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dotbot wraps AI coding in a managed, auditable workflow engine. This guide takes you from a fresh install to running your first AI-assisted pipeline — no npm, pip, or Docker required.
1

Install dotbot globally

Run the one-liner installer in PowerShell 7+:
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/andresharpe/dotbot/main/install-remote.ps1 | iex
Alternatively, install from PowerShell Gallery:
Install-Module dotbot -Scope CurrentUser
After installation, restart your terminal so the dotbot command is available on your PATH. Then verify it worked:
dotbot status
On Windows, if PowerShell blocks the script due to your execution policy, run this first:
Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser
2

Add dotbot to your project

Navigate to your project directory and initialize dotbot:
dotbot init
This creates a .bot/ directory containing the MCP server, web UI, autonomous runtime, agents, skills, and the default workflow.To initialize with a specific workflow or stack, pass flags:
dotbot init -Workflow kickstart-via-jira
3

Configure the MCP server

Add dotbot to your AI tool’s MCP settings. The configuration works for Claude Desktop, Warp, and any other MCP-compatible client:
mcp-settings.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dotbot": {
      "command": "pwsh",
      "args": ["-NoProfile", "-File", ".bot/systems/mcp/dotbot-mcp.ps1"]
    }
  }
}
The path .bot/systems/mcp/dotbot-mcp.ps1 is relative to your project root. Make sure you launch your AI tool from the project directory so the path resolves correctly.
For detailed configuration steps per AI client, see Configure the dotbot MCP server for Claude and Warp.
4

Start the web dashboard

Launch the built-in web dashboard:
.bot\go.ps1
The dashboard opens at http://localhost:8686 by default. If that port is busy, dotbot automatically selects the next available port. To specify a port explicitly:
.bot\go.ps1 -Port 9000
The dashboard gives you seven tabs: Overview, Product, Roadmap, Processes, Decisions, Workflow, and Settings.
5

Run a workflow

Start the default workflow:
dotbot run default
To see all available workflows and stacks installed in your project, run:
dotbot list
Run dotbot doctor at any time to scan for stale locks, orphaned worktrees, settings issues, and task queue health problems.

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Next steps

Core concepts

Understand workflows, stacks, task types, and how settings compose.

Configure providers

Switch between Claude, Codex, and Gemini. Set models per task.

MCP server

Explore the 33 built-in MCP tools for task and session management.

Command reference

Full reference for every dotbot CLI command and flag.