Hephaestus Dev

Hephaestus Dev is a ready-to-use development tool that comes with 5 pre-built workflows for common software development tasks. It's the fastest way to start using Hephaestus productively.

Prerequisites

Before running Hephaestus Dev, complete the setup in the Quick Start Guide:

• API keys configured in .env
• MCP servers set up (Hephaestus + Qdrant)
• Docker running with Qdrant container
• Frontend dependencies installed

Running Hephaestus Dev

Start with a single command:

python run_hephaestus_dev.py --path /path/to/project

Command Line Options

Option	Description
--path PATH	Project directory path (prompts if not provided)
--drop-db	Drop the database before starting (fresh start)

What Happens

1. Checks sub-agents - Copies required agents to ~/.claude/agents/ if missing
2. Prompts for project path - Where to create/use your project
3. Sets up project - Creates directory, copies example PRD, initializes git
4. Starts Hephaestus - Backend server, Guardian monitor, and registers all workflows
5. Ready for UI - Open http://localhost:3000 to launch workflows

Available Workflows

Workflow	Description	Use When
PRD to Software Builder	Build complete software from a Product Requirements Document	Starting a new project from requirements
Bug Fix	Analyze, fix, and verify bugs systematically	You have a bug to fix with clear reproduction steps
Index Repository	Scan and index a codebase to build knowledge in memory	Before other workflows, to give agents context
Feature Development	Add features to existing codebases following patterns	Adding functionality to an existing project
Documentation Generation	Generate comprehensive docs for existing codebases	Creating or updating project documentation

Launching a Workflow

1. Open http://localhost:3000
2. Navigate to Workflow Executions
3. Click Launch Workflow
4. Select a workflow from the dropdown
5. Fill in the form fields
6. Click Launch

The workflow starts immediately with agents working in parallel where possible.

Recommended Workflow Order

Start with Index Repository

We recommend running Index Repository at least once for any existing project. This builds codebase knowledge in Qdrant that all other workflows can leverage, giving agents rich context about your code's structure, patterns, and conventions.

For best results on an existing codebase:

1. Index Repository    → Builds codebase knowledge (run this first!)
2. Feature Development → Uses indexed knowledge for context
3. Documentation Gen   → Documents what was built

For a brand new project:

1. PRD to Software     → Builds from requirements
2. Index Repository    → Index what was built for future workflows
3. Bug Fix             → Fix issues as they arise
4. Documentation Gen   → Document the final product

Monitoring Progress

• Dashboard: http://localhost:3000 - Overview of all activity
• Workflow Executions: Track running workflows
• Tickets: Kanban board showing work items
• Agents: See active agents and their status
• Observability: Watch agents work in real-time

Next Steps

• Quick Start Guide - Full setup instructions
• SDK Overview - Create custom workflows
• Launch Templates - Customize workflow forms