Introduction
What MeowKit is, what problem it solves, and how it differs from raw Claude Code.
MeowKit is an AI agent toolkit for Claude Code that gives your coding assistant enforced discipline — hard gates, TDD, security scanning, and human approval — so it ships production-quality code instead of untested prototypes.
See what's new
Changelog — latest features, improvements, and fixes.
What problem does MeowKit solve?
AI coding tools are powerful but undirected. Without structure, they skip tests, ignore security, and ship untested code. A single "implement this feature" prompt can produce code that compiles but has no tests, no review, and secrets hardcoded in source.
MeowKit fixes this by installing a .claude/ directory that Claude Code reads automatically. It contains specialist agents, domain skills, lifecycle hooks, security rules, and a memory system that together enforce a structured development workflow.
How it works
When you start a Claude Code session in a MeowKit project, the toolkit automatically:
- Routes your task to the right agent based on complexity (orchestrator)
- Creates a plan before any code is written (planner, Gate 1)
- Writes tests — failing tests first if
--tdd/MEOWKIT_TDD=1is set (strict TDD mode); otherwise tests are recommended but not gated (tester invoked on-request) - Implements with discipline — builds until tests pass (developer)
- Reviews across 5 dimensions — architecture, types, tests, security, performance (reviewer, Gate 2)
- Ships safely — conventional commits, PR, CI verification, rollback docs (shipper)
- Learns from the session — captures patterns and lessons for next time (analyst)
No step can be skipped. Two hard gates (plan approval + review approval) require explicit human sign-off.
How it differs from raw Claude Code
| Concern | Raw Claude Code | With MeowKit |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | Starts coding immediately | Creates and gets approval for a plan first |
| Testing | Tests optional, often skipped | TDD opt-in via --tdd — strict failing-test-first when enabled, recommended otherwise |
| Security | Relies on model knowledge | 4-layer defense + security agent + post-write hooks |
| Review | Ask "review this" and hope | 3 parallel adversarial reviewers + triage step |
| Shipping | "git add -A && git push" | Conventional commits, PR, CI verification, rollback docs |
| Memory | Forgets everything between sessions | Persists lessons, patterns, and costs |
| Model selection | Same model for everything | Domain-adaptive routing — fintech forces COMPLEX tier |
| Architecture decisions | Ask and hope for the best | Party Mode: 2-4 agents deliberate, forced synthesis |
| Parallel work | Single-threaded | Worktree-isolated parallel agents, max 3, with integration gate |
Architecture at a glance
.claude/
├── agents/ Specialist agents for each phase
├── skills/ Domain skills with mk: namespace (step-file decomposition)
├── hooks/ Lifecycle hooks (security scan, TDD gate)
├── rules/ Enforcement rules (security, injection, TDD, parallel execution)
├── scripts/ Python validators (stdlib only)
├── memory/ Cross-session persistence
└── settings.json Hook registrations + permissions
CLAUDE.md Entry point — Claude reads this at session start
docs/
└── project-context.md Agent "constitution" — loaded by ALL agents at session startNext steps
- How It Works — the philosophy behind enforced discipline
- Installation — get MeowKit running in 2 minutes
- Quick Start — your first task with MeowKit in 5 minutes