apkg add

The add command downloads a package from the registry, extracts it into your project, and records it as a dependency in apkg.json. It also updates apkg-lock.json to pin the resolved version and integrity hash.

An apkg.json manifest must already exist in the current directory. Run apkg init first if you haven’t already.

Synopsis

apkg add <package> [--setup <tool>] [--no-setup]

The <package> argument accepts several formats:

Format	Example	Behavior
@scope/name	@acme/code-reviewer	Installs the latest tagged version
@scope/name@<version>	@acme/[email protected]	Installs an exact version
@scope/name@<tag>	@acme/code-reviewer@beta	Installs the version behind a dist-tag

Options

Option	Description
--setup <tool>	Generate configuration for a specific tool (e.g. claude-code)
--no-setup	Skip post-install tool setup entirely

Version resolution

When no version is specified, apkg resolves the latest dist-tag. If no latest tag exists, it falls back to the highest published semver version.

The resolved version is saved in apkg.json as a caret range (e.g. ^1.2.0), allowing compatible updates via apkg update.

Tool setup

After installing a package of type skill or agent, apkg can automatically generate configuration files for your AI coding tools. Use --setup claude-code to target a specific tool, or --no-setup to skip setup entirely. See Tool Setup Explained for how detection, precedence, and file generation work.

Examples

Add a package:

apkg add @acme/code-reviewer

Add a specific version:

apkg add @acme/[email protected]

Add a package and set up Claude Code configuration:

apkg add @acme/code-reviewer --setup claude-code

Add a package without running tool setup:

apkg add @acme/code-reviewer --no-setup

Related commands

Command	Description
init	Create an apkg.json manifest
config	Set defaultSetup to control automatic tool setup
remove	Remove a package from your dependencies
install	Install all dependencies from apkg.json
update	Update packages to latest compatible versions