The Collective

>the_collective is a team of AI agents that work together inside VS Code. Instead of one AI assistant, you get specialised personalities that debate, research, and build things collaboratively using powerful tools.

No AI expertise required. If you can install VS Code and run a single command, you're good to go.

🚀 Quick Install

One command, zero prerequisites. The bootstrapper installs everything (Git, Node.js, VS Code, Docker containers) automatically.

🍎 macOS / Linux / WSL

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/screamingearth/the_collective/main/bootstrapper_unix.sh | bash

🪟 Windows (PowerShell)

$s = iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/screamingearth/the_collective/main/bootstrapper_win.ps1; if ($?) { $s.Content | iex }

Troubleshooting: If a command fails, see QUICKSTART.md for manual installation steps and fallbacks.

🧐 Verify It Works

1. Open the Root Folder: Restart VS Code and select Open Folder.... Navigate to your installation (e.g., Documents/the_collective on Windows) and select the root directory.

   CRITICAL: You must open the root folder directly. This allows VS Code to access .vscode/mcp.json for tool integration and .github/copilot-instructions.md for agent personas.

2. Open the integrated terminal and run:

   npm run check
   

   Expected output: ✅ All checks passed! Framework is ready.

3. Open Copilot Chat and say:

   >the_collective:// hey guys, please test out your tools and make sure they work

   Expected outcome: The agents should respond and stretch their legs a little.

disclaimer: >the_collective is an experimental open-source framework under active development. while I strive for quality, it likely contains many bugs. use at your own risk. and let me know how it goes!

→ Detailed Setup Guide & Troubleshooting →

🤖 the team

>the_collective is best utilized by Claude models:

• Haiku 4.5 (Fast / Chat)
• Sonnet 4.5 (Default / Coding)
• Opus 4.5 (Deep Reasoning)

BYOK: you can configure >the_collective to use your own API keys. use vscode's built-in BYOK features by going to the vscode chat sidebar, click your current model, and select "Manage Models".

you can also see GEMINI_BRIDGE.md to change what model >the_collective interacts with via the bridge server. gemini-3-flash-preview by default.

🧠 how it works

memory system // local vector database (DuckDB + semantic embeddings) with retriever-reranker pipeline. your preferences, decisions, architectural choices, and project context persist across sessions. encrypted locally, never sent to cloud.

gemini bridge // custom MCP server wrapping gemini-cli into specialized tools for general queries, decision validation, and massive codebase analysis. leverages gemini-3-flash-preview free tier for cost-free offloading. />the_collective uses it autonomously to double-check logic or process information beyond local context limits.

agents // one language model, four specialized personas. address them directly in chat (cassandra, check for vulnerabilities) or use team mode to watch them collaborate in real-time.

customiseable skills // easily accessible in chat with slash commands. try it out with /review, /debug, /implement, or /test. edit or add more in /.github/prompts/.

team mode // switch to >the_collective in Copilot chat. Watch Nyx orchestrate while Prometheus builds, Cassandra breaks things, and Apollo polishes. Friction creates quality.

🚀 features

• Local-first // Semantic vector database never leaves your machine
• Cognitive Diversity // Use multiple LLM models for different perspectives
• Real-Time Collaboration // Watch agents debate, build, and refine solutions
• Extensible Architecture // Add custom agents, tools, memories, and workflows

📋 Requirements

• VS Code 1.107+ with GitHub Copilot (free tier or paid)
• Node.js 20+ (Auto-installed by bootstrapper)
• Docker Engine (Containers auto-start via VSCode Containers extension)
• macOS, Linux, or Windows 10/11

→ System requirements & troubleshooting

📖 Documentation

• /docs/ — Architecture, MCP servers, memory system
• QUICKSTART.md — Setup, requirements, troubleshooting
• CONTRIBUTING.md — Development guide & guidelines
• NOTICE — Legal notices & attributions

⚖️ License & Legal

This project is Dual-Licensed to protect the core framework while allowing easy integration.

🧠 The Core (MPL 2.0)

The intelligence engine (/.collective/) and the Agent Personas are licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.

• Commercial Use: ✅ Allowed.
• Modifications: 📝 If you modify the core framework or agent prompts, you must open-source those specific changes and follow the terms of the MPL 2.0. See NOTICE for details.

🔌 The Shell (Apache 2.0)

The setup scripts, documentation, and integration code are licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

• You are free to use, modify, and distribute these scripts as you see fit.

💼 Commercial Use

You can build and sell products using >the_collective, but you cannot resell >the_collective itself as a standalone product. See NOTICE for details.

built with 🖤 by >the_collective

⬆ uppies