BMad Method User Guide

🔍 Introduction

Welcome to the BMad-Method BMad Code User Guide — your complete walkthrough for mastering Agentic Agile AI Development. Whether you're launching a new project from scratch (Greenfield) or improving an existing one (Brownfield), this guide equips you with the tools, workflows, and best practices to unleash the power of AI agents in software and strategy execution.

🧱 The BMad Planning & Execution Workflow

BMad divides the development lifecycle into two structured phases:

✅ 1. Greenfield Project Planning

Install BMad at the project root
Use Analyst, PM, Architect agents to draft PRDs, design architecture, and plan sprints
Start in Web UI for cost-efficiency, then move to IDE for larger tasks

🔁 Tip: After PO confirms plans, copy to docs/ and switch to IDE.

✅ 2. Brownfield Projects

For existing codebases — use current architecture. See "Working in the Brownfield" for details.

💻 IDE Setup and Installation

npx bmad-method install

This sets up agents, dependencies, templates, and sharders.

🤖 How Special Agents Work

BMad-Master: Generalist agent — manages tasks and explains the method.

Pro Tip: Ask it to compress chat often to improve speed.

BMad-Orchestrator: Used only in Web UI. Coordinates all other agents in bundles.

⚙️ Dependencies and Configuration

dependencies:
  templates:
    - prd-template.md
    - user-story-template.md
  tasks:
    - create-doc.md
    - shard-doc.md
  data:
    - bmad-kb.md

Agents auto-load what they need. Lean + shared = fast and consistent.

✍️ Agent Usage in IDEs

@ Commands (Cursor)

@pm Create PRD for a blog platform
@architect Draft system structure
@dev Implement login flow

/ Commands (Claude Code)

/pm Create stories for planner module
/dev Fix API issue

🔄 Modes

Incremental Mode: Step-by-step, interactive
YOLO Mode: Fast generation with minimal input

📁 File & Context Management

devLoadAlwaysFiles:
  - docs/architecture/coding-standards.md
  - docs/architecture/tech-stack.md
  - docs/architecture/project-structure.md

Use lean docs
Save/commit often
Use structured folders

🎯 Personalization System

Define your preferences in .bmad-core/data/technical-preferences.md.
Include preferred frameworks, stack, naming rules, etc.

🌐 Using BMad with Web Bundles

Copy team from dist/teams/team-fullstack.txt
Create Claude/GPT/Gemini agent
Prompt: "Your critical operating instructions are attached…"

✅ Final Thoughts

BMAD Method is not just a framework — it’s your modular, explainable, agent-first operating system for AI software and strategy execution.

Start small. Stay lean. Scale smart — one intelligent agent at a time.