8.5 KiB
NightShift Quickstart
This guide runs NightShift with safe example files, including an end-to-end patch workflow.
1. Install for Development
pip install -e .
Or run the module directly:
python -m nightshift.cli --help
2. Create Starter Files
From a project directory:
nightshift init
This creates:
nightshift.yaml
tasks.md
agents/
Existing starter files are not overwritten unless you pass --force.
3. Validate
nightshift validate
Validation checks config structure, task parsing, prompt files, scoped paths, and command safety.
4. Run One Task
Run the next incomplete task:
nightshift run
Run a specific task:
nightshift run --task TASK-001
5. Review Artifacts
After a run, inspect:
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/
Useful files:
run-summary.md
config.snapshot.yaml
project-context-chart.md
tasks/TASK-001/task.md
tasks/TASK-001/context.md
tasks/TASK-001/plan.md
tasks/TASK-001/context-pack.md
tasks/TASK-001/proposed.patch
tasks/TASK-001/normalized.patch
tasks/TASK-001/patch-validation.md
tasks/TASK-001/applied.patch
tasks/TASK-001/patch-apply-output.txt
tasks/TASK-001/test-output.txt
tasks/TASK-001/stage-results.md
tasks/TASK-001/context-out.md
tasks/TASK-001/final-notes.md
Example Templates
Example run files are available in templates/.
They are safe starter examples and use command-backed fake agents.
The repository also includes a complete sample target project:
examples/quickstart-lisp/
Copy that directory elsewhere if you want to test NightShift against a multi-task project that modifies real code through patch mode.
Quickstart Test Project
A good first real target project is a tiny Lisp interpreter in Python. It is small enough to review, but it naturally breaks into multiple tasks that test NightShift's planning, implementation, command execution, artifacts, reports, and dependency handling.
If you do not want a language interpreter, use a small config parser or markdown todo CLI instead. The Lisp interpreter is the recommended default because it has clear incremental milestones and simple tests.
1. Create a Target Project
mkdir tiny-lisp
cd tiny-lisp
mkdir agents tests
touch lisp.py tests/test_lisp.py
2. Add nightshift.yaml
project:
name: tiny-lisp
root: .
task_file: tasks.md
artifact_dir: .nightshift
safety:
require_clean_worktree: false
scoped_paths:
- .
allowed_commands:
- python -m unittest discover -v
forbidden_commands:
- rm -rf
- git push
- curl | bash
agents:
planner:
backend: command
command: python agents/fake_planner.py
system_prompt: agents/planner.md
implementer:
backend: command
command: python agents/fake_code_writer.py
system_prompt: agents/implementer.md
reviewer:
backend: command
command: python -c "print('status: pass'); print('reason: quickstart reviewer accepted artifacts')"
system_prompt: agents/reviewer.md
pipeline:
max_task_retries: 1
continue_on_task_failure: false
stages:
- id: plan
type: agent
agent: planner
output: plan.md
- id: context
type: repo_context
output: context-pack.md
- id: implement
type: code_writer
agent: implementer
output: proposed.patch
- id: normalize
type: patch_normalizer
output: normalized.patch
- id: validate_patch
type: patch_validator
output: patch-validation.md
- id: apply_patch
type: patch_apply
mode: apply
output: patch-apply-output.txt
on_fail: implement
- id: test
type: command
commands:
- python -m unittest discover -v
output: test-output.txt
on_fail: implement
- id: review
type: agent_review
agent: reviewer
on_fail: implement
output: review.md
- id: summarize
type: summarize
output: final-notes.md
This uses fake command-backed planner and code-writer fixtures so the pipeline is deterministic but still inspects files and modifies real files through patch mode. Replace the fake agent commands later with your real local agent wrapper.
3. Add tasks.md
# Tasks
- [ ] TASK-001: Parse Lisp expressions
Description:
Implement tokenization and parsing for a tiny Lisp subset.
Acceptance Criteria:
- Parses numbers
- Parses symbols
- Parses nested lists
- Raises useful errors for unbalanced parentheses
- Includes unit tests
- [ ] TASK-002: Evaluate arithmetic forms
Dependencies:
- TASK-001
Description:
Evaluate parsed arithmetic expressions.
Acceptance Criteria:
- Supports `+`, `-`, `*`, and `/`
- Evaluates nested arithmetic
- Includes unit tests
- [ ] TASK-003: Add variables and definitions
Dependencies:
- TASK-002
Description:
Add an environment and support variable lookup and definitions.
Acceptance Criteria:
- Supports symbol lookup
- Supports `(define name value)`
- Keeps environment behavior tested
- [ ] TASK-004: Add conditionals
Dependencies:
- TASK-003
Description:
Implement simple truthiness and `if` expressions.
Acceptance Criteria:
- Supports `(if condition then else)`
- Handles false-like values consistently
- Includes tests for both branches
4. Add Prompt Files and Fake Agent Fixtures
agents/planner.md:
You are the planning agent. Create a small, conservative plan for the task.
Do not write code. Include files to edit, tests to add, and risks.
agents/implementer.md:
You are the implementation agent. Output only a unified diff.
Preserve existing behavior and include tests when needed.
The config above also expects two deterministic Python fixtures:
agents/fake_planner.py
agents/fake_code_writer.py
If you have the NightShift checkout locally, copy the working fixtures from the included example project.
PowerShell:
Copy-Item C:\Users\metis\Documents\GitHub\nightShift\examples\quickstart-lisp\agents\fake_planner.py agents\
Copy-Item C:\Users\metis\Documents\GitHub\nightShift\examples\quickstart-lisp\agents\fake_code_writer.py agents\
Bash:
cp /path/to/nightShift/examples/quickstart-lisp/agents/fake_planner.py agents/
cp /path/to/nightShift/examples/quickstart-lisp/agents/fake_code_writer.py agents/
These fixtures make the manual project behave like examples/quickstart-lisp/: the fake planner requests repository context, and the fake code writer emits a real unified diff.
agents/reviewer.md:
You are the review agent. Decide whether the task should pass, retry, or fail.
Output:
status: pass | fail | retry | escalate
reason: <short explanation>
next_stage: <optional stage id>
context_update: <compact useful note>
5. Add an Initial Passing Test File
# tests/test_lisp.py
import unittest
class SmokeTests(unittest.TestCase):
def test_smoke(self):
self.assertTrue(True)
if __name__ == "__main__":
unittest.main()
6. Validate and Run
nightshift validate
nightshift status
nightshift run --task TASK-001
Run all currently runnable tasks:
nightshift run --all
The included examples/quickstart-lisp/ fake code writer implements the first parser task by emitting a patch. It exercises lookup, context-pack generation, patch normalization, validation, application, tests, reports, and artifacts before you connect a real model-backed agent.
Use mode: dry_run on the patch_apply stage when you want to verify that a patch would apply without changing files. Use mode: apply when the validated patch should be written to the target project.
7. Review Artifacts
After a run, inspect:
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/run-summary.md
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/plan.md
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/files-inspected.md
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/context-pack.md
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/proposed.patch
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/normalized.patch
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/patch-validation.md
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/applied.patch
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/patch-apply-output.txt
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/test-output.txt
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/review.md
.nightshift/runs/<run-id>/tasks/TASK-001/final-notes.md
The useful signal is whether NightShift selected the right task, respected dependencies, generated context, validated and applied a patch, ran tests, wrote artifacts, updated task completion, and produced a clear summary.