Symlink-First Installation: The Runtime Is the Checkout
Datarim links runtime instructions to the git repository by default, removing a hidden copy that used to drift between edits and updates.
A copied instruction file has two identities: the version in git and the version the assistant actually reads. They are equal immediately after installation and can diverge on the next edit.
Datarim's symlink-first installation removes that ambiguity on macOS, Linux, and WSL. Skills, agents, commands, and templates in the runtime point back to the checked-out repository. Editing the runtime changes the tracked source. Pulling the repository updates the runtime.
Why this is the default
The main benefit is not speed. It is inspectability. git diff shows the instruction change that will affect the next agent session. Code review can evaluate it, and rollback uses the same repository history as every other framework change.
The installer also checks collisions and backs up existing paths before replacing them. Plugin files remain namespaced, so enabling an extension does not quietly overwrite a core component.
Copy mode still exists
Some environments cannot or should not follow symlinks. Datarim keeps an explicit copy mode for those cases. Copy mode has a different maintenance contract: run the installer again when the repository changes, and treat the generated runtime tree as a mirror rather than an independent source.
More runtimes, same source
Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor consume different layouts, so their adapters are not identical. The canonical content still comes from one repository. Runtime-specific fanout is generated and tested from there.
The Getting Started guide shows the current flags, update path, and copy fallback.
Published retroactively from the release archive. Symlink-first installation was introduced on April 25, 2026.