Trellis is a multi-platform AI coding framework designed to provide structure and continuity to AI-assisted development. While AI capabilities grow rapidly, they often lack the project-specific context and disciplined workflow required for professional software engineering. Trellis solves this by projecting a unified, task-centered structure into the tools AI agents use README.md10-12
The framework operates as a bridge between your codebase's standards and various AI coding platforms (such as Claude Code, Cursor, OpenCode, and Gemini CLI), ensuring that every AI session is grounded in your project's specific conventions and history README.md41-48
Trellis is managed via a TypeScript-based CLI (@mindfoldhq/trellis) which initializes and maintains a .trellis/ directory in your repository README.md54-57 This directory acts as the Single Source of Truth for the AI's operating environment.
| Component | Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Spec System | .trellis/spec/ | Project standards, patterns, and guides auto-injected into sessions README.md106-112 |
| Task Management | .trellis/tasks/ | Structured PRDs, context files, and state tracking via task.json README.md108 |
| Workspace | .trellis/workspace/ | Developer-specific journals (e.g., journal-4.md) to preserve project memory .trellis/workspace/taosu/index.md10-13 |
| Integration Layer | .claude/, .cursor/, etc. | Platform-specific entry points and hooks generated by the CLI README.md119 |
The following diagrams illustrate how high-level developer intent is translated into concrete code entities and state changes within the Trellis system.
Intent Translation Flow
Sources: README.md103-112 README.md52-66 .trellis/workspace/taosu/journal-3.md93-97
Multi-Platform Integration Bridge
Sources: .trellis/workspace/taosu/journal-2.md105-108 .trellis/spec/cli/backend/platform-integration.md91-93 README.md119
Trellis is managed as a monorepo using pnpm. The primary logic resides in the packages/cli package, which bundles the Python-based execution engine and Markdown templates into a distributable tool .trellis/workspace/taosu/index.md61-66 Starting with version 0.4.0, the system is "monorepo-native," supporting per-package spec directories packages/cli/src/migrations/manifests/0.4.0.json3-6
Repository Structure Overview
Sources: .trellis/workspace/taosu/index.md61-72 README.md110-119 packages/cli/src/migrations/manifests/0.4.0.json6
after_create, after_start, after_finish, after_archive) .trellis/workspace/taosu/journal-3.md71-74.trellis/spec/ into AI sessions README.md43--registry flag .trellis/workspace/taosu/journal-3.md170-183.agents/skills/ (agentskills.io standard) that allows logic to be shared across platforms like Codex, Gemini CLI, and GitHub Copilot .trellis/workspace/taosu/journal-4.md107-119before-dev and check that automatically detect the relevant package scope packages/cli/src/migrations/manifests/0.4.0.json6For detailed technical documentation, refer to the following child pages:
trellis init, platform selection, and initial directory setup README.md55-66cli_adapter.py and platform-specific hooks .trellis/spec/cli/backend/platform-integration.md7-17/trellis: commands, developer workflow skills, and the marketplace README.md72-81Sources: README.md39-48 README.md101-119 .trellis/workspace/taosu/journal-3.md56-110 packages/cli/src/migrations/manifests/0.4.0.json6