colony init

Initialize a new colony configuration with an interactive wizard.

Synopsis

colony init

Description

The init command launches an interactive wizard that guides you through creating a colony.yml configuration file. The wizard asks questions about your desired setup and generates a complete configuration.

Interactive Wizard

The wizard will guide you through:

  1. Agent Count - How many agents to create (default: 2)
  2. Agent Configuration - For each agent:
    • Agent ID (unique identifier)
    • Template selection (5 built-in templates + manual)
    • Role customization
    • Focus area customization
    • Claude model selection
    • Optional startup prompt override
  3. Colony Naming - Optional colony name

Template Selection

Choose from 5 built-in templates:

  • Code Reviewer - Quality and best practices review
  • Security Auditor - OWASP Top 10 security scanning
  • Test Engineer - Automated testing and QA
  • Documentation Writer - Technical documentation
  • Data Analyst - Data analysis and insights
  • None - Manual configuration

Model Selection

Choose from three Claude models:

  • claude-sonnet-4-20250514 - Balanced performance (recommended)
  • claude-opus-4-20250514 - Most capable, best for complex tasks
  • claude-3-5-haiku-20241022 - Fast and efficient

Examples

Basic Initialization

$ colony init

Colony Configuration Wizard
──────────────────────────────────────────────────

This wizard will help you create a colony.yml configuration.
Press Ctrl+C at any time to cancel.

? How many agents do you want to create? (2)

Quick Setup with Defaults

Press Enter to accept all defaults:

$ colony init
# Accept defaults throughout
✓ Created colony.yml
✓ Initialized task queue directories

This creates 2 agents with sensible defaults.

Custom Configuration

Customize each agent:

$ colony init

? How many agents do you want to create? 3

Agent 1 Configuration
? Agent ID: backend
? Choose a template: None - I'll configure manually
? Agent role: Backend Engineer
? Agent focus: API endpoints and database
? Use a different Claude model? Yes
? Select Claude model: claude-opus-4-20250514 (most capable)

Prerequisites

  • Must be run inside a Git repository
  • Git must be initialized (git init if needed)

Output

After completion, the wizard:

  1. Creates colony.yml in the current directory
  2. Initializes .colony/ directory structure
  3. Displays the generated configuration
  4. Shows next steps

Generated Configuration Example

name: my-project
agents:
  - id: backend
    role: Backend Engineer
    focus: API endpoints and database
    model: claude-opus-4-20250514
    worktree: agent/backend
  - id: frontend
    role: Frontend Developer
    focus: React components and UI
    model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
    worktree: agent/frontend

Next Steps

After initialization:

# Start the colony
colony start

# Monitor with TUI
colony tui

# Check status
colony status

Troubleshooting

"colony must be run inside a Git repository"

Initialize Git first:

git init
colony init

See Also