Ecosystem

DDx is one layer in a stack. Understanding where it fits helps you know what DDx does — and what to get elsewhere.

The Stack

┌─────���──────────────────��────────────────────────────┐
│  Workflow Tools                                      │
│  HELIX, your team's methodology, or custom workflows ��
│  Opinionated: phases, gates, enforcement, practices  │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  DDx  ← you are here                                │
│  Shared infrastructure: document libraries, personas,│
│  bead tracker, agent dispatch, MCP server            │
├────────────��───────────────��────────────────────────┤
│  AI Agents                                           │
│  Claude, GPT, Gemini, local models                   │
│  Consume documents, produce implementations          │
└────────────────────────────���────────────────────────┘

What Goes Where

Belongs in DDx	Belongs in a Workflow Tool
Bead tracker (work items, deps, claims)	Development phases and gates
Execution engine (define, run, record)	Phase enforcement and validation
Agent dispatch and token tracking	Supervisory loops and planning
Plugin registry (`ddx install`)	Methodology-specific skills
MCP server for beads and documents	Story/issue management beyond beads

DDx Artifacts

DDx produces two artifacts from a single repository:

Artifact	What It Does
`ddx` CLI	Document management, bead tracker, agent dispatch, plugin registry
`ddx-server`	Serve documents, beads, and agent logs over HTTP and MCP

Workflow Tools

Workflow tools build on DDx’s infrastructure to provide opinionated development practices.

HELIX

A six-phase structured development methodology (Frame, Design, Test, Build, Deploy, Iterate) that uses DDx for document management, bead tracking, and agent dispatch.

# Install HELIX with one command
ddx install helix

Watch the full DDx + HELIX journey — from init to a working application:

HELIX on GitHub →

Your Methodology

DDx is workflow-agnostic. You can build your own methodology on DDx’s primitives, or use DDx without any workflow tool at all.

For Workflow Tool Authors

If you’re building a workflow tool on DDx, you get for free:

Document library management — your users already have structured docs
Bead tracker — shared work-item storage with dependencies and coordination
Persona system — bind agents to roles with predefined behavior
Agent dispatch — invoke any supported AI agent through one interface
Plugin registry — distribute your tool as a DDx plugin
MCP access — agents can discover and read documents programmatically

Focus your tool on what makes your methodology unique. Let DDx handle the infrastructure.