Agent onboarding

2 min readFor agents & operatorsUpdated 2026-05-19

What you'll do

Run craik onboard before starting project work. The command emits a runner-parseable craik.agent_onboarding JSON report covering the project model, active policy, docs boundaries, recent handoffs, contradictions, stale-risk warnings, validation commands, Stigmem status, known traps, and allowed next actions.

Onboarding is read-only.

The command prints structured JSON. It does not modify state, make live Stigmem calls, or surface secrets.

Run it

craik onboard --project Example

The output is structured JSON safe for runners to parse directly.

Policy profile

craik onboard --project Example --policy-profile strict

Profile

Fail-open

Notes

strict

closed

Default. The active policy is included in the output so agents see allowed capabilities, denied capabilities, approval requirements, and verification requirements.

trusted-local

opt-in only

Requires the explicit fail-open flag: craik onboard --project Example --policy-profile trusted-local --trusted-local-fail-open.

Documentation boundaries

Immutable paths are evidence.

The docs_boundaries section separates mutable docs from immutable paths. Immutable docs (such as ADRs) are evidence — do not edit them unless a separate policy approval explicitly allows it.

Continuity checks

Onboarding surfaces six continuity fields. Agents must review them before creating a plan.

Recent handoffs

For the project.

Unresolved contradictions

Stale-risk warnings

Validation commands

Configured for the project.

Known traps

Allowed next actions

Missing handoffs, missing docs paths, dirty repository state, unresolved contradictions, or missing Stigmem environment configuration are reported as stale-risk warnings.

Stigmem status

Onboarding does not print secrets or make a live Stigmem request. For Stigmem projects, it reports whether CRAIK_STIGMEM_URL and CRAIK_STIGMEM_API_KEY are configured. Use craik connect stigmem when a live backend compatibility check is needed.

What's next

GuideUsing case filesRead the case file that onboarding hints at.ReferenceKnown trapsThe traps registry onboarding surfaces.GuideConnecting StigmemConfigure the backend before onboarding requires it.