# Project Setup

> Set up a construction project — inventories files, classifies drawings/specs/schedules/registers, detects AgentCM mode, appends construction context to CLAUDE.md. Triggers: 'set up project', 'construction setup', 'classify documents'.

- Skill: `dleerdefi/project-setup` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add dleerdefi/project-setup`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/dleerdefi/project-setup/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: dleerdefi (https://skillmd.com/u/dleerdefi)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/dleerdefi/project-setup

---


# Project Setup

Set up a construction project directory for use with Claude Code construction skills. This skill inventories all files, classifies construction document types, and appends construction-specific context to the project's CLAUDE.md.

Run this **after** `/init` has created the base CLAUDE.md.

## Pipeline Position
```
/init (built-in) → THIS SKILL → /spec-splitter, /sheet-splitter → /submittal-log-generator
```
Runs once per project. Identifies which Builder skills should run next.

## Workflow

```
Project Setup Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Detect operational mode
- [ ] Step 2: Inventory and classify files
- [ ] Step 3: Present summary and recommend next actions
- [ ] Step 4: Amend project CLAUDE.md
```

### Step 1: Detect Operational Mode

Check for `.construction/` directory at the project root.

**If present (AgentCM mode):**
1. Read `.construction/CLAUDE.md` for project navigation context
2. Query database for entity counts (read `query_command` from `.construction/database.yaml`):
   `{query_command} -c "SELECT (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sheets WHERE project_id = '{id}') AS sheets, (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM rooms WHERE project_id = '{id}') AS rooms, (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM graph_elements ge JOIN sheets s ON s.id = ge.sheet_id WHERE s.project_id = '{id}') AS elements"`
   Fallback: read `.construction/graph/graph_summary.yaml` if database unavailable
3. Read `.construction/index/sheet_index.yaml` for drawing inventory
4. Skip to Step 3 with instant summary — no file scanning needed

**If absent (Flat File mode):**
Continue to Step 2.

### Step 2: Inventory and Classify Files

Scan the project directory. No vision calls — use filename and folder pattern matching only.

**Classification rules:**

| Document Type | Detection Pattern |
|---|---|
| **Drawing sets** | PDFs in `drawings/`, `plans/`, or root with discipline prefixes (A-, S-, M-, E-, P-, C-, L-). PDFs > 2MB with keywords: "plan", "drawing", "bid set", "dwg". |
| **Specifications** | Folders named `Specifications/`, `specs/`, `02 - Specifications/`. PDFs with "project manual", "spec", "volume". CSI section number patterns in filenames. |
| **Schedules** | Excel/CSV files with "schedule", "CPM", "lookahead", "milestone" in name. |
| **Submittal log** | Excel files with "submittal" in name, typically in `Submittals/` or `06 - Submittals/`. |
| **RFI log** | Excel files with "RFI" in name, typically in `RFIs/` or logs folder. |
| **Change orders** | Excel/PDF files with "change order", "CO", "PCO" in name. |
| **Other** | Correspondence, photos, reports, geotechnical, environmental. |

**Also check for existing indexes:**
- `sheet_index.yaml` → drawings already indexed
- `spec_index.yaml` → specs already split
- `.construction/spec_text/manifest.json` → spec text already extracted

### Step 3: Present Summary and Recommend Next Actions

Report what was found:

```
## Project Summary
- Drawing sets: {count} PDFs ({disciplines found})
- Specifications: {bound manual / split sections / not found}
- Schedules: {list}
- Registers: {RFI log, submittal log, CO log — found or not found}
- Other: {count} files

## Recommended Next Actions
```

**Recommendations by mode:**

| Condition | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Bound spec manual found, not yet split | "Run `/spec-splitter` to split the project manual into individual sections and extract searchable text." |
| Bound drawing set found, flat file mode | "Run `/sheet-splitter` to split the drawing set into individual sheet PDFs and identify sheet numbers." |
| Bound drawing set found, AgentCM mode | "Split sheets via the AgentCM UI for zero-vision-cost splitting using labeled OCR data." |
| Specs already split but no text extracted | "Run `/spec-splitter` — specs are split but text extraction hasn't been done yet." |
| Submittal log needed | "Run `/submittal-log-generator` after spec text is available." |
| Specs split and text extracted | "Would you like to generate a submittal log from the specification sections? Run `/submittal-log-generator`." |

### Step 4: Amend Project CLAUDE.md

Append construction-specific context to the **project root's CLAUDE.md** (the file created by `/init`). Do NOT modify the construction skills directory CLAUDE.md.

**Append format:**

```markdown
## Construction Project Context

### Document Locations
- Drawing set: {path} ({N} sheets, disciplines: {list})
- Specifications: {path} ({N} sections or "bound manual, not yet split")
- Schedule: {path or "not found"}
- RFI log: {path or "not found"}
- Submittal log: {path or "not found"}

### Status
- Operational mode: {AgentCM / Flat File}
- Sheets indexed: {yes/no}
- Specs split: {yes/no}
- Spec text extracted: {yes/no}
```

Only append — never overwrite existing CLAUDE.md content.

### What This Skill Does NOT Do

- **Does not split PDFs** — recommends `/spec-splitter` and `/sheet-splitter` instead
- **Does not use vision** — all classification is filename/folder pattern matching
- **Does not create .construction/ directory** — that's AgentCM's job
- **Does not replace /init** — `/init` creates the base CLAUDE.md, this skill enriches it

---

## Scripts

This skill does not execute any external scripts.