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6. Terminal and coding agent

6. From your terminal and your coding agent

By the end of this chapter you will hand the factory a side task from your coding agent, follow it, and check its branch out, without leaving your terminal.

Install maku

maku is the factory’s command-line tool. Download it for your system from a Maku release and put it on your PATH.

Connect it once:

  1. Open the room list and click CLI setup. It shows a ready-made maku configure … line. Copy it and run it.
  2. Run maku login. It prints a link and a code: open the link, enter the code, sign in.

Try maku rooms --mine: it lists your tasks. maku never approves anything; approvals stay in your browser, so an agent driving your terminal cannot approve for you.

Connect your coding agent

One command connects maku to your coding agent. For Claude Code:

maku setup claude
maku doctor        # every check should say ok

For other agents use opencode, codex, gemini, cursor or copilot. It gives your agent the factory’s tools and a short skill for handing work over.

Hand off a side task

You are in the middle of something and spot a dead link. Tell your agent (in OpenCode; Claude Code spells it /mcp__factory__handoff):

/factory:handoff fix the dead link in the install guide

Your agent drafts the issue, with an acceptance check, and shows it to you in a form. You file it and, if you like, start it. Only your answer to the form can start a task, never the agent.

Other agents’ spellings: Reference › Commands.

Follow it

Ask your agent for the status, or run maku status yourself. Both show the same card:

### <task> · #<issue> docs: fix the dead link in the install guide
**needs you** · waiting for a human · owner/repo · [open the room](https://rooms.example/r/<task>)

| | |
|---|---|
| Run | implementer (your review) · started 8 min ago |
| Spend | $0.31 of $1.50 (21 %) |
| PR | #<pr> · reviewer approved |

**You can** queue a note for the next run · stop it with the label `factory/stop`

Three more things to ask your agent:

  • /factory:inbox: the tasks that need you first, then your other open tasks.
  • “wait for it”: your agent follows the task and tells you when it needs you, opens its pull request or ends.
  • “check it out”: you get the task’s branch in a new folder beside your repository, ready to read or run.

Every maku command, and what each coding agent supports, is in Reference › Commands.

Next: chapter 7 covers what to do when something goes wrong.

5. When the factory needs you7. When things go wrong