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Coding MIT ● Score: 57/100 Agent Skill Harness (Stdio)

Open Steps

Plain-language agent skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI: honest session reports, straight verdicts, steps you can follow. MIT.

Category: Coding
Runtime: Python 3.10+
License: MIT
Source Repository ↗

At a Glance Technical Specifications

Protocol MCP / Stdio
Runtime Python 3.10+
Client Support Claude / Cursor
Execution Local Subprocess
License MIT
Popularity 57/100
Security Allowlist Scoped
Status Verified Clean
Visual setup and architecture guide for Open Steps

01 // How It Works & Runtime Architecture

By leveraging Python SDK / OpenAI API, the application isolates runtime dependencies while maintaining low-latency execution traces across multi-step LLM operations.

Deterministic Execution Pipeline Local Stdio Protocol
AI Client (Claude / Cursor)
→
Open Steps Server
→
Scoped Local Tools
→
Sanitized Agent Memory

02 // Real-World Workflows & Use Cases

01

Deterministic AST code analysis, symbol indexing, and cross-file reference discovery

02

Autonomous test generation, test execution feedback loops, and automated patch creation

03

Safe repository refactoring and automated codebase modernization without context leakage

03 // Prerequisites & Compatibility

✓
Runtime Environment
Python 3.10+ installed and available in system PATH
✓
Compatible Client
Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Code CLI, or OpenCode
✓
Directory Permissions
Explicit filesystem read/write access to designated directories
✓
License Compliance
Verified permissive MIT open-source license

04 // Client Configuration (claude_desktop_config.json) 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-steps": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "open_steps"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Paste into your client configuration file (e.g. ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS or %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Windows).

05 // Step-by-Step Installation

Verified Process
  1. 1

    Clone kharmanskyi/open-steps from GitHub

  2. 2

    Install dependencies with pip install -r requirements.txt (or uv sync)

  3. 3

    Copy .env.example to .env and add your API keys

  4. 4

    Run the skill server and connect your AI client via stdio or HTTP

06 // Execution Boundaries & Security Safeguards

● Context Protection

Keeps heavy parsing and raw file structures external to the LLM. Only sanitized excerpts and structured returns are injected into agent memory turns.

● Directory Allowlisting

Enforce explicit directory allowlists and permission scopes in client configuration to ensure autonomous tool calls never breach system boundaries.

● Process Isolation

Executes in an isolated local child process communicating strictly over JSON-RPC via stdio with explicit process timeouts.

07 // Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ Schema Included

What is Open Steps and how does it empower AI agents?

Open Steps is an open-source coding capability designed for AI clients and autonomous agents. Plain-language agent skills for Claude Code, Codex, Cursor and Gemini CLI: honest session reports, straight verdicts, steps you can follow. MIT.

How do I install and configure Open Steps?

Follow the step-by-step installation: 1) Verify your runtime (Python 3.10+), 2) Add the configuration snippet into your AI client settings (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json), 3) Restart the client to initialize tool execution.

Which AI clients and developer harnesses support Open Steps?

Open Steps is compatible with all AI tools supporting tool-calling and the Model Context Protocol (MCP), including Claude Desktop, Cursor, Claude Code CLI, Windsurf, OpenCode, and custom agent runtimes.

What security boundaries and sandboxing safeguards does Open Steps enforce?

Open Steps executes locally with strict directory allowlists and permission scopes. Heavy parsing and raw file structures stay external to the LLM context window to prevent memory saturation and unauthorized access.

Is Open Steps free and open source?

Yes, Open Steps is published under the MIT open-source license. You can inspect the source code and contribute on GitHub at https://github.com/kharmanskyi/open-steps.

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