bootstrap-project

Bootstrap Project

Set up agent context files so Claude Code, Codex, and other AI agents understand a project from the first prompt.

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user:

• Wants to start a new project with agent context from the beginning
• Opens an existing repo that lacks AGENTS.md
• Says "bootstrap this project", "set up agent context", or similar
• Asks for help creating CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md

Steps

1. Determine whether this is a new or existing project

Existing project — the current directory has source files, a README, or a .git directory:

• Skip to step 3.

New project — the current directory is not a project, or the user wants to create one:

• Ask for:
  1. Project name — used for the directory name (kebab-case, e.g. my-project) and the AGENTS.md heading.
  2. Location — parent directory (default: current directory).
  3. Brief description — purpose, intended stack, key constraints. This replaces file-based inference in step 3.
• Create the directory: mkdir -p <location>/<project-name>
• cd into it.
• Run git init.
• Create a .gitignore appropriate for the described stack (e.g. Node, Python, Rust).

2. Guard against overwrites

• If AGENTS.md already exists, stop and ask before overwriting.
• If CLAUDE.md exists and is not a symlink to AGENTS.md, stop and ask.
• If agent_docs/ already exists, skip creating it but mention it.

3. Gather project context

Read (do not modify) the following if they exist:

• README.md / README
• package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, or equivalent manifest
• Top-level directory listing (one level deep)
• CI config (.github/workflows/, .gitlab-ci.yml, Makefile, Justfile, etc.)

For new projects with no files, use the user's description from step 1 instead.

3b. Detect data projects

If the project is a data pipeline or analytics project — indicated by dependencies like dlt, sqlmesh, polars, duckdb in pyproject.toml, the presence of .duckdb files, ingest/ or transform/ directories, or the user's description — suggest the /data-pipelines skill's directory layout:

ingest/          # Extraction and loading scripts
transform/       # SQL models or transformation logic
notebooks/       # marimo notebooks (.py files)
data/            # Local data files (gitignored)

Include this layout in the Directory Structure section of AGENTS.md. For new data projects, create the directories. For existing projects that already have a different layout, document what exists — don't restructure.

Also mention in the Conventions section: "Use the /data-pipelines skill for ingestion, transformation, and analytics work."

4. Write AGENTS.md

Create AGENTS.md in the project root. Use the structure below as a guide — fill every section with specifics from step 3. Omit sections that don't apply. Never leave placeholder text or angle-bracket tokens in the output.

Structure:

• Heading — project name.
• Opening line — one-sentence purpose.
• Stack — language, framework, major dependencies.
• Directory Structure — table of key paths and their purpose.
• Key Commands — build, test, lint/format, dev server (only those that exist).
• Conventions — coding style, naming, branching model, PR process.
• Gotchas — non-obvious things an agent should know (env vars, generated files, monorepo quirks, etc.).

5. Create CLAUDE.md symlink

ln -s AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md

Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md for project instructions. The symlink keeps AGENTS.md as the single source of truth. Codex reads AGENTS.md directly — no extra symlink needed.

6. Create agent_docs/ directory

mkdir -p agent_docs

Add agent_docs/README.md so the directory is tracked by git:

# agent_docs

Supplementary context for AI agents working in this repository.
Place architecture decisions, API specs, or onboarding notes here.

7. Report results

Print a summary of what was created:

Created:
  AGENTS.md          — project context for AI agents
  CLAUDE.md          -> AGENTS.md (symlink)
  agent_docs/        — supplementary context directory

Next steps:
  - Review AGENTS.md and refine any sections
  - Add architecture docs or API specs to agent_docs/
  - Commit the new files