Quick Start

Get up and running with repoverlay in a couple of minutes. First install the binary, then pick a path: profiles compose a whole agent setup at once, while overlays place a single bundle of files.

Install

See Installation for all options. The quickest way:

# macOS/Linux
brew install tylerbutler/tap/repoverlay

# Or with cargo
cargo binstall repoverlay

Profiles (recommended)

A profile composes overlays and AI-harness capabilities — instructions, skills, agents, and MCP servers — into one named unit you apply to a repo for a specific agent (Claude Code or GitHub Copilot).

1. Define a profile

   Profiles live in your repoverlay config under a profiles key. Add one to your global config at ~/.config/repoverlay/config.ccl:

   profiles =
     rust-dev =
       description = Rust development profile
       overlays =
         = rust-base
       instructions =
         =
           content =
             Be concise in all responses.

   See the Profiles guide for overlays, plugins, and marketplaces.

2. Apply it to a repo

   Pick the harness for your agent — claude or copilot:

   cd ~/projects/my-repo
   repoverlay profile apply rust-dev --harness claude

   repoverlay places each capability where the harness expects it and git-excludes any new repo-local files.

3. Check what was applied

   repoverlay profile status

4. Remove when done

   repoverlay profile remove rust-dev --harness claude

Overlays

An overlay is a named bundle of files placed directly into a repo's working tree and excluded from git.

1. Check that nothing is applied yet

   cd ~/projects/my-repo
   repoverlay status

   You should see: Status: No overlays are currently applied.

2. Browse and apply an overlay

   repoverlay browse tylerbutler

   Select an overlay from the interactive list. repoverlay will ask if you want to save the source for future use.

3. Check status again

   repoverlay status

   You'll see the applied overlay, its source, and the files it manages.

4. Remove when done

   repoverlay remove my-overlay

Next steps

• Compose a full agent setup with Profiles
• Learn about applying overlays from different sources
• Create and share your own overlays
• Understand how it works