Telos turns Goal Specifications into running software. Use the Telos CLI or web UI to create and manage Goal Specs through the same API. Run them locally, or deploy them to Telos Cloud as continuously reconciled software services.
Goal Specifications
A goal is a desired end state. A Goal Specification, or Goal Spec, is the durable artifact that declares that state: the service interface, behavior, constraints, and quality bar.
Goal Specs are markdown files with YAML frontmatter for identity and plain English for intent. They are the source of truth. The generated code is an implementation of the Goal Spec and can change whenever a better implementation is needed.
---
version: 0.1.0
name: hello-service
platform: cloud
---
# Goal
Run an HTTP service with a `/healthz` endpoint, tests, and a documented API.
Read the CLI guide for the complete file format and command reference.
Skills
Skills package reusable expertise, instructions, and standards. A Goal Spec can compose skills for implementation guidance and mark skills as required verification rubrics.
This keeps the Goal Spec focused on the desired outcome while letting teams reuse their engineering practices, domain knowledge, and quality gates.
CLI and web UI
The CLI and web UI are peer control surfaces for the same Telos API. Both can create and update Goal Specs, start and manage sessions, inspect status and evidence, and operate Telos Cloud resources.
Use the CLI when you are working from a repository, terminal, script, or coding agent. Use the web UI when you want to author Goal Specs and operate sessions visually. Work started in one surface is visible and manageable in the other.
Sessions
A session is the execution record for a Goal Spec. It tracks lifecycle state, agent activity, verification verdicts, evidence, cost, and the resulting service.
telos run creates a bounded session that meets the Goal Spec once. telos apply creates or updates a durable session that keeps the Goal Spec true.
Verification
Implementation and acceptance are separate. After an implementation agent makes a change, an independent evaluation agent checks the result against the Goal Spec and any required skill rubrics. Telos accepts the change only when that evaluation passes.
Every session records the verdict and its evidence. The record of what was verified is part of the product, not an afterthought.
Reconciliation
Goal Specs support two lifecycles. Run a Goal Spec to meet it once, or apply it as persistent desired state. Applied Goal Specs are continuously reconciled: Telos verifies the service, repairs drift, records evidence, and repeats.
Local execution gives developers a direct path into the runtime. Telos Cloud provides managed environments, agent compute, deployment, and continuous operation.