apm README

The project's README from github.com/microsoft/apm. As one markdown file: README.md.

APM – Agent Package Manager

An open-source, community-driven dependency manager for AI agents.

Think package.json, requirements.txt, or Cargo.toml — but for AI agent configuration.

GitHub Copilot | Claude Code | Grok Build | Cursor | OpenCode | Codex | Gemini | Windsurf | Kiro

Documentation · Quick Start · CLI Reference · v0.29 Roadmap

Portable by manifest. Secure by default. Governed by policy. One file describes every agent's context; one command reproduces it everywhere; one policy controls what an org will allow.

Why APM

AI coding agents need context to be useful — standards, prompts, skills, plugins — but today every developer sets this up manually. Nothing is portable nor reproducible. There's no manifest for it.

APM fixes this. Declare your project's agentic dependencies once in apm.yml, and every developer who clones your repo gets a fully configured agent setup in seconds — with transitive dependency resolution, just like npm or pip. It's also the first tool that lets you author plugins with a real dependency manager and export standard plugin.json packages.

# apm.yml — ships with your project
name: your-project
version: 1.0.0
dependencies:
  apm:
    # Skills from any repository
    - anthropics/skills/skills/frontend-design
    # Plugins
    - github/awesome-copilot/plugins/context-engineering
    # Specific agent primitives from any repository
    - github/awesome-copilot/agents/api-architect.agent.md
    # A full APM package with instructions, skills, prompts, hooks...
    - microsoft/apm-sample-package#v1.0.0
  mcp:
    # MCP servers -- installed into every detected client
    - name: io.github.github/github-mcp-server
      transport: http   # MCP transport name, not URL scheme -- connects over HTTPS

git clone <org/repo> && cd <repo>
apm install    # every agent is configured

Coming from npx skills add? Drop-in:

apm install vercel-labs/agent-skills                            # whole bundle, like npx skills add
apm install vercel-labs/agent-skills --skill deploy-to-vercel   # one skill, persisted to apm.yml

Same install gesture. You also get a manifest, lockfile, and reproducibility.

Zero-config Copilot:

apm compile -t copilot   # writes .github/copilot-instructions.md

One command, no configuration -- VS Code and GitHub Copilot read the file automatically. APM dogfoods this target on its own repository.

The three promises

1. Portable by manifest

One apm.yml describes every primitive your agents need — instructions, skills, prompts, agents, hooks, plugins, MCP servers — and apm install reproduces the exact same setup across every client on every machine. apm.lock.yaml pins the resolved tree the way package-lock.json does for npm.

2. Secure by default

Agent context is executable in effect — a prompt is a program for an LLM. APM treats it that way. Every install scans for hidden Unicode that can hijack agent behavior; the lockfile pins integrity hashes; transitive MCP servers are gated by trust prompts.

3. Governed by policy

apm-policy.yml lets a security team say "these are the only sources, scopes, and primitives this org will allow" and have every apm install enforce it — with tighten-only inheritance from enterprise to org to repo, a published bypass contract, and audit-mode CI gates.

apm-policy.yml governs what gets installed; your agent harness governs what runs. The two planes do not overlap.

Get Started

macOS with Homebrew

brew install apm

No custom tap is required. Homebrew manages installation and updates: use brew upgrade apm, not apm self-update.

Linux / macOS without Homebrew

curl -sSL https://aka.ms/apm-unix | sh

Windows

irm https://aka.ms/apm-windows | iex

Native release binaries are published for macOS, Linux, and Windows x86_64. For standalone installations, apm self-update reuses the matching platform installer. You do not need Homebrew to use APM.

Other install methods: pip, WinGet, and Scoop

Linux / macOS

# pip (Python 3.10+)
pip install apm-cli

Windows

# WinGet
winget install --id Microsoft.APM --exact --source winget

# Scoop
scoop bucket add apm https://github.com/microsoft/scoop-apm
scoop install apm
# pip
pip install apm-cli

Already using the Microsoft Homebrew tap? See the migration guide.

Then start adding packages:

apm install microsoft/apm-sample-package#v1.0.0

Or install from a marketplace:

apm marketplace add github/awesome-copilot
apm install azure-cloud-development@awesome-copilot

Or add an MCP server (wired into Copilot, Claude, Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, Gemini, Windsurf, and Kiro):

apm install --mcp io.github.github/github-mcp-server --transport http   # connects over HTTPS

See the Getting Started guide for the full walkthrough.

Works with agentrc

agentrc analyzes your codebase and generates tailored agent instructions — architecture, conventions, build commands — from real code, not templates.

Use agentrc to author high-quality instructions, then package them with APM to share across your org. The .instructions.md format is shared by both tools — no conversion needed when moving instructions into APM packages.

Community

Created by @danielmeppiel. Maintained by @danielmeppiel and @sergio-sisternes-epam.

Built on open standards: AGENTS.md · Agent Skills · MCP

Trademarks

This project may contain trademarks or logos for projects, products, or services. Authorized use of Microsoft trademarks or logos is subject to and must follow Microsoft's Trademark & Brand Guidelines. Use of Microsoft trademarks or logos in modified versions of this project must not cause confusion or imply Microsoft sponsorship. Any use of third-party trademarks or logos are subject to those third-party's policies.

apm (microsoft/apm)

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4K ·GitHub
Apm
What is this?APM (Agent Package Manager) is an open-source dependency manager for AI coding agents' context — like package.json or Cargo.toml, but for agent configuration such as instructions, skills, prompts, and MCP servers.
Is this a CLI tool or something I import into my code?It is a standalone CLI you run in your repo — you declare dependencies in apm.yml and run apm install to reproduce the agent setup, there's nothing to import.
How do I install it and get going?Install via Homebrew on macOS, grab a native binary for macOS/Linux/Windows, or use pip, WinGet, or Scoop, then run apm install to pull your project's declared agent packages.
Do I need Homebrew or Python first?No — Homebrew is just one install path and pip is another, but standalone native binaries work without either.
Does the org policy control what my agents can actually run?No — apm-policy.yml only governs what gets installed onto disk; what the agent then runs is still up to your agent harness, and the two layers are deliberately kept separate.
Which operating systems does it run on?Native release binaries are published for macOS, Linux, and Windows (x86-64).
Which coding agents does APM work with?One apm.yml manifest wires configuration into GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Grok Build, Cursor, OpenCode, Codex, Gemini, Windsurf, and Kiro at once.
What is agentrc and how does it relate to APM?agentrc analyzes your codebase to generate tailored agent instructions from real code, which you can then package and distribute with APM.
What does apm audit actually check?It rebuilds your agent context from scratch and diffs it against your working tree to catch hand-edits, and runs the same content-security scans as apm install.
Can I export a software bill of materials for installed packages?Yes — apm lock export generates CycloneDX or SPDX output straight from the lockfile for provenance tracking.
What are similar projects?headroom, context-mode, harmonist, Baize, gh-aw, squeez, claude-scholar, assay
Which topics is it in?governance, codex-cli, github-copilot, yaml, context-engineering, package-manager, prompt-engineering, claude-code, mcp, security, automation, ai-agents
Creator
microsoft
Size
45.2 MB
Stars
4K
Updated
CommitOct 16Releasev0.33.0Oct 02
Age
1y
Commits · 90 Days