道

Getting Started

Teach once, reuse everywhere.

What is OpenKata?

Codified practices for AI agents. Engineering knowledge in files — portable, reusable, version-controlled. Kata follow the Agent Skills specification and work with any agent that supports it.

Vocabulary

Skills	kata	Multi-step workflows agents follow
Rules	dojo kun	Always-on constraints applied to every session
Profiles	sensei profiles	Agent role definitions with scoped permissions
MCP server	the dojo	Where kata are served and practiced
Framework	the ryu	The complete system of practices

Design Philosophy

Kata are platform-agnostic. They avoid coupling to specific tooling, MCP servers, or platform features so they remain portable across environments.

Humans govern, agents execute. The engineer is always responsible for the outcome.
Portable by default. No vendor lock-in. Works with any agent supporting the Agent Skills spec.
Explain the why. Practices carry their reasoning so agents understand the intent, not just the rule.

How It Works

Zero install. Zero dependencies. Always up-to-date. No packages to install. No local runtime. Add one URL to your agent config and you have instant access to the full catalog.

https://openkata.dev/mcp

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

.kiro/settings/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

.vscode/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

.windsurf/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

cline_mcp_settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.codex/config.toml

[mcp_servers.openkata]
url = "https://openkata.dev/mcp"

.gemini/settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.config/opencode/opencode.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

roo_mcp_settings.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.continue/config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

~/.config/zed/settings.json

{
  "context_servers": {
    "openkata": {
      "url": "https://openkata.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

For offline or local-first workflows: download skills from the catalog and extract to your repository. Your agent picks them up automatically.

Install path by client

Kiro, VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf	`.agents/skills/<name>/`
Claude Code, Claude Desktop	`.claude/skills/<name>/`

The MCP install tools do not detect your client. They name the folder for Kiro and the standard location, and the folder for Claude Code, and your agent writes the files to the one it uses. If your project already has one convention, follow it.

What to Install First

commit-conventions — git workflows
create-adr — architecture decisions
spec-workflow — feature planning
grill-me — challenge your designs

Browse the full catalog

Contributing

Open Kata is open source. Add your own skills and rules, improve existing ones, or help build the dojo.

View on GitHub