HUMBLE

The problem Setup instructions are the only code in a repository that nobody tests. They are written once, and then versions move, environment variables get added, services creep in and scripts get renamed. Nothing notices until a new developer follows the README on day one and the first command fails. They lose hours debugging alone, a senior engineer gets interrupted, and the fix ends up in a chat thread instead of the docs. The next hire hits the same wall. We tested this on 31 popular open-source repositories, pinned to exact commits, on a brand-new machine: 19 of their READMEs broke. Our solution HUMBLE follows a repository's setup docs exactly the way a new teammate would, on a clean machine, and makes them work. A crew of agents does the job end to end: HARVEY reads the docs, manifests and CI; UNITY turns the README into an ordered plan; MACH runs every step; DR.BO diagnoses each failure and proposes the fix, with deterministic rules first and IBM Bob for the hard cases; LARP throws the machine away and replays the repaired guide from zero; ECHO writes the corrected README and a Setup Passport. A fix only counts when a clean replay passes. Every change carries its evidence: the failing command, the cause, the fix and the step passing again. When something truly needs a person, such as an API key or a paid service, HUMBLE says exactly what and where, instead of guessing. Who it is for and how they use it Maintainers and platform teams get a verified README and a pull request they can merge. New hires open the HUMBLE desktop app: a friendly guide walks them through the proven steps on their own machine, runs each one only after they approve it, and a built-in debugger points at the exact error line when something differs. With Lens, they circle any error on screen and get the proven fix, or ask IBM Bob about it. Every command first passes a security guard that blocks dangerous actions. Teams can also run HUMBLE in CI so broken setup docs are caught before they merge, or audit many repositories at once. What makes it unique Most tools explain or summarise a codebase. HUMBLE proves the setup actually works, fixes the README itself, and replays from zero to show it. Verdicts are honest: verified, waiting on your input, or not yet, never a fake green. IBM Bob is the brain, not a chatbot: custom Bob modes plan, diagnose, debug and review security under hard Bobcoin caps, and every answer Bob gives is checked by a replay before it counts. Bob can tighten a security verdict but never loosen it. And every fix Bob finds becomes a free rule for the next run. Why it works Rules handle the common breaks instantly at no cost; Bob only handles what rules cannot. On our 31-repo audit, HUMBLE verified 26 setups: 14 end to end, 12 fixed up to the one step only a person can do. One capped IBM Bob pass took three more repositories all the way to verified. Day one becomes a working setup instead of a lost afternoon.