A model is one part of the environment
The harness supplies the working environment around a model: context loading, tool access, permissions, execution, session state and feedback. Changing the harness can change behavior even when the model stays the same. Choose it by the work you need to perform and the boundaries you need to inspect.
Codex and Claude Code offer repository-oriented workflows. Hermes documents persistent memory and reusable skills. OpenClaw documents a gateway and connected assistant workflows. These are starting points for investigation, not a ranking. Read the current documentation for your operating system and account.
Install once, then prove a small round trip
Use the provider's official installation page below. Read platform prerequisites and what an installer changes before running it. After setup, verify the executable with its help or version command, then open a scratch project containing only public or synthetic material.
Ask the agent to explain one file before permitting changes. Next, request a small reversible edit, inspect the diff and run a relevant check. Record the installed version and whether the requested permission boundary was honored. Keep credentials in the host's credential mechanism; never put them inside a practice brief.
Port the method, then test the adapter
A skill packages a repeatable procedure and supporting resources. MCP defines a way for clients and servers to expose tools and context. A portable instruction file, an MCP connection and a running model are separate pieces. Support for one does not establish support for every feature of another.
Use the Academy's existing installation guide to bring a selected practice into your own host. When trying a second host, compare input handling, tool permissions, output shape and failure behavior. A copied folder is not proof of equivalent execution. Keep the learning artifact portable even when host configuration differs.
A worked example · Illustrative
Your first-session record
Host and version:
Official installation page:
Scratch project:
Read-only task and observed result:
Small edit and inspected diff:
Check run and result:
Permission boundary tested:
Unresolved setup issue:Put the idea to work
Your practice
- Choose a host using your task, operating system and desired execution boundary.
- Follow its official setup and save the version in your record.
- Complete a read → edit → inspect → check round trip in a scratch project.
- Open the Academy toolkit installer and select the same practice.