We develop in Bebop

A methodology for development sessions — collaborative creation between humans and AI systems.

What is Bebop?

Bebop is a documentation and workflow framework for software development through human-AI collaboration.

The name comes from bebop jazz:

Bebop Jazz	Bebop Development
Improvisation	Ideas emerge through dialogue, not upfront plans
Call & Response	Human asks, AI responds, human refines
Small ensemble	Individual or small team, not enterprise scale
Fast exchanges	Rapid iteration within sessions
Technically sophisticated	Casual surface, serious craft underneath
Reaction to mainstream	Not "AI-driven" — human-centered with AI as collaborator

Core Principle

Not "write a complete design document, then build" —
but "shape it through sessions."

100% complete specifications before coding is a myth. Bebop embraces the reality: understanding deepens through building. Document decisions as they emerge, not before.

The Documents

Document	Purpose	Question Answered
PROJECT.md	Entry point	What is this and why?
ARCHITECTURE.md	Technical structure	How does it work?
DESIGN.md	Decision records	Why this way?
WORKFLOW.md	Process definition	How do we work?

See docs/methodology.md for full details.

Quick Start

1. Copy templates from templates/ to your project
2. Fill in {placeholders} with your project specifics
3. Start a development session — let the documents evolve

cp templates/*.md your-project/

Contents

bebop-style-development/
├── README.md                 ← You are here
├── LICENSE                   ← CC0 (public domain)
├── docs/
│   └── methodology.md        ← Full methodology documentation
└── templates/
    ├── PROJECT.md            ← Entry point template
    ├── ARCHITECTURE.md       ← Technical structure template
    ├── DESIGN.md             ← Design rationale template
    ├── WORKFLOW.md           ← Development process template
    └── CONTRIBUTING.md       ← Contribution guide template

When to Use What

Project Size	Recommended
Personal	README + ARCHITECTURE
Small OSS	+ PROJECT + CONTRIBUTING
With AI collaboration	+ WORKFLOW (highly recommended)
Medium/Team	All documents

Origin

This methodology emerged from practical development sessions between @zembutsu and Claude (2024-2025), refined through projects including Tsubame and Erimil.

First published: 2025-12-13
Author: ZEMBUTSU Masahito @zembutsu

License

CC0 1.0 Universal — Public Domain Dedication

Use freely. No attribution required.
(Though if you find this useful, we'd love to hear about it.)