# honcho-cli

A skill that walks your agent through inspecting Honcho workspaces with the CLI: peer memory, session context, dialectic quality.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 581 installs · ★ 7776
- Author: plastic-labs
- License: AGPL-3.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/plastic-labs/honcho/tree/HEAD/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-23
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/honcho-cli

## What it does

This skill hands the agent a working map of `honcho`, the CLI wrapper around the Honcho Python SDK. Output defaults to JSON when piped, errors come back structured, and input gets validated before it reaches the server.

What's inside: command groups for `workspace`, `peer`, `session`, `scope`, `message` and `conclusion`, plus an outside-in inspection order. Start at the workspace, list peers, read a peer card and its conclusions, then dig into a session transcript. Three debugging playbooks cover the usual complaints — a peer that never learns, a session context that looks off, dialectic answers that miss the point.

The skill limits the agent to `Bash(honcho:*)`, `Bash(jq:*)`, file reads and grep. Credentials and the environment URL live in `~/.honcho/config.json`; `honcho init` sets them. Scope per command goes through `-w`, `-p`, `-s` or `HONCHO_*` variables. `honcho start` brings up a local Docker stack but leaves `environmentUrl` alone, so point at it with `HONCHO_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8000`. Deleting a workspace without inspecting it first is off the table.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-cli -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/honcho-cli/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-cli -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-cli -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install plastic-labs/honcho honcho-cli
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-cli -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/plastic-labs/honcho --path skills/honcho-cli
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add plastic-labs/honcho --skill honcho-cli -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/plastic-labs/honcho/tree/HEAD/skills/honcho-cli/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- find out why a peer stops accumulating conclusions
- see the exact context an agent receives in a session
- search conclusions by topic for one observer
- narrow recall to a project with a scope
- confirm a recall/record loop is actually running

## Example prompts
- Inspect the workspace state with `honcho workspace inspect --json`
- The peer isn't learning — check its configuration and conclusions
- Show me the session context and recent messages so I can see what the agent gets

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From the same set: [plastic-labs/honcho](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/plastic-labs/honcho.md) — 3 cards

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NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md