Files
BMAD-METHOD/README.md
Brian 5247108ba3 fix(installer): plain-text directory prompt, retire WDS, position on AiDD (#2680)
* fix(installer): submit the path shown and retire WDS from the picker

Directory prompt

The installation-directory prompt was a clack AutocompletePrompt whose
render() drew only the text line. The candidate list existed but was never
shown, and Enter returns the focused option rather than the typed text.
Focus was sticky: it only reset when the previously focused value left the
list, so a subdirectory selected while narrowing survived deleting back to
the parent. Typing /path/to/workspace could install to
/path/to/workspace/some-child with no sign of it on screen.

Rebuilt on TextPrompt so the input line is the value:

- the candidate list is visible, windowed, with an active-row marker
- arrow keys and Tab write the highlighted candidate onto the input line
- the list is frozen against the last typed text while browsing, so arrows
  walk siblings instead of descending (this also unsticks Tab cycling)
- index -1 is the typed text, so backing out of the list restores it
- Tab completes to real directories only, skipping "Create/use:" entries
- directory() takes optional input/output streams so it is testable

Module registry

- WDS is marked deprecated: hidden from the picker unless already
  installed, shown with a notice when it is, never removed and still
  resolvable from its source so existing installs keep updating
- deprecation notices now reach the CLI paths (--modules, --yes) and
  quick-update, which never render the picker's option hints
- picker order is now bmm, bmb, cis, tea, bmad-loop, gds
- the core row is hidden; it was a locked always-on checkbox. core is
  still added to the result, and the picker no longer requires a
  selection so a core-only install stays possible

* fix(installer): replace the whole line when browsing directories

_clearUserInput() sends readline ctrl+u, which deletes only what is left
of the cursor, and _setUserInput() inserts at the cursor. Browsing after
an arrow-key edit therefore left the surviving tail appended to the
selected candidate: typing a path, pressing left three times, then down
twice submitted ".../workspaceace" instead of ".../workspace/alpha".
validateDirectorySync accepts that path when its parent exists, so the
install went somewhere the user never typed - the same silent-divergence
class this prompt was rebuilt to prevent.

replaceLine() now moves to end of line (ctrl+e) before clearing. This
also fixes the pre-existing instance of the bug on Tab.

Alongside it:

- shift+tab steps back through completions instead of acting as tab
- the "... N more" counter counts only entries below the window, not
  every off-window entry, which overstated it once scrolled
- an empty line resolves the default through expandHome/path.resolve,
  and seeds the candidate list from the same place, so the list always
  describes what Enter would submit
- selectAllModules JSDoc no longer claims core is excluded
- test escape sequences are written as escapes rather than raw bytes,
  and the keystroke driver has wider timing margins for CI

* refactor(installer): make the directory prompt a plain text entry

The candidate list, key hints and completion cycling were noise for the
common case: people run the installer from the directory they want to
install into, or one under it. Enter on an empty line already accepts
that, so the list mostly served to push the actual question off screen.

Removed the list rendering, the hint line, arrow/Tab browsing and the
helpers that fed them (listDirectoryOptions, directoryWindow and the
directory-probing utilities). What remains is a clack TextPrompt with a
placeholder showing the default.

The original defect stays fixed by construction rather than by
bookkeeping: TextPrompt's value is the text on the input line, so there
is no hidden selection that Enter could submit instead. Net effect on
prompts.js versus main is -66 lines.

* docs(installer): shorten module descriptions in the picker

The hint beside a highlighted module ran long enough to wrap, which made
the list harder to scan than the module names alone. Each description is
now a single short phrase:

- bmm  Agile AI driven development
- bmb  Skill, workflow, and agent builder
- cis  Brainstorming, ideation, and creative problem solving
- tea  Enterprise testing BMM add-on
- loop Builds, verifies, and retros a whole epic unattended
- gds  Ideate, design, and build games in any framework

TEA is the only module that depends on BMM, and its description now says
so. The others no longer imply it. "Loop" means nothing to a new user, so
that description leads with what the module does rather than its name,
and gds no longer enumerates engines.

* feat(installer): pre-fill the directory prompt with the current directory

The default was shown as dim placeholder text, so choosing anything near
it meant typing the whole path by hand. It is now the real starting value
on the input line: press Enter to take it, append to install one level
down, or backspace to move up. Clearing the line and pressing Enter still
accepts the default, and the placeholder remains for that case.

* docs: reposition on Agile Ai Driven Development

The tagline was absent from the installer and the README, and the slot
under the wordmark where a tagline belongs was carrying the company line
instead. AiDD is the category BMad Method operates in; the agile part is
what BMad adds to it.

Installer:

- the banner reads tagline, then positioning, then company credit, in
  descending weight
- bmm and cis picker descriptions match, with cis short enough that its
  row no longer wraps and shifts the list as you arrow onto it

README:

- the opening states the phrase, defines AiDD on first use, and drops the
  rhetorical "heard BMad means heavyweight process?" framing while
  keeping what it was defending
- greenfield lean corrected: the opening now states the range, "add BMad
  to an existing codebase" is a CTA above the fold rather than a link at
  line 57, and a bullet names working from verified context on inherited
  code. Everything above the fold previously scaled by change size and
  nothing by codebase maturity, so a brownfield reader had no answer.
- the module table matches the installer descriptions, uses full module
  names instead of letter codes, and adds BMad Loop, which was missing

* docs: carry the module descriptions into the translated READMEs

Game Dev Studio was the last picker row wide enough to wrap an 80-column
terminal, which shifts the list as you arrow onto it. The engine list
stays in the README tables, where there is room for it.

The Chinese and Vietnamese READMEs have their own structure rather than
being a translation of the current English one, so this only touches the
two parts that had gone stale against the installer: the opening
positioning line and the module table. Both tables now match the English
one - installer descriptions, full module names instead of letter codes,
and BMad Loop, which none of the three had.

The translated prose needs a native reviewer before release.
2026-08-03 19:54:31 -05:00

6.2 KiB

BMad Method

Agile Ai Driven Development — turn an idea or change request into working software without giving up the thinking.

Ai Driven Development (AiDD) covers the whole effort, not only the code: what to build, how it holds together, and how it changes as you learn. BMad Method is the agile way to do it — decisions stay explicit, context carries forward, and the process sizes itself to the work. Small changes go straight to build. Complex work gets the depth it needs. The same method covers a weekend prototype and a system with years of history behind it.

The BMad delivery loop: a vague notion starts at Clarify, a big clear idea at Plan, and a small change at Build and verify; Learn and adjust loops back to Plan

Start anywhere. Use BMad end to end, or carry its briefs, specifications, and architecture into your existing delivery workflow.

Start Building

Prerequisites: Node.js 20.12+, Python 3.10+, and uv

npx bmad-method install

Open your project in your AI coding tool, invoke bmad-build with what you want to change, and keep making the decisions that matter. Run bmad-help whenever you want guidance on what comes next or what is optional.

Build your first project with BMad →

Add BMad to an existing codebase →

BMad is free and open source, with no paywalled workflows or gated community. For prerelease builds, CI/CD, configuration overrides, and non-interactive setup, see the installation guide.

Why BMad?

Coding assistants are effective at implementation, but they often turn unstated assumptions into code. BMad keeps you in control while its agents and workflows make the important decisions explicit and preserve them as context for the work that follows.

  • Right-sized process — Go directly to implementation for clear changes or add deeper planning for larger initiatives.
  • New or existing code — Start from nothing, or establish verified context on a codebase you inherited and work from what is actually there.
  • Durable context — Carry product and technical decisions forward instead of re-explaining them in every chat.
  • Specialized perspectives — Bring in product, architecture, UX, development, and testing expertise when it helps.
  • Guided collaboration — Use structured workflows and multiple-agent discussions without handing over judgment.
  • One delivery path — Move from early thinking through reviewed implementation, correction, and learning.

See how the workflows fit together →

BMad Ecosystem

Install the core method or add official modules for specialized work.

Module Purpose
BMad Method Plan and deliver software, from new prototypes to established codebases
BMad Builder Skill, workflow, and agent builder
BMad Creative Intelligence Suite Creative thinking partners for innovation, design thinking, and storytelling
BMad Test Architect Enterprise testing add-on for BMad Method
BMad Loop Builds, verifies, and retros a whole epic unattended
BMad Game Dev Studio Ideate, design, and build games in any framework, including Unity, Unreal, Godot, and Phaser

Plan on the Web

Web bundles package selected BMad workflows as Google Gemini Gems and ChatGPT Custom GPTs. Use them for planning in your existing web subscription, then bring the resulting artifacts into your AI coding tool for implementation.

Documentation

Roadmap

See what is in progress and what is planned on the public roadmap.

Community

Support and Contributing

BMad is free for everyone and always will be. Star the repository, buy me a coffee, or email contact@bmadcode.com for corporate sponsorship.

Contributions are welcome. Read CONTRIBUTING.md before opening a pull request.

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

BMad and BMAD-METHOD are trademarks of BMad Code, LLC. See TRADEMARK.md for details.

Contributors

See CONTRIBUTORS.md for contributor information.

Version License: MIT Discord