Tooling
The method is open. A tool makes it real.
H1VE is a standard, not a product. You can practice it with anything — but a tool that implements it turns the cycle and the gates into something you operate, not just read.
The standard
H1VE
The method — manifesto, roles, cycle, gates. Open and tool-neutral.
An implementation
A platform
Software that makes the method operable — boards, gates, automation.
The same relationship as Scrum and Jira, or REST and a web framework: the method defines the rules; the tool implements them.
Tool neutrality
H1VE never requires a specific tool. The standard is published in the open so that any platform can implement it — and so the method outlives any single product. You could even run a small team on H1VE with documents and discipline alone. A tool simply makes it scale.
The reference implementation
A reference implementation is the canonical example — the one built to demonstrate the standard fully and faithfully. For H1VE, that's H1VE Flow.
H1VE Flow
A management platform for teams of developers and AI agents, built to implement the H1VE standard end to end. It turns the nine-stage cycle into a live board, enforces the gates, and automates the flow from pull request to the architect's queue. The method, made operable.
The platform
The web panel — swim lane, sign-offs, metrics. The bird's-eye view for managing the team.
The CLI
The nf tool — operate H1VE from the terminal, branch-aware.
The MCP-Server
Connects your AI agent directly to the flow — it sees and acts on the current feature.
- Nine-stage swim lane, updated in real time
- The double QA+Data gate, enforced
- Auto-move on PR and CI events
- Role-based access for the five roles
- The AI declaration on every PR
- Per-user identity for CLI and agent actions
Building a tool that implements H1VE?
H1VE Flow is the reference — not the requirement. The standard is open, and any platform can implement the H1VE cycle, roles, and gates: existing project tools, internal systems, or something new. The method is the constant; the tools are many. As the ecosystem grows, conformant implementations will be listed here.
The standard first. The tool second.
Learn the method, then make it operable with a reference implementation.