Dev & Engineering spec-driven-developmenttddgit-worktreecode-reviewquality-gatesmulti-llm-routing

MoAI Development Harness

A Claude Code harness that turns coding work into gated SPEC workflows with model routing and budget controls.

FollowAgents review · FARS-2.1
Use with care
66/ 100 5-point scale 3.3 / 5
1 2 3 4 5 6
Per-dimension scores and reasoning
1Trust19 / 29 · 3.3/5

Evidence shows: CI workflow explicitly declares least-privilege (contents: read) and comments that no extra scope is needed; auto-merge workflow requires write permissions but only for merging PRs. User confirmation mechanisms exist: Token Circuit Breaker only suggests /clear, never auto-executes; learning ladder auto-update requires user approval; Harness v4 Builder has approval gate. Data flow transparency: status line shows context usage, cache hit rate, etc.; verification output redirected to disk files, evidence persisted. Sensitive data handling: MCP templates use ${VAR} env var references, avoiding literal secrets; security policy recommends env vars. Dependency security: go.mod lists many dependencies but no vulnerability scanning evidence; CI includes CodeQL workflow (file not provided). External effects: auto-merge workflow may auto-merge PRs but only after CI success; install scripts fetched from remote, not reviewed. Rollback: moai update supports auto-rollback, harness rollback can undo learning applications. Source attribution: README and LICENSE clearly attribute copyright to Modu AI, but publisher unverified. Deductions: dependency security lacks concrete vulnerability scanning evidence; install scripts not reviewed; auto-merge may reduce human review.

2Reliability9 / 14 · 3.2/5

Evidence shows: README-described features are consistent with CLI commands, agent catalog, etc., internal consistency good. Dependency availability: go.mod lists many dependencies but no lock file or vendor directory provided, availability depends on upstream. Failure messages: CI test scripts have clear PASS/FAIL output, but product's own error messages not detailed in provided files. Deductions: dependency availability lacks lock file; failure messages insufficient at product level.

3Adaptability12 / 18 · 3.3/5

Evidence shows: README clearly targets Claude Code users, provides multiple usage scenarios (plan/run/sync, goal/loop, CG mode, etc.). Capability boundaries: docs mention supported platforms (macOS/Linux/Windows WSL) and unsupported (native cmd.exe), and list prerequisites. Trigger precision: /moai commands have clear subcommands and natural language routing, but detailed trigger conditions not provided. Environment fit: multi-platform support, but Windows native not supported, requires WSL. Deductions: trigger precision lacks detailed documentation; environment fit has platform limitations.

4Convention12 / 18 · 3.3/5

Evidence shows: Information architecture clear, README has TOC, docs site links, CLI reference. Install notes detailed, multiple installation methods. Naming stability: version v3.0.2, CHANGELOG link. Examples and FAQ: README includes quickstart and FAQ. Known limitations: docs mention retired subcommands and platform limitations. License: Apache-2.0 full text. Versioning changelog: CHANGELOG.md link. Maintenance responsibility: contribution guide and security policy. Deductions: CHANGELOG content not provided, version history incomplete; maintenance responsibility not specific maintainers.

5Effectiveness9 / 13 · 3.5/5

Evidence shows: Output usability: status line provides real-time info, verification output redirected to files, evidence persisted. Marginal value: provides cost control, quality gates, self-improvement etc., clear added value over bare Claude Code. Cost-benefit: docs claim CG mode saves 60-70% cost, but no independent verification. Deductions: cost savings claims lack independent verification; output usability depends on terminal environment.

6Verifiability5 / 8 · 3.1/5

Evidence shows: README performance data (e.g., DeepSWE leaderboard) lacks source links, but docs site may provide. Cross-source corroboration: CI workflows and test scripts provide some verification, but no independent third-party verification. Fact-inference separation: README distinguishes facts (e.g., version numbers) from inferences (e.g., cost savings), but some claims (e.g., '16x cheaper') lack data sources. Deductions: performance data lacks sources; cross-source corroboration insufficient.

Evidence confidence: Low Reviewed Aug 09, 2026 Reviewed revision 5a929480a8f1
The upstream repository has new commits since this review. The score still applies to the reviewed revision shown and may not cover the latest changes.
Before you use it
  • Publisher identity unverified; install scripts fetched from remote, review them before execution.
  • Dependency security lacks vulnerability scanning evidence; check dependencies for known vulnerabilities.
  • Auto-merge workflow may reduce human review; monitor PR merge strategy.
  • Performance claims (e.g., cost savings) lack independent verification; treat with caution.
Review evidence [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
See the full review method →

What does this agent do, and when should you use it?

MoAI-ADK is a single-binary Go harness that wraps Claude Code on macOS, Linux, and Windows. Its central workflow is a SPEC lifecycle: /moai plan creates a specification, /moai run implements it with TDD or DDD, and /moai sync updates documentation and creates a PR. The tool ships TRUST 5 quality gates, an 11-agent catalog for planning, implementation, auditing, documentation, and E2E work, plus Git worktree isolation. It also exposes model-and-effort profiles, a Token Circuit Breaker, a statusline, and handoff records for managing long-running sessions. It fits teams already committed to Claude Code that want an opinionated operational layer around their repository workflow.

moai init detects a project's language, framework, and methodology, then generates Claude Code integration files. From a project directory, the user launches claude and runs /moai plan "Add JWT login", /moai run SPEC-AUTH-001, and /moai sync SPEC-AUTH-001 to author a SPEC, implement it, synchronize documentation, and create a PR. /moai goal and /moai loop drive declarative completion loops and scan LSP diagnostics, AST-grep, and linters in parallel; /moai gate, /moai review, and /moai clean run gates, reviews, and dead-code cleanup. moai cc, moai glm, and moai cg launch Claude-only, GLM-only, or Claude-leader/GLM-worker sessions, while moai worktree manages isolated SPEC worktrees.

  1. A Claude Code team adding an authentication feature and needing an evidence-oriented plan → run → sync workflow rather than an ad hoc coding session.
  2. A maintainer of a legacy repository with under 10% test coverage who needs DDD and characterization tests before incremental changes.
  3. An engineering team running several specifications in parallel and needing separate Git worktrees to prevent overlapping edits.
  4. A usage-metered team that wants to assign model and reasoning effort differently to planning, implementation, and audit work.
  5. A team with implementation-heavy tasks that wants Claude to own planning and audits while GLM workers perform bulk implementation.

What are this agent's strengths and limitations?

Pros
  • Defines a concrete /moai plan → /moai run → /moai sync SPEC lifecycle with verification depth tied to task size.
  • Applies TRUST 5 gates across testing, readability, consistency, security, and traceability; the documented testing bar is 85%+ coverage.
  • Separates authoring and evaluation through named independent roles such as plan-auditor and sync-auditor.
  • Provides model/effort profiles, a Token Circuit Breaker, and a Claude-plus-GLM execution mode for operational cost control.
  • Ships as one Go binary with no extra runtime dependencies and documented support for macOS, Linux, and Windows.
Limitations
  • Its core workflow depends on Claude Code, so it is not documented as a standalone coding application, SDK, or provider-neutral agent.
  • It requires Git plus a local shell and filesystem workflow; native Windows cmd.exe is explicitly unsupported, with WSL recommended.
  • CG mode requires tmux, and GLM use requires a z.ai API key or subscription, adding environment and provider setup.
  • The gates rely on a project's available test, lint, and language toolchain; the supplied evidence does not establish equivalent verification coverage for every language.
  • Fully-autonomous mode requires sandbox proof and otherwise downgrades to automatic; deny/ask safety rules still apply.

How do you install or deploy this agent?

Install Git and Claude Code first. On macOS, Linux, or WSL:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modu-ai/moai-adk/main/install.sh | bash

On Windows with PowerShell 7.x+:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/modu-ai/moai-adk/main/install.ps1 | iex

To build from source, use Go 1.26+:

git clone https://github.com/modu-ai/moai-adk.git
cd moai-adk && make build

Then initialize a project with moai init my-project. gh is recommended for PR automation; tmux is required for CG mode.

How do you use this agent?

Inside an initialized project, launch Claude Code:

claude

Then run:

/moai plan "Add JWT login"
/moai run SPEC-AUTH-001
/moai sync SPEC-AUTH-001

These commands create a SPEC, implement it with TDD or DDD, then synchronize documentation and create a PR. For the GLM backend, save a z.ai API key and enter hybrid mode:

moai glm sk-your-glm-api-key
moai cg

Use moai cc for a Claude-only session.

How does this agent compare with similar options?

The documented execution choices are moai cc for Claude-only work, moai glm for GLM-only work, and moai cg for a Claude leader with GLM workers. The README positions Claude-only mode for complex, highest-quality work, GLM-only mode for cost optimization, and CG mode for keeping strategy, planning, and audits with Claude while delegating bulk implementation to GLM.

FAQ

Can I use it without Claude Code?
Not as documented. MoAI-ADK is described as a harness for Claude Code, and its first workflow starts by launching claude in the project.
Do I have to use GLM?
No. moai cc launches a Claude-only session. moai glm and moai cg are documented cost-oriented alternatives.
What permission safeguards apply to autonomous mode?
semi-auto is the default. fully-autonomous uses bypassPermissions but requires an environment marker or --sandbox-proof; without proof it downgrades to automatic, and deny/ask rules remain binding.
What happens when a long task reaches its token budget?
The Token Circuit Breaker stops at the hard limit, documented as 90% by default, writes progress to progress.md, and provides a paste-ready resume message.

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