BMAD Method Guide for Claude Code

This guide walks you through the complete BMAD workflow using Claude Code as your AI-powered IDE.

Step 1: Install BMAD in Your Project

Navigate to your project directory
Run the BMAD installer:
```
npx bmad-method install
```
When prompted:
- Installation Type: Choose "Complete installation (recommended)"
- IDE: Select "Claude Code"

This creates a .bmad-core folder with all agents and a .claude/commands folder with agent commands.

Step 2: Set Up Team Fullstack in Gemini

For ideation and planning, use Google's Gemini Custom Gem with the team-fullstack configuration:

Open Google gems
Create a new Gem - give it a title and description
Copy the contents of .<install location>/<web-bundles>/teams/team-fullstack.txt (location can vary if you chose a non default installation location for the bundles) - or just use the bundle premade from the repo dist folder.
Paste this content into Gemini to set up the team

Gemini Planning Phase

In Gemini, ask the BMAD team to help you:

Ideate your project concept
Brainstorm features and requirements
Create a PRD (Product Requirements Document)
Design the architecture

Ask questions like:

"Help me brainstorm a [type of application] that does [core functionality]"
"Create a comprehensive PRD for this concept"
"Design the technical architecture for this system"

Copy the PRD and architecture documents that Gemini creates into your project's docs/ folder:

docs/prd.md
docs/architecture.md

Step 3: Back to Claude Code - Document Sharding

Once you have your PRD and architecture documents in the docs/ folder:

Start a new chat in Claude Code
Load the bmad-master agent: Type /bmad-master
Shard the PRD: Type *shard-doc docs/prd.md prd
Shard the architecture: Type *shard-doc docs/architecture.md architecture

This creates organized folders:

docs/prd/ - Contains broken down PRD sections
docs/architecture/ - Contains broken down architecture sections

Step 4: Story Development Cycle

Now begin the iterative development cycle:

Create Stories (Scrum Master)

Start a new chat
Load SM agent: Type /sm
Create story: Type *create (this runs the create-next-story task)
Review the generated story
If approved: Set story status to "Approved" in the story file

Implement Stories (Developer)

Start a new chat
Load Dev agent: Type /dev
The agent will ask which story to implement
Follow the development tasks the agent provides
When story is complete: Mark status as "Done"

Repeat the Cycle

Start a new chat with SM agent (/sm)
Create next story: Type *create
Review and approve
Start new chat with Dev agent (/dev)
Implement the story
Repeat until project complete

Available Commands in Claude Code

All BMAD agents are available as Claude Code commands:

/bmad-master - Universal task executor
/sm - Scrum Master for story creation
/dev - Full-stack developer for implementation
/architect - Solution architect for design
/pm - Product manager for planning
/analyst - Business analyst for requirements
/qa - QA specialist for testing
/po - Product owner for prioritization
/ux-expert - UX specialist for design

Key Workflow Principles

Always start new chats when switching agents to avoid context confusion
Use Gemini for initial planning and ideation with the team-fullstack bundle
Use bmad-master for document management (sharding, templates, etc.)
Follow the SM → Dev cycle for consistent story development
Review and approve stories before implementation begins

Tips for Success

Keep chats focused: Each chat should have one agent and one primary task
Use *help command: Every agent supports *help to see available commands
Review generated content: Always review and approve stories before marking them ready
Maintain status updates: Keep story statuses current (Draft → Approved → InProgress → Done)

This workflow ensures systematic, AI-assisted development following agile principles with clear handoffs between planning, story creation, and implementation phases.

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