Quickstart
Get from zero to parallel AI agents in 5 steps.
1. Initialize
Navigate to any git repository and run:
ws initThis creates a .workstreams/ directory and a workstream.yaml config file.
2. Define Workstreams
Edit workstream.yaml to define your agent and workstreams:
agent:
command: claude
workstreams:
add-tests:
prompt: "Add unit tests for all API routes in src/api/"
fix-types:
prompt: "Fix all TypeScript type errors in the project"
add-docs:
prompt: "Add JSDoc comments to all exported functions"3. Run
Launch all workstreams in parallel:
ws runEach workstream gets its own git worktree and branch (ws/add-tests, ws/fix-types, ws/add-docs). The agents run simultaneously in the background.
4. Monitor
Check status with the list command or open the interactive dashboard:
ws list # quick status overview
ws switch # interactive dashboardThe dashboard lets you browse diffs, view logs, add review comments, and resume agents — all with keyboard shortcuts.
5. Merge
When a workstream looks good, merge it into your branch:
ws merge add-testsThis squash-merges the changes and stages them for your review. Run git diff --cached to inspect, then commit.
What Just Happened?
In a few minutes, three AI agents worked on your codebase simultaneously:
- Each ran in an isolated git worktree — no conflicts between agents
- Each created its own branch (
ws/<name>) — clean git history - Results are squash-merged — one clean commit per workstream
Next Steps
- Configuration — full
workstream.yamlreference - Concepts — understand the architecture
- Dashboard — master the interactive TUI