Day 1: Install CALM CLI and Initialize Your Architecture Repository

Overview

Set up your CALM workspace with AI-powered assistance and establish the foundation for your 24-day journey.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have all the prerequisites installed.

Objective and Rationale

  • Objective: Install the CALM CLI, create a git repository, and enable GitHub Copilot assistance for architecture development
  • Rationale: Starting with a git-based workflow establishes good practices from day one. AI assistance accelerates learning and helps avoid common pitfalls. All your progress will be tracked in commits, creating a portfolio of your learning journey.

Requirements

1. Create Your Repository

mkdir advent-of-calm-2025
cd advent-of-calm-2025
git init

2. Install the CALM CLI

Install via npm:

npm install -g @finos/calm-cli

or if you use Homebrew:

brew install calm-cli

Verify installation:

calm --version

3. Initialize Your Project Structure

Create a basic structure for your architecture files:

mkdir architectures
mkdir patterns
mkdir docs
touch README.md

4. Create Your Initial README

Add the following to README.md:

# My Advent of CALM Journey

This repository tracks my 24-day journey learning the Common Architecture Language Model (CALM).

## Progress

- [x] Day 1: Install CALM CLI and Initialize Repository
- [ ] Day 2: TBD
- [ ] Day 3: TBD
...

## Architectures

This directory will contain CALM architecture files documenting systems.

## Patterns

This directory will contain CALM patterns for architectural governance.

## Docs

Generated documentation from CALM models.

5. Enable AI Assistance with Copilot Agent

calm init-ai -p copilot -d .

This creates .github/agents/CALM.agent.md with specialized CALM knowledge for GitHub Copilot.

6. Add a .gitignore

Create .gitignore:

node_modules/
.DS_Store
*.log
.vscode/settings.json
**/.docusaurus/

7. Make Your First Commit

git add .
git commit -m "Day 1: Initialize Advent of CALM repository with CLI and AI assistance"
git tag day-1

Push to GitHub to enable:

  • GitHub Copilot integration (if you have access)
  • Public portfolio of your progress
  • Community visibility
# Create repo on GitHub, then:
git remote add origin <your-repo-url>
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main --tags

Deliverables / Validation Criteria

Your Day 1 submission should include a commit tagged day-1 containing:

✅ Required Files:

  • README.md - Project introduction with progress checklist
  • .github/agents/CALM.agent.md - Copilot configuration
  • .gitignore - Basic ignore patterns
  • architectures/ - Empty directory (ready for Day 2)
  • patterns/ - Empty directory
  • docs/ - Empty directory

✅ Validation:

# Test CALM CLI is installed
calm --version

# Verify agent file exists and contains CALM schema guidance
test -f .github/agents/CALM.agent.md && grep -q "CALM" .github/agents/CALM.agent.md

# Check git tag exists
git tag | grep -q "day-1"

Resources

Tips

  • If you don’t have GitHub Copilot access, the agent file is still useful as documentation for you to reference
  • Use descriptive commit messages - they tell the story of your learning
  • Consider making your repository public to inspire others
  • Tag each day’s work (day-1, day-2, etc.) to create clear milestones

Next Steps

Tomorrow (Day 2) you’ll create your first CALM architecture file using AI assistance!