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Build with Atomic

Build covers everything you add to Atomic: customization mechanisms that change how a session behaves, and programmatic interfaces that embed Atomic in your own software. If you have not run Atomic yet, start at the Quickstart. If you are looking for an exact contract rather than a way to build something, go to the Reference index.

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Choose the lightest mechanism

Work down this list and stop at the first mechanism that solves your problem.
  1. Prompt templates — reusable prompts that expand from a slash command. No code.
  2. Skills — on-demand instructions the agent loads when a task matches. Markdown plus optional scripts.
  3. Subagents — delegate a focused, bounded task to a child agent.
  4. Intercom — coordinate several sessions on one machine.
  5. Workflows — multi-stage, resumable engineering loops with gates and artifacts.
  6. Extensions — TypeScript that adds tools, commands, events, and custom UI when nothing lighter fits.
  7. Atomic packages — bundle and distribute the result.

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Change the model layer

  • Custom models — add model entries for a supported provider API.
  • Custom providers — implement a provider API or OAuth flow Atomic does not ship.
  • Themes — restyle the terminal interface.

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Embed Atomic in your own software

Programmatic use compares JSON mode, RPC, and the SDK, and links each one to its protocol or API reference.

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Customization

  • Extensions - TypeScript modules for tools, commands, events, and custom UI.
  • Skills - Agent Skills for reusable on-demand capabilities.
  • Subagents - focused child agents for research, analysis, debugging, cleanup, and review compositions.
  • Workflows - executable engineering loops with tracked stages, artifacts, gates, and resumable runs.
  • Prompt templates - reusable prompts that expand from slash commands.
  • Themes - built-in and custom terminal themes.
  • Atomic packages - bundle and share extensions, skills, prompts, and themes.
  • Custom models - add model entries for supported provider APIs.
  • Custom providers - implement custom APIs and OAuth flows.

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Programmatic usage