New Pc Setup Assistant

New PC Setup Assistant

Trigger conditions

Activate this skill when the user expresses intent such as:

• "PC setup" / "new PC" / "setup workstation" / "migrate PC"
• "Windows environment migration" / "software migration" / "data migration"
• Optional Chinese triggers: 换电脑 / 新电脑 / 装机辅助 / 电脑配置 / 工作站搭建 / 开发环境配置 / 迁移电脑

Skill positioning

This skill is an AI-driven new-PC setup methodology plus automation toolchain, guiding the user from "blank machine" to "AI takes over configuration" end to end.

Core principles:

1. Three-layer taxonomy: Foundation (hard to undo) / Fit-out (adjustable) / Defer (install when needed)
2. Plan B strategy: Apps on default system paths; data and caches on the data drive
3. Progressive disclosure: Planner AI (brain) vs executor AI (hands)
4. Multi-model review: Have multiple AI models review the plan and iterate

Target users

• Research / academic users (math, AI, data science, robotics, etc.)
• Developers / engineers (Windows users who need dev environments)
• Students (grad / international students building long-term workstations)
• Heavy AI tool users (Cursor / Trae / Codex / Obsidian, etc.)

Execution flow

Phase 0: Requirements gathering (AI asks proactively)

After trigger, ask the user (one-by-one or in batches, flexibly):

Required:

1. New PC SSD capacity? (e.g. 512GB / 1TB / 2TB)
2. GPU model? (e.g. RTX 4060 / 5060 / 4090 / iGPU / no dGPU)
3. Field / role? (research / dev / design / gaming — drives environment choices)
4. Old PC to migrate from?
5. Primary use cases? (deep learning / math modeling / web dev / data analysis / reference management)
6. Budget / time preference? ("full setup day one" vs "install as you go")

Optional (better if known): 7. conda / Python? 8. LaTeX? 9. Obsidian / Notion or similar? 10. WSL2 / Docker? 11. Cursor / Trae / Codex? 12. Remote sync / dual-machine workflow?

Privacy: Do not ask for real name, school, employer, API keys, etc. Use redacted placeholders (e.g. [USER], not real usernames).

Phase 1: Old-PC scan (if user has old PC and agrees)

Ask: "May I scan your old PC for software usage, cache layout, and environment config? Results are used only for migration advice; nothing is uploaded."

After consent, run templates/scan-old-pc.ps1:

Scan covers:

1. Software usage: UserAssist registry, last 30/90 days
2. Cache layout: AppData\Local and Roaming folders > 500MB
3. Environment: conda, Python, CUDA, Node.js, Git, etc.
4. Git repos: .git under D:, Desktop, Documents
5. SSH: .ssh\config presence only (no key contents)

Report output: old-pc-scan-report.md

Privacy:

• Script never uploads data
• Report keeps app names and paths; no personal file contents
• SSH key contents not read; existence only
• Browser passwords / cookies not scanned

Phase 2: Plan generation

From Phase 0 and 1, produce:

2.1 Partition plan

• Recommend partitions from SSD size (see repo 02-decision-frameworks/ and this skill's reference/decision-flow.md)
• Volume label suggestions

2.2 Software keep/cut list

• Three-layer taxonomy from scan:
  • Foundation: day-one (partitions / drivers / dev stack / Git / SSH)
  • Fit-out: after foundation (Obsidian / AI tools / LaTeX / browser)
  • Defer: install when needed (Docker / WSL2 / Syncthing / niche tools)
• Per old-PC app: migrate / cut / defer

2.3 Environment plan

By field:

• Research / AI: conda (med / pde / math, etc.) + PyTorch + CUDA
• Dev: Node.js + Python + Git
• Math: LaTeX (MiKTeX / TeX Live) + Python + MATLAB (if any)
• General: Python + Git + editor

2.4 Cache migration plan

• Which caches move to data drive
• Which use Junctions
• Which stay default

2.5 AI tool roles

• Brain (Cursor / Trae): plan + decide + supervise
• Executor (Trae / Codex): scripts + installs + unpack
• Automation (Codex / Task Scheduler): scheduled jobs

Phase 3: Deliverables

Two zip bundles:

Zip 1: migration-bundle.zip (user copies to new PC)

• obsidian-vault.zip (if Obsidian + old vault)
• trae-skills.zip (if Trae + skill assets)
• ssh-config.zip (if SSH config)
• browser-data.zip (bookmarks / history / prefs; no passwords)
• apps-config.zip (other app config backups)

Zip 2: plan-bundle.zip (extract to data drive on new PC)

• 00_AI-startup-guide.md (main entry for AI)
• 01_action-checklist.md (manual + automated steps)
• 02_software-download-list.md (name + download + install path)
• 03_environment-setup.md (conda / Python / CUDA, etc.)
• 04_folder-layout.md (tree + setup-env.ps1 + Junction plan)
• 05_open-decisions.md (user sign-off items)
• setup-env.ps1
• scan-old-pc.ps1 (backup copy)
• progress.md (progress log template)

Phase 4: User manual checklist

Steps AI cannot do:

1. First boot + local account (skip online account if desired)
2. Disk partitioning
3. Drivers (OEM tool → NVIDIA → Windows Update)
4. System trim (hibernation / page file / power plan)
5. Remove bloatware
6. Install scout IDEs (Cursor / Trae)
7. IDE shortcut flags
8. Copy migration bundle to new PC

Phase 5: AI takeover

After manual steps, start AI (Cursor / Trae); read 00_AI-startup-guide.md:

• Phase 0: bulk download + install + storage paths
• Phases 1–4: environment + verification
• Phases 5–8: AI tools + knowledge base
• Phases 9–11: dual-machine sync + final verification

Phase 6: Verification + handoff

Verification report:

• GPU (nvidia-smi)
• conda envs
• PyTorch GPU
• Git / SSH
• Obsidian vault
• Caches on data drive

Context management (critical)

If the brain AI context nears limit:

1. Compress only after a full phase — not mid-phase
2. Before compressing, write key state to progress.md
3. After compressing, read progress.md first
4. progress.md tracks: done phases / decisions / errors / next step

Executor AI task template

Task: [specific task]
Input: [path / parameters]
Output: [expected result]
On completion: [report format]

Example:

Task: Extract D:\Migration\trae-skills.zip to C:\Users\[USER]\.trae-cn\skills\
Input: D:\Migration\trae-skills.zip
Output: List of extracted files
On completion: Report file count and any conflicts

Exception handling

Stop and ask the user — do not guess:

1. Unclear install location
2. Driver install failure
3. GPU check failure (nvidia-smi error)
4. Partition size mismatch
5. Missing migration files
6. Unclear preference (which AI tool, etc.)
7. Any system-risk operation

Also follow repo-root AGENTS.md for planner/executor permission boundaries.

Reference documents

• reference/decision-flow.md: decision trees and classification rules
• reference/scan-script-notes.md: scan script usage and field meanings
• templates/startup-guide-template.md: AI startup guide template
• templates/scan-old-pc.ps1: old-PC scan (local report; redacts git user and remote credentials)
• templates/setup-env.ps1: env setup (dangerous ops opt-in; use -DryRun first)
• Repo root: 02-decision-frameworks/, 03-operation-templates/Junction-migration-template.ps1 (live runs need -Confirm)
• Open source: AGENTS.md, PRIOR_ART.md, REFERENCES.md, NOTICE

Privacy and safety

1. Do not read: SSH private keys, browser passwords, API keys, personal files, .env
2. Do not upload: scan output stays local
3. Redact: usernames as placeholders; git user.name and remote credentials
4. Ask first: delete / move / overwrite
5. No auto system ops: registry / drivers / BIOS / disable hibernation / Defender exclusions need explicit user consent or flags
6. Do not commit scan reports to public git (repo .gitignore should ignore them)
7. Managed devices: do not elevate without IT approval (see AGENTS.md + README)

Version

• v1.0: Initial release