Quick Start

Get Canon running in your repository in 5 minutes.

This quick start tracks 0.63.0.

1. Install

• macOS / Linux (Homebrew):

  brew tap apply-the/canon && brew install canon

• Windows (winget):

  winget install ApplyThe.Canon

2. Initialize

Navigate to your project root and run:

canon init

3. Create Authored Input

Canon governs knowledge based on your input. Create a simple brief:

mkdir -p canon-input
cat > canon-input/requirements.md <<EOF
# Requirements Brief
## Problem
Users need a clear "Quick Start" guide.
## Outcome
Users reach their first successful run in minutes.
EOF

4. Run Canon

Start a governed run using the requirements mode:

canon run \
  --mode requirements \
  --risk bounded-impact \
  --zone yellow \
  --owner product-lead \
  --input canon-input/requirements.md

Save the RUN_ID returned by the command.

5. Check Status & Publish

Check the status of your run:

# Replace <RUN_ID> with the ID from the previous step
canon status --run <RUN_ID>

When the run is ready, publish the artifacts to your repository:

canon publish <RUN_ID>

For requirements, the governed packet will be materialized under the default publish destination specs/<YYYY-MM-DD>-<descriptor>/, unless you override it with --to.

Next Steps

• Explore [[Canon Modes|Canon-Modes]] to see what else you can govern.
• Read [[Core Concepts|Core-Concepts]] to understand the governance model.
• See [[Examples]] for more complex scenarios.