Install the Plugin

With your repository connected in the portal, install the cl-dev plugin. It puts CodeLantern's /cl-dev: commands inside your coding agent. You can install it yourself, or have each engineer on your team install it.

Install the Plugin

In your coding agent, add the CodeLantern marketplace and install the plugin:

/plugin marketplace add codelantern-ai/cl-marketplace
/plugin install cl-dev@codelantern

Once it's installed, the /cl-dev: commands are available in your agent.

Initialize your repository

The first time you use CodeLantern in a repository, run its one-time setup from inside that repo:

/cl-dev:init

init prepares the project and walks you through a few choices. It's safe to re-run later. It never overwrites your knowledge base or in-progress work. If the repository hasn't been connected in the portal yet, init stops and points you back there first.

What it sets up

• .codelantern/config.json: records your repository and its PM/SCM providers.
• A knowledge base (.codelantern/knowledge-base/): starter files for your project context, conventions, recipes, learnings, and glossary that the skills read and grow as you work.
• AGENTS.md: portable instructions that tell any coding agent how your project uses CodeLantern.
• A knowledge-base sync workflow: keeps your knowledge base mirrored to CodeLantern so it's available across sessions.
• Workflow labels: the cl-* labels the workflow uses to track each issue's stage on your board.

What it asks you

init confirms a few things as it goes, so you stay in control:

• The repository: detected from your git remote; confirm it or point it elsewhere.
• A CLAUDE.md bridge: optional. Adds a small file so Claude Code picks up your AGENTS.md instructions automatically. (Other agents read AGENTS.md directly and don't need it.)
• Board automation: optional. Sets up automatic movement of issues across your GitHub Project board as work progresses. If you use Linear, init gives you the equivalent team-settings guidance instead.
• The cloud agent: optional. Enables delegating skills to CodeLantern by mentioning @codelantern-ai on an issue or pull request. You can skip this and turn it on later.

When it finishes, init prints a summary of everything it set up:

Next step

Your repository is connected, the plugin is installed, and the repo is initialized. Time to run something.