# Archon: features, protocols, quickstart

## TL;DR

Archon is an MIT-licensed workflow engine for AI coding agents, published under the coleam00 GitHub account. Development processes are written as YAML graphs that mix bash or script steps with AI steps, run in git worktrees, and can pause for approval. It drives Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Copilot or Pi. The 0.x line replaced an earlier RAG-based Archon.

## Key facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Type | Framework |
| Languages / SDKs | TypeScript |
| License | MIT |
| Pricing model | Open source, free |
| Orchestration pattern | Pipeline |
| GitHub stars | 23,586 (as of 2026-09-30) |
| GitHub forks | 3,489 |
| Last push | 2026-09-27 |
| Latest release | v0.11.1 |
| Repository | [coleam00/Archon](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon) |
| Website | [archon.diy](https://archon.diy) |
| Documentation | [archon.diy](https://archon.diy/) |
| Last verified | 2026-09-30 |

## Key features

- Workflows are YAML DAGs: nodes without dependencies start at once, nodes in the same layer run concurrently, and join rules and `when:` conditions control convergence and branching. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/authoring-workflows/))
- Steps can be AI prompts, bash or script nodes, loops that repeat until a signal such as ALL_TASKS_COMPLETE, or nested workflows run as governed child runs. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/authoring-workflows/))
- Five assistants can be configured and mixed inside one workflow: Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot and Pi. ([source](https://archon.diy/getting-started/ai-assistants/))
- Approval nodes pause a run for a human and can run an AI rework prompt on rejection, re-pausing at the same gate up to a set number of attempts. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/approval-nodes/))
- Each run can get its own git worktree so several workflows run in parallel without touching one another's files. ([source](https://archon.diy/book/isolation/))
- Per-node MCP servers are declared in a JSON file and attached to Claude, Codex or Copilot nodes. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/mcp-servers/))
- Claude nodes can define inline sub-agents in the workflow YAML that the main agent spawns in parallel. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/authoring-workflows/))
- Workflows run from the CLI, a web console, Slack, Telegram, Discord or GitHub webhooks, and 19 default workflows ship with it, including a five-reviewer parallel PR review. ([source](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/blob/HEAD/README.md))

## Architecture and orchestration pattern

Pattern: Pipeline.

Archon is a Bun and TypeScript application with a CLI, a web console (`archon serve`) and chat adapters, backed by SQLite by default or PostgreSQL. A workflow is a YAML file in `.archon/workflows/` that declares nodes and their dependencies. The engine resolves the graph, runs independent nodes concurrently, records each run with events and artifacts, and executes AI nodes by launching one of the supported assistant runtimes; it does not call raw model APIs.

Multi-agent structure comes from the graph rather than from an agent conversation. Parallel branches can use different assistants, fan-out nodes run N copies of one step, loop nodes iterate with a fresh session or shared context, and a node can start another workflow as a child run. Claude nodes may also declare inline sub-agents. State between nodes is passed by node output substitution and files in an artifacts directory; sessions can be fresh, shared or resumed from an upstream node.

The docs state that current Archon has no knowledge base, vector store or embeddings; those belonged to versions 1 to 6, a different product preserved on archive branches.

### Human in the loop

Approval nodes stop a run with a message and wait for the user to approve or reject; an optional response comment can be captured as output, and an on_reject prompt lets an AI node rework the change before the gate pauses again (default 3 attempts, range 1 to 10). Loop nodes can set `interactive: true` to pause for human input until an approval word appears. Run detail pages in the web console offer governance actions. Workflows commonly place an approval gate before the pull-request step.

### Harnesses it can drive

- Claude Code ([evidence](https://archon.diy/getting-started/ai-assistants/))
- Codex ([evidence](https://archon.diy/getting-started/ai-assistants/))
- OpenCode ([evidence](https://archon.diy/getting-started/ai-assistants/))

## Protocols

| Protocol | Support | Evidence | Note |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| MCP | Yes (checked 2026-09-30) | [link](https://archon.diy/guides/mcp-servers/) | Client: DAG nodes take an mcp field pointing to a JSON server config (stdio, HTTP or SSE); it works with Claude, Codex and Copilot nodes, and Pi and OpenCode nodes warn and ignore it. No MCP server mode was found. |
| A2A | Unknown (checked 2026-09-30) | — | Not found in the README or the complete docs (llms-full.txt); GitHub code search for a2a matched only bun.lock, and agent2agent and ag-ui returned nothing. |
| AG-UI | Unknown (checked 2026-09-30) | — | Not found in the README or the complete docs (llms-full.txt); GitHub code search for ag-ui returned nothing and Archon is not in the AG-UI README integration list. |

## Best for

- Encoding a repeatable plan, implement, validate, review and PR process as YAML instead of relying on one open-ended agent session. ([shortlist](https://multiagentguide.top/best/coding-agents.md))
- Running several fixes or features in parallel, each in its own git worktree with its own workflow run. ([shortlist](https://multiagentguide.top/best/parallel-coding-agents.md))
- Mixing Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Copilot or Pi across the nodes of one workflow, with parallel reviewer branches.
- Putting a human approval gate before a pull request is created, with AI rework on rejection.
- Triggering coding workflows from GitHub issues, Slack or Telegram and running them on your own machine or server. ([shortlist](https://multiagentguide.top/best/self-hosted-local.md))

## Not for

- Open-ended multi-agent conversation or agent-to-agent negotiation; coordination is a fixed graph.
- Knowledge-base or RAG applications; the docs state current Archon has no vector store or embeddings.
- Setups that need Claude Code bundled in the binary; the quick-install binaries need a separately installed Claude Code and CLAUDE_BIN_PATH.

## Quickstart

```sh
curl -fsSL https://archon.diy/install | bash
```

Install not yet verified by this site.

```bash
# CLI only (macOS/Linux); Claude Code must be installed separately
curl -fsSL https://archon.diy/install | bash
export CLAUDE_BIN_PATH="$HOME/.local/bin/claude"

# from your target repository
cd /path/to/your/project
archon workflow list

# start the web console
archon serve
```

```yaml
# .archon/workflows/build-feature.yaml (nodes run in dependency order)
nodes:
  - id: plan
    prompt: "Explore the codebase and write an implementation plan"
  - id: run-tests
    depends_on: [plan]
    bash: "bun run validate"
```

### Common pitfalls

- The macOS/Linux quick-install binary needs an x64 CPU with AVX2; older CPUs and VMs that hide AVX2 should install from source. Windows quick install is a separate PowerShell command.
- Compiled binaries do not bundle Claude Code: install it and set `CLAUDE_BIN_PATH` (or `assistants.claude.claudeBinaryPath` in `~/.archon/config.yaml`). Codex and the other assistants are also installed separately.
- Run the coding agent from your target repository, not from the Archon repository.
- The mcp node field is ignored on Pi and OpenCode nodes, and per-node MCP configs are not loaded for loop nodes (loop-nodes docs).
- If a workflow sets `worktree: enabled: false`, concurrent runs on the same path are rejected rather than queued.
- Anonymous telemetry is on by default; opt out with `ARCHON_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1`.
- This is the 0.x rewrite; the original Python Archon (task management and RAG) lives on an archive branch.

Official quickstart: https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/blob/HEAD/README.md

## Pros

- The workflow graph fixes the order of planning, validation and review, and mixes deterministic bash steps with AI steps. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/authoring-workflows/))
- Worktree isolation lets several workflow runs proceed in parallel without conflicts. ([source](https://archon.diy/book/isolation/))
- Approval gates with AI rework on rejection are a built-in node type. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/approval-nodes/))
- Five assistant runtimes can be mixed within one workflow. ([source](https://archon.diy/getting-started/ai-assistants/))
- MIT-licensed with 19 bundled workflows that can be overridden by same-named files in a repository. ([source](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/blob/HEAD/README.md))

## Cons

- The current 0.x series is a ground-up rewrite that is not backward compatible with versions 1 to 6, which are no longer maintained. ([source](https://archon.diy/getting-started/what-archon-is-not/))
- Per-node MCP config is ignored on Pi and OpenCode nodes. ([source](https://archon.diy/guides/mcp-servers/))
- The web console's workflow builder is labelled experimental and covers a bounded set of node forms. ([source](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/blob/HEAD/README.md))
- Open issues track Windows problems such as a stop that can miss processes whose parent exited. ([source](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/issues/3492))
- Anonymous telemetry is enabled by default and needs an environment variable to disable. ([source](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/blob/HEAD/README.md))

## Alternatives

- [Vibe Kanban](https://multiagentguide.top/tools/vibe-kanban.md)
- [Symphony](https://multiagentguide.top/tools/symphony.md)
- [Claude Squad](https://multiagentguide.top/tools/claude-squad.md)
- [LangGraph](https://multiagentguide.top/tools/langgraph.md)
- [n8n](https://multiagentguide.top/tools/n8n.md)

## FAQ

### Is Archon an agent framework?

It is a workflow engine for AI coding assistants. It defines the order of steps in YAML and launches supported assistants (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Copilot, Pi) to fill in the AI steps; it does not provide an agent library or raw model API.

### Does Archon support MCP?

As a client, per node: an mcp field attaches servers from a JSON file to Claude, Codex and Copilot nodes. Pi and OpenCode nodes ignore it.

### How does Archon handle multiple agents?

Parallel DAG branches (for example five reviewer nodes), fan-out nodes, nested child workflows, inline Claude sub-agents, and one git worktree per run. It has no free-form agent-to-agent chat.

### Is this the same Archon as the RAG and task-management project?

No. The README says the original Python-based Archon is preserved on an archive branch, and the docs say versions 1 to 6 were a different product.

## Sources

- [Archon repository README](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/blob/HEAD/README.md)
- [Archon docs home](https://archon.diy/)
- [Docs: Authoring workflows](https://archon.diy/guides/authoring-workflows/)
- [Docs: AI assistants](https://archon.diy/getting-started/ai-assistants/)
- [Docs: Approval nodes](https://archon.diy/guides/approval-nodes/)
- [Docs: Isolation (worktrees)](https://archon.diy/book/isolation/)
- [Docs: Per-node MCP servers](https://archon.diy/guides/mcp-servers/)
- [Docs: What Archon is not](https://archon.diy/getting-started/what-archon-is-not/)
- [Docs: llms-full.txt](https://archon.diy/llms-full.txt)
- [Issue 3492: Windows stop can miss processes](https://github.com/coleam00/Archon/issues/3492)

## Unknown fields

protocols.a2a and protocols.agui: searched README, llms-full.txt for archon.diy and GitHub code search; no documented support (a2a matched only bun.lock).

Corrections or removal requests: support@multiagentguide.top

---

Data as of 2026-09-30. Not affiliated with listed projects. HTML version: https://multiagentguide.top/tools/archon