DOT Studio First

Start with DOT Studio. It is the primary surface for understanding, composing, and running Dance of Tal systems.

Dance of Tal has a Registry, a CLI, and portable asset contracts, but most users should meet the system through Studio first. Studio opens a local project workspace, shows the pieces visually, and runs Performers or Acts through the configured OpenCode runtime.

The asset model is still simple:

• Tal — identity and always-on rules
• Dance — reusable skills from SKILL.md bundles
• Performer — the runnable composition of Tal, Dances, model, and MCP requirements
• Act — a collaboration pattern where multiple performers work together

The easiest way to understand DOT is to open Studio, import a Performer or Act from the Registry, and inspect the cascade on the canvas.

The Recommended Path#

1. Launch Studio#

npm install -g dot-studio@latest
dot-studio .

Studio opens the current directory as a workspace. If the directory is not initialized yet, Studio prepares the .dance-of-tal/ workspace automatically.

2. Open something runnable#

Start with a Performer for one role, or an Act for a multi-role workflow:

dot-studio . --performer performer/@acme/agent-presets/sprint
dot-studio . --act act/@acme/workflows/incident-response

If the asset is not already on your canvas, Studio installs/imports it from the Registry when needed and focuses it.

3. Inspect, adjust, and run locally#

In Studio you can:

• inspect the Tal and Dances behind a Performer
• choose a model and model variant
• add or remove Dances
• build Acts from participants and relations
• run in direct mode or safe mode
• keep local drafts before publishing anything

That is the default learning loop: open in Studio → inspect the composition → run safely → save or publish only when stable.

Where The CLI Fits#

The dot CLI is still important, but it is not the first thing most users need to learn.

Use dot when you want to:

• add GitHub Dance bundles with dot add owner/repo
• publish Tal, Performer, or Act assets with dot publish
• script installs in CI or onboarding docs
• inspect registry packages from a terminal
• keep installed Dance bundles updated with dot check and dot update

npm install -g dance-of-tal
dot init
dot add monarchjuno/sprint-reviewer
dot publish --kind performer --stage agent-presets --name sprint

The Main Surfaces#

Workspace Structure#

DOT stores project-local assets under .dance-of-tal/:

your-project/
└── .dance-of-tal/
    ├── assets/
    │   ├── tal/
    │   ├── dance/
    │   ├── performer/
    │   └── act/
    └── drafts/
        ├── tal/
        ├── dance/
        ├── performer/
        └── act/

Login state is separate from project assets:

~/.dance-of-tal/
└── auth.json

You do not need to log in to use Studio locally. Login is only needed when publishing.

Reading Order#

Short Version#

Install Studio, open a Performer or Act, and inspect the pieces before touching lower-level files.

npm install -g dot-studio@latest
dot-studio . --performer performer/@acme/agent-presets/sprint

When you are ready to publish or automate, use the dot CLI.