Adoption Paths
See Start Here for the fastest download/apply path.
Choosing the right starting point depends on whether you are building a new project, adding standards to an existing codebase, rolling out across an organization, or operating under regulatory constraints. This page provides a decision tree, greenfield-versus-brownfield comparison, and migration paths between tiers.
Choose by Constraint (Quick Matrix)
| Constraint | Start Here | Next Step |
|---|---|---|
| Need a working repo in under a day | Tier 1 Quick Start Apply Path | Pick TypeScript, Python, or Go |
| Existing repo, no template migration | Config Packs | Follow incremental timeline (Day 1 / Week 1 / Week 2) below |
| Need multi-agent workflow but not enterprise platform | AEEF CLI Wrapper | Use Agent Orchestration Model and expand gradually |
| Need phased org rollout | Tier 2: Transformation Apply Path | Align to Transformation Track |
| Need regulated production controls | Tier 3: Production Apply Path | Apply overlays + monitoring + incident automation |
Decision Tree
Starting fresh with a new project?
Use the Quick Start template repo. Clone or use as a GitHub template, choose your language stack (TypeScript, Python, or Go), and you will have working CI, linting, security scanning, and AI tool configuration in 30 minutes.
New project --> aeef-quickstart --> Choose language --> Run setup --> Ship
Adding standards to an existing codebase?
Use the Config Packs repo. Copy only the configuration files you need into your project. No application code changes required. Start with AI tool configs on Day 1, add CI pipelines in Week 1, and layer in security policies by Week 2.
Existing project --> aeef-config-packs --> Pick categories --> Copy configs --> Integrate
Rolling out across an organization?
Use the Transformation tier. This tier adds agent SDLC orchestration, metrics pipelines, and a phased rollout plan on top of the Quick Start foundation. Designed for a 4-6 week adoption program aligned with the Transformation Track.
Organization rollout --> aeef-transform --> Phase 1 (Week 1) --> Phase 2 (Weeks 2-3) --> Phase 3 (Weeks 4-6)
Enterprise or regulated environment?
Use the Production tier. This tier adds sovereign compliance overlays, full monitoring, drift detection, incident response automation, and the complete 11-agent orchestration model. Required for organizations subject to KSA PDPL, UAE Federal DPL, Egypt PDPL, EU AI Act, or similar regulatory frameworks.
Regulated/Enterprise --> aeef-production --> Deploy monitoring --> Apply overlays --> Certify
Greenfield vs. Brownfield Comparison
| Factor | Greenfield (Template Repo) | Brownfield (Config Packs) |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Empty or new project | Existing codebase with history |
| Adoption method | Clone/template the entire repo | Copy individual config files |
| CI/CD setup | Pre-configured, works out of the box | Merge into existing pipeline definitions |
| Risk | Low -- no existing code to break | Medium -- must validate against existing tooling |
| Customization | Remove what you do not need | Add only what you need |
| Time to first PR | 30 minutes | 1-2 hours (depending on existing CI complexity) |
| Best for | New microservices, POCs, hackathons | Monorepos, legacy services, brownfield modernization |
Incremental Adoption with Config Packs
Config packs are designed for staged adoption. Here is a recommended timeline:
Day 1: AI Tool Configuration
Copy the AI tool config pack into your repository root:
.cursorrules-- Cursor IDE rules enforcing AEEF prompt discipline.github/copilot-instructions.md-- GitHub Copilot custom instructions.claude/settings.json-- Claude Code project settings.windsurfrules-- Windsurf IDE configuration
These files require no CI changes and take effect immediately when developers open the project in their IDE.
Week 1: CI/CD Pipelines
Add the CI pipeline configs for your platform (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, or Bitbucket Pipelines). These add linting, testing, security scanning, and quality gate enforcement to your merge process.
Week 2: Security and Linting
Layer in Semgrep rule packs and language-specific linter configurations. These enforce code quality thresholds, complexity limits, and security patterns that align with PRD-STD-004 and PRD-STD-006.
Migration Paths
Tier 1 to Tier 2
When your team is ready to move beyond individual developer tooling to organizational adoption:
- Add agent SDLC configuration -- Copy the agent registry, contract templates, and handoff protocols from the Transformation repo.
- Enable the metrics pipeline -- Add KPI collection scripts and provenance record generation to your CI workflows.
- Upgrade CI pipelines -- Replace Quick Start pipelines with Transformation pipelines that include mutation testing, license scanning, and schema validation stages.
- Establish quality gates -- Configure required status checks for all new pipeline stages.
- Align with the Transformation Track -- Map your progress to the Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3 milestones.
Estimated effort: 1-2 weeks of platform/DevOps time.
Tier 2 to Tier 3
When your organization requires full production-grade governance, monitoring, and sovereign compliance:
- Deploy the monitoring stack -- Set up Grafana dashboards, alert routing, and the health check service using the Production tier Docker Compose configuration.
- Enable drift detection -- Add the drift detection pipeline that continuously validates deployed configurations against declared policy.
- Apply sovereign overlays -- Select and configure the compliance overlays for your regulatory jurisdiction (KSA, UAE, Egypt, EU).
- Activate incident response automation -- Deploy triage scripts, rollback automation, and alert routing configuration.
- Scale to 11-agent orchestration -- Extend your agent SDLC from basic contracts to the full orchestration model with trust boundaries and environment promotion.
Estimated effort: 2-4 weeks of platform/DevOps time, plus compliance review.
Choosing the Right Language Stack
All three tiers support TypeScript, Python, and Go. Choose based on your team's primary stack:
| Language | Framework | Package Manager | Test Runner | Linter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TypeScript | Next.js / Express | npm | Jest / Vitest | ESLint (flat config) |
| Python | FastAPI | uv | pytest | Ruff |
| Go | Chi / gRPC | Go modules | go test | golangci-lint |
Each language implementation enforces the same standards through language-idiomatic tooling. See the language-specific pages within each tier for detailed setup instructions.