Getting Started with Atlas

Prerequisites

• VS Code with the Language Model API (no provider keys required)
• Node.js 18 or higher
• A git repository to manage contracts and audit bundles

1. Install the extension

# From the VS Code Marketplace, search "Atlas - Agentic SDLC"
# or install the VSIX directly:
code --install-extension atlas-sdlc.vsix

2. Initialize Atlas in your repo

npx atlas init
# scaffolds /contracts, /skills, and a per-service constitution

3. Write your first contract

Contracts are Markdown with YAML frontmatter, layered domain → capability → component.

---
id: capability/checkout
layer: capability
owner: payments
status: draft
---

# Checkout
The system MUST accept a cart and return an order confirmation.
It MUST reject carts whose total is below the configured minimum.

4. Run the loops

Atlas runs three concurrent loops: the trigger loop turns intent into a contract, the foreground loop implements it behind review gates, and the background loop watches for drift.

# Trigger: translate intent into a contract draft
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Atlas: Translate Intent"

# Foreground: implement the active contract
Ctrl+Shift+P → "Atlas: Implement Contract"

5. Clear the review gates

Every implementation pauses at a mandatory human review gate. License scanning, schema validation, and contract tracing must pass before a merge, and each change carries an audit bundle with resolved prompt hashes.

Ctrl+Shift+P → "Atlas: Open Review Gate"
# Approve, request changes, or reject - the Reviewer agent attaches its rationale