# Nika

> Documentation for Nika — the AGPL workflow engine for AI. Semantic YAML, Rust, runs on your laptop.

- [Introduction](https://docs.nika.sh/introduction.md): Put repeatable AI work in your app: one .nika file, checked before it runs, called from TypeScript.
- [Find your documentation](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/documentation.md): The learning path through Nika's docs: first result, SDK integration, then the mechanics.
- [Install Nika](https://docs.nika.sh/getting-started/installation.md): Install Nika, verify the binary, scaffold a repo, and wire editor/agent MCP clients.
- [What Nika sees on your machine](https://docs.nika.sh/getting-started/your-machine.md): One offline command maps your environment: editors wired, local model servers, key presence, media planes — and the exact fix for every gap.
- [Your first workflow](https://docs.nika.sh/getting-started/first-workflow.md): Write one .nika file by hand, check it, run it offline, read the result.
- [Editor setup](https://docs.nika.sh/getting-started/editors.md): Schema validation, nika-lsp, the VS Code/Cursor extension, and MCP agent wiring.
- [How to write Nika](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/patterns.md): The twelve patterns of well-written Nika: each one taught by a canonical example, each anti-pattern named.
- [Templates](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/templates.md): The instantiable skeletons covering the recurring workflow shapes. Copy a skeleton, fill its values, check the boundary and rehearse its behavior.
- [Writing Nika as an agent](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/agent-authoring.md): Choose a canonical example, adapt its contracts, bound its work, then verify both success and refusal.
- [Test workflows](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/testing.md): Golden testing with nika test: every workflow runs offline under the mock provider, deterministically, and CI gates on the diff.
- [Local models](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/local-models.md): Get a model onto your machine in one command: Ollama, any Hugging Face GGUF, LM Studio, llama.cpp or vLLM. Inference stays on your laptop.
- [A Docker AI workflow](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/docker-ai-workflow.md): Read the daemon's real state, have a local model explain it, keep the report — with the exec boundary pinned to argv form and default-deny permits.
- [Image generation](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/image-generation.md): Render images inside workflows — local server first, four more providers one line away, every save permit-gated, every asset provenance-carrying.
- [Image effects](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/image-effects.md): Deterministic artistic styling — dither, palettes, halftone, retro, glitch, ascii. Same input, same args, same bytes forever: the styled image becomes a receipt in the run's proof chain.
- [Charts](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/charts.md): Deterministic chart artifacts — rows plus a semantic spec compile to SVG whose hash is stable on the same pinned engine. Five types, typed semantics, an optional Vega-Lite sibling.
- [Speech generation](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/speech-generation.md): Text to speech inside workflows — the local wire first, one audio file on disk with provenance, duration honesty, and scripts an LLM can write in the same run.
- [Resume a run](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/resume.md): The trace is the checkpoint: nika run --resume skips completed work with visible cache hits, and a human gate can pause a run durably.
- [Watch a run](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/observability.md): Three moments to look at a workflow: inspect the waves before, read the live render during, and the waterfall + verdict card after.
- [Cost honesty](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/cost-honesty.md): Know what a run can cost BEFORE you run it — floors, ceilings, unpriced truth, and the budget gate that refuses to start.
- [Energy honesty](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/energy-honesty.md): What a run draws from the wall — the cost-honesty doctrine in watt-hours. Unknown stays unknown: never 0 Wh.
- [Run it with what you already have](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/harness-access.md): Point an agent task at the harness you already pay for — gemini-cli, qwen-code, codex, claude — under nika's authority, billed honestly.
- [Sharing workflows](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/sharing.md): Publish and install Nika workflows through nika-registry — every entry machine-re-proven before it runs.
- [Troubleshooting & FAQ](https://docs.nika.sh/guides/troubleshooting.md): The errors you'll actually hit, what they mean, and the questions everyone asks: version story, runnable state, providers, syntax dialects.
- [Integrate Nika in 10 minutes](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/quickstart.md): Whatever agent you run — Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, Hermes, Zed — two commands teach it Nika, and CI gets receipts.
- [Everywhere Nika meets you](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/everywhere.md): The complete map: every install path, IDE, agent, skill, plugin, CI surface, SDK and registry where Nika ships — one page, categorized.
- [Agents](https://docs.nika.sh/getting-started/agents.md): Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf: your agent does the work once, Nika keeps the workflow. Two commands wire any of them.
- [Nika × OpenCode](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/opencode.md): OpenCode reads everything nika init writes — AGENTS.md, the repo skill — natively. Add one MCP stanza and the loop is complete. Zero packaging.
- [Nika × Hermes](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/hermes.md): Hermes orchestrates. Nika captures the repeatable work as a checkable file and runs it with receipts — budget-capped, trace-verified.
- [Nika × GitHub Actions](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/github-actions.md): Plan with receipts on every PR: the check verdict, the honest cost floor, required secrets and the DAG — before anyone runs anything.
- [Nika × pre-commit](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/pre-commit.md): Audit every .nika before it lands: the check verdict — DAG, types, permits, secret flows, cost floor — at commit time, before a single token is spent.
- [Per-client MCP wiring](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/mcp-clients.md): One stanza, every client: Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Zed, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Continue, Cline, Aider — one dedicated page per tool.
- [Use Nika with Claude Code](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/claude-code.md): One command wires the read-only Nika oracle into Claude Code — plus the first-party plugin with the authoring skill and /nika:* commands.
- [Use Nika with Claude Desktop](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/claude-desktop.md): Wire the read-only Nika oracle into Claude Desktop — the exact claude_desktop_config.json path per platform, the stanza, and the verify step.
- [Use Nika with VS Code and Copilot](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/vscode.md): One command writes a repo-local .vscode/mcp.json for VS Code and Copilot agent mode — plus the marketplace extension with LSP and DAG canvas.
- [Use Nika with Cursor](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/cursor.md): One command (or one click) wires the read-only Nika oracle into ~/.cursor/mcp.json — plus the auto-attached authoring rule from nika init.
- [Use Nika with Windsurf](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/windsurf.md): One command wires the read-only Nika oracle into Windsurf's mcp_config.json — the exact path, the stanza, and the verify step.
- [Use Nika with Zed](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/zed.md): Wire the read-only Nika oracle into Zed's context_servers — one command that respects your commented settings.json, plus the manual stanza.
- [Use Nika with Codex](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/codex.md): One command wires the read-only Nika oracle into ~/.codex/config.toml — comments preserved — plus the first-party Codex plugin.
- [Use Nika with Grok Build](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/grok-build.md): Grok reads the Claude Code kit natively: two commands install the full Nika plugin (skills, subagents, commands, hooks, oracle) · zero commands on a machine that already runs it in Claude Code.
- [Use Nika with Gemini CLI](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/gemini-cli.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to Gemini CLI's settings.json — nika wire gemini writes the stanza.
- [Use Nika with Qwen Code](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/qwen-code.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to Qwen Code's settings.json — same key as Gemini CLI, its own dotdir.
- [Use Nika with Kimi Code CLI](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/kimi-code.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to kimi-code's mcp.json — the exact file contract, the one trap from the legacy CLI, and the deterministic proof.
- [Use Nika with Cline](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/cline.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to Cline's cline_mcp_settings.json — hot-reloaded, no restart.
- [Use Nika with Continue](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/continue.md): Drop one file into ~/.continue/mcpServers/ and Continue gets the read-only Nika oracle — your config.yaml untouched.
- [Use Nika with LM Studio](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/lm-studio.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to LM Studio's mcp.json — the real macOS path quirk included.
- [Use Nika with Junie](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/junie.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to JetBrains Junie via project-scope .junie/mcp/mcp.json.
- [Use Nika with goose](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/goose.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to goose as a stdio extension — plus the AGENTS.md surface goose reads natively. Wiring is manual (no wire target).
- [Use Nika with Open WebUI](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/open-webui.md): The mcpo recipe: proxy the read-only Nika oracle as an OpenAPI tool server and register it in Open WebUI. Wiring is manual (no wire target).
- [Use Nika with AnythingLLM](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/anythingllm.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to AnythingLLM with the standard mcpServers stanza. Wiring is manual (no wire target).
- [Use Nika with Cherry Studio](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/cherry-studio.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to Cherry Studio as a stdio MCP server. Wiring is manual (no wire target).
- [Use Nika with Jan](https://docs.nika.sh/integrations/clients/jan.md): Add the read-only Nika oracle to Jan as a stdio MCP server — a fully local pairing. Wiring is manual (no wire target).
- [Architecture](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/architecture.md): Nika is a single Rust binary composed of layered crates, six layers deep plus the L0.5 trait half-layer. Strict downward dependencies, enforced by cargo-deny.
- [Workflows](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/workflows.md): A .nika file: schema · metadata · tasks. Parsed into a DAG, executed with structured concurrency.
- [The 4 verbs](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/verbs.md): infer · exec · invoke · agent. Four verbs, closed set, typed contracts. Everything else is data.
- [Bindings](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/bindings.md): Template expressions that move values between tasks. Scoped, typed, taint-tracked, evaluated at runtime.
- [Events](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/events.md): Typed execution events and the kernel's metrics, trace, billing and audit interfaces.
- [Providers](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/providers.md): The canonical provider catalog, local and hosted (plus a wider engine catalog), behind one unified InferRequest. Switch provider = change one field.
- [Traces & replay](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/traces.md): Every run can leave a replayable record: one NDJSON file that proves what ran, in what order, at what cost.
- [Security model](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/security.md): Absent permits is zero authority. SSRF, the shell blocklist, taint, and typed NIKA-SEC errors on the declared boundary.
- [How Nika compares](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/how-nika-compares.md): An honest map of where Nika fits next to LangGraph, Temporal, GitHub Actions and the agent frameworks: what it does that they do not, and what they do that it does not.
- [Run receipts](https://docs.nika.sh/patterns/run-receipts.md): A tool-neutral pattern for AI pipelines: a reviewable contract before execution, a verifiable record after. Nika is one implementation — the pattern stands on its own.
- [Glossary](https://docs.nika.sh/concepts/glossary.md): Every word Nika uses that you cannot guess from English, defined once, with the page that owns it.
- [TypeScript SDK](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/overview.md): One Nika facade for local processes and authenticated servers.
- [TypeScript quickstart](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/start/quickstart.md): Install the SDK, run a workflow with the bundled engine and inspect its result.
- [Project setup](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/start/project-setup.md): Give workflows, binary resolution, traces and application code an explicit boundary.
- [nika.yaml project file](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/project/nika-yaml.md): Use the released project control plane for policy, armed beats, retention and provenance.
- [CWD and monorepos](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/project/cwd-and-monorepos.md): Align project discovery, workflow paths, direct-run traces and armed state deliberately.
- [Arm registry](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/project/arm-registry.md): Declare project beats with explicit cadence, spend, missed-run, overlap and suspension policy.
- [Project policy ladders](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/project/policy-ladders.md): Resolve run ceilings, trace retention and provenance through explicit precedence.
- [Project runtime state](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/project/runtime-state.md): Persist run traces, firing ledgers, receipts and cadence watermarks deliberately.
- [Local client](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/local/client.md): Use the One SDK facade with its default native-process transport.
- [Check before admission](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/local/check-and-plan.md): Use the engine-owned check report as a read-only admission input.
- [Run and cancel](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/local/run-and-cancel.md): Separate admission, observation, terminal settlement and cancellation.
- [Test and trace](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/local/test-and-trace.md): Keep CLI goldens separate from typed receipt verification.
- [Run events](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/runtime/events.md): Consume an additive, bounded event view without replacing terminal truth.
- [Errors and results](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/runtime/errors.md): Separate dirty reports, admitted workflow results and typed boundary failures.
- [Receipts and verification](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/runtime/receipts.md): Persist engine-issued proof and return it unchanged for verification.
- [Remote client](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/remote/client.md): Select authenticated nika serve HTTP with the same Nika facade.
- [Remote jobs](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/remote/jobs.md): Admit, persist, recover, observe and cancel resident HTTP jobs.
- [SSE streaming](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/remote/streaming.md): Observe a run through bounded additive event views and durable recovery.
- [Outputs and artifacts](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/remote/artifacts.md): Use run outputs honestly while artifact HTTP routes remain absent.
- [Workflow registry](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/remote/workflows.md): Discover contained resident workflows without exposing source paths.
- [Application webhooks](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/remote/webhooks.md): Own webhook delivery and verification outside the One SDK contract.
- [Public process liveness](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/public-process-liveness.md)
- [Judge a workflow without creating a job — by served name, or as immutable snapshot bytes](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/judge-a-workflow-without-creating-a-job-—-by-served-name-or-as-immutable-snapshot-bytes.md): Runs the same admission as POST /v1/jobs (ADR-131 · both forms) over the exact request body, and creates nothing.
- [Admit a workflow as a durable job — by served name, or as immutable snapshot bytes](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/admit-a-workflow-as-a-durable-job-—-by-served-name-or-as-immutable-snapshot-bytes.md): Two forms, one admission (ADR-131). `{"workflow": "<name>"}` names a workflow the served registry lists: the resident captures its world through ExecutionService, exactly as a schedule does. Optional `access` on that form is CLI `--access` for this job only. A snapshot body is the world `nika check…
- [Job identity and status](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/job-identity-and-status.md)
- [Request cancellation or replay an ended observation](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/request-cancellation-or-replay-an-ended-observation.md): A queued job cancels atomically before execution claims it. An active job receives the run-scoped cancellation signal and returns 202 until its execution owner settles: the result may be success, failure or cancellation; expired grace means interrupted, never an invented cancellation. A paused or fi…
- [Job event SSE](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/job-event-sse.md)
- [Status only; diagnosis lives on GET /v1/jobs/{id} and SSE](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/status-only;-diagnosis-lives-on-get-v1jobs-and-sse.md)
- [Verify the job's trace journal](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/verify-the-jobs-trace-journal.md): Locates the journal the resident wrote for this job under the project it serves (by the job's execution and trace identity) and verifies it through the same verifier `nika trace verify` runs; the vocabulary is the CLI's. `unavailable` is the honest refusal when no journal exists. The response never…
- [This document](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/this-document.md)
- [Read one declarative resident schedule](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/read-one-declarative-resident-schedule.md)
- [Create or revision-conditionally update one resident schedule](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/create-or-revision-conditionally-update-one-resident-schedule.md): Create requires If-None-Match: *. Update requires the exact ETag in If-Match. Identical lost-response retries are unchanged and retain the revision.
- [Contained workflow names](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/contained-workflow-names.md)
- [Workflow metadata without source bytes](https://docs.nika.sh/api-reference/workflow-metadata-without-source-bytes.md)
- [CI gate](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/ci.md): Audit, inspect and rehearse a workflow before protected CI receives provider authority.
- [Server surfaces](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/server-surfaces.md): Separate the resident firer, authenticated nika serve HTTP and local model serving.
- [Resident server](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/resident-server.md): Operate the stable nika serve firer on a container, VM or bare server.
- [Server runbook](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/server-runbook.md): Boot, supervise, probe, deploy and investigate the stable resident firer.
- [OS scheduler bridge](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/os-schedulers.md): Emit launchd or systemd user units that fire the project through one engine law.
- [Deployment topologies](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/deployment-topologies.md): Choose local Nika, the resident firer, authenticated HTTP, an OS bridge or model serve by job.
- [Security boundary](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/operations/security.md): Preserve argv safety, default-deny permits, secret names, spend ceilings and caller cancellation.
- [SDK configuration](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/reference/configuration.md): Local, remote and per-operation options for the merged One SDK source contract.
- [SDK method index](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/reference/methods.md): The merged One SDK source contract's lifecycle vocabulary.
- [SDK type index](https://docs.nika.sh/sdk/reference/types.md): Open engine projections, run lifecycle types, proof and error taxonomy.
- [Examples](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/overview.md): Real-job workflows, tiered from a 4-task starter to a multi-agent swarm: every file conformance-validated, every industry covered.
- [Bounded authoring examples](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/bounded-authoring.md): Copyable workflows with input bounds, deterministic checks, narrow recovery and explicit mock rehearsals.
- [Local-first daily brief](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/local-first-daily-brief.md): T1 starter · zero keys, zero cloud: fetch real data, brief it with a local Ollama model, keep a tamper-evident trace.
- [Standup digest](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/standup-digest.md): T1 starter · engineering: the standup note writes itself from what you actually committed.
- [Meeting actions](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/meeting-actions.md): T1 starter · every office job: transcript in, tracker-ready typed action items out.
- [OG images](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/og-images.md): T1 starter · marketing: brief in, OG image variants + provenance manifest out.
- [Price watch](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/price-watch.md): T1 starter · e-commerce: a price-drop alert with zero model calls.
- [Social repurpose](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/social-repurpose.md): T1 starter · marketing: one post becomes a thread, a LinkedIn post and a newsletter blurb, in parallel.
- [Image FX batch](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/image-fx-batch.md): T1 fan-out · creators / media: a folder of photos to deterministic art on the same pinned engine. Zero model, zero network.
- [Release notes](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/release-notes.md): T2 chain · engineering: git log → typed notes → CHANGELOG edited in place → team pinged.
- [SEO content brief](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/seo-content-brief.md): T2 chain · SEO: a content brief grounded in what your competitor actually published, not vibes.
- [Invoice chaser](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/invoice-chaser.md): T2 chain · finance: overdue reminders drafted, and nothing goes out until a human says yes.
- [Support triage](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/support-triage.md): T2 chain · support: the overnight queue classified, first replies drafted, urgent ones escalated.
- [Contract guard](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/contract-guard.md): T2 chain · legal: clause extraction on a LOCAL model. The contract never leaves the machine.
- [ETL quarantine](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/etl-quarantine.md): T2 chain · data engineering: bad batches degrade to a quarantine file instead of killing the pipeline.
- [Model bench](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/model-bench.md): T2 diamond · engineering: the same question, three local models, one MEASURED table. Zero keys, zero cloud, zero spend.
- [Release radar](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/release-radar.md): T2 chain · devops: dependency release feeds diffed against last run · only the NEW ships reach you.
- [CSV chart report](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/csv-chart-report.md): T2 chain · data → picture: paste the spreadsheet, get the slide. Offline, deterministic, zero model calls.
- [Transcript show-notes](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/transcript-shownotes.md): T2 chain · podcasts / meetings: raw transcript → typed show-notes (chapters, quotes, summary) in ONE bounded infer.
- [Bookmark triage](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/bookmark-triage.md): T2 fan-out · personal / research: the bookmark pile triaged into one table — dead links survive the batch instead of killing it.
- [Competitor radar](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/competitor-radar.md): T3 fan-out · strategy: everything they shipped last week, read in parallel, one Monday brief.
- [Localization factory](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/localization-factory.md): T3 fan-out · product / i18n: the whole docs tree translated, voice intact, zero copy-paste.
- [Config drift sentinel](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/config-drift-sentinel.md): T3 · SRE: only unsanctioned prod drift wakes anyone. jq decides; the model explains.
- [PR review fan-out](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/pr-review-fanout.md): T3 · engineering: one read-only review agent per changed file. A swarm with a leash.
- [Resume screener](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/resume-screener.md): T3 fan-out · HR: a local-model rubric per candidate, ranked deterministically. PII never leaves the machine.
- [Deep research brief](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/deep-research-brief.md): T4 epic · research: plan → budgeted research agent → thinking-model synthesis. Auditable end to end.
- [Corpus digest](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/corpus-digest.md): T4 epic · research: plan a focus per file · card each document in a fresh window · one sourced brief. Context folding.
- [Incident war room](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/incident-war-room.md): T4 epic · SRE: evidence gathered in parallel, a typed timeline, and a recovery check before any postmortem draft.
- [CEO Monday brief](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/ceo-monday-brief.md): T4 epic · founders: market + engineering + KPIs synthesized, and the ping tells you what the run cost.
- [Release train](https://docs.nika.sh/examples/release-train.md): T4 epic · devops: parallel gates, a human GO, an absolute-time hold until the window · ship, verify, record.
- [Layer registry](https://docs.nika.sh/architecture/layers.md): Six layers (L0 → L5) + L0.5 for trait-only crates. Upward dependencies are a CI hard failure.
- [Forward-compat invariants](https://docs.nika.sh/architecture/forward-compat-invariants.md): Eight patterns + five decisions that protect Nika's public API against breaking change. LOCKED at v0.80.
- [L0 foundation decisions](https://docs.nika.sh/architecture/l0-decisions.md): Q1-Q13: the 13 architectural decisions that lock the L0 + L0.5 layer shape.
- [12-gate admission](https://docs.nika.sh/architecture/admission.md): Twelve gates every crate must pass before joining the Nika workspace. No exceptions, no late fixes.
- [ADR index](https://docs.nika.sh/architecture/adrs.md): The Architecture Decision Record index — every significant engineering decision in Nika Diamond, versioned + auditable. Live counts derive from the status snapshot.
- [YAML syntax reference](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/yaml-syntax.md): Full .nika schema. Every field, type, and validation rule.
- [JSON Schema](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/schema.md): The machine-authoritative schema for .nika.
- [Language field reference](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/overview.md): Find a YAML field by name, understand its scope, and follow its contract and examples.
- [const](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/const.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [inputs](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/inputs.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [model](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/model.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [nika](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/nika.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [outputs](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/outputs.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [permits](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/permits.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [run](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/run.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [secrets](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/secrets.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [tasks](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/tasks.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [after](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/after.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [agent](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/agent.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [because](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/because.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [exec](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/exec.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [extract](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/extract.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [fail_fast](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/fail_fast.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [for_each](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/for_each.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [from](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/from.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [group](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/group.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [infer](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/infer.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [invoke](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/invoke.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [items](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/items.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [law](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/law.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [lift](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/lift.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max_parallel](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max_parallel.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [on_error](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/on_error.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [retry](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/retry.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [returns](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/returns.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [timeout](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/timeout.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [when](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/when.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [with](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/with.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [args](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/args.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [budget_tokens](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/budget_tokens.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [capture](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/capture.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [command](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/command.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [cwd](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/cwd.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [decode](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/decode.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [enabled](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/enabled.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [env](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/env.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max_tokens](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max_tokens.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max_tokens_total](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max_tokens_total.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max_turns](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max_turns.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [path](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/path.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [prompt](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/prompt.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [schema](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/schema.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [shell](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/shell.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [skills](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/skills.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [source](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/source.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [stdin](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/stdin.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [system](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/system.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [temperature](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/temperature.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [thinking](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/thinking.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [tool](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/tool.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [tools](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/tools.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [url](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/url.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [vision](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/vision.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [workflow](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/workflow.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [backoff_max_ms](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/backoff_max_ms.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [backoff_ms](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/backoff_ms.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [backoff_strategy](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/backoff_strategy.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [jitter](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/jitter.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max_attempts](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max_attempts.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [on_codes](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/on_codes.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [recover](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/recover.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [skip](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/skip.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [egress](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/egress.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [fs](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/fs.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [host](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/host.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [host_from_self](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/host_from_self.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [http](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/http.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [key](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/key.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [net](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/net.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [read](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/read.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [to](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/to.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [write](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/write.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [access](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/access.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [clock](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/clock.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [effort](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/effort.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [entropy](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/entropy.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [fallback](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/fallback.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [protocol](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/protocol.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [reasoning](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/reasoning.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [seeded](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/seeded.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [via](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/via.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [additional](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/additional.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [array](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/array.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [default](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/default.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [description](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/description.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [enum](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/enum.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [integer](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/integer.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [map](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/map.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [max_len](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/max_len.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [min](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/min.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [min_len](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/min_len.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [number](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/number.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [object](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/object.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [optional](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/optional.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [pattern](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/pattern.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [required](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/required.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [string](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/string.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [type](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/type.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [union](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/union.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [value](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/language/words/value.md): Contract, placement, related fields and source examples for this Nika YAML field.
- [CLI reference](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/cli.md): Every nika subcommand, flag, and environment variable.
- [Arming a project](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/arm.md): Declare beats in nika.yaml and let the machine fire them — the read-only report, the one firer, the OS bridge, and the resident firer.
- [Machine surfaces](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/machine-surfaces.md): The versioned JSON wires — every human surface has a machine twin, envelopes are versioned and additive-only, exit codes are a contract.
- [Error codes](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/error-codes.md): The typed error model: namespaces, categories, and the registered v0.1 codes. Generated from the spec registry.
- [Nika as an MCP server](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/mcp-server.md): The read-only oracle: 9 validate-and-learn tools over stdio. Agents inspect freely; execution stays on the CLI, where the budget flags and traces live.
- [Builtins catalog](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/builtins.md): The canonical stdlib: engine-native nika:* tools across 6 categories, all reached through the invoke: verb.
- [Providers catalog](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/providers-catalog.md): Every LLM provider Nika knows about: the canonical stdlib catalog, local and hosted, plus API dialects and environment variables.
- [MCP catalog](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/mcp-catalog.md): Every MCP server Nika knows about by id. Registry schema + stdio/HTTP packages, with the catalog count derived in-page.
- [Capability rules](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/capabilities.md): The capability rules that map provider/model pairs to their feature set: modalities, tools, JSON mode, streaming, token limits.
- [Current status](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/status.md): Which Nika engine and SDK these docs describe, what each snapshot proves, and how release updates reach the documentation.
- [Crate constellation](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/constellation.md): Visual map of every Nika Diamond crate across six layers. Live admission status. The architecture grows additively across 1.x minors, toward a projected horizon.
- [Repositories and distribution](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/distribution.md): Follow a package from its source manifest to its release and distribution channel.
- [Design system (machine-readable)](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/design-system.md): The nika icon ontology as data: every verb, builtin, feature and run-state with its canonical glyph, hue and motion — served as JSON, Turtle and SVG.
- [Documentation and source of truth](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/knowledge-system.md): Find the contract, implementation and version behind a Nika explanation.
- [nika:assert](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/assert.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:done](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/done.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:emit](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/emit.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:log](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/log.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:prompt](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/prompt.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:wait](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/wait.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:convert](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/convert.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:date](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/date.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:hash](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/hash.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:jq](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/jq.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:json_diff](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/json_diff.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:json_merge_patch](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/json_merge_patch.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:uuid](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/uuid.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:validate](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/validate.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:decide](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/decide.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:edit](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/edit.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:glob](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/glob.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:grep](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/grep.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:read](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/read.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:remove_file](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/remove_file.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:write](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/write.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:compose](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/compose.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:inspect](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/inspect.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:chart](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/chart.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:image_fx](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/image_fx.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:image_generate](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/image_generate.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:tts_generate](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/tts_generate.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:fetch](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/fetch.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [nika:notify](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/tools/notify.md): Usage, declared contract and source links for this Nika builtin.
- [Releases](https://docs.nika.sh/changelog/releases.md): Published engine releases, their dates and downloads. Find current installation instructions, release notes and historical milestones.
- [Roadmap](https://docs.nika.sh/changelog/roadmap.md): What you can build with Nika today, what remains to qualify before launch, and where to follow the public work.
- [Timeline and evidence](https://docs.nika.sh/reference/timeline.md): Read Nika history, dated releases and forward gates with their source and evidence class.
- [Historical milestones](https://docs.nika.sh/changelog/history.md): Original dated accounts of Nika's development, including release attempts that did not produce downloadable binaries.

## OpenAPI Specs

- [openapi](/api-reference/openapi.json)


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