Install Big Plan

Before you start

Node.js 22 or newer. No account, no service, no global install.

Install it with your agent

Copy this prompt into your coding agent:

Set up Big Plan for me: read https://bigplan.dev/setup.md and follow it.

The agent reads the server-controlled setup guide at https://bigplan.dev/setup.md, uses the current CLI without installing it, can install the thin skill shell, adopts the plan-review workflow, and adds the rule to your project’s agent instructions so every future session keeps it. Authoring principles stay in big-plan guidance, so package upgrades refresh them without hand-editing skill files.

Install it manually

Run it with no install at all:

# Read how to write a plan humans love to review.
npx -y big-plan@latest guidance
# Turn plan.mdx into a self-contained plan.html review document.
npx -y big-plan@latest render plan.mdx

Or install it globally:

npm install -g big-plan@latest
big-plan guidance
big-plan render plan.mdx

Either way, render writes plan.html next to the input. Pass a second argument to choose the output path: big-plan render plan.mdx reviews/plan.html.

Reading guidance first is required; it unlocks validate, render, and review for the working directory.

Verify

npx -y big-plan@latest --version

It prints a version. Then verify that Big Plan can render a plan:

curl -o plan.mdx https://bigplan.dev/demo/example-plan.md
npx -y big-plan@latest guidance
npx -y big-plan@latest render plan.mdx

Open plan.html in your browser. You get one self-contained HTML file with embedded assets, no external requests, and a complete reading experience even with scripts disabled.

Next

Your first review — take one plan from download to approval.