# What the ACP installer does — every file, in plain language

Exactly what curl … | bash writes to your machine: the governance hook, credentials, per-harness config, and the optional extras. Every path, why it's there, and how to remove it.

# What the installer actually does

`curl -sf https://agenticcontrolplane.com/install.sh | bash` is one line, but it's not magic — and you should know exactly what runs on your machine before you pipe anything to `bash`. This page lists **every file it touches**, in plain language, and how to undo it.

The script is [readable source]() — nothing is compiled or hidden. It **only** writes to your home directory, **never** uses `sudo`, and **never** sends your code anywhere. It detects which coding agents you have installed (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, opencode, OpenClaw, DeepSeek Harness) and configures each one it finds.

## Two modes: connected workspace (default) or fully on-device (`--local`)

There are two ways to run it, and they write different files:

```bash
# default: connect a workspace (browser OAuth) for team policy, cost X-ray, shared console.
curl -sf https://agenticcontrolplane.com/install.sh | bash

# --local: decisions run ON YOUR MACHINE. No account, no network, nothing leaves your box.
curl -sf https://agenticcontrolplane.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --local
```

Everything in the "optional extras" section below (the credential, the cost-X-ray wrapper, the PATH edit, the MCP registration) is **cloud-only** — `--local` skips all of it. Below, each row is tagged **[both]**, **[local]**, or **[cloud]** so you can see exactly what each mode writes.

## The core

| Path | What it is | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| `~/.acp/govern.mjs` | The hook dispatcher — ~200 lines of Node, no dependencies. Your agent runs it before (and after) every tool call. In local mode it calls `decide.mjs`; in cloud mode it POSTs to the ACP API. [Fails **open** by default](/integrations/claude-code) — if the engine or API is unreachable, your tool still runs, loudly flagged as ungoverned. | **[both]** |
| `~/.acp/decide.mjs` | The **on-device decision engine** — pure, self-contained, no network. Classifies each tool call and returns allow / ask / deny from your policy, plus an always-on **safety floor** (`rm -rf /`, `mkfs`, `dd` to a disk, fork bombs, force-push to `main` are blocked no matter how they're spelled). | **[local]** |
| `~/.acp/policy.json` | Your rules — `allow` / `ask` / `deny` per tool, one file, applied identically to every agent. Edit it by hand; the safety floor stands regardless. | **[local]** |
| `~/.acp/audit.jsonl` | The **on-device log** — one line per call (tool, decision, reason, timestamp). `tail -f ~/.acp/audit.jsonl` to watch it. Nothing is sent anywhere. | **[local]** |
| `~/.acp/credentials` | Your workspace API key (`gsk_…`), written after you authorize in the browser. How the hook proves which workspace it belongs to. A token, not a password. | **[cloud]** |
| `~/.acp/failmode` | *(optional)* `open` or `closed`. Only if you opt into fail-closed. Absent = the safe default (fail-open). | **[both]** |

**In `--local` mode, that's the whole install: `govern.mjs` + `decide.mjs` + `policy.json`, writing to `audit.jsonl`. No account, no credential, no network.** Everything below is per-harness wiring or cloud-only convenience.

## Per-agent wiring — only for the agents you have

The installer registers the hook with each detected agent by editing **that agent's own config file** (an idempotent JSON/TOML merge that preserves your other settings):

| Agent | File edited | What's added | `--local`? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | `~/.claude/settings.json` | `PreToolUse` + `PostToolUse` hook entries pointing at `govern.mjs` | ✅ fully governed on-device |
| Cursor | `~/.cursor/hooks.json` | The same two hook entries (lowercase keys) | ✅ fully governed on-device |
| Codex | `~/.codex/config.toml`, `~/.codex/hooks.json`, `~/.codex/AGENTS.md` | Enables `codex_hooks`, registers the hook, and adds a short directive telling Codex to check non-Bash tools | ⚠️ shell calls only — the non-Bash **MCP connector + `AGENTS.md` directive are cloud-only** |
| opencode | `acp-opencode` plugin + gate in `~/.config/opencode/opencode.json` | The npm governance plugin (opencode uses in-process plugins, not shell hooks) | ❌ **cloud-only** — skipped in `--local` (plugin needs a workspace) |
| OpenClaw | *(plugin install command)* | `@gatewaystack/acp-governance` | ✅ |
| DeepSeek Harness | your dsh profiles (`dsh plugin add` per profile) | The `dsh-plugin-acp` native plugin on dsh's tool pipeline | ❌ **cloud-only** — skipped in `--local` (plugin needs a workspace) |

## The optional extras — cloud mode only

These aren't governance; they're conveniences, and they're all **cloud-only**. Running with **`--local` skips every row in this table** — no wrapper, no PATH edit, no MCP registration, no shell-rc changes. **They're the part worth scrutinizing**, which is exactly why `--local` exists.

| Path | What it is | Note |
|---|---|---|
| `~/.acp/bin/claude-acp` | A wrapper that launches Claude Code with model calls routed through the ACP proxy, so you get the **cost X-ray** (spend, cache-hit rate, loop-vs-leaf). | Optional. Only useful if you want cost metering, not just governance. |
| **`~/.zshrc` / `~/.bashrc` / `~/.profile`** | **One line appended:** `export PATH="$HOME/.acp/bin:$PATH"` so `claude-acp` is on your PATH. | **This is the most invasive thing the installer does — it edits your shell startup file.** Tagged `# acp-installer` so it's easy to find and remove. |
| `~/.acp/bin/acp-session-summary` | A small helper that prints a session's cost/governance summary. | Optional convenience. |
| `~/.claude.json`, `~/.cursor/mcp.json`, `~/.config/opencode/opencode.json` | Registers the ACP **introspection MCP** so your agent can query its *own* usage, cost, and policy recommendations. | Optional. Read-only self-awareness tools; see [the MCP tools](/integrations/claude-code). |

## How to remove all of it

Nothing here is sticky. To fully uninstall:

```bash
rm -rf ~/.acp                                   # hook, credentials, wrappers
# remove the PATH line the installer added:
sed -i '' '/# acp-installer/d' ~/.zshrc ~/.bashrc ~/.profile 2>/dev/null
```

Then delete the hook entries from whichever agent configs you use (`~/.claude/settings.json`, `~/.cursor/hooks.json`, `~/.codex/hooks.json`, `~/.config/opencode/plugin/acp-govern.ts`). Your agents work exactly as before — the hook simply stops firing.

## Our commitment

- **`--local` is genuinely local.** The hook, the decision engine, your policy, your audit log — that's the whole install, all on your machine. No account, no credential, no network call. You can read every decision `decide.mjs` makes.
- **The cloud extras are opt-in by a flag.** The cost-X-ray wrapper (and its PATH edit) and the MCP registration only exist when you connect a workspace. Add `--local` and none of them are written.
- **Nothing is hidden.** The [script]() is plain text you can read top to bottom before running it, and the local engine ships in the same file — verify the safety floor yourself.