Agent Code Guard

Code Guard skill distribution

The agent-code-guard Python distribution is the single versioned release unit. It contains the code-guard CLI, runtime, and an inert, version-matched skill payload. Keep their lifecycle steps distinct:

  1. Install the Python distribution with pipx, pip, or uv.
  2. Invoke the installed code-guard CLI.

  3. Locate the bundled skill:

    code-guard --skill-path

  4. If the agent platform needs a copied payload, optionally export it:

    code-guard --export-skill <target-directory>
  5. Let the agent platform discover or activate that directory through its own supported mechanism.

pipx installs and isolates the command; it does not register the skill with every agent platform. Agent Code Guard does not know a universal skill directory or activation API. Platform activation is separate, and exporting into a persistent skill directory or changing platform configuration requires user authorization.

CLI-only use needs no skill export. For example, code-guard . --changed-only runs independently of whether a platform has activated the bundled skill. The skill does not affect startup, scope, configuration, parser loading, findings, or exits.

Discovery and export guarantees

--skill-path prints the absolute path of the active installed distribution’s canonical payload without project discovery, configuration loading, Git work, or guard execution.

--export-skill copies into exactly the supplied directory. The target must be missing or empty; export rejects a non-empty target and never overwrites it. The export contains SKILL.md, LICENSE.txt, agents/openai.yaml, the policy files under references/, and a generated .agent-code-guard-version marker recording the producing distribution identity. After upgrading Agent Code Guard, refresh any exported snapshot so the platform uses the newly installed version-matched skill.

The checkout compatibility runner at skills/code-guard/scripts/code_guard.py is for repository and skill compatibility development. It is excluded from installed skill payloads and is not a normal installation or execution path.

For read-only troubleshooting, code-guard doctor or code-guard doctor --json validates the bundled payload along with the active runtime and providers. It does not export or activate a skill. See the human and agent workflow for execution cadence rather than duplicating it here.