Agentic Coding Flywheel Setup (ACFS)

Skill by ara.so — AI Agent Skills collection

Overview

Agentic Coding Flywheel Setup (ACFS) is a bootstrapping system that transforms a fresh Ubuntu VPS into a professional AI-powered development environment in ~30 minutes. It installs 30+ tools, configures three AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI), and sets up a complete agent coordination stack.

Key Features:

One-liner install:
```
curl | bash
```
to full environment
Idempotent: Resume from interruptions automatically
Vibe mode: Pre-configured for maximum development velocity
Manifest-driven: Single source of truth for all tools and configs
Battle-tested stack: 10 Dicklesworthstone tools + 20+ developer utilities

What Gets Installed:

Modern shell: zsh + oh-my-zsh + powerlevel10k
Language runtimes: bun, uv/Python, Rust, Go
AI agents: Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI
Agent coordination: NTM, MCP Agent Mail, SLB
Developer tools: tmux, neovim, ripgrep, fzf, git, gh
Cloud CLIs: Vault, Wrangler, Supabase, Vercel
Security: checksummed upstream installers, verified downloads

Installation

Quick Install (Latest)

bash

# Default mode (interactive)
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash

# Vibe mode (non-interactive, passwordless sudo, all dangerous flags enabled)
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash -s -- --yes --mode vibe

Production Install (Pinned Version)

bash

# Pin to a tagged release (recommended)
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/v0.7.0/install.sh" | bash -s -- --yes --mode vibe --ref v0.7.0

# Pin to a specific commit
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/abc1234/install.sh" | bash -s -- --yes --mode vibe --ref abc1234

Installation Flags

bash

--yes              # Non-interactive mode (auto-confirm all prompts)
--mode vibe        # Enable vibe mode (passwordless sudo, dangerous flags)
--ref <tag|sha>    # Pin to specific version (tag or commit SHA)
--skip-check       # Skip system requirements check
--debug            # Enable verbose debug output

Requirements

OS: Ubuntu 25.10 (installer auto-upgrades from 24.04/24.10)
User: Non-root user with sudo access
Network: Internet connection for package downloads
Disk: ~10GB free space
Memory: 2GB+ RAM recommended

Post-Install Commands

After installation, ACFS provides several management commands:

Health Check

bash

# Run comprehensive system health check
acfs doctor

# Check specific category
acfs doctor --category shells
acfs doctor --category language_runtimes
acfs doctor --category agent_clis

Update ACFS

bash

# Update to latest version
acfs update

# Update to specific version
acfs update --ref v0.7.0

Service Setup

bash

# Configure agent coordination services (NTM, MCP Agent Mail, etc.)
acfs services-setup

Onboarding

bash

# Interactive tutorial for new users
onboard

Key Tools & Usage

AI Coding Agents

Claude Code (Anthropic)

bash

# Set API key
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

# Start interactive session
claude

# One-shot command
claude "refactor this function to use async/await" < input.js

# Edit files directly
claude --edit main.py "add error handling"

Codex CLI (OpenAI)

bash

# Set API key
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."

# Interactive mode
codex

# Generate code
codex "write a REST API with Express"

# Code review
codex --review src/

Gemini CLI (Google)

bash

# Set API key
export GEMINI_API_KEY="..."

# Start session
gemini

# Multi-modal (with images)
gemini "analyze this screenshot" --image screenshot.png

Agent Coordination Stack

NTM (Note-Taking Manager)

bash

# Initialize notes directory
ntm init

# Create note
ntm new "project-ideas"

# Search notes
ntm search "api design"

# List all notes
ntm list

# Edit note
ntm edit "project-ideas"

MCP Agent Mail (inter-agent communication)

bash

# Start mail server
mcp_agent_mail serve --port 3000

# Send message between agents
mcp_agent_mail send --to claude@agents.local --subject "Review PR" --body "..."

# Check inbox
mcp_agent_mail inbox

SLB (Session Ledger Bot)

bash

# Initialize session tracking
slb init

# Start new session
slb start "implementing auth feature"

# Log activity
slb log "completed OAuth flow"

# End session
slb end

# View session history
slb history

BV (Beads Viewer) - Session visualization

bash

# View current session beads
bv show

# Export session graph
bv export --format svg --output session.svg

# Analyze session patterns
bv analyze

UBS (Universal Backup System)

bash

# Configure backup
ubs init --dest s3://my-backups

# Create backup
ubs backup ~/projects

# List backups
ubs list

# Restore backup
ubs restore --backup 2025-01-15 --dest ~/restored

Developer Tools

Tmux (terminal multiplexer)

bash

# ACFS includes pre-configured tmux.conf

# Start new session
tmux new -s work

# Detach: Ctrl+b d
# List sessions
tmux ls

# Attach to session
tmux attach -t work

# Split panes
# Horizontal: Ctrl+b "
# Vertical: Ctrl+b %

Neovim (text editor)

bash

# Launch neovim
nvim file.py

# ACFS includes sensible defaults
# Basic commands:
# :w  - save
# :q  - quit
# :wq - save and quit
# i   - insert mode
# ESC - normal mode

Ripgrep (fast search)

bash

# Search current directory
rg "function.*async"

# Search with context
rg -C 3 "TODO"

# Search specific file types
rg --type py "class.*Model"

# Case-insensitive
rg -i "error"

FZF (fuzzy finder)

bash

# Interactive file finder (Ctrl+T in shell)
# Interactive history search (Ctrl+R in shell)

# In scripts
selected_file=$(fzf)
echo "Selected: $selected_file"

# Filter command output
ps aux | fzf

Configuration

ACFS Config Files

All ACFS configuration lives in

~/.acfs/

bash

~/.acfs/
├── zshrc              # Shell configuration
├── tmux.conf          # Tmux configuration
├── state.json         # Installation state
├── onboard/           # Tutorial lessons
└── scripts/           # Utility scripts

Environment Variables

Key environment variables to configure:

bash

# AI Agent API Keys
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."
export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export GEMINI_API_KEY="..."

# Cloud Provider Keys
export CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN="..."
export SUPABASE_ACCESS_TOKEN="..."
export VERCEL_TOKEN="..."

# Vault (secrets management)
export VAULT_ADDR="https://vault.example.com"
export VAULT_TOKEN="..."

# ACFS behavior
export ACFS_MODE="vibe"           # Enable vibe mode features
export ACFS_AUTO_UPDATE="true"    # Auto-update ACFS
export ACFS_TELEMETRY="false"     # Disable telemetry

Add to

~/.zshrc

bash

echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Vibe Mode

Vibe mode enables maximum development velocity:

bash

# Enable during install
curl -fsSL "..." | bash -s -- --mode vibe

# Features enabled in vibe mode:
# - Passwordless sudo for your user
# - All dangerous agent flags enabled
# - Auto-confirm for tool installations
# - Optimized shell aliases
# - Pre-configured git settings

Security Note: Vibe mode is designed for personal development VPS instances, not production servers or shared environments.

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Initial VPS Setup

bash

# 1. SSH into fresh Ubuntu VPS
ssh user@vps-ip

# 2. Run ACFS installer
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash -s -- --yes --mode vibe

# 3. Set up API keys
echo 'export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# 4. Verify installation
acfs doctor

# 5. Start coding with agents
claude "create a new Express API project"

Pattern 2: Agent Session Workflow

bash

# Start session tracking
slb start "building user authentication"

# Use AI agent for scaffolding
claude "create user model with email and password fields"

# Track progress
slb log "created user model"

# Review with another agent
codex --review models/user.py

# Visualize session
bv show

# End session
slb end

Pattern 3: Multi-Agent Collaboration

bash

# Agent 1: Generate implementation
claude "implement JWT authentication" > auth.py

# Agent 2: Review for security
codex --review auth.py > review.md

# Agent 3: Optimize performance
gemini "optimize this authentication flow" < auth.py > auth_optimized.py

# Track collaboration via MCP Agent Mail
mcp_agent_mail send --to review-agent --body "$(cat review.md)"

Pattern 4: Backup Before Experimentation

bash

# Backup current state
ubs backup ~/projects/myapp

# Let agent make risky changes
claude --edit src/ "refactor entire codebase to use TypeScript" --allow-dangerous

# If things go wrong
ubs restore --backup latest --dest ~/projects/myapp

Pattern 5: Reproducible Team Environments

bash

# Team lead: Create bootstrap script
cat > setup-team-env.sh << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash
# Install ACFS with pinned version
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/v0.7.0/install.sh" \
  | bash -s -- --yes --mode vibe --ref v0.7.0

# Configure team-specific tools
git config --global user.name "$GIT_NAME"
git config --global user.email "$GIT_EMAIL"

# Clone team repos
gh repo clone myorg/backend ~/projects/backend
gh repo clone myorg/frontend ~/projects/frontend
EOF

# Team members: Run identical setup
export GIT_NAME="Alice" GIT_EMAIL="alice@company.com"
bash setup-team-env.sh

Architecture

Manifest-Driven Design

ACFS uses a single source of truth:

acfs.manifest.yaml

yaml

# Example manifest structure (simplified)
modules:
  - id: bun
    category: language_runtimes
    install:
      bash: |
        curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
    verify:
      bash: |
        command -v bun >/dev/null 2>&1
    
  - id: claude_code
    category: agent_clis
    install:
      bash: |
        npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
    verify:
      bash: |
        command -v claude >/dev/null 2>&1

Generated Scripts (Reference)

The manifest generates reference scripts in

scripts/generated/

bash

scripts/generated/
├── install_shells.sh
├── install_language_runtimes.sh
├── install_agent_clis.sh
├── install_agent_coordination.sh
├── install_developer_tools.sh
├── install_cloud_clis.sh
├── doctor_checks.sh
└── install_all.sh

Security

ACFS implements multiple security layers:

Checksummed installers:
```
checksums.yaml
```
verifies upstream scripts
HTTPS-only downloads: All sources fetched over TLS
Isolated environments: Each tool runs in its own context
API key isolation: Keys stored in environment, not config files
Audit logging: All installations logged to
```
~/.acfs/state.json
```

Troubleshooting

Installation Fails Midway

bash

# ACFS is idempotent - just re-run
curl -fsSL "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | bash -s -- --yes --mode vibe

# Check installation state
cat ~/.acfs/state.json | jq '.completed_phases'

# Run doctor to identify issues
acfs doctor

Doctor Check Failures

bash

# Run full diagnostic
acfs doctor --verbose

# Fix common issues:
# - Missing PATH entries
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.bun/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# - Incomplete installations
acfs update

# - Permission issues
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.acfs

Agent CLI Not Found

bash

# Verify installation
acfs doctor --category agent_clis

# Reinstall specific agent
# (Manually, as ACFS doesn't have per-tool reinstall yet)
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

# Check API key
echo $ANTHROPIC_API_KEY  # Should not be empty

Slow Performance

bash

# Check system resources
htop

# Verify zsh compilation
rm ~/.zcompdump
zsh -c 'autoload -U compinit && compinit'

# Disable plugins if needed
# Edit ~/.acfs/zshrc and comment out heavy plugins

SSH Connection Issues After Install

bash

# If you set up SSH key during install but can't connect:

# From local machine - use password one more time
ssh user@vps-ip

# On VPS - verify SSH key was added
cat ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# If missing, add your public key
echo "ssh-ed25519 AAAA..." >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

# Try key-based auth again from local
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 user@vps-ip

Services Won't Start

bash

# Check service status
acfs services-setup --status

# View logs
journalctl -u ntm -f
journalctl -u mcp_agent_mail -f

# Restart services
sudo systemctl restart ntm
sudo systemctl restart mcp_agent_mail

Advanced Usage

Custom Tool Installation

Add custom tools to your environment post-install:

bash

# Install additional language runtime
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# Install additional CLI tool
cargo install ripgrep

# Update PATH if needed
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

# Verify with doctor
acfs doctor

Extending the Manifest

To add tools to ACFS itself, edit

acfs.manifest.yaml

yaml

modules:
  - id: my_custom_tool
    category: developer_tools
    description: "My custom development tool"
    install:
      bash: |
        curl -fsSL https://example.com/install.sh | bash
    verify:
      bash: |
        command -v my_tool >/dev/null 2>&1

Then regenerate scripts:

bash

cd packages/manifest
npm run generate

Integration Testing

ACFS includes Docker-based integration tests:

bash

# Run full install test in Docker
bash tests/vm/test_install_ubuntu.sh

# Test specific version
ACFS_REF=v0.7.0 bash tests/vm/test_install_ubuntu.sh

# Test vibe mode
ACFS_MODE=vibe bash tests/vm/test_install_ubuntu.sh

Monitoring Agent Activity

bash

# Track all agent sessions
slb history --all

# Export session data
slb export --format json > sessions.json

# Visualize patterns
bv analyze --input sessions.json --output report.html

# Monitor in real-time
tail -f ~/.acfs/logs/agent-activity.log

Version Compatibility

v0.7.0: Current stable (Ubuntu 25.10, all features)
v0.6.x: Legacy (Ubuntu 24.10, limited stack tools)
v0.5.x: Deprecated (Ubuntu 24.04, no vibe mode)

Always use the latest tagged release for production environments.

Additional Resources

Website: https://agent-flywheel.com (interactive wizard)
Repository: https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup
Documentation: See
```
docs/
```
directory in repo
Issues: https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/agentic_coding_flywheel_setup/issues

agentic-coding-flywheel-setup

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

Agentic Coding Flywheel Setup (ACFS)

Overview

Installation

Quick Install (Latest)

Production Install (Pinned Version)

Installation Flags

Requirements

Post-Install Commands

Health Check

Update ACFS

Service Setup

Onboarding

Key Tools & Usage

AI Coding Agents

Agent Coordination Stack

Developer Tools

Configuration

ACFS Config Files

Environment Variables

Vibe Mode

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Initial VPS Setup

Pattern 2: Agent Session Workflow

Pattern 3: Multi-Agent Collaboration

Pattern 4: Backup Before Experimentation

Pattern 5: Reproducible Team Environments

Architecture

Manifest-Driven Design

Generated Scripts (Reference)

Security

Troubleshooting

Installation Fails Midway

Doctor Check Failures

Agent CLI Not Found

Slow Performance

SSH Connection Issues After Install

Services Won't Start

Advanced Usage

Custom Tool Installation

Extending the Manifest

Integration Testing

Monitoring Agent Activity

Version Compatibility

Additional Resources