Ward FAQ: common questions
Updated
Short answers to the questions developers ask before they adopt Ward.
What is Ward?
Ward is an open-source CLI that checks the code AI coding agents write against rules you keep in the repository, and blocks it when it breaks them.
Is Ward free and open source?
Yes. Ward is open source under the Apache License 2.0. The quality tools it runs are separate projects under their own licenses and are not bundled.
Is Ward ready for production?
Ward is in alpha. The CLI and the configuration may change before 1.0, and only the latest release receives fixes.
Which languages does Ward support?
Java and Kotlin with Maven or Gradle, Kotlin and Java Android projects, TypeScript and JavaScript with npm, pnpm, Yarn or Bun, Python 3.11 to 3.14 with uv, Poetry or pip, and Swift with SwiftPM or Xcode.
Which coding agents does Ward work with?
Claude Code, OpenCode, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, Factory Droid and Amp.
How do I install Ward?
On Linux, macOS or Git Bash run curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RicardoRB/ward-ai/main/install.sh | sh. On Windows, run irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RicardoRB/ward-ai/main/install.ps1 | iex in PowerShell.
Does Ward install the tools it runs?
No. Ward never installs tools. A missing tool is reported as UNAVAILABLE.
Is it safe to run Ward on any repository?
No. ward.toml is executable code, and ward check runs its commands with your user privileges. Do not run Ward on untrusted repositories or pull requests outside a sandbox.
Where do I go next?
Ready to try it? Install Ward and run ward init in your project.