt, BEFORE any domain-specific instructions
  4. If using Tacit Knowledge, place it first, then First Principles

File selection guide

Need File Size
Minimal install (core rules only) cognitive-protocol.md ~30 lines
Full reference framework + SKILL.md ~120 lines
Anti-pattern detection + anti-patterns.md ~100 lines
Teaching examples + examples.md ~100 lines

For most agents, cognitive-protocol.md alone is sufficient. The additional files are reference material for when the agent needs deeper guidance.

Troubleshooting

  • Agent ignores the rules: Move cognitive-protocol.md content to the beginning of the system prompt, not the end. Most models weight earlier instructions more heavily.
  • Rules conflict with domain instructions: First Principles should never conflict — it changes reasoning process, not output format. If conflict appears, the domain instruction likely contains an unexamined assumption. That's a feature, not a bug.
  • Context window pressure: cognitive-protocol.md is ~30 lines. If that's too much, something else in your prompt needs trimming first.