Get started with Baxter
Baxter is a plain-text harness — a folder you drop into any project. No accounts, no subscriptions, no special tooling. You need git, an AI coding tool (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar), and your project's source code.
What you'll have at the end of this guide
- ✓Baxter installed and reading your codebase
- ✓Your first artefact generated and saved to git
- ✓A clear understanding of how to invoke each artefact type
Most important step — where does my code go?
→ coderepo/
Copy or symlink your project's source code into the coderepo/ folder. Baxter reads it to run multi-dimensional sanity checking on every artefact — feasibility, logic, data model, roles, naming, edge cases, and UX challenges. Without this, artefact verification cannot run.
agentic-ba/
├── coderepo/ ← YOUR PROJECT SOURCE CODE HERE
│ └── (your app, API, schema, migrations…)
├── artefacts/
│ ├── issues/ ← bugs, changes, AI features
│ └── other/ ← requirements, product-docs, implementation, test-suites, diagrams
├── templates/
│ ├── issues/ ← BR, CR, AI
│ └── other/ ← BRD, PD, TIP, TC, DIA
└── CLAUDE.md # Copy your project in cp -r /path/to/your/project coderepo/ # Or symlink it (keeps one copy on disk) ln -s /path/to/your/project coderepo/src # Or clone a sub-repo into it git clone https://github.com/your-org/your-project coderepo/
coderepo/ is gitignored — your source code stays private and is never committed to the agentic-ba repo.
Clone or copy the harness
git clone https://github.com/glovarix/agentic-ba.git cd agentic-ba
Or copy the folder into an existing project repo. The harness is self-contained — it does not affect your project's code or CI.
Add your codebase
cp -r /path/to/your/project coderepo/
Baxter reads coderepo/ to verify every artefact against your real codebase — checking technical feasibility, logic consistency, data model implications, role and permission logic, and flagging missing edge cases. If your codebase is large, a symlink works just as well.
Open in your AI agent
Open the folder in Claude Code, Cursor, or VS Code with GitHub Copilot. Baxter's instructions are already in the right file for each tool — the agent loads them automatically with no setup.
| Tool | Instruction file loaded automatically |
|---|---|
| Claude Code | CLAUDE.md |
| Cursor | .cursor/rules/baxter.mdc |
| GitHub Copilot | .github/copilot-instructions.md |
All three files are identical. A pre-commit hook keeps them in sync — edit CLAUDE.md and the others update automatically on your next commit. Run this once after cloning to activate it:
git config core.hooksPath .githooks
Paste a request — any raw text
"The login page returns a 500 error when the user submits without a password"
"Write up the BRD for care plan cloning"
"I need test cases for the vitals module — mandatory fields and role access"
"Add a print to PDF button to the patient profile page"
Baxter classifies the request, tells you which template it will use, and asks for a one-word confirmation before generating anything. You can reply with the artefact code (e.g. BR), a number, or just proceed.
Already in the repo — ready to explore
Sample artefacts from an imaginary Todo App
The repo includes a set of sample artefacts generated for a fictional Todo App — so you can see exactly what Baxter produces before writing your first request. None of these are from a real project; they exist purely as output examples.
📖 Product Documentation
artefacts/other/product-docs/
Full PD for the imaginary Todo App — modules, roles, API routes, data model, known limitations
🧪 Test Cases (13 total)
artefacts/other/test-suites/
Authentication, Todos, and Tags — happy path, negative, role-based, and edge cases
📋 BRD + TIP
artefacts/other/requirements/ & implementation/
Due Date Reminders — requirements document and matching implementation plan
🐛 BR · 🔄 CR · 🤖 AI · 📐 DIA
artefacts/issues/ & other/
One sample of each remaining artefact type — all for the same fictional app
Try every artefact right now — no setup needed
The imaginary Todo App is your sandbox
Open the repo in Claude Code, Cursor, or GitHub Copilot and paste any of the prompts below. The sample artefacts give Baxter enough context about the fictional Todo App to classify, generate, and save — no real codebase required. Add your own codebase to coderepo/ when you are ready to work on a real project.
📋 BRD
"Write up the requirements for adding a due date field to todos"
📖 PD
"Document the authentication module"
🏗️ TIP
"Write an implementation plan for adding tag colours to the todo list view"
🧪 TC
"Generate test cases for the Tags module"
🐛 BR
"The Tags endpoint returns 500 when a duplicate name is submitted"
🔄 CR
"Add a bulk delete option to the todos list"
🤖 AI
"We need an AI feature to auto-suggest tags based on the todo title"
📐 DIA
"Diagram the todo creation flow from API request to database"
Baxter will classify each request, confirm the template, generate the artefact with a full sanity check, and ask before saving — exactly as it would on your real project.
What to say for each artefact
Baxter uses signal words to classify your request. You never need to name the template — just describe what you need. The table below shows the words Baxter listens for.
| Artefact | Signal words Baxter listens for | Template used |
|---|---|---|
| 🐛 Bug Report (BR) | "not working", "broken", "error", "404", "500", "crash", "fails" | issues/BR.md |
| 🔄 Change Request (CR) | "add", "new", "improve", "enhance", "change", "feature request" | issues/CR.md |
| 🤖 AI Feature (AI) | "AI feature", "auto-fill", "auto-generate", "suggest", "LLM" | issues/AI.md |
| 📋 Business Requirements (BRD) — pre-dev | "BRD", "business requirements", "spec for", "write up the requirements" | other/BRD.md |
| 📖 Product Documentation (PD) — post-dev | "PD", "document the module", "how it works", "what was built" | other/PD.md |
| 🏗️ Implementation Plan (TIP) | "TIP", "implementation plan", "how to build", "dev plan" | other/TIP.md |
| 🧪 Test Cases (TC) | "test cases", "test suite", "QA cases", "test steps" | other/TC.md |
| 📐 Diagram (DIA) | "diagram", "flowchart", "mermaid", "draw", "visualise" | other/DIA.md |
Baxter applies the first match in priority order. If nothing matches, Baxter asks you one clarifying question.
Tips for getting the best results
You never need to structure your input
Paste raw emails, Slack messages, voice transcripts, or Google Doc excerpts exactly as they are. Baxter extracts what it needs. The messier the input, the more value Baxter adds.
Coderepo is the key to verification
Without coderepo/, Baxter can still generate artefacts — but it cannot verify them. Artefact verification — feasibility, logic, data model, roles, and naming — is the key feature. For production teams, always add your codebase.
You review. You approve. You commit.
Baxter always asks for confirmation before generating, and always presents the artefact for review before saving. Nothing is written without your sign-off. Your name goes in the revision history.
Templates are yours to change
Open any file in templates/issues/ or templates/other/ and edit the sections to match your team's standards. Baxter reads whatever is on disk — no config required.
One request at a time
If a client request contains multiple needs (e.g. a bug and a feature), handle them separately. Paste the bug first, then the feature request. Baxter handles one artefact per conversation.
Ready to work with Baxter?
Open source and free. Drop the harness into any project, open it in Claude Code, Cursor, or GitHub Copilot, and paste your first raw request.