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Run Atlas Headless in CI for Fiber Applications in 2026

Updated 7 min read

To run an Atlas session non-interactively in a CI pipeline and retrieve machine-readable output for your Fiber application, invoke `atlas run` with your prompt and specify `--format json`. This approach allows Atlas to stream events to stdout, which subsequent pipeline steps can parse, ensuring your Fiber project's `go mod` dependencies and `go test (app.Test)` validations are handled efficiently and automatically in 2026.

How to Invoke Atlas Headless for Fiber CI/CD

Running Atlas headless in your Fiber CI/CD pipeline in 2026 streamlines automated code generation and refactoring tasks. The `atlas run` command is specifically designed for non-interactive execution, sending a single prompt and exiting once the session becomes idle, making it ideal for 1-step automation.

When integrating Atlas into a Fiber project's CI pipeline, the primary command is `atlas run`. This command operates in a non-interactive mode by default, accepting a single prompt as an argument. For instance, to ask Atlas to refactor a specific Fiber handler, you might use `atlas run "Refactor the /users/:id GET handler in app.go to use a new service layer."`. Atlas will then execute its plan, which might involve using its `read` and `edit` tools, and stream its progress to standard output. This allows your CI system, which likely uses `go mod` for dependency management and `go test (app.Test)` for validation, to trigger Atlas for automated code modifications without requiring manual intervention. Ensure your `go.mod` file requires `github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3` for Atlas to correctly index your Fiber application's structure, including `app.Group` routes and `fiber.Ctx` handlers.

Getting Machine-Readable Output from Headless Atlas Runs

To enable downstream pipeline steps to programmatically consume Atlas's output, specify the `--format json` flag when invoking `atlas run`. This ensures that instead of human-readable prose, Atlas streams raw event data to stdout, providing a structured format for parsing in your 2026 CI environment.

For automated processing in a CI pipeline, human-readable output from Atlas is often insufficient. By adding `--format json` to your `atlas run` command, Atlas will emit a stream of JSON objects representing its internal events, tool calls, and generated code. This machine-readable format is crucial for integrating Atlas's output with other tools in your Fiber development workflow. For example, a subsequent CI step written in Go could parse this JSON stream to extract the unified diffs generated by Atlas, validate them against specific Fiber coding standards, or even trigger `gofmt` on the touched files before committing. This structured output allows for robust automation, enabling your CI system to make informed decisions based on Atlas's actions, such as whether to proceed with `go test ./...` after a code change.

Ensuring Safety and Permissions in Headless Fiber CI

Headless Atlas runs in your Fiber CI pipeline require pre-approved tool permissions to operate safely, as there's no human to respond to 'ask' prompts. Configure your Atlas permissions with `allow`, `ask`, or `deny` rules for tools like `bash`, `read`, `edit`, and `todowrite` before initiating any automated session in 2026.

Security and control are paramount when running an AI agent like Atlas in an automated CI environment. Since a headless run has no interactive user to approve actions, all necessary tools must be pre-approved through Atlas's permission configuration. This means explicitly setting `allow` rules for tools Atlas will need to interact with your Fiber codebase, such as `read` for indexing `app.Group` routes and `fiber.Ctx` handlers, `edit` for modifying source files, and `bash` for executing commands like `go test ./...` or `gofmt`. Without these explicit `allow` permissions, Atlas will encounter `deny` rules or hang on `ask` prompts, causing the headless session to fail. This permission-gating mechanism ensures that Atlas only performs actions you've explicitly authorized, preventing unintended modifications to your Fiber application's source code or infrastructure.

Resuming and Forking Atlas Sessions in Fiber Pipelines

Atlas offers robust session management capabilities, allowing you to resume or fork prior runs within your Fiber CI pipeline using `--continue`, `--session`, or `--fork`. This is particularly useful for multi-stage pipelines where a job might need to build upon an earlier Atlas session, perhaps after a manual review of 1 initial draft.

In complex Fiber development workflows, an Atlas session might not complete in a single CI step, or you might want to iterate on a previous session's output. Atlas supports this through its `--continue`, `--session`, and `--fork` flags. The `--continue` flag allows Atlas to pick up exactly where a previous session left off, using its internal state. `--session` lets you specify a particular session ID to resume, which is useful if you have multiple concurrent runs. The `--fork` option creates a new session based on an existing one, allowing for parallel experimentation or alternative approaches without altering the original. This flexibility is invaluable for Fiber projects, enabling scenarios where Atlas drafts a change, a human reviews the unified diff, and then Atlas resumes to apply `gofmt` and run `go test (app.Test)` based on feedback, all within a controlled CI environment.

Step by step

  1. 01Ensure your Fiber project's `go.mod` file explicitly requires `github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3` for Atlas to correctly index your application's structure.
  2. 02Pre-approve necessary Atlas tools (e.g., `read`, `edit`, `bash`, `todowrite`) in your Atlas permission configuration to avoid interactive prompts during headless execution.
  3. 03Invoke `atlas run` with your specific prompt and the `--format json` flag to get machine-readable output, for example: `atlas run "Add a new /health endpoint to the Fiber app that returns 200 OK." --format json`.
  4. 04Set the active model explicitly using the `provider/model` form, such as `--model openai/gpt-4o`, to ensure the correct AI model is used for your Fiber task.
  5. 05Parse the JSON event stream from `stdout` in a subsequent CI step to extract unified diffs or other relevant information generated by Atlas for your Fiber codebase.
  6. 06If Atlas made changes, approve the diff and then instruct Atlas to run `gofmt` on the touched Fiber files to maintain code style consistency.
  7. 07Execute `go test ./...` (or specifically `go test (app.Test)`) within your CI pipeline to validate any changes made by Atlas to your Fiber application's handlers or routes.
  8. 08Optionally, use `--continue <session_id>` or `--fork <session_id>` to resume or build upon a previous Atlas session if the task requires multiple iterations or stages.

Frequently asked questions

How do I ensure Atlas doesn't make unauthorized changes to my Fiber app in CI?
Atlas uses permission-gating. For headless CI runs, you must pre-approve tools like `edit` and `bash` with `allow` rules in your Atlas configuration. This ensures Atlas only performs actions you've explicitly authorized on your Fiber codebase.
Can Atlas run `go test` or `gofmt` on my Fiber project in CI?
Yes, Atlas can execute `go test ./...` (or `go test (app.Test)`) and `gofmt` on your Fiber project. You need to grant Atlas `bash` tool permissions and ensure these commands are available in the CI environment where Atlas runs.
What's the best way to get structured output from Atlas for a Fiber pipeline step?
The most effective way to get structured output is to invoke `atlas run` with the `--format json` flag. This streams raw JSON events to stdout, which can be easily parsed by subsequent steps in your Fiber CI pipeline.
How does Atlas understand my Fiber application's structure?
Atlas indexes code by AST declarations using tree-sitter. For Fiber, this means it can understand `app.Group` routes, `fiber.Ctx` handlers, and registered middleware, allowing it to make informed changes to your application.
Can I use a local Ollama model with Atlas for my Fiber CI?
Yes, Atlas can build its code index with local Ollama embeddings, keeping your Fiber code off third-party servers. You would configure Atlas to use your local Ollama instance as the model provider for your CI runs.
What if an Atlas session fails in my Fiber CI pipeline? Can I restart it?
If an Atlas session fails, you can resume it using the `--continue` or `--session` flags with the appropriate session ID. This allows you to pick up where it left off, saving time and resources in your Fiber CI workflow.
How does Atlas handle `fasthttp` buffer reuse in Fiber handlers?
Atlas is aware of Fiber's underlying `fasthttp` library and its buffer reuse behavior. You can ask Atlas to copy any `fiber.Ctx` value you intend to retain past the handler, mitigating potential issues with buffer lifetimes.

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