Use Staves without an account
Staves is open core. The format, analyzers, interview method, editor, MCP server and CLI are Apache-2.0 software. You can use them with your own coding agent or model key, without a Staves account.
See a real workflow: when a release is only half available. The example includes a source reference, a downloadable board, and the recovery question it leaves open.
Start with your coding agent
Section titled “Start with your coding agent”You need Node.js 20 or later and a coding agent such as Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI or Cursor. In the project you want to describe:
npx -y @staves/cli initnpx -y @staves/cli doctorApprove or reload the MCP connection in your agent, then say run staves and name one workflow to describe. Ask the agent to verify access through its native Staves tools; a successful registration alone does not mean the tools are loaded. Open the board with npx -y @staves/cli open.
The agent uses its existing model. The local editor does not automatically gain a browser interview model from the MCP connection.
Choose where the board lives
Section titled “Choose where the board lives”| Local project | Staves account | |
|---|---|---|
| Start | npx @staves/cli init in the project | npx @staves/cli connect in the project |
| Board storage | .staves/*.jsonl beside your code | Your Staves workspace |
| Open the board | npx @staves/cli open | The board link or workspace |
| Agent model | Your existing coding agent | Your existing coding agent |
| Account needed | No | Yes |
Both paths use the same open format and tools. init registers the local MCP server for supported coding agents. connect registers a client of the hosted service; the account’s gateway, sign-in, database and operations are private. Connecting is a choice, not a requirement for local use.
Local boards are project files. Decide with your team whether to commit them: they can travel and merge with the code, but a board may describe sensitive work. An account connection stores only a reference in the project; its credential stays on your machine. See Bring in a coding agent for client setup and verification.
What you can use and extend
Section titled “What you can use and extend”- The Staves format and its JSON Schema describe tracks, jobs, handoffs, decisions and provenance. The format is versioned separately from the tool.
- The source includes the analyzers, interview engine, editor, renderer, CLI, MCP server and single-tenant local server. You can run the editor from source.
- Export and interop let you take a board out as data or a scoped handoff. Langfuse evidence is optional and uses keys you supply; see execution evidence.
The hosted service adds account access and shared storage. The public repository’s open-core statement explains the product line; BOUNDARY.md records where code belongs. A change to what a board is starts in the public spec/ directory.
An open draft format
Section titled “An open draft format”The format is v0.1, draft for comment, with breaking changes expected before 1.0. Staves itself is not yet a fully conforming consumer: disputes become open questions rather than round-tripping as competing claims, and preservation of unknown extensions, evidence, references and provenance is incomplete when saving through a Staves store. Do not rely on lossless interchange yet. See the specification and conformance notice.
Local and hosted boards are separate stores. Connecting to an account does not migrate existing local boards.