bmad skill for Claude Code: set up BMad and get next-step advice

Makes your agent act as BMad: it recommends the next BMad skill, answers questions, and sets up or repairs the install.

Installs: 14.9K; on skills.sh
Stars: 54.9K; on GitHub
Files: 28; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Nov 2026; last repo commit

The bmad skill is the hub of the BMad Method. It makes your agent speak as BMad, read the help of every installed BMad module, and recommend the next skill and why. It can also run those skills in turn when you ask.

It triggers when you ask bmad for help, what to do next or where to start, when you set up, update, repair, doctor or migrate an install, add modules, or switch the active initiative. It needs uv, and its setup runs Python scripts and npx skills commands in your project.

The README calls this v7 line a preview alpha, so expect breaking changes.

Good for

Developers adopting the BMad Method for AI-driven delivery
Teams who need to update, repair or migrate a BMad install
Anyone unsure which installed BMad skill to run next

Install bmad

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the bmad skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

/plugin marketplace add bmad-code-org/bmad-plugins

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Pick one route, not both. Plugin route: add the marketplace, then install the plugin that holds the bmad skill, plus bmad-method for the delivery workflows. Plugin names differ between sources: the BMAD-METHOD README says to install bmad-method and bmad-core-tools, but the bmad-plugins README and its marketplace manifest list bmad-method and bmad-toolbox, and the bmad skill sits in the toolbox plugin's skills folder. Use the names that /plugin shows after you add the marketplace. The repo has 21 skills under the method plugin and 8 under the toolbox plugin. With a plugin, update through the marketplace, then ask for bmad setup. Skills CLI route: run it in your project; --skill '*' installs the full BMad Method and asks which coding tools to install to, so choose Claude Code. Then ask the bmad skill to run bmad setup. BMad needs uv for its setup and Python scripts. The README calls v7 a preview alpha with breaking changes between updates.

From the project README. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Answers BMad questions and recommends the next skill from what is installed. Use when the user asks bmad for help, what to do next or where to start; to set up, update, repair, doctor, migrate or check the status of the installation, or add modules; or to see or change the active initiative.

Sections in SKILL.md

Actions
Help and conversation

Key facts

Author: bmad-code-org (repo owner; LICENSE names BMad Code, LLC)
Repo: bmad-code-org/bmad-method, folder skills/bmad
Installs on skills.sh: 14,853 as of 2 Nov 2026
GitHub stars: 54,859 for the whole bmad-code-org/bmad-method repo, 2 Nov 2026
License: MIT (LICENSE file and README badge)
Last commit in the repo: 2026-11-01
What is inside: 29 files including SKILL.md: 4 reference guides, 12 Python scripts, 10 test files, a config template and a module record
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub pass, Socket pass, Snyk pass
Needs: uv, plus Node.js and Git for the skills CLI route
Status: V7 preview alpha; the stable line is v6.12 with a different installer

What it includes

Reads each installed module's help, then answers and recommends
Runs knowledge.py to load the help of every installed BMad module, reads the project's active initiative, and recommends the next skill from that help, not from memory.
Try: “bmad, where should I start on this feature?”
Runs code · Help and conversation
Checks the install, reports, then fixes what you choose
Runs setup.py with --status first (it writes nothing), then updates modules with `npx skills update -p -y` or `-g -y`, asks the config questions, writes the answers to a temporary TOML file and refreshes the _bmad folder.
Try: “bmad setup”
Runs code · Setup, status, update, repair
Deletes old or duplicate skill copies
Removes retired skills and duplicate copies that the check lists. The reference says to ask before deleting anything and to warn when a path is global.
Delete · Remove retired and duplicate skills
Removes leftovers from v6 after a backup
Lists v6 leftovers and offers once to remove them. On yes it copies _bmad/ to a .v6-v7-migration-backup folder first, then deletes the leftovers.
Delete · Clean up v6
Moves project files to a newer module version
Finds migration files shipped by installed modules, checks which apply, shows a plan for your approval, and follows the file. It never pushes and never deletes files outside version control.
Try: “bmad migrate”
Write · Migrate
Lists, creates, switches or clears the initiative in use
Lists initiative folders in the output folder, creates initiative-<slug>.md for a new one, and records the active one in _bmad/custom/config.user.toml.
Write · Active initiative

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

It runs package commands without prompting
The setup reference says to run `npx skills` commands itself, with -y, and to ask before deleting anything or running a migration. Check which modules the status report lists before you let it update. github.com
It can delete skill folders
Retired skills and duplicate copies can be removed. When a path is global, the delete affects every project on the machine, so check the path the agent names. github.com
v6 cleanup deletes files after a backup
With --clean, migrate_v6.py copies _bmad/ to a .v6-v7-migration-backup folder, then removes leftovers. Keep the project in version control anyway. github.com
Module authors can show you install messages
Messages from modules are shown quoted and are not followed as instructions. Read them before you accept an install. github.com
This is a preview release
The README says v7 is a preview alpha with breaking changes between updates. github.com
The plugin route adds 29 skills and some run scripts
The bmad-plugins repo has 21 skills in its method plugin and 8 in its toolbox plugin. The marketplace repo has no hooks file or .mcp.json, and the Claude marketplace manifest sets strict to false. Several skills bundle Python scripts, for example plugins/method/skills/bmad-architecture/scripts/lint_spine.py. github.com

Technical details

Turning on read-only	The SKILL.md defines no read-only switch.
Talks to	npx skills commands download skills from their sources. setup.py reads module records over HTTPS from raw.githubusercontent.com, with a 10 second timeout
Scopes	Runs uv scripts from the skill folder (setup.py, knowledge.py, migrate_v6.py and others) Runs `npx skills update` and `npx skills` installs with -y Writes the _bmad folder, _bmad/custom/config.user.toml and a temporary .bmad-help-setup-modules.toml Can delete retired skills, duplicate skill copies and v6 leftovers

Questions

What does the bmad skill do?

It makes your agent act as BMad, the advisor for the BMad Method. It reads the help of every installed module, recommends the next skill, and sets up, updates or repairs the install.

How do I install it?

Use the install box on this page. The README installs the whole method with one skills CLI command, or through a plugin marketplace in Claude Code or Codex, then you ask the bmad skill to run bmad setup. You need uv, and Node.js and Git for the skills CLI command.

Is it stable?

Not yet. The README calls v7 a preview alpha and says to expect breaking changes between updates. The stable line is v6.12, installed with a different command, and the README says v6.12 is the recommended choice if you need stability.

What happens when I ask it to run setup?

It checks first and writes nothing. It then updates modules with npx skills update -y, asks the config questions for each module, and refreshes the _bmad folder. It asks before deleting anything or running a migration.

Does it work in Codex or Cursor?

The README says you need an AI coding tool that supports skills. It documents a skills CLI install that asks which coding tools to install to, plus Claude Code and Codex plugin marketplaces. The v6.12 line has a separate npm installer.

Is it safe to run?

It runs Python scripts and npx skills commands in your project and can delete old skill copies, so use it in a repo under version control. The reference says it asks before deleting and shows a plan before a migration. See the Watch out list.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: bmad-code-org/bmad-method
Folder: skills/bmad

bmad-code-org/bmad-method skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 8

BMAD-METHOD README · github.com
bmad-plugins README · github.com
bmad-plugins Claude marketplace manifest · github.com
bmad SKILL.md · github.com
setup.md · github.com
help.md · github.com
migrate_v6.py · github.com
setup.py · github.com