Installation Guide

August 13, 2026 · View on GitHub

Docs › Getting Started › Installation

Installation Guide

This guide walks you through installing Babysitter v6 on your system. By the end, you will have a fully working installation and will have run an Adapter to confirm it works.

Estimated time: 5-10 minutes

In Plain English

v6 has two install tracks. Don't conflate them:

  1. The host-side adapters CLI — run any supported AI coding harness directly from your shell. Install @a5c-ai/adapters-cli, then adapters run claude "...".
  2. The in-session per-harness plugin — drive a full Babysitter orchestration run from inside your harness (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and 9 more). Install the core CLI plus your harness's plugin.

Most people want both. Install the core CLI and the Adapters CLI first (this page), then pick your harness and follow its page. Babysitter supports 12 harnesses; the two fully-worked ones are Claude Code and Codex, and every harness is listed in the Install Matrix.

On this page

Prerequisites Check

Before installing Babysitter, let's verify your system is ready.

Required: Node.js 20.0.0+

The core toolchain runs on Node.js 20.0.0+ (22.x LTS recommended). The Adapters CLI requires Node.js >=22.13.0 — its root loads @a5c-ai/adapters-gateway, which uses the built-in node:sqlite module (unflagged only from Node.js 22.13.0).

node --version

Expected output: v20.0.x or higher for the core toolchain; v22.13.x or higher if you also install the Adapters CLI

If you see a lower version or "command not found," install Node.js:

Using nvm (recommended):

# Install nvm if you don't have it
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.0/install.sh | bash

# Restart your terminal, then:
nvm install 22
nvm use 22

Direct download: Visit nodejs.org and download the LTS version.

Required: A supported harness (for in-session use)

To drive Babysitter runs from inside a harness, install at least one supported harness CLI — for example Claude Code:

claude --version

Expected output: Claude Code version information

If Claude Code is not installed, follow the Claude Code installation guide. For any other harness, see the Install Matrix.

If you only want to run harnesses from your shell via the adapters CLI, you can skip the in-session plugin entirely.

Required: jq (JSON processor)

Many Babysitter commands output JSON that is processed with jq. Install it for your platform:

jq --version

Expected output: jq-1.6 or higher

Installation:

# macOS
brew install jq

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install jq

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install jq

# Windows (via Chocolatey)
choco install jq

# Windows (via Scoop)
scoop install jq

Verification Checkpoint

Run this command to verify all prerequisites:

echo "Node: $(node --version)" && echo "npm: $(npm --version)" && echo "jq: $(jq --version)"

You should see version numbers for all three tools. If you plan to use a harness in-session, also confirm it is installed (e.g. claude --version for Claude Code). Address any missing requirement before continuing.

Installation Methods

Copy and paste this to install the main CLI, the host-side Adapters CLI, and the Claude Code plugin:

npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli && \
claude plugin marketplace add a5c-ai/babysitter-claude && \
claude plugin install --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai && \
claude plugin enable --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

Try an Adapter immediately to confirm the host-side track works:

adapters version
adapters doctor
adapters run claude "explain this repository in two sentences"

If you also want headless runtime commands such as genty call, install the optional runtime CLI too:

npm install -g @a5c-ai/genty-platform@latest

Then restart Claude Code and skip to Verification.

Using a harness other than Claude Code? Replace the three claude plugin ... lines with babysitter harness:install-plugin <harness-key> for your harness — see Other Harnesses.

Method 2: Step-by-Step Install

If you prefer to understand each step, follow along below.

Step 1: Install the Main CLI

npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest

What this installs:

  • @a5c-ai/babysitter - Recommended user-facing package for the babysitter CLI
  • @a5c-ai/babysitter-sdk - Installed as the underlying SDK/core CLI implementation

Expected output:

added 1 packages in 15s

Verify installation:

babysitter --version

If babysitter exists on PATH but fails with MODULE_NOT_FOUND, remove the stale global shim and reinstall the SDK-backed CLI:

npm rm -g @a5c-ai/babysitter @a5c-ai/babysitter-sdk
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter-sdk@latest
babysitter --version

Step 2: Install the Adapters CLI (host-side track)

Version numbers on this page are under release recovery. The 2026-08-13 release left most packages' latest dist-tag on the stale 6.0.0 artifact even though newer versions exist — see docs/release-incident-2026-08-13.md and docs/release-recovery-runbook.md. Every 6.0.0 below therefore describes what latest resolves to today, not the intended current release. They are deliberately not being bumped ahead of the recovery: the recovery release refreshes them, and the commands on this page (which install latest) keep working unchanged either way.

The Adapters CLI (adapters) is a host-side binary for running and managing harnesses directly from your shell. It is published separately as @a5c-ai/adapters-cli (version 6.0.0) and needs Node >=22.13.0:

npm install -g @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Verify and try an Adapter immediately:

adapters version
adapters doctor
adapters run claude "explain this repository in two sentences"

adapters doctor runs an environment health check; adapters run claude "..." runs the Claude harness with a single prompt. See the Adapters CLI Reference for every command.

Step 3: Install the Optional Runtime CLI

Install this only if you need genty commands for headless orchestration, the internal harness, daemon utilities, MCP serving, or the TUI:

npm install -g @a5c-ai/genty-platform@latest

Verify installation:

genty --version

Step 4: Install the Claude Code Plugin

The plugin integrates Babysitter with Claude Code and enables the /babysitter:* slash-command surface. For any other harness, see Other Harnesses and the Install Matrix.

# Add the plugin repository
claude plugin marketplace add a5c-ai/babysitter-claude

# Install the plugin
claude plugin install --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

# Enable the plugin
claude plugin enable --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

Expected output:

Plugin 'babysitter@a5c.ai' installed successfully
Plugin 'babysitter@a5c.ai' enabled

Step 5: Restart Claude Code

Important: You must restart Claude Code for the plugin to load.

  • Close all Claude Code windows/sessions
  • Reopen Claude Code

Platform-Specific Instructions

macOS

Prerequisites:

# Install Homebrew if you don't have it
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Node.js via nvm (recommended)
brew install nvm
mkdir ~/.nvm
echo 'export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo '[ -s "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/nvm.sh" ] && \. "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/nvm.sh"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

nvm install 22
nvm use 22

Installation:

npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Permission Issues? If you see EACCES permission errors:

# Option 1: Fix npm permissions (recommended)
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Then retry installation
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Linux

Ubuntu/Debian:

# Install Node.js via NodeSource
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Verify
node --version  # Should show v22.x.x

# Install Babysitter + Adapters CLI
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Fedora/RHEL/CentOS:

# Install Node.js via NodeSource
curl -fsSL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_22.x | sudo bash -
sudo yum install -y nodejs

# Install Babysitter + Adapters CLI
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S nodejs npm
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Windows

Recommended: Use WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

WSL2 provides the best experience for Babysitter on Windows:

# In PowerShell (Admin)
wsl --install

# Restart your computer, then open Ubuntu from Start Menu
# Follow the Linux (Ubuntu) instructions above

Native Windows (Git Bash):

  1. Install Node.js for Windows
  2. Install Git for Windows (includes Git Bash)
  3. Open Git Bash and run:
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

Note: Some shell commands in Babysitter may require Git Bash or WSL. PowerShell/CMD support is limited.

Plugin Installation

The Claude Code plugin provides the /babysitter:* command surface that orchestrates Babysitter runs.

Install the Plugin

# Step 1: Add the marketplace repository
claude plugin marketplace add a5c-ai/babysitter-claude

Expected: Marketplace 'a5c.ai' added

# Step 2: Install the plugin
claude plugin install --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

Expected: Plugin 'babysitter@a5c.ai' installed

# Step 3: Enable the plugin
claude plugin enable --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

Expected: Plugin 'babysitter@a5c.ai' enabled

Verify Plugin Installation

After restarting Claude Code, run:

/skills

You should see "babysit" in the list of available skills.

If you don't see it:

  1. Make sure you restarted Claude Code
  2. Try running claude plugin list to see installed plugins
  3. Check the Troubleshooting section

Other Harnesses

Claude Code is the worked example above, but Babysitter v6 supports 12 harnesses. The two fully-worked harnesses have dedicated pages:

  • Claude Code — /babysitter:* slash-commands and the babysit skill
  • Codex — $babysitter:* via the mention picker

For every harness (antigravity, cursor, gemini, genty, github-copilot, hermes, omp, openclaw, opencode, pi, plus the two above), the Install Matrix lists the exact install command, the in-session invocation token, and the per-harness hook/continuation model.

The universal installer works for any harness — the argument is the harness key, which may differ from the harness name (e.g. gemini-cli, github-copilot, oh-my-pi, antigravity-cli):

babysitter harness:install-plugin <harness-key> [--workspace <path>]

For example:

babysitter harness:install-plugin codex
babysitter harness:install-plugin cursor --workspace /path/to/repo

Each harness ships its own published plugin and its own version — do not pin a pre-release build. Per-harness continuation models differ: only Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor use a Stop hook; antigravity and gemini use AfterAgent, openclaw uses a session daemon, opencode uses session-idle, hermes uses ACP, and genty/omp/pi are thin skill-alias surfaces. See each harness's row in the Install Matrix.

The following tools enhance your workflow when using Babysitter. These are optional but highly recommended for a more productive development experience.

Playwright Skill Plugin

Browser automation for testing and validation

The Playwright Skill Plugin enables Claude to write and execute browser automation tests, take screenshots, fill forms, and validate web applications. This is essential for testing web applications and verifying UI functionality during development.

Why use it:

  • Automate browser-based testing directly through Claude
  • Capture screenshots for visual validation
  • Test form submissions and user interactions
  • Verify web application behavior without leaving your terminal

Installation:

Run these commands in Claude Code CLI:

# Add the plugin from marketplace
/plugin marketplace add lackeyjb/playwright-skill

# Install the skill
/plugin install playwright-skill@playwright-skill

# Run setup to configure Playwright browsers
cd ~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/playwright-skill/skills/playwright-skill && npm run setup

Note: Restart Claude Code after installation to activate the plugin.

GitHub CLI (gh)

Official GitHub command-line interface

The GitHub CLI allows Claude to seamlessly manage GitHub issues, pull requests, actions, and releases through natural language. Claude can create PRs, manage issues, check CI status, and debug GitHub Actions failures directly from the terminal.

Why use it:

  • Create and manage pull requests without leaving your workflow
  • Track and update issues through natural language commands
  • Monitor CI/CD pipeline status and debug failures
  • Manage releases and repository settings efficiently

Installation:

# macOS
brew install gh

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install gh

# Linux (Fedora/RHEL)
sudo dnf install gh

# Windows
winget install GitHub.cli

Post-installation:

Authenticate with your GitHub account:

gh auth login

Follow the interactive prompts to complete authentication. This grants Claude access to manage your repositories and perform GitHub operations on your behalf.

Verification

Let's confirm everything is working correctly.

Verification Checklist

Run each command and verify the expected result:

1. Core CLI Installed

babysitter --version

Expected: The v6 release version (6.0.0 for this edition)

2. Adapters CLI Installed (host-side track)

adapters version
adapters doctor

Expected: adapters version reports 6.0.0; adapters doctor reports all checks passing.

3. Try an Adapter

adapters run claude "say hi"

Expected: The harness responds. (Swap claude for any other installed harness.)

4. Optional Runtime CLI Installed

If you installed @a5c-ai/genty-platform:

genty --version

Expected: The v6 release version (6.0.0)

5. Plugin Active

In Claude Code, type:

/skills

Expected: "babysit" appears in the list

6. Full Integration Test

In Claude Code:

/babysitter:call echo hello world

Expected: Babysitter creates a run and executes successfully. (Other harnesses use their own invocation token — see the Install Matrix.)

Verification Summary

CheckCommandExpected
jqjq --versionjq-1.6 or higher
Core CLIbabysitter --version6.0.0
Adapters CLIadapters version6.0.0
Adapter healthadapters doctorAll checks pass
Try an Adapteradapters run claude "say hi"The harness responds
Runtime CLIgenty --version6.0.0 if installed
Plugin (Claude Code)/skills in Claude Code"babysit" listed

All checks passed? You're ready for the Quickstart!

Keeping Updated

Babysitter is actively developed. Keep your installation current for the latest features and fixes.

Update CLI Packages

npm update -g @a5c-ai/babysitter @a5c-ai/adapters-cli @a5c-ai/genty-platform

Update Claude Code Plugin

# Update the marketplace repository
claude plugin marketplace update a5c.ai

# Update the plugin
claude plugin update babysitter@a5c.ai

For other harnesses, re-run babysitter harness:install-plugin <harness-key> or follow the update note on that harness's row in the Install Matrix.

Tip: Run updates regularly, ideally daily or weekly.

Check Current Versions

# Core CLI version
babysitter --version

# Adapters CLI version
adapters version

# Runtime CLI version (if installed)
genty --version

# Plugin version
claude plugin list | grep babysitter

Upgrading from a Prior Version

Coming from the prod 0.0.x series? v6 is a semver-major jump with breaking changes (package renames, removed flags such as --plugin-root, BABYSITTER_SESSION_ID → AGENT_SESSION_ID, and plugins/ → blueprints/). Follow the Migration Guide before upgrading.

Troubleshooting

Installation Issues

"command not found: npm" or "command not found: node"

Problem: Node.js is not installed or not in your PATH.

Solution:

  1. Install Node.js from nodejs.org
  2. Restart your terminal
  3. Verify: node --version

"EACCES: permission denied" during npm install

Problem: npm doesn't have permission to install global packages.

Solution (macOS/Linux):

# Create a directory for global packages
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'

# Add to your shell profile (~/.bashrc, ~/.zshrc, etc.)
echo 'export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Retry installation
npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter@latest @a5c-ai/adapters-cli

"adapters: command not found"

Problem: The Adapters CLI is not installed, or your Node version is below 22.13.0.

Solution:

node --version   # must be >=22.13.0
npm install -g @a5c-ai/adapters-cli
adapters version

"Cannot find module '@a5c-ai/babysitter-sdk'"

Problem: You are importing the SDK in code, but @a5c-ai/babysitter-sdk is not installed in that project.

Solution:

# Install the SDK as a project dependency when authoring custom processes
npm install @a5c-ai/babysitter-sdk

# Verify the main CLI separately
babysitter --version

Plugin Issues

Plugin not appearing in /skills

Problem: Plugin not installed, not enabled, or Claude Code not restarted.

Solution:

# Check if installed
claude plugin list

# If not listed, install
claude plugin marketplace add a5c-ai/babysitter-claude
claude plugin install --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai
claude plugin enable --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

# Restart Claude Code completely

"Plugin not found: babysitter@a5c.ai"

Problem: Plugin repository not added.

Solution:

# Add the marketplace first
claude plugin marketplace add a5c-ai/babysitter-claude

# Then install
claude plugin install --scope user babysitter@a5c.ai

For harness-specific install problems on any other harness, see that harness's row in the Install Matrix and the session-binding section of Troubleshooting.

Runtime Issues

"Run encountered an error"

Problem: Journal conflict or corrupted state.

Solution:

# Inspect the journal — it is one JSON file per event (not a single .jsonl)
ls .a5c/runs/<runId>/journal/

# Read the first event
cat .a5c/runs/<runId>/journal/000001.*.json | jq .

# Ask Claude to analyze
claude "Analyze the babysitter run error for <runId> and try to recover"

Getting More Help

If you're still stuck:

  1. Check the logs: Look for error messages in terminal output
  2. Search issues: GitHub Issues
  3. Ask the community: GitHub Discussions
  4. Report a bug: Create a new issue with:
    • Your OS and version
    • Node.js version
    • Claude Code version
    • Full error message
    • Steps to reproduce

Quick Reference

Commands you'll use most often:

# Run a harness directly from your shell (host-side Adapters track)
adapters run claude "<your request>"

# Start a new in-session run (Claude Code)
/babysitter:call <your request>

# Resume a run (Claude Code)
/babysitter:resume

# Install a plugin for another harness
babysitter harness:install-plugin <harness-key>

# Update everything
npm update -g @a5c-ai/babysitter @a5c-ai/adapters-cli @a5c-ai/genty-platform
claude plugin update babysitter@a5c.ai

Next steps