Quick example

This example is intentionally small. The goal is to show how to start using TCAF quickly.

Assume you already have a small web app in ./demo-web and want to add one About page without changing anything else.

1. Adopt the project

tcaf adopt --target ./demo-web

TCAF inspects the repository, uses the existing material as source evidence and derives only the project state it needs. Review the result before continuing.

2. Request one bounded change

tcaf task --target ./demo-web --request "Add an About page linked from the existing navigation. Reuse the current layout and styling. Do not add dependencies or change unrelated pages. Verify the result with the project's relevant existing checks."

For a small change like this, you do not need plan first. Use tcaf plan when the requested outcome is broad enough to require several tasks or dependency-aware decomposition.

3. Review the Task Contract

Before implementation, check that the contract makes the important boundaries explicit:

Objective
- Add one About page.

Allowed edit surface
- Existing routing and navigation.
- New About page using current project patterns.

Preserve
- Existing routes and behavior.
- Current styling and dependencies.

Acceptance
- About page is reachable.
- Existing pages still work.
- Relevant checks pass.

Stop conditions
- Stop if the change requires a new dependency or a broader refactor.

If the contract is too broad or wrong, correct it before approval.

4. Approve, execute and verify

Once approved, the AI can execute the work inside that boundary.

At the end, check three things:

1. what changed;
2. which checks actually ran;
3. whether anything is still pending or outside the approved scope.

The developer keeps final review and acceptance.

5. If the project changes outside the run

If you edit the repository manually, add new project material, or another tool changes the project state, use:

tcaf sync --target ./demo-web

sync re-reads the current evidence and proposes the smallest reconciliation before any approved write.

Commit only after you accept the result.

Starting from zero?

Use bootstrap to establish the minimum useful project state from your idea or existing notes. It does not implement the application code.

tcaf bootstrap --target ./demo-web --request "Define the MVP, constraints and proposed architecture for developer review. Do not implement application code."

See Bootstrap a new project or return to the Quick Start.