How do I install the Setup Env skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add hermeticormus/setup-env in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Setup Env safe to use?

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Which AI agents work with Setup Env?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Setup Env free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free. This skill is licensed under MIT.

Who published Setup Env?

hermeticormus (@hermeticormus) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Setup Env by hermeticormus — Agent Skill

Name: Setup Env
Author: hermeticormus

Setup Env

Set up a project's development environment. Check requirements and versions, install runtime and dependencies from the lockfile, configure env vars and config files, verify with a working first run, and document what was done. Use when setting up a project from a bare clone, onboarding onto an unfamiliar codebase, or reproducing a "works on my machine" environment.

File contents

Setup environment

A protocol for setting up a project's development environment from a bare clone to a working first run.

Tradeoff: bias toward verifying each step over assuming it worked. For a project set up recently, use judgment.

1. Check requirements

Read the project's own docs and version files (README, .tool-versions, engines, python_requires, go.mod, Cargo.toml). Note the required runtime and version, note system dependencies, and compare against what is installed. A version mismatch is the most common setup failure. Report gaps before closing them.

2. Install the runtime and package manager

Install the version the project asks for, not the latest. Prefer a version manager (nvm, pyenv, rbenv, rustup) over a system-wide install. Use the package manager the lockfile implies.

3. Install dependencies

Install from the lockfile (npm ci, poetry install) so the dependency graph matches the committed one. For Python, create an isolated virtualenv first. If install fails, read the first error, not the last.

4. Configure environment and config files

Copy .env.example to .env and fill every variable. Generate local secrets the project needs. Do not commit secrets or invent placeholder secret values.

5. Verify with a working first run

Build, test, then start. Observe behavior rather than trusting an exit code: hit the health endpoint, load a page, run the CLI with --help. If a step fails, trace it to the earlier step it came from and fix that step, not the symptom.

6. Document what was done

Record the exact steps, the non-obvious gotchas, and the common-command set (build, test, run, lint) so the next person reproduces it without rediscovery.

See full content at https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/setup-env-skills.

---name: setup-envdescription: Set up a project's development environment. Check requirements and versions, install runtime and dependencies from the lockfile, configure env vars and config files, verify with a working first run, and document what was done. Use when setting up a project from a bare clone, onboarding onto an unfamiliar codebase, or reproducing a "works on my machine" environment.license: MIT---# Setup environmentA protocol for setting up a project's development environment from a bare clone to a working first run.**Tradeoff**: bias toward verifying each step over assuming it worked. For a project set up recently, use judgment.## 1. Check requirementsRead the project's own docs and version files (`README`, `.tool-versions`, `engines`, `python_requires`, `go.mod`, `Cargo.toml`). Note the required runtime and version, note system dependencies, and compare against what is installed. A version mismatch is the most common setup failure. Report gaps before closing them.## 2. Install the runtime and package managerInstall the version the project asks for, not the latest. Prefer a version manager (`nvm`, `pyenv`, `rbenv`, `rustup`) over a system-wide install. Use the package manager the lockfile implies.## 3. Install dependenciesInstall from the lockfile (`npm ci`, `poetry install`) so the dependency graph matches the committed one. For Python, create an isolated virtualenv first. If install fails, read the first error, not the last.## 4. Configure environment and config filesCopy `.env.example` to `.env` and fill every variable. Generate local secrets the project needs. Do not commit secrets or invent placeholder secret values.## 5. Verify with a working first runBuild, test, then start. Observe behavior rather than trusting an exit code: hit the health endpoint, load a page, run the CLI with `--help`. If a step fails, trace it to the earlier step it came from and fix that step, not the symptom.## 6. Document what was doneRecord the exact steps, the non-obvious gotchas, and the common-command set (build, test, run, lint) so the next person reproduces it without rediscovery.---See full content at https://github.com/HermeticOrmus/setup-env-skills.

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