> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://pm-plugin.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Install the PM Project Management Plugin for Claude Code

> Install the PM project-management plugin from the cfdude-plugins marketplace. Requires Node 18+ and Claude Code. No npm install needed.

PM is distributed via the `cfdude-plugins` marketplace and requires no `npm install` — the engine is zero-dependency by hard rule. The entire conductor (`scripts/conductor.mjs`) is \~2,100 lines of Node 18+ built-ins, so there is nothing to install beyond the plugin itself. Add the marketplace, install the plugin, and you're ready to initialize your first project.

## Prerequisites

<Info>
  **Node 18+** is required to run the conductor engine. If you're already using OpenSpec or Superpowers, Node 18+ is almost certainly present. **Claude Code** is the only supported platform today — Codex, Gemini CLI, and other platforms are on the roadmap.
</Info>

## Installation steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add the cfdude-plugins marketplace">
    Register the `cfdude-plugins` marketplace with Claude Code so PM is discoverable:

    ```bash theme={null}
    /plugin marketplace add cfdude/cfdude-plugins
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install PM">
    Install the `pm` plugin from the marketplace you just added:

    ```bash theme={null}
    /plugin install pm@cfdude-plugins
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reload plugins">
    Reload the Claude Code plugin runtime so the new plugin and its hooks are active:

    ```bash theme={null}
    /reload-plugins
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Initialize PM in your project">
    Navigate to your project directory and run the init command. This scaffolds the conductor state, registers any existing OpenSpec proposals and Superpowers plans as epics, and writes the managed rules block into `CLAUDE.md`:

    ```bash theme={null}
    cd your-project
    /pm:init
    ```

    See the [Quick Start guide](/quickstart) for a full walk-through of what `/pm:init` creates and the triage flow that follows.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Companion plugins (optional)

PM works completely standalone — install it, run `/pm:init`, and you immediately have cross-epic priority ordering, an explicit detour stack, and the reconcile gate with no other plugin required. That said, PM was designed to sit above three companions, and each one adds a distinct layer that PM deliberately doesn't own itself.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="OpenSpec" icon="file-lines" href="https://openspec.dev">
    **Spec-driven proposal workflow.** OpenSpec owns the `proposal.md` / `design.md` / `tasks.md` artifacts and the two-gate review process. PM tracks the epic; OpenSpec owns what gets built and its durable spec record.

    ```bash theme={null}
    npm install -g @fission-ai/openspec
    cd your-project && openspec init
    ```
  </Card>

  <Card title="Superpowers" icon="bolt" href="https://github.com/obra/superpowers">
    **Execution discipline.** Superpowers drives brainstorming, TDD, subagent-driven development, and code review. PM tracks *when* and *in what order* an epic gets built; Superpowers drives *how well*.

    ```bash theme={null}
    /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official
    /plugin install superpowers@claude-plugins-official
    ```
  </Card>

  <Card title="Honcho" icon="brain" href="https://docs.honcho.dev">
    **Durable memory across sessions and repos.** PM's detour stack is the live working set for one project; Honcho is where a PUSH/POP memory line goes so the relationship between projects — and between sessions — survives a compaction, a new machine, or a week away. See [docs.honcho.dev](https://docs.honcho.dev) for setup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="PM (standalone)" icon="check-circle">
    **No companions required.** PM installs and initializes on its own. Each companion adds a layer PM intentionally doesn't own — but skipping them loses nothing from PM's core: priority ordering, the detour stack, and the reconcile gate all work without them.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Upgrading

When PM releases a new version, the `SessionStart` briefing will tell you that a reload and upgrade are needed. The process is always the same two steps:

```bash theme={null}
/reload-plugins
/pm:upgrade
```

`/pm:upgrade` refreshes the `CLAUDE.md` rules block, runs any pending state migrations, re-renders `PROJECT.md`, and stamps the new `pmVersion` onto `.conductor/state.json`. It is idempotent — safe to run more than once.

<Warning>
  Always run `/reload-plugins` **before** `/pm:upgrade` whenever you've updated the plugin itself (not just a project init). Running `/pm:upgrade` against a stale plugin cache can apply the wrong migration. The `SessionStart` briefing explicitly tells you when a reload is needed — watch for it at the start of your session.
</Warning>