USM

Appearance

OpenAI Codex ​

TOML at ~/.codex/config.toml + AGENTS.md rules

Prerequisites ​

bash
npm install -g @smithgray/usm

Configure MCP ​

Restart required. Save the config file and restart your editor for the MCP server to be picked up.

toml
# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.usm]
command = "usm"
args = ["mcp", "serve"]

Install the rules file ​

USM can install an always-on rules/skills file that enforces the spec-first workflow on every message. After configuring MCP above, run:

bash
usm generate --only rules

This creates:

  • AGENTS.md — the detailed skill/workflow file
  • AGENTS.md (committed to repo root) — the always-on file (AGENTS.md — no per-message mechanism, loaded as project context)

The always-on file carries short iron rules that re-anchor the workflow on every request — countering drift in long agent sessions.

Verify it's working ​

After configuring, your editor should show the USM MCP server with 18 tools:

  • Read (9): usm_list, usm_read, usm_search, usm_validate, usm_summary, usm_references, usm_get_contracts, usm_get_flows, usm_query
  • Write (9): usm_draft_feature, usm_write_feature, usm_update_feature, usm_update_feature_status, usm_report_feedback, usm_write_system, usm_write_service, usm_update_system, usm_update_service

Next steps ​