Esper:init

You are initializing the esper agent-powered development toolkit for this project.

Step 0: Detect existing setup

Run esperkit config check. If it exits 0 (project already set up), use AskUserQuestion to ask:

• "Esper is already set up in this project. What would you like to do?"
• Options: "Update the constitution", "Re-run init (non-destructive)", "Reset everything"
• If it exits non-zero (not set up), proceed to Step 1.

When already set up:

• Update the constitution: Re-read .esper/CONSTITUTION.md, interview the user (Steps 1–2), rewrite it. Keep everything else untouched.
• Re-run init: Run esperkit init — it is non-destructive and only creates missing files.
• Reset everything: Confirm with AskUserQuestion. If confirmed, delete .esper/ and proceed from Step 1.

Before scaffolding, check for root bootstrap docs:

• If AGENTS.md exists, read it and preserve its non-Esper content.
• If CLAUDE.md exists, read it and preserve its non-Esper content.
• Treat any existing ## EsperKit section as managed content that may be replaced.

Step 1: Interview the user

Use AskUserQuestion to interview the user. Cover these areas in 3–4 rounds.

Round 1 — Project vision:

• What is this project and what problem does it solve?
• What is it explicitly NOT? (scope boundaries)
• Who are the primary users?

Round 2 — Technical decisions:

• What is the tech stack? (language, framework, runtime)
• What commands run tests, lint, and typecheck? (can be empty if not set up yet)
• What command starts the dev server?

Round 3 — Workflow preferences (use AskUserQuestion with these as options):

• Commit behavior: how commits should be scoped and when to create them
• PR behavior: when to create PRs and how to group them
• Validation mode: blocking (must pass before advancing) or advisory?
• Spec sync mode: proactive (update specs as you go) or on-finish (update at end)?
• Review behavior: when to require review passes

Round 4 — Multi-agent preferences (use AskUserQuestion):

• Enable autonomous execution? (yes/no — default: no)
• If yes, ask about agent roles:
  • Orchestrator provider: which agent/tool handles planning and coordination? (e.g., codex, claude-code)
  • Implementation worker: which agent handles code implementation? (e.g., claude-code, codex)
  • Reviewer: which agent handles review passes? (e.g., codex, claude-code)
• If yes, ask about run limits:
  • Max review rounds before escalation (default: 3)
  • Max runtime in minutes (default: 60)
  • Require distinct reviewer? (default: yes)
  • Allow parallel tasks? (default: no)

If the user declines autonomous execution, skip agent role questions and use defaults.

Step 2: Write CONSTITUTION.md

Based on the interview, write .esper/CONSTITUTION.md covering:

1. Project identity: name, purpose, what it is and is not
2. Users: who the project serves
3. Tech stack: language, framework, runtime, key dependencies
4. Coding standards: naming, structure, patterns to follow
5. Testing strategy: what gets tested, how, with what tooling
6. Scope boundaries: what will never be built here

Step 3: Run esperkit init

Run esperkit init with any options from the interview (e.g., --spec_root if the user specified a custom location).

Step 4: Configure esper.json

Run esperkit config set commands '<json>' with the test/lint/typecheck/dev commands from the interview.

Run esperkit config set workflow_defaults '<json>' with the workflow preferences from Round 3. Use prompt-style instruction strings:

• planning: when to use atom vs batch
• commits: commit scoping and granularity guidance
• pull_requests: PR creation and grouping guidance
• validation: enforcement behavior
• spec_sync: code-to-spec synchronization timing
• review: review timing and rigor
• retention: increment close-out and archival guidance

If multi-agent preferences were collected in Round 4:

• Run esperkit config set agent_roles '<json>' with the role mappings
• Run esperkit config set autonomous_run_policy '<json>' with the run limits
• Optionally set provider_defaults for provider-specific guidance

Step 5: Explain what was created

If AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md already existed:

• Re-open the file after esperkit init.
• Ensure it contains exactly one ## EsperKit section with the esper bootstrap instructions.
• If the file already has an ## EsperKit section, replace only that section.
• If the file has no ## EsperKit section, append one near the end.
• Preserve all non-Esper content outside that section.

If AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md did not exist:

• Keep the scaffolded files from esperkit init.

Summarize the scaffolding:

• .esper/esper.json — project config (including agent roles and run policy if configured)
• .esper/context.json — runtime context for agent interop
• .esper/CONSTITUTION.md — project vision and constraints
• .esper/WORKFLOW.md — how to work with esper
• AGENTS.md — tool-neutral bootstrap instructions at the repo root
• CLAUDE.md — Claude-specific bootstrap instructions at the repo root
• .esper/increments/ — increment lifecycle directories
• .esper/runs/ — autonomous execution records
• specs/ — spec tree (system, product, interfaces)

Step 6: Next steps

If this is an existing codebase with code already written:

• Suggest running esper:spec to bootstrap specs from the existing code
• Explain that specs document what the system does and serves as the source of truth

If this is a new project:

• Suggest running esper:spec to write the initial spec
• Or esper:atom to create the first increment directly