Cairn is an AI-native project management system that uses markdown files as a shared workspace for humans and AI agents.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install cairn-cli
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install cairn-cli using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Cairn?
Cairn bridges the gap between human intent and AI execution by providing a structured, markdown-based environment. By using statuses as a shared language, it allows any file-reading AI to participate in complex workflows. It is a vital addition to the Openclaw Skills library for those looking to automate project lifecycles.
Cairn ensures that both you and your agents have a clear, version-control-friendly record of every task, project charter, and deliverable within your local filesystem. This shared workspace approach simplifies the handoff process between human oversight and agentic execution.
Cairn Use Cases
- Coordinating complex software development tasks between human developers and AI agents.
- Managing a decentralized project workspace using plain markdown files.
- Defining specific autonomy levels for AI agents to control their level of execution.
- Tracking project progress through a standardized status workflow from pending to completed.
- Building a persistent memory of project artifacts and decisions for long-term AI context.
How Cairn Works
- Initialize the workspace using the CLI to create the necessary directory structure and context files.
- Create a project with a defined charter and success criteria to give agents clear objectives.
- Break down the project into specific tasks with assigned autonomy levels such as propose, draft, or execute.
- Agents read the markdown files to understand current priorities and update task statuses as they progress.
- Use the CLI to monitor workspace health, search tasks, and manage the transition of deliverables into the review phase.
Cairn Setup
To get started with this skill in the Openclaw Skills collection, install the CLI via npm:
npm install -g cairn-work
cairn onboard
The onboard command initializes the ~/cairn/ directory and generates the AGENTS.md and .cairn/planning.md files required for agent interaction.
Cairn Data Schema & Taxonomy
Cairn organizes data in a hierarchical markdown structure within the ~/cairn/ directory:
| Component | Path | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Context | AGENTS.md | Primary context file for AI agents |
| Planning | .cairn/planning.md | Internal planning and logic guide |
| Projects | projects/ | Folders per project containing charter.md |
| Tasks | projects/*/tasks/ | Individual markdown files for each task |
| Artifacts | projects/*/artifacts/ | Linked deliverables like design docs |
| Inbox | inbox/ | Uncategorized ideas and triage items |
Cairn Advanced Features
- Granular autonomy levels to switch between agent-led planning and full execution.
- Automated workspace health diagnosis using the doctor command to identify broken links or missing context.
- Version-control friendly data storage using YAML frontmatter within markdown files.
- Project-level artifacts for organizing deliverables alongside task history.
- Seamless integration with existing Openclaw Skills workflows for multi-agent coordination.
SKILL.md
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