Non-Interactive Installation

Use command-line flags to install BMad non-interactively. This is useful for:

When to Use This

Automated deployments and CI/CD pipelines
Scripted installations
Batch installations across multiple projects
Quick installations with known configurations

Available Flags

Installation Options

Flag	Description	Example
`--directory <path>`	Installation directory	`--directory ~/projects/myapp`
`--modules <modules>`	Comma-separated module IDs	`--modules bmm,bmb`
`--tools <tools>`	Comma-separated tool/IDE IDs (use `none` to skip)	`--tools claude-code,cursor` or `--tools none`
`--custom-content <paths>`	Comma-separated paths to custom modules	`--custom-content ~/my-module,~/another-module`
`--action <type>`	Action for existing installations: `install` (default), `update`, `quick-update`, or `compile-agents`	`--action quick-update`

Core Configuration

Flag	Description	Default
`--user-name <name>`	Name for agents to use	System username
`--communication-language <lang>`	Agent communication language	English
`--document-output-language <lang>`	Document output language	English
`--output-folder <path>`	Output folder path	_bmad-output

Other Options

Flag	Description
`-y, --yes`	Accept all defaults and skip prompts
`-d, --debug`	Enable debug output for manifest generation

Module IDs

Available module IDs for the --modules flag:

bmm — BMad Method Master
bmb — BMad Builder

Check the BMad registry for available external modules.

Tool/IDE IDs

Available tool IDs for the --tools flag:

Preferred: claude-code, cursor, windsurf

Run npx bmad-method install interactively once to see the full current list of supported tools, or check the platform codes configuration.

Installation Modes

Mode	Description	Example
Fully non-interactive	Provide all flags to skip all prompts	`npx bmad-method install --directory . --modules bmm --tools claude-code --yes`
Semi-interactive	Provide some flags; BMad prompts for the rest	`npx bmad-method install --directory . --modules bmm`
Defaults only	Accept all defaults with `-y`	`npx bmad-method install --yes`
Without tools	Skip tool/IDE configuration	`npx bmad-method install --modules bmm --tools none`

Examples

CI/CD Pipeline Installation

#!/bin/bash
npx bmad-method install \
  --directory "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" \
  --modules bmm \
  --tools claude-code \
  --user-name "CI Bot" \
  --communication-language English \
  --document-output-language English \
  --output-folder _bmad-output \
  --yes

Update Existing Installation

npx bmad-method install \
  --directory ~/projects/myapp \
  --action update \
  --modules bmm,bmb,custom-module

Quick Update (Preserve Settings)

npx bmad-method install \
  --directory ~/projects/myapp \
  --action quick-update

Installation with Custom Content

npx bmad-method install \
  --directory ~/projects/myapp \
  --modules bmm \
  --custom-content ~/my-custom-module,~/another-module \
  --tools claude-code

What You Get

A fully configured _bmad/ directory in your project
Compiled agents and workflows for your selected modules and tools
A _bmad-output/ folder for generated artifacts

Validation and Error Handling

BMad validates all provided flags:

Directory — Must be a valid path with write permissions
Modules — Warns about invalid module IDs (but won’t fail)
Tools — Warns about invalid tool IDs (but won’t fail)
Custom Content — Each path must contain a valid module.yaml file
Action — Must be one of: install, update, quick-update, compile-agents

Invalid values will either:

Show an error and exit (for critical options like directory)
Show a warning and skip (for optional items like custom content)
Fall back to interactive prompts (for missing required values)

Troubleshooting

Installation fails with “Invalid directory”

The directory path must exist (or its parent must exist)
You need write permissions
The path must be absolute or correctly relative to the current directory

Module not found

Verify the module ID is correct
External modules must be available in the registry

Custom content path invalid

Ensure each custom content path:

Points to a directory
Contains a module.yaml file in the root
Has a code field in the module.yaml