Init Asana

Init Asana

When to use

When the user is setting up cyber-asana for the first time, or when commands fail with auth or workspace errors.

Ensure cyber-asana CLI

Before running any cyber-asana command, settle how to invoke it — once, in this order. Whichever form resolves is what every cyber-asana <subcommand> in this skill and all other cyber-asana skills means.

1. Shipped CLI (preferred). When these skills came from an installed cyber-asana plugin or npm package, the CLI ships beside them and is bundled with its dependencies inlined, so it needs no install and no network:

   node <cyber-asana-root>/skills/init-asana/scripts/cyber-asana.mjs --version
   

   <cyber-asana-root> is the package root, four levels up from that script; from another cyber-asana skill's own directory the same launcher is ../init-asana/scripts/cyber-asana.mjs. If it prints a version, use it for every later command and skip the rest of this section.

2. Global install — cyber-asana --version. If that succeeds, use the bare cyber-asana spelling.

3. npx fallback — resolve the latest published semver with npm view cyber-asana version and use it as <exact> for every npx cyber-asana@<exact> (never @latest, never a literal placeholder). Check with npx cyber-asana@<exact> --version.

If only the npx path is left and it fails (install prompt, command not found, or other non-zero exit):

1. Tell the user the workflow needs to download cyber-asana from npm (no package.json change).
2. Ask whether to install.
3. After yes, run the one-time install only: npx --yes cyber-asana@<exact> --version
4. For all later commands, use npx cyber-asana@<exact> <subcommand> (no --yes) or cyber-asana if globally installed.
5. If the user declines npx, ask whether to add cyber-asana as a devDependency instead. Note drawbacks: it modifies package.json and may need ignoring in unused-dependency tools (e.g. knip). If they decline both, skip CLI steps.

Instructions

1. Check for existing credentials

echo "Token set: ${ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN:+yes}${ASANA_TOKEN:+ (deprecated ASANA_TOKEN set)}"
echo "Workspace set: ${ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID:+yes}${ASANA_WORKSPACE:+ (deprecated ASANA_WORKSPACE set)}"

2. Set ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN

If not set, guide the user:

1. Go to Asana → Profile Settings → Apps → Personal access tokens
2. Create a new token and copy it
3. Add to the user's shell profile (e.g. export ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN=... in the file their shell loads on login)
4. If the user already has ASANA_TOKEN, tell them it still works as a deprecated fallback but new setup should use ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN

Or pass per-command with --token <pat>.

3. Verify the connection and find workspace GID

Ensure the CLI is available first (see Ensure cyber-asana CLI), then run:

cyber-asana workspace list --toon
# or, if using npx without global install:
npx cyber-asana@<exact> workspace list --toon

If it fails, the token is invalid or not set. Fix credentials and retry.

Read the { gid, name } rows from the output (--toon is the token-efficient format; use --json for raw JSON). Ask the user which workspace to use.

4. Set ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID

Add to the user's shell profile:

export ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID=<workspace-gid>

This avoids passing --workspace on every command. Keep workspace GID in env — not in committed repo config (.agents/cyber-asana.json stores projects only).

5. Confirm setup

cyber-asana --version
# or, if using npx without global install:
npx cyber-asana@<exact> --version

A successful version print confirms the CLI runs with credentials loaded. If workspace-scoped commands still fail, recheck ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID from step 4.

6. Optional — repo project registry

For repos that work against a fixed set of Asana projects, use the pin-asana-projects skill. It searches projects by keyword with project search, confirms selections with the user, and pins them in .agents/cyber-asana.json via config add.

7. Recommended — connect the MCP server (ambient session integration)

For AI agents, prefer connecting the cyber-asana MCP server as an ambient, always-available session integration first — then reach for the on-demand skills (standup, sprint report, sync, etc.) as needed. Add the cyber-asana MCP server to your host (see readme — MCP Server) and set CYBER_ASANA_MCP_FORMAT=toon in its env for token-efficient output.

8. Optional — dual MCP with official Asana

Both servers can run together with separate config keys and credentials:

• Official Asana MCP — config key asana; an MCP app registration, whose ASANA_CLIENT_ID and ASANA_CLIENT_SECRET belong in the host config's auth block (not ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN).
• cyber-asana — config key cyber-asana; PAT via ASANA_ACCESS_TOKEN and workspace via ASANA_WORKSPACE_GID (steps 2–4 above). For OAuth instead of a PAT, it needs its own API app via ASANA_API_CLIENT_ID / ASANA_API_CLIENT_SECRET — an MCP app's credentials will not work.

See reference.md for dual-config JSON examples and routing guidance.

References

• reference.md — dual MCP setup and routing
• Official Asana MCP docs
• cyber-asana readme — dual MCP