Publishing Guide
How to package your harness, validate it, and publish it to the anpm registry so others can install it with one command.
This guide walks through the complete publish workflow from a finished harness to a live registry entry.
0 Overview
Publishing to anpm creates a versioned, immutable entry in the registry. Each publish bumps the version in your manifest and uploads all harness files. Installers always receive the exact version they request.
Harnesses follow Anthropic's .claude standard. Managed agent deployment is also supported.
Full flow to publish:
- 1Install anpm CLI and log in
- 2Create harness directory structure
- 3Write
anpm.yamlmanifest - 4Test locally
- 5Publish with
anpm publish
1 Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have:
- ✓anpm CLI installed (npm i -g anpm)
- ✓Authenticated via anpm login
- ✓A valid anpm.yaml manifest in your harness root
- ✓All required fields present (name, version, description)
2 Harness Structure
anpm expects a specific folder layout so it can auto-wire agents, skills, rules, and commands into Claude Code.
Required Files
| File | Description |
|---|---|
anpm.yaml | Harness metadata, dependencies, and publish config |
skills/ | At least one skill file required |
README.md | Usage documentation (shown on the anpm registry page) |
3 Manifest Reference
The anpm.yaml file describes your harness to the registry. Required fields are name, version, and description. Optional fields include keywords, homepage, license, and access.
4 Test Locally
Before publishing, install your harness locally and run it inside Claude Code to verify everything works as expected.
Use anpm link to symlink your harness locally, then anpm run to test it in a live agent session before publishing.
5 Publish
When you're ready, run anpm publish from your harness root. The CLI validates your manifest, bundles the files, and uploads to the registry.
Version Updates
After making changes, bump the version and republish in one step:
6 Visibility
Control who can find and install your harness.
| Visibility | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
public | Listed in the anpm registry and installable by anyone. | Open-source agents |
private | Not listed publicly. Installable only with an access code. | Paid or limited distribution |
internal | Visible to your organization members only. | Internal team agents |
Private harnesses require an access code at install time.anpm install my-harness --code ABC123
7 Publishing Guidelines
Public harnesses go through automated review. Your harness must meet these criteria:
- ✓Do not publish harnesses that contain secrets or credentials.
- ✓Use semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH).
- ✓Include a clear description so users know what the harness does.
- ✓Test your harness locally before publishing.
- ✓Keep the harness focused on a single workflow or task.
Reviews are automated and usually complete within minutes. If rejected, you'll receive specific feedback explaining what needs to be fixed.