-lightgrey.svg){kind=icon}
The operating system for intellectual work. Your Knowledge. Your Experience. Your Environment — runs on top of any AI platform.
Repository type:
Base/Formats(FMT) — distribution template. After forking, it becomes your personal environment with AI agents.
AI assistants can generate text, code, and answers. But most users face the same problems:
- Context is lost. Every new AI Session starts from scratch. Yesterday's decisions, plans, and agreements are forgotten.
- Knowledge stays in your head. You finish a course, read a book, solve a problem — but a month later you cannot reconstruct your reasoning.
- AI replaces thinking instead of amplifying it. You get an answer, but you do not become more competent. Without AI — back to zero.
- No system. Plans are in notes, tasks are in your head, Knowledge is scattered across chats. Everything is disconnected.
- Time slips away. It is unclear what you worked on, what you accomplished, or where you are headed.
IWE (Intellectual Work Environment) is an intellectual work environment.
Just as an IDE combines editor, compiler, and debugger into one environment for a programmer — IWE combines Knowledge, planning, and AI agents into one environment for thinking.
| IDE (for code) | IWE (for thinking) |
|---|---|
| Editor → you write code | Exocortex → you capture Knowledge |
| Compiler → checks syntax | Principles → verify correctness of decisions |
| Debugger → finds errors | Opening→Work→Closing Protocols → find Knowledge and context loss |
| Linter → improves quality | ArchGate → assesses architectural decisions |
| Git → change history | Strategist → work history and planning |
Key principle: exoskeleton, not prosthetic. IWE amplifies your thinking — it does not replace it. After each Session you become more competent, not just the recipient of a result. More: principles-vs-skills.md.
| Term | What it is |
|---|---|
| Exocortex | Your external Memory — files containing plans, context, and conclusions that Claude reads in every Session |
| Pack | A formalized Knowledge base for your Domain — the single source of truth for domain Knowledge |
| Opening→Work→Closing | Opening → Work → Closing — a ritual for every Session and every day that prevents context loss |
| ArchGate | A structured Assessment of architectural decisions across 7 characteristics (instead of "I think this looks good") |
| Strategist | An AI agent that automatically builds day/week plans and tracks Progress |
Every Session and every day moves through three stages:
- Opening — Claude reviews the plan, identifies the task, and aligns on the approach. You do not start work from scratch — the AI knows the context.
- Work — as work proceeds, Claude captures valuable Knowledge (Capture-to-Pack). Insights are not lost.
- Closing — the result is recorded, the plan is updated, and the next Session starts where you left off.
Skipping Opening = unplanned work. Skipping Closing = lost result.
Your Knowledge, principles, Distinctions, plans, and context are stored in files that Claude reads in every Session. This is not a "prompt" — it is an accumulated base that grows with you.
What you learn does not stay in your head. Valuable Knowledge is formalized into a Pack — a Domain passport. Pack is the single source of truth for domain Knowledge. More: LEARNING-PATH.md.
Every professional drowns in information: 12+ tools (Notion, Google Docs, Slack, ChatGPT, courses…), Knowledge is spread thin, nothing is connected. AI answers questions but does not know your context — every time from scratch.
IWE is for those who want to change that:
- Entrepreneurs and managers — you strategize, make decisions, manage projects. IWE provides a system: from weekly planning to Domain Knowledge formalization.
- Engineers and developers — you work with code and Architecture. IWE preserves context between Sessions; the AI knows your codebase, technical debt, and Roadmap.
- Researchers and analysts — you study, synthesize, and publish. IWE turns scattered notes into a structured Knowledge base that grows with you.
- Everyone who does intellectual work — and wants symbiosis with AI, not dependence on it. An exoskeleton for thinking, not a prosthetic.
| Scenario | What happens | More |
|---|---|---|
| Product development | Claude knows the Architecture, technical debt, and Roadmap. Every Session is a continuation, not a restart from scratch. | SC.013, SC.015 |
| Documentation | Knowledge is captured into Pack as work proceeds. No need to "write the docs later" — they are written during work. | SC.004, SC.014 |
| Project coordination | WeekPlan, DayPlan, Work Product registry — the Strategist helps plan and track Progress. | SC.001, SC.002 |
| Review and Refactoring | ArchGate assesses decisions across 7 characteristics. Not "I think this looks good" — a structured Assessment. | SC.015 |
| Scenario | What happens | More |
|---|---|---|
| Taking a course | Claude helps capture key ideas, asks questions to check Understanding, and connects new material to what you already know. | SC.003 |
| Writing articles | A creative Pipeline: note → draft → outline → publication. Every Artifact is tracked. | SC.005 |
| Strategizing | A weekly Session: Review of the past week, planning the next, alignment with goals. The Strategist prepares a draft — you make the decisions. | SC.011 |
| Building a Knowledge base | Your Pack grows. After six months you have a formalized Domain Knowledge base, not a collection of notes. | SC.014 |
Full catalog of 15 scenarios: USE-CASES.md
- In the morning — the Strategist has built a plan: a Telegram notification + a DayPlan file in the Repository.
- You open VS Code →
claude→ Claude knows the plan and suggests starting with the top Priority. - You work — Claude captures Knowledge as you go (Capture-to-Pack).
- You close the Session — the result is recorded, the plan is updated.
- On Monday — the Strategist prepares a draft weekly plan; you discuss it in a strategizing Session.
A minimum of 4 GiB of free RAM is required while Claude Code (or another agent) runs on top of IWE. With less memory — especially on shared servers with multiple users — file read/write tools may intermittently fail with a message such as PreToolUse hook did not respond before its timeout. This message indicates insufficient memory in the host process, not a broken template Hook (issue #461) — bash scripts/iwe-audit.sh displays the current available memory level under the "Available memory" section.
Quick start (Git, Node.js, Claude Code already installed): QUICK-START.md — 15 minutes to your first Session.
Full installation from a clean machine: SETUP-GUIDE.md — 30–60 minutes including all dependencies.
Not on macOS or not using Claude Code? See PORTABILITY.md — instructions for Kimi Code, Hermes Agent, and others.
Different agent or LLM? IWE is not tied to Claude. If your agent can read files in the repo folder and edit files, it will work. How to connect → PORTABILITY.md.
mkdir -p ~/IWE && cd ~/IWE
gh repo fork iwesys/IWE --clone
cd FMT-exocortex-template
bash setup.shAfter installation:
cd ~/IWE
claudeTell Claude: "Let's run the first strategic session" — and it will guide you through defining goals, creating your first plan, and configuring the Environment.
IWE updates like a distribution — you receive Platform updates without losing your settings.
Extensions (extensions/) — add your own blocks to Protocols:
# Add end-of-day reflection
echo "## Day Reflection
- What was difficult?
- What would I do differently?
- What deserves praise?" > extensions/day-close.after.mdParameters (params.yaml) — enable or disable Protocol Steps:
reflection_enabled: true # Enable reflection
video_check: false # Disable video check
multiplier_enabled: true # IWE multiplierUpdates — bash update.sh updates the Platform while preserving your extensions/, params.yaml, and edits in CLAUDE.md (3-way merge).
| Document | Contents |
|---|---|
| Beginner's guide | Start here if you are new to IWE. What it is, why it exists, what it consists of — no technical jargon. |
| Quick start | 15 minutes from git clone to your first Session. For those who already have Git and Claude Code. |
| SETUP-GUIDE.md | Step-by-step installation from a clean machine. Requirements, modes (core/full), verification. |
| LEARNING-PATH.md | The IWE learning path: Architecture, principles, Protocols, Pack, Roles. |
| DATA-POLICY.md | Data policy: what is collected, where it is stored, how to delete it. |
| DATA-RESIDENCY.md | Residency principle: data you bring into IWE from external sources (health, calendar, working hours) — where it may and may not go. |
| IWE-HELP.md | Quick reference and FAQ. |
| principles-vs-skills.md | Why principles matter more than Skills: the generative hierarchy. |
| CHANGELOG.md | Template change history. |
Two documents cover related topics:
DATA-POLICY.md— data the Platform collects about you;DATA-RESIDENCY.md— data you bring into IWE from external sources.
Q: Is an Anthropic subscription required?
A: For full installation (Claude Code) — Claude Pro ($20/month) is recommended. If needed, you can upgrade to Claude Max (~$100/month) for unrestricted work. For the minimal mode (setup.sh --core) — works with any AI CLI. More: SETUP-GUIDE.md.
Q: Does it work with other AI systems (not Claude)? A: Yes, three agents are supported out of the box:
- Claude Code — full support: reads
CLAUDE.md, all Skills and Hooks work. - Kimi Code (VS Code) — reads
AGENTS.mdautomatically when the repo is opened. Customization:extensions/orAGENTS-agent-blocks.md. Skills (/day-openetc.) via Claude Code. - Hermes Agent — connect Aisystant MCP through Hermes settings and it will receive instructions automatically.
For other agents (Cursor, Copilot, Gemini) adaptation is required. More: PORTABILITY.md.
Minimal installation (setup.sh --core) works without binding to a specific agent.
Q: Does it work on Linux/Windows?
A: Yes. The core runs on any OS. Strategist automation: macOS — launchd, Linux — systemd (user units), cloud option (OS-independent) — GitHub Actions. Windows: setup.sh and the core run via Git Bash (installed with Git for Windows) — WSL is not required; WSL remains a fallback for those who prefer a full Linux layer. Not tested live on real Windows (no Windows runner in CI) — details and honest caveats: SETUP-GUIDE.md § Windows.
Q: What if the computer is off or sleeping — will automation stop?
A: Cloud Scheduler (GitHub Actions) runs in the cloud even when the computer is off. For local agents: Scripts automatically prevent sleep during execution (macOS: caffeinate, Linux: systemd-inhibit). For laptops, it is recommended to configure automatic wake and disable idle sleep — see SETUP-GUIDE.md.
Q: What is a Pack? A: A formalized Knowledge Domain — the single source of truth for domain Knowledge. More: LEARNING-PATH.md.
Q: Is my data safe? A: Three protection zones: local, GitHub (private repositories), Platform (per-user isolation). More: DATA-POLICY.md.
Q: How is IWE different from Obsidian / Notion / Logseq?
A: Obsidian is a note storage tool. IWE is a work environment with Protocols, AI agents, and Knowledge formalization. For notes, you can open a separate governance repository (DS-strategy) in Obsidian — that specific folder as a vault. The IWE root (~/IWE) is not supported as an Obsidian vault: it may contain very large Markdown files (for example, FPF/FPF-Spec.md) that cause Obsidian to show a white screen. The entire workspace can be safely browsed in VS Code.
Q: Is programming required? A: No. The template is a ready-made Configuration. Installation via setup.sh. Work via Claude Code in natural language.
Q: Can I use it without the Strategist? A: Yes. Claude Code + CLAUDE.md + memory/ work fully. The Strategist is planning automation. Without it, you plan manually.
Q: How do I configure the strategizing day?
A: In memory/day-rhythm-config.yaml, change strategy_day: sunday to the desired day. More: LEARNING-PATH.md.
Q: The clone ended up in ~ instead of ~/IWE?
A: All installation commands must be run in the same terminal. If you opened a new one, it starts from ~. Delete the folder from ~ and repeat with cd ~/IWE. More: SETUP-GUIDE.md.
IWE is an environment you build alone. But you develop it together.
The IWE community is a closed chat for Practitioners who work by the same system: Opening→Work→Closing, Pack, Exocortex. A place where the discussion is not about "how to prompt better" — but about building intellectual work seriously.
- Work Product reviews — members share real Packs, plans, and Retrospectives. They receive feedback from people who understand what "closing without recording a result" means.
- IWE installation and customization Experience — what broke, how it was fixed, which extensions proved useful.
- Method discussions — the Opening→Work→Closing fractal, ArchGate, Capture-to-Pack in practice: what works, where theory diverges from reality.
- Links and discoveries — tools, patterns, SOTA that fit the IWE philosophy.
Studying the system alone is possible. But most questions arise at the application stage: "How do I formalize this Knowledge Domain?", "Am I using Opening→Work→Closing correctly?", "Who has Experience with this tool?"
In the community, these questions get answers from people who have already been through it.
- GitHub Discussions — questions, ideas, show your setup.
- Issues — bug reports and feature requests.
Deep Practice, Work Product reviews, direct support. Entry — via the "IWE for Practitioners" seminar (5000₽) in the bot @aist_me_bot.
See CONTRIBUTING.md — how to help the project.
IWE team developers (T4+ level): the single entry point is Where to start as a developer. In 10 minutes you will understand the development Pipeline (6 stations, dual output) and complete your first task.
MIT