For AI agents: the complete documentation index is available at https://a3s-lab.github.io/Use/en/llms.txt, the full documentation bundle is available at https://a3s-lab.github.io/Use/en/llms-full.txt, and this page is available as Markdown at https://a3s-lab.github.io/Use/en/index.md.
A3S USE · DEVELOPMENT PREVIEW

A3S UseThe AI Native package manager

Install native tools and cognitive capabilities as one exact dependency graph. Review every change, then cut over to the next capability generation once.

Development preview: protocols and persisted state may still change. Do not use it in production.

A3S UsePACKAGE MANAGERSearch packages and capabilities⌘ K DEV PREVIEW
A3S CLI INSTALLER

Install a3s on your system first

The installer detects the current platform, resolves the stable A3S-Lab/CLI GitHub Release, verifies SHA-256, and atomically replaces the user-scoped binary.

Terminal
$curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/A3S-Lab/a3s/main/install.sh | sh
SHA-256Atomic replacement with rollbackPATH unchanged by default
PACKAGE MODEL

One package graph, six capability surfaces

Tool, MCP, OKF, A3S Flow, Skill, and UI belong to one package graph. They share identity, dependencies, grants, and retirement boundaries instead of bypassing lifecycle control independently.

NATIVE PLANE

Platform-native execution

Target-specific executables, runtime assets, native argv, and standard process status.

binary
bin/convert
assets
runtime/assets
target
darwin-arm64
COGNITIVE PLANE

Agent-discoverable capabilities

Workflows, knowledge, instructions, and UI bind to content digests. Text never grants itself authority.

  • Tool
  • MCP
  • OKF
  • Flow
  • Skill
  • UI
TASK / SERVICE

Keep the native CLI or HTTP contract

A Tool is a Runtime-managed workload. It is not converted into a private action protocol or disguised as an MCP tool.

  • provider evidence
  • exact generation
  • bounded I/O
REVIEWED LIFECYCLE

Prepare forward. Publish once. Remove in reverse.

One durable operation journal keeps the reviewed plan, exact graph, grants, and idempotent checkpoints on the same recovery path.

  1. Discover

    Refresh the signed catalog without package payloads.

  2. Resolve

    Freeze versions, dependency edges, and source evidence.

  3. Review

    Show impact, grants, and the exact plan digest.

  4. Stage

    Verify the archive, ACL manifest, and content in a bounded root.

  5. Prepare

    Prepare hosts for all six surfaces in dependency order.

  6. Cut over

    Publish a new generation; drain and retire in reverse.

OWNERSHIP

One Manager, one lifecycle truth

CLI, TUI, and agent management MCP share one Plugin Manager. Use owns packages and evidence, Runtime owns workloads, and hosts own policy, credentials, and rendering.

Read the architecture guide
LocalReleaseTUF
Package sourcesShared Plugin Managercatalog / policy / review / plan and apply / replay
A3S Use package engineverify / journal / prepare / cutover / drain
Six capability surfacesTool / MCP / OKF / Flow / Skill / UI
A3S hostsA3S Code / OS / Knowledge / agents
TRUST BOUNDARY

Package content cannot authorize itself

Flow, Skill, UI, OKF, tool output, and remote content are data. Authority comes only from host policy, explicit grants, and generation-bound receipts.

Integrity ledger All checks passed
catalog/root.json
TUF · role 18
package.archive
sha256:93b7…20e1
reviewed.plan
sha256:51cf…9ab0
capability.snapshot
generation/43
receipt-v3scope + graph + grants + generation
  • Verify the supply chain

    Pin TUF roots, signed metadata, length, and SHA-256 while rejecting rollback and expired state.

  • Stop on drift

    Resolve again before apply. Version, content, grant, or provider changes require another review.

  • Bind authority to a generation

    Grants, Runtime bindings, generation leases, and snapshots point to the same package generation.

PLATFORM GATES

One model across three desktop families

Linux and macOS run the full workspace gates. Windows x86_64 currently runs a narrower Preview compile and facade gate.

Linuxx86_64 · arm64
Full gate
macOSx86_64 · arm64
Full gate
Windowsx86_64
Preview gate
START WITH EVIDENCE

Start with a package graph you can review

Verify the current implementation and boundaries before connecting this development preview to an A3S host. The roadmap keeps every unfinished release gate visible.