Builders
Software, hardware, robotics, AI systems, developer tools, creative technology, and research prototypes are welcome.
For the first time, some of the collaborators aren't people, and they don't clock out when the sprint ends.
Persistent synthetic teammates are taking a new seat in engineering work—not as autocomplete, not as a search box, but as something closer to a colleague who remembers the project and shows up again tomorrow.
HarborHack is where developers explore what software development looks like when a persistent synthetic teammate becomes part of the team.
At HarborHack 2026, every team works alongside a persistent AI agent, to find out how that collaboration works in practice: where it helps, where it doesn't, and how much still depends on human judgment.
This isn't a contest to see who can generate the most code.
It's a weekend to practice leading a team that includes a synthetic collaborator, and to see up close how the software development team is changing.
VisionAgentSpecialistsJudgmentShared Progress
Event at a Glance
Plan your HarborHack weekend
📍 College of Charleston
Harbor Walk West · Room 211
🗓 October 23–25, 2026
Friday through Sunday
⏰ Kickoff
Friday • 5:30 PM EDT
👥 Team Size
1–4 humans + AI agent
--Days
--Hours
--Minutes
until HarborHack begins.
Add to Calendar
What should I do next?
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Who should attend?
Leaders
Humans remain responsible for product direction, judgment, architecture, approval, review, safety, final decisions, and the final presentation.
Experimenters
Teams may use Claude, Codex, Gemini, GPT-based tools, open-source agents, local models, and other specialist tools alongside their AI teammate.
The shift
Why HarborHack is Different
Traditional Hackathons
Teams build software.
AI Hackathons
Teams build software with AI.
HarborHack
Teams learn how to lead engineering teams that include both humans and persistent synthetic teammates.
Participant journey
From discovery to continuation
Imagine This
Friday evening.
Your team arrives with an idea and begins working with your AI agent as a coordination partner. The first milestone is not more output; it is shared clarity.
- a sharper mission
- a realistic engineering plan
- recommended workstreams
- a clear first milestone
Then the weekend begins. The HarborHack agent experience will continue evolving before the event.
Discover
Learn the theme, challenges, who should attend, and what makes HarborHack different. Primary action: register.
Prepare
Join the participant channel, verify GitHub access, install Git and tools, configure specialist AI tools, review Challenge 2 requirements, and read the rules and Code of Conduct.
Form a Team
Individuals may register before forming a team. Human team size is configuration-backed. The AI agent used by every team does not count toward the human limit.
Attend Kickoff
Receive final instructions, confirm your team, select or create a repository, review the schedule, and begin working with your team’s AI agent.
Define the Mission
Establish the problem, users, outcome, success criteria, constraints, challenge selection, and how your AI agent will participate.
Build
Recommended loop: Understand → Plan → Decide → Build → Review → Validate → Integrate → Repeat.
Submit
Devpost is the official submission destination.
Present
No prerecorded project video is required. Every eligible team presents live.
Continue
Retain the repository, documentation, backlog, engineering history, and mission where available. Stay connected with CharlestonHacks.
Schedule
Event schedule
Resources
Resource directory
Event day guide
Navigation and orientation
Current phase
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Next milestone
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Submit
Submission checklist
Devpost is the official submission system. Submit a functional prototype addressing one or both challenges. Projects may include software, hardware, AI systems, robotics, developer tools, creative technology, and research prototypes.
Include a project description, source repository access whenever possible, your AI collaboration story, Challenge 2 local model documentation if applicable, and live presentation readiness. No prerecorded project video is required. Every eligible team presents live.
Present live
Presentation guide
No prerecorded video is required. Teams present live.
Recommended -minute structure with minutes of judge Q&A: Problem; Solution; Working demonstration; How your AI agent participated; Important decision or turning point; Failure, surprise, or course correction; What the team learned; What comes next.
Rehearsal timer
Rules and Code of Conduct
Draft participant guidance
Rules and Code of Conduct must be reviewed and finalized by HarborHack organizers and appropriate legal counsel before publication. Reporting contact: .
Rules topics
Eligibility, human team size, permitted pre-event preparation, requirement that core work occur during HarborHack, AI-tool transparency, open-source and license compliance, original-work expectations, Challenge 2 restrictions, judging eligibility, and organizer authority.
Conduct topics
Safety, privacy, responsible data use, respectful conduct, harassment prohibition, reporting concerns, and consequences for violations.
FAQ
Participant questions
Who can participate?
Eligibility is being finalized by organizers.
Do I need a team before arriving?
No. Individuals may register before forming a team.
Does the AI agent count as a team member?
No. The AI agent is used by every team but does not count toward the human team-size limit.
Must every team use an AI agent?
Yes. Every HarborHack team works alongside a persistent AI agent as part of the team.
May teams use Claude, Codex, Gemini, GPT-based tools, or other agents?
Yes. They may be used as specialist tools alongside the team’s AI agent, and humans make final decisions.
What qualifies for Challenge 2?
AI inference must run locally on team-controlled hardware with no cloud-hosted foundation-model inference or commercial pay-per-token AI inference APIs. Final requirements will be confirmed by organizers.
Can beginners use a local model?
Yes, but beginners should test a small fallback model before the event and ask mentors for guidance when mentor support is configured.
Can teams prepare before HarborHack?
They may prepare tools, learning, and setup. Core project work must occur during HarborHack unless final rules state otherwise.
Must source code be public?
Provide an accessible source repository whenever possible. If public access is not possible, follow final organizer instructions for judge access.
Is a submission video required?
No prerecorded project video is required.
How do live presentations work?
Every eligible team presents live using the configured presentation and Q&A durations.
What should participants bring?
Bring a laptop, charger, headphones, development tools, Git access, and any hardware needed for your project or local inference.
How do participants request mentor help?
Mentor support instructions are configuration-backed and currently coming soon.
Can teams enter both challenges?
Yes, if the project satisfies the requirements for both challenges.
What happens after HarborHack?
Teams are encouraged to continue the project and retain repository, documentation, backlog, mission, and engineering history where available.