Install an Eve agent
Pick the right install for where the Eve agent came from: scaffold a new app, copy a catalog agent into an existing app, or create a standalone directory.
First, where did the agent come from?
Start from the source, then pick the install that matches that destination. @evex and @agentcn are shadcn registry namespaces for agents added to an existing Eve app (evex installation, agentcn installation). The bergside catalog uses its own CLI to create a new directory (awesome-eve-agents).
Those commands are not interchangeable with each other, with a hand-written agent/ tree, or with eve init, because each path writes to a different place.
Into an existing Eve app
Run an evex install from the root of the Eve app:
npx shadcn@latest add @evex/<slug>
The shadcn CLI copies the agent source under agent/ and prompts for the npm dependencies the agent declares (Installation). Agent files for that path are listed on /agents.
agentcn uses the same shadcn mechanic and publishes recipes for Eve, Flue, Mastra, and LangGraph (Dawn) (agentcn installation). Its own Eve example, Deep Search, is:
npx shadcn@latest add @agentcn/eve/deep-search
Both commands run from the project root and write into an app you already have. Each namespace resolves entries from its own registry, and @evex resolves through the shadcn community registry with no configuration on your side. For how the two registries differ, see our evex and agentcn comparison.
As a standalone agent directory
bergside/awesome-eve-agents uses a separate installer (README). Its catalog is at eveagents.dev.
npx @bergside/eveagents install <slug>
The installer creates a new directory containing the complete agent. That destination is why it does not write into an existing Eve app. Enter that directory and start Eve:
cd <slug>
npx eve@latest
The project lists 21 agents under the MIT license (README).
If you have no Eve app yet
Eve requires Node.js 24 or newer (Eve getting started). When you still need an Eve app, the official scaffold creates one:
npx eve@latest init my-agent
Use this when you have no Eve app yet. After the app exists, catalog agents still install with the @evex or @agentcn commands above, not with another eve init.
Decision table
Scaffold a new Eve app
Use when
You do not have an Eve app yet.
Avoid when
You already have an Eve app, or you are installing a catalog agent into an existing app.
Write the agent yourself
Use when
You are authoring your own agent files under agent/.
Avoid when
You want a ready-made agent from a catalog.
Install from evex or agentcn
Use when
You want registry source copied into an Eve app you already have.
Avoid when
You want a standalone agent directory, or you still need to scaffold the app.
Install from bergside/awesome-eve-agents
Use when
You want the agent as its own standalone directory.
Avoid when
You want the agent copied into an Eve app you already have.
FAQ
Is eve init the only way to install an Eve agent?
No. eve init scaffolds a new Eve app when you do not have one. Catalog installs from evex or agentcn copy into an existing app. bergside creates a standalone agent directory. Match the command to the source and where the files should land.
Why aren't the install commands interchangeable?
The @evex and @agentcn commands copy registry entries into an existing app. The bergside CLI creates a standalone directory. eve init creates an Eve app. Scaffold, catalog-into-app, and standalone are different jobs.
What lands where?
evex writes the selected agent under agent/. agentcn writes its recipe into the existing app. bergside creates a new directory with the whole agent. eve init creates the app itself.
Where is the source listed?
evex publishes agent files on /agents. agentcn documents each recipe in its own docs, for example Deep Search; our comparison covers how the two registries differ. bergside lists its agents at eveagents.dev.