Welcome to Cadence! This guide will help you install, configure, and start analyzing Git repositories and websites for AI-generated content.

What is Cadence?

Cadence is a command-line tool that detects AI-generated content using heuristic and pattern-based analysis:

Git Analysis — Examines commit patterns, velocity, timing, size, and code changes across multiple detection strategies
Web Analysis — Analyzes website content for AI-generation patterns (overused phrases, excessive structure, boilerplate)
Optional AI Validation — OpenAI or Anthropic providers add expert skill-based analysis on top of heuristic detections
Webhook Server — Run as a long-running server that receives push events from GitHub or GitLab
Plugin API — Extend detection with custom StrategyPlugin implementations

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have:

Git - For repository analysis (usually pre-installed)
Go 1.24+ - Required for building from source

Check your Go version:

Bash

go version

If you don't have Go, download it here.

Quick Setup (5 minutes)

1. Clone the Repository

Bash

git clone https://github.com/TryCadence/Cadence.git
cd Cadence

2. Build Cadence

On macOS/Linux:

Bash

make build
# Binary output: ./bin/cadence

On Windows (PowerShell):

PowerShell

.\scripts\build.ps1
# Binary output: .\cadence.exe

Or with Go directly (all platforms):

Bash

go build -o cadence ./cmd/cadence

3. Verify Installation

Bash

./bin/cadence version

You should see output like:

Cadence v0.3.0 (abc123de) built at 2026-03-03T10:30:00Z

4. Analyze Your First Repository

Bash

./bin/cadence analyze . -o report.json

The report is saved to reports/report.json.

Next Steps

New to Cadence?

Start with Quick Start for step-by-step examples.

Want to Customize Detection?

See Configuration to adjust thresholds.

Need Command Reference?

Check CLI Commands for all options.

Looking for Quick Lookups?

Use Quick Reference for common commands.

Want to Understand the Output?

See Understanding Results for a full breakdown of scores, assessments, and detection fields.

Installation Methods

Method 1: Build from Source (Recommended)

Best for getting the latest version with full version metadata:

Bash

git clone https://github.com/TryCadence/Cadence.git
cd Cadence
make build          # outputs to ./bin/cadence
./bin/cadence --help

Method 2: Go Install

Install directly from Go:

Bash

go install github.com/TryCadence/Cadence/cmd/cadence@latest

Then run:

Bash

cadence --help

Method 3: Manual Build

Bash

mkdir cadence && cd cadence
git clone https://github.com/TryCadence/Cadence.git .
go build -o cadence ./cmd/cadence
./cadence --help

Adding to PATH (Optional)

Make Cadence available from anywhere:

macOS/Linux:

Bash

sudo cp cadence /usr/local/bin/

Windows (PowerShell as Admin):

PowerShell

$env:PATH += ";$(Get-Location)"
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH", $env:PATH, "User")

Common First Steps

1. Create a Configuration File

Bash

cadence config init
# Creates .cadence.yaml with all default thresholds and comments

Note: The analyze and web commands auto-detect cadence.yml in the current directory. If you use config init, specify the file explicitly: --config .cadence.yaml

2. Analyze a Repository

Bash

cadence analyze /path/to/repo --config .cadence.yaml -o report.json

3. Analyze a Website

Bash

cadence web https://example.com -o report.json

4. View Results

Bash

cat reports/report.json

Troubleshooting

"command not found: cadence"

Ensure the binary is in your PATH or use the full path:

Bash

./cadence --help
# Or
/path/to/cadence --help

Build fails

Make sure Go 1.24+ is installed:

Bash

go version

If you have an older version, update from golang.org/dl.

Permission denied (macOS/Linux)

Make the binary executable:

Bash

chmod +x ./cadence
./cadence --help

Next: Quick Start

Ready to analyze? Head to Quick Start for step-by-step examples of analyzing repositories and websites.

Getting Started