Getting Started With DOT Studio

The fastest path is Studio-first: install dot-studio, open a workspace, then import or create a Performer or Act on the canvas.

You can use DOT without learning every asset file format first. Studio shows the asset cascade visually, lets you inspect what will run, and keeps local drafts separate from published assets.

Step 1 — Install DOT Studio#

npm install -g dot-studio@latest

Open the current project directory:

cd your-project
dot-studio .

Studio opens in your browser. If the directory does not have a DOT workspace yet, Studio prepares it automatically.

Step 2 — Open Something Runnable#

The two things most users run in Studio are Performers and Acts.

Use a Performer when you want one runnable role:

dot-studio . --performer performer/@acme/agent-presets/sprint

Use an Act when you want a multi-performer workflow:

dot-studio . --act act/@acme/workflows/incident-response

What Studio does:

1. Opens the target directory as a Studio workspace.
2. Checks whether the Performer or Act is already on the canvas.
3. Installs/imports it from the Registry when needed.
4. Focuses the asset so you can inspect and run it.

Tal and Dance assets are dependency building blocks. You usually inspect them through a Performer rather than opening them as the main runnable target.

Step 3 — Inspect The Pieces#

In Studio, select the imported asset.

For a Performer, look for:

• Tal: identity and instruction markdown
• Dances: reusable SKILL.md skill packages
• model and model variant
• MCP bindings or runtime tool requirements
• direct mode or safe mode

For an Act, look for:

• participants: Act-local keys that point at Performer assets
• relations: handoffs and coordination paths between participant keys
• subscriptions: wake signals such as teammate messages, board keys, or runtime.idle
• act rules: shared choreography instructions for the whole workflow

The goal is not to memorize the JSON. The goal is to understand what will actually run.

Step 4 — Run Safely#

Studio supports two execution modes:

If you are trying a new Performer or Act, start in safe mode. Once you trust the setup, direct mode is faster.

Step 5 — Add GitHub Dance Skills When Needed#

Dances are skill bundles stored as SKILL.md directories. If you want to add a GitHub skill repository to your local workspace, install the dot CLI:

npm install -g dance-of-tal
dot init
dot add monarchjuno/sprint-reviewer

You can filter to a specific skill:

dot add monarchjuno/sprint-reviewer@github-search

Studio can then use those installed Dances in Performers.

Step 6 — Publish Only When Ready#

You do not need login for local Studio usage.

When you want to publish stable assets to the Registry:

dot login
dot publish --kind performer --stage agent-presets --name sprint

Dance is different: Dance bundles are exported/pushed to GitHub and registered through dot add, not published through the generic dot publish path.

Troubleshooting The First Run#

Next Pages#