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Getting Started Install BMad and build your first project

Build software faster using AI-powered workflows with specialized agents that guide you through planning, architecture, and implementation.

What You'll Learn

  • Install and initialize BMad Method for a new project
  • Use BMad-Help — your intelligent guide that knows what to do next
  • Choose the right planning track for your project size
  • Progress through phases from requirements to working code
  • Use agents and workflows effectively

:::note[Prerequisites]

  • Node.js 20+ — Required for the installer
  • Git — Recommended for version control
  • AI-powered IDE — Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or similar
  • A project idea — Even a simple one works for learning :::

:::tip[The Easiest Path] Install → npx bmad-method install Ask → /bmad-help what should I do first? Build → Let BMad-Help guide you workflow by workflow :::

Meet BMad-Help: Your Intelligent Guide

BMad-Help is the fastest way to get started with BMad. You don't need to memorize workflows or phases — just ask, and BMad-Help will:

  • Inspect your project to see what's already been done
  • Show your options based on which modules you have installed
  • Recommend what's next — including the first required task
  • Answer questions like "I have a SaaS idea, where do I start?"

How to Use BMad-Help

Run it in your AI IDE with just the slash command:

/bmad-help

Or combine it with a question for context-aware guidance:

/bmad-help I have an idea for a SaaS product, I already know all the features I want. where do I get started?

BMad-Help will respond with:

  • What's recommended for your situation
  • What the first required task is
  • What the rest of the process looks like

It Powers Workflows Too

BMad-Help doesn't just answer questions — it automatically runs at the end of every workflow to tell you exactly what to do next. No guessing, no searching docs — just clear guidance on the next required workflow.

:::tip[Start Here] After installing BMad, run /bmad-help immediately. It will detect what modules you have installed and guide you to the right starting point for your project. :::

Understanding BMad

BMad helps you build software through guided workflows with specialized AI agents. The process follows four phases:

Phase Name What Happens
1 Analysis Brainstorming, research, product brief (optional)
2 Planning Create requirements (PRD or tech-spec)
3 Solutioning Design architecture (BMad Method/Enterprise only)
4 Implementation Build epic by epic, story by story

Open the Workflow Map to explore phases, workflows, and context management.

Based on your project's complexity, BMad offers three planning tracks:

Track Best For Documents Created
Quick Flow Bug fixes, simple features, clear scope (1-15 stories) Tech-spec only
BMad Method Products, platforms, complex features (10-50+ stories) PRD + Architecture + UX
Enterprise Compliance, multi-tenant systems (30+ stories) PRD + Architecture + Security + DevOps

:::note Story counts are guidance, not definitions. Choose your track based on planning needs, not story math. :::

Installation

Open a terminal in your project directory and run:

npx bmad-method install

When prompted to select modules, choose BMad Method.

The installer creates two folders:

  • _bmad/ — agents, workflows, tasks, and configuration
  • _bmad-output/ — empty for now, but this is where your artifacts will be saved

:::tip[Your Next Step] Open your AI IDE in the project folder and run:

/bmad-help

BMad-Help will detect what you've completed and recommend exactly what to do next. You can also ask it questions like "What are my options?" or "I have a SaaS idea, where should I start?" :::

:::note[How to Load Agents and Run Workflows] Each workflow has a slash command you run in your IDE (e.g., /bmad-bmm-create-prd). Running a workflow command automatically loads the appropriate agent — you don't need to load agents separately. You can also load an agent directly for general conversation (e.g., /bmad-agent-bmm-pm for the PM agent). :::

:::caution[Fresh Chats] Always start a fresh chat for each workflow. This prevents context limitations from causing issues. :::

Step 1: Create Your Plan

Work through phases 1-3. Use fresh chats for each workflow.

:::tip[Project Context (Optional)] Before starting, consider creating project-context.md to document your technical preferences and implementation rules. This ensures all AI agents follow your conventions throughout the project.

Create it manually at _bmad-output/project-context.md or generate it after architecture using /bmad-bmm-generate-project-context. Learn more. :::

Phase 1: Analysis (Optional)

All workflows in this phase are optional:

  • brainstorming (/bmad-brainstorming) — Guided ideation
  • research (/bmad-bmm-research) — Market and technical research
  • create-product-brief (/bmad-bmm-create-product-brief) — Recommended foundation document

Phase 2: Planning (Required)

For BMad Method and Enterprise tracks:

  1. Load the PM agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-pm) in a new chat
  2. Run the prd workflow (/bmad-bmm-create-prd)
  3. Output: PRD.md

For Quick Flow track:

  • Use the quick-spec workflow (/bmad-bmm-quick-spec) instead of PRD, then skip to implementation

:::note[UX Design (Optional)] If your project has a user interface, load the UX-Designer agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-ux-designer) and run the UX design workflow (/bmad-bmm-create-ux-design) after creating your PRD. :::

Phase 3: Solutioning (BMad Method/Enterprise)

Create Architecture

  1. Load the Architect agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-architect) in a new chat
  2. Run create-architecture (/bmad-bmm-create-architecture)
  3. Output: Architecture document with technical decisions

Create Epics and Stories

:::tip[V6 Improvement] Epics and stories are now created after architecture. This produces better quality stories because architecture decisions (database, API patterns, tech stack) directly affect how work should be broken down. :::

  1. Load the PM agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-pm) in a new chat
  2. Run create-epics-and-stories (/bmad-bmm-create-epics-and-stories)
  3. The workflow uses both PRD and Architecture to create technically-informed stories

Implementation Readiness Check (Highly Recommended)

  1. Load the Architect agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-architect) in a new chat
  2. Run check-implementation-readiness (/bmad-bmm-check-implementation-readiness)
  3. Validates cohesion across all planning documents

Step 2: Build Your Project

Once planning is complete, move to implementation. Each workflow should run in a fresh chat.

Initialize Sprint Planning

Load the SM agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-sm) and run sprint-planning (/bmad-bmm-sprint-planning). This creates sprint-status.yaml to track all epics and stories.

The Build Cycle

For each story, repeat this cycle with fresh chats:

Step Agent Workflow Command Purpose
1 SM create-story /bmad-bmm-create-story Create story file from epic
2 DEV dev-story /bmad-bmm-dev-story Implement the story
3 DEV code-review /bmad-bmm-code-review Quality validation (recommended)

After completing all stories in an epic, load the SM agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-sm) and run retrospective (/bmad-bmm-retrospective).

What You've Accomplished

You've learned the foundation of building with BMad:

  • Installed BMad and configured it for your IDE
  • Initialized a project with your chosen planning track
  • Created planning documents (PRD, Architecture, Epics & Stories)
  • Understood the build cycle for implementation

Your project now has:

your-project/
├── _bmad/                                   # BMad configuration
├── _bmad-output/
│   ├── planning-artifacts/
│   │   ├── PRD.md                           # Your requirements document
│   │   ├── architecture.md                  # Technical decisions
│   │   └── epics/                           # Epic and story files
│   ├── implementation-artifacts/
│   │   └── sprint-status.yaml               # Sprint tracking
│   └── project-context.md                   # Implementation rules (optional)
└── ...

Quick Reference

Workflow Command Agent Purpose
help ⭐ /bmad-help Any Your intelligent guide — ask anything!
prd /bmad-bmm-create-prd PM Create Product Requirements Document
create-architecture /bmad-bmm-create-architecture Architect Create architecture document
generate-project-context /bmad-bmm-generate-project-context Analyst Create project context file
create-epics-and-stories /bmad-bmm-create-epics-and-stories PM Break down PRD into epics
check-implementation-readiness /bmad-bmm-check-implementation-readiness Architect Validate planning cohesion
sprint-planning /bmad-bmm-sprint-planning SM Initialize sprint tracking
create-story /bmad-bmm-create-story SM Create a story file
dev-story /bmad-bmm-dev-story DEV Implement a story
code-review /bmad-bmm-code-review DEV Review implemented code

Common Questions

Do I always need architecture? Only for BMad Method and Enterprise tracks. Quick Flow skips from tech-spec to implementation.

Can I change my plan later? Yes. The SM agent has a correct-course workflow (/bmad-bmm-correct-course) for handling scope changes.

What if I want to brainstorm first? Load the Analyst agent (/bmad-agent-bmm-analyst) and run brainstorming (/bmad-brainstorming) before starting your PRD.

Do I need to follow a strict order? Not strictly. Once you learn the flow, you can run workflows directly using the Quick Reference above.

Getting Help

:::tip[First Stop: BMad-Help] Run /bmad-help anytime — it's the fastest way to get unstuck. Ask it anything:

  • "What should I do after installing?"
  • "I'm stuck on workflow X"
  • "What are my options for Y?"
  • "Show me what's been done so far"

BMad-Help inspects your project, detects what you've completed, and tells you exactly what to do next. :::

  • During workflows — Agents guide you with questions and explanations
  • Community — Discord (#bmad-method-help, #report-bugs-and-issues)

Key Takeaways

:::tip[Remember These]

  • Start with /bmad-help — Your intelligent guide that knows your project and options
  • Always use fresh chats — Start a new chat for each workflow
  • Track matters — Quick Flow uses quick-spec; Method/Enterprise need PRD and architecture
  • BMad-Help runs automatically — Every workflow ends with guidance on what's next :::

Ready to start? Install BMad, run /bmad-help, and let your intelligent guide lead the way.