Anvil docs

Anvil is an open source family of developer tools for work that needs evidence before trust. The docs are written for people who want to clone the repo, run the tools, review the architecture, and decide what is ready for their workflow today.

The public site covers three main repositories:

• anvil-app: Anvil Desktop, a local Electron workspace for repo-aware agent delivery, work items, review, security checks, terminals, documentation, diagrams, companion controls, and handover evidence.
• anvil-registry: Anvil Registry plus Anvil Node Base, a TypeScript npm gateway and hardened Node devcontainer image for policy, package analysis, cache identity, safer installs, reports, and explicit overrides.
• anvil-cloud: Anvil Cloud, a local-first TypeScript platform for Anvil Cells, shared runtime contracts, builder output, local inspection, generated clients, and adapter-driven deployment.

The tools are separate because they own different risk boundaries. Desktop owns local delivery context. Registry owns dependency ingress. Cloud owns the app runtime contract. Node Base owns install execution inside a safer container.

First run paths

Tool	Local path
Anvil Desktop	cd anvil-app && pnpm install && pnpm dev
Anvil Registry	cd anvil-registry && pnpm install --ignore-scripts && docker compose -f infra/docker/docker-compose.yml up --build
Anvil Node Base	docker run --rm -it -v "$PWD:/workspace" -w /workspace ghcr.io/anthonyhumphreys/anvil-stack/anvil-node-base:22 anvil-npm-ci-safe
Anvil Cloud	cd anvil-cloud && pnpm install --ignore-scripts && pnpm build && pnpm anvil-cloud --help

Each workspace has its own lockfile and tooling. Do not run dependency installs at the monorepo root unless a project document explicitly says to.

For published command-line usage, start with the umbrella Anvil CLI:

npm install --global @anvilstack/cli
npm install --global @anvilstack/cloud-cli
npm install --global @anvilstack/registry-cli

anvil cloud check --json
anvil registry doctor

Start by job

Job	Start here
Understand the monorepo layout	Monorepo map
Use the command line	Anvil CLI
Understand the desktop app	Desktop overview
Follow Electron process boundaries	Desktop architecture
Run repo-aware agent sessions	Agent workflows
Configure LLM providers, reasoning, and personas	Chat personas and LLM
Manage Git branches and commits	Git workflows
Review security and code changes	Security and review
Use phone, watch, Raycast, widgets, or menu bar controls	Companion surfaces
Try the registry gateway locally	Registry quickstart
Understand dependency decisions	Package decisions
Understand what analysis detects	Worker analysis
Roll out the registry safely	Registry rollout guide
Contribute to Registry or Node Base	Contributing to Anvil Registry
Use the hardened Node image	Node Base overview
Build an Anvil Cell	Cloud quickstart
Understand the Cell contract	Cloud Cell contract
Define capability-bound agents	Anvil Agents
Inspect sandbox-required agent workspaces	Agent Sandboxes
Add authentication to a Cell	Cloud auth
Run durable multi-step workflows	Cloud workflows
Run long-lived supervised services	Cloud services
Manage a Cell from a local UI	Anvil Lens
Understand local runtime and inspection	Cloud local runtime
Understand builder and Guard checks	Cloud builder and Guard
Test Cells without deploying	Testing Cells
Preview deployment through AWS	Cloud AWS preview
Check current Cloud limits	Cloud status and limits

Read by product

Anvil Desktop

Read these when you want to understand the desktop app as a local delivery workspace:

• Overview
• Architecture
• Operating guide
• Agent workflows
• Chat personas, reasoning, and LLM providers
• Git workflows
• Work items and planning
• Security and review
• Data, governance, and evidence
• Companion surfaces
• Terminal and editor
• Automations
• Database guide
• Extending Anvil Desktop
• Build and release

Anvil Registry

Read these when you want package policy, npm gateway behavior, or Node Base install safety:

• Introduction
• Alpha status
• Quickstart
• Architecture
• Policy
• Package decisions
• Worker analysis
• Registry configuration
• Registry seeding
• CLI
• CI
• Deploy
• API reference
• LLM integration
• Security
• Contributing
• Troubleshooting
• Rollout guide

Anvil Node Base

Read these when install execution is the risk:

• Overview
• Safe mode
• Observed mode
• Reports
• Network policy

Anvil Cloud

Read these when you want the alpha app contract and adapter path:

• Overview
• Quickstart
• Examples
• Cell contract
• Anvil Agents
• Agent Sandboxes
• Auth
• Workflows
• Services
• Endpoints and jobs
• Runtime model
• Local runtime
• Anvil Lens
• Builder and Guard
• Testing Cells
• CLI reference
• Generated client
• AWS preview
• Status and limits

What Anvil is not

Anvil is not a SaaS dashboard pretending to be local tooling. It is not a security vendor landing page with twelve synonyms for visibility. It is also not a claim that agents, LLMs, package heuristics, or runtime abstractions remove the need for human judgement.

The useful claim is smaller and sharper: Anvil helps developers inspect the work before trusting it.