---
title: "GSD — Get Shit Done"
description: "An autonomous coding agent that researches, plans, executes, and commits code while you focus on what matters."
---

GSD is an autonomous coding agent. Describe what you want built, run `/gsd auto`, and walk away. Come back to working software with clean git history.

## What GSD does

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Autonomous execution" icon="robot">
    A state machine reads your project state, dispatches work to an LLM in fresh context windows, and advances through research, planning, execution, and verification — all without manual intervention.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Clean git history" icon="code-branch">
    Every task produces a conventional commit. Milestones are squash-merged to main. Your `git log` reads like a changelog.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Cost control" icon="gauge">
    Budget ceilings, token profiles, and dynamic model routing keep costs in check. Use Haiku for simple tasks and Opus for architectural work — automatically.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Crash recovery" icon="rotate">
    Sessions recover from crashes, provider errors auto-retry, and headless mode auto-restarts with exponential backoff. Designed for overnight unattended execution.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## How it works

GSD organizes work into a hierarchy:

```
Milestone  →  a shippable version (4-10 slices)
  Slice    →  one demoable vertical capability (1-7 tasks)
    Task   →  one context-window-sized unit of work
```

The iron rule: **a task must fit in one context window.** If it can't, it's two tasks.

Auto mode loops through this hierarchy:

```
Plan → Execute (per task) → Complete → Reassess Roadmap → Next Slice
                                                            ↓ (all slices done)
                                                    Validate → Complete Milestone
```

Every phase gets a fresh context window with pre-loaded context — no accumulated garbage, no degraded quality.

## Two ways to work

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Step mode">
    Type `/gsd` inside a session. GSD executes one unit at a time, pausing between each so you can review.

    ```bash
    gsd
    /gsd
    ```
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Auto mode">
    Type `/gsd auto` and walk away. GSD autonomously researches, plans, executes, verifies, and commits until the milestone is complete.

    ```bash
    gsd
    /gsd auto
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The recommended workflow: auto mode in one terminal, steering from another.

**Terminal 1 — let it build:**

```bash
gsd
/gsd auto
```

**Terminal 2 — steer while it works:**

```bash
gsd
/gsd discuss    # talk through architecture decisions
/gsd status     # check progress
/gsd capture    # fire-and-forget thoughts
```

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Install GSD" icon="download" href="/getting-started">
    Get up and running in under a minute.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Auto mode deep dive" icon="circle-play" href="/guides/auto-mode">
    How the autonomous execution engine works.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Commands reference" icon="terminal" href="/guides/commands">
    Every command, shortcut, and CLI flag.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Configuration" icon="gear" href="/guides/configuration">
    Models, budgets, timeouts, and preferences.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>