BMad CORE + BMad Method

🚨 Alpha Version Notice

v6-alpha is near-beta quality—stable and vastly improved over v4, but documentation is still being refined. New videos coming soon to the BMadCode YouTube channel—subscribe for updates!

Getting Started:

• Install v6 Alpha: npx bmad-method@alpha install
• Install stable v4: npx bmad-method install
• Not sure what to do? Load any agent and run *workflow-init for guided setup
• v4 Users: View v4 documentation or upgrade guide

Universal Human-AI Collaboration Platform

BMad-CORE (Collaboration Optimized Reflection Engine) amplifies human potential through specialized AI agents. Unlike tools that replace thinking, BMad-CORE guides reflective workflows that bring out your best ideas and AI's full capabilities.

The BMad-CORE powers the BMad Method (probably why you're here!), but you can also use BMad Builder to create custom agents, workflows, and modules for any domain—software development, business strategy, creativity, learning, and more.

🎯 Human Amplification • 🎨 Domain Agnostic • ⚡ Agent-Powered

Table of Contents

• BMad CORE + BMad Method
  • Universal Human-AI Collaboration Platform
  • Table of Contents
  • What is BMad-CORE?
    • v6 Core Enhancements
    • C.O.R.E. Philosophy
  • Modules
    • BMad Method (BMM) - Agile AI Development
      • v6 Highlights
    • Quick Start
      • ⚡ NEW: Quick Spec Flow for Rapid Development
    • BMad Builder (BMB) - Create Custom Solutions
    • Creative Intelligence Suite (CIS) - Innovation & Creativity
  • Installation
    • Project Structure
    • Getting Started
  • Key Features
    • 🎨 Update-Safe Customization
    • 🚀 Intelligent Installation
    • 📁 Unified Architecture
    • 📄 Document Sharding
  • Documentation
  • Community & Support
  • Contributing
  • License

What is BMad-CORE?

Foundation framework powering all BMad modules:

• Agent Orchestration - Specialized AI personas with domain expertise
• Workflow Engine - Guided multi-step processes with built-in best practices
• Modular Architecture - Extend with domain-specific modules (BMM, BMB, CIS, custom)
• IDE Integration - Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and more
• Update-Safe Customization - Your configs persist through all updates

v6 Core Enhancements

• 🎨 Agent Customization - Modify names, roles, personalities via bmad/_cfg/agents/
• 🌐 Multi-Language - Independent language settings for communication and output
• 👤 Personalization - Agents adapt to your name, skill level, and preferences
• 🔄 Persistent Config - Customizations survive module updates
• ⚙️ Flexible Settings - Configure per-module or globally

C.O.R.E. Philosophy

• Collaboration: Human-AI partnership leveraging complementary strengths
• Optimized: Battle-tested processes for maximum effectiveness
• Reflection: Strategic questioning that unlocks breakthrough solutions
• Engine: Framework orchestrating 19+ specialized agents and 50+ workflows

BMad-CORE doesn't give you answers—it helps you discover better solutions through guided reflection.

Modules

BMad Method (BMM) - AI-Driven Agile Development

Revolutionary AI-driven agile framework for software and game development. Automatically adapts from single bug fixes to enterprise-scale systems.

v6 Highlights

🎯 Scale-Adaptive Intelligence (Levels 0-4)

Automatically adjusts planning depth and documentation based on project complexity:

• Level 0: Bug fixes (hours)
• Level 1: Small features (1-10 stories)
• Level 2: Medium projects (5-15 stories)
• Level 3: Complex integration (12-40 stories)
• Level 4: Enterprise scale (40+ stories)

🏗️ Four-Phase Methodology

1. Phase 1: Analysis (Optional) - Brainstorming, research, product briefs
2. Phase 2: Planning (Required) - Scale-adaptive PRD/tech-spec/GDD
3. Phase 3: Solutioning (Level 3-4) - Architecture and design decisions
4. Phase 4: Implementation (Iterative) - Story-centric development with just-in-time context

🤖 12 Specialized Agents

PM • Analyst • Architect • Scrum Master • Developer • Test Architect (TEA) • UX Designer • Paige (Documentation) • Game Designer • Game Developer • Game Architect • BMad Master (Orchestrator)

📚 Documentation

• Complete Documentation Hub - Start here for all BMM guides
• Quick Start Guide - Get building in 15 minutes
• Agents Guide - Meet all 12 agents (45 min read)
• 34 Workflow Guides - Complete phase-by-phase reference
• BMM Module Overview - Module structure and quick links

🚀 Quick Start

First Time?

npx bmad-method@alpha install
# Load Analyst agent → *workflow-init

Three Paths to Choose From:

1. ⚡ Quick Spec Flow - Bug fixes and small features (Level 0-1)

   • 🐛 Bug fixes in minutes
   • ✨ Small features (2-3 related changes)
   • 🚀 Rapid prototyping
   • → Quick Spec Flow Guide

2. 📋 Full BMM Flow - Medium to enterprise projects (Level 2-4)

   • Complete planning (PRD/GDD)
   • Architecture decisions
   • Story-centric implementation
   • → Complete Quick Start Guide

3. 🏢 Brownfield Projects - Add to existing codebases

   • Document existing code first
   • Then choose Quick Spec or Full BMM
   • → Brownfield Guide

Not sure which path? Run *workflow-init and let BMM analyze your project goal and recommend the right approach.

📚 Learn More: Scale Adaptive System - How BMM adapts from Level 0 to Level 4

BMad Builder (BMB) - Create Custom Solutions

Build your own agents, workflows, and modules using the BMad-CORE framework.

What You Can Build:

• Custom Agents - Domain experts with specialized knowledge
• Guided Workflows - Multi-step processes for any task
• Complete Modules - Full solutions for specific domains
• Three Agent Types - Full module, hybrid, or standalone

Perfect For: Creating domain-specific solutions (legal, medical, finance, education, creative, etc.) or extending BMM with custom development workflows.

Documentation:

• BMB Module Overview - Complete reference
• Create Agent Workflow - Build custom agents
• Create Workflow - Design guided processes
• Create Module - Package complete solutions

Creative Intelligence Suite (CIS) - Innovation & Creativity

AI-powered creative facilitation using proven methodologies and techniques.

5 Interactive Workflows:

• Brainstorming - Generate and refine ideas with 30+ techniques
• Design Thinking - Human-centered problem solving
• Problem Solving - Systematic breakthrough techniques
• Innovation Strategy - Disruptive business model thinking
• Storytelling - Compelling narrative frameworks

5 Specialized Agents: Each with unique facilitation styles and domain expertise

Shared Resource: CIS workflows are used by other modules (BMM's brainstorm-project uses CIS brainstorming)

Documentation:

• CIS Module Overview - Complete reference
• CIS Workflows Guide - All 5 creative workflows

Installation

Prerequisites: Node.js v20+ (Download)

# v6 Alpha (recommended for new projects)
npx bmad-method@alpha install

# Stable v4 (production)
npx bmad-method install

Interactive Setup: The installer walks you through:

1. Project Location - Where to install (defaults to current directory)
2. Module Selection - Choose BMM, BMB, CIS (or all)
3. Configuration - Your name, language, game dev options
4. IDE Integration - Automatic environment setup

Result: Clean, unified bmad/ folder structure:

your-project/
└── bmad/
    ├── core/         # Core framework + BMad Master agent
    ├── bmm/          # BMad Method (12 agents, 34 workflows)
    ├── bmb/          # BMad Builder (1 agent, 7 workflows)
    ├── cis/          # Creative Intelligence (5 agents, 5 workflows)
    └── _cfg/         # Your customizations (survives updates)
        └── agents/   # Agent customization files

First Steps After Install:

Load any agent in your IDE and run *workflow-init to set up your project workflow path.

Key Features

🎨 Update-Safe Customization

Modify agents without touching core files:

• Override agent names, personalities, expertise via bmad/_cfg/agents/
• Customizations persist through all updates
• Multi-language support (communication + output)
• Module-level or global configuration

🚀 Intelligent Installation

Smart setup that adapts to your environment:

• Auto-detects v4 installations for smooth upgrades
• Configures IDE integrations (Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code)
• Resolves cross-module dependencies
• Generates unified agent/workflow manifests

📁 Clean Architecture

Everything in one place:

• Single bmad/ folder (no scattered files)
• Modules live side-by-side (core, bmm, bmb, cis)
• Your configs in _cfg/ (survives updates)
• Easy to version control or exclude

📄 Document Sharding (Advanced)

Optional optimization for large projects (Level 3-4):

• Massive Token Savings - Phase 4 workflows load only needed sections (90%+ reduction)
• Automatic Support - All workflows handle whole or sharded documents seamlessly
• Easy Setup - Built-in tool splits documents by headings
• Smart Discovery - Workflows auto-detect format

→ Document Sharding Guide

Documentation

Module Documentation:

• BMM Complete Documentation Hub - All BMM guides, FAQs, troubleshooting
• BMB Module Reference - Build custom agents and workflows
• CIS Workflows Guide - Creative facilitation workflows

Additional Resources:

• Documentation Index - All project documentation
• v4 to v6 Upgrade Guide - Migration instructions
• CLI Tool Guide - Installer and build tool reference
• Contributing Guide - How to contribute

Community & Support

• 💬 Discord Community - Get help, share projects (#general-dev, #bugs-issues)
• 🐛 GitHub Issues - Report bugs, request features
• 🎥 YouTube Channel - Video tutorials and walkthroughs
• ⭐ Star this repo - Stay updated on releases

Contributing

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for:

• Code contribution guidelines
• Documentation improvements
• Module development
• Issue reporting

License

MIT License - See LICENSE for details

Trademarks: BMAD™ and BMAD-METHOD™ are trademarks of BMad Code, LLC.

_{Built with ❤️ for the human-AI collaboration community}