Install
Prerequisites and the plugin install on each host.
Prerequisites
Kevin runs on a small, Bun-first toolchain. No Node.js required.
| Tool | Why | Get it |
|---|---|---|
| A host: Claude Code or Codex | The agent CLI Kevin plugs into. One home works from either, or both | docs.claude.com · developers.openai.com/codex |
| Bun ≥ 1.1 | Runs the MCP server, hooks, and the kevin CLI | bun.sh |
| Git | Cloning, the plugin marketplace, git-activity awareness | git-scm.com |
| Python 3 (optional) | Some integrations still reach for it | python.org |
| Obsidian (optional) | Browse the brain as a graph | obsidian.md |
bun and git are hard requirements; the init skill checks for both and stops with an install pointer if either is missing. Chromium for the browser tools is not a manual step: bun install pulls it through a postinstall hook.
Windows
Native Windows works through Git Bash. WSL2 works too. See Platforms for the rough edges.
Pick a home
The home is the folder Kevin's brain lives in. Every host is launched from it.
mkdir -p ~/Documents/Agents/Kevin && cd ~/Documents/Agents/KevinInstall the plugin
Launch claude from the home, then inside the session:
/plugin marketplace add github:AgentLayer1/agentlayer-agent-marketplace
/plugin install agent-kevin@agentlayer
/exitRelaunch claude and run /agent-kevin:init. See Onboarding.
From a clone
The plugin ships its own developer marketplace on both hosts, so a clone is itself a marketplace you can register.
git clone https://github.com/AgentLayer1/agent-kevin ~/Developer/agent-kevin
# One-time MCP-server deps install (~150MB, pulls chromium for Playwright)
cd ~/Developer/agent-kevin/mcp-server && bun install/plugin marketplace add ~/Developer/agent-kevin
/plugin install agent-kevin@agentdev-kevin
/exitEdits to the clone go live after /reload-plugins; new skills or hooks need a full relaunch.
Starting from a seed bundle?
A teammate's export or the dev.agentlayer.one wizard gives you a zip that pre-loads the agent's name, character, and starting knowledge. Install as above, then hand the zip to init when it asks. See Seed bundles.
Already have an AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md here?
Kevin appends its operating manual to an existing AGENTS.md and never touches a CLAUDE.md. Both load at session start.