Project Init

Project Initialization

Scaffolds new projects with a standard structure for Claude Code workflows.

Trigger Conditions

Invoke when user says:

• "create a new project"
• "scaffold a project"
• "initialize project"
• "start new project"
• "set up project structure"

Procedure

Step 1: Determine Location

Check if currently inside a git workspace:

git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2>/dev/null

If inside git workspace:

• Navigate to parent directory
• Create new directory there
• This prevents nested git repos

If not inside git workspace:

• Create in current directory

Step 2: Create Directory Structure

mkdir -p {{project_name}}
cd {{project_name}}
mkdir -p .claude/skills
mkdir -p src tests docs

Step 3: Initialize Git

git init

Step 4: Create Standard Files

Create these files from templates:

Step 5: Create .gitignore

# Dependencies
node_modules/
.pnpm-store/

# Build outputs
dist/
build/
.svelte-kit/
.next/
.nuxt/

# Test artifacts
coverage/
test-results/
playwright-report/
.nyc_output/

# IDE
.idea/
.vscode/
*.swp
*.swo

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Environment
.env
.env.local
.env.*.local

# Logs
*.log
npm-debug.log*
yarn-debug.log*
yarn-error.log*

# Cache
.cache/
.turbo/
.eslintcache
.parcel-cache/

# Credentials
*.pem
*.key
credentials.json

Step 6: Populate Templates

Fill templates with project-specific values:

CLAUDE.md:

• Project name
• Detected language (TypeScript, Python, etc.)
• Project structure
• Recommended skills based on tech stack

README.md:

• Project name and description
• Quick start commands
• Basic usage example

PLAN.md:

• Initial tasks based on user's goals
• Empty backlog section
• Empty completed section

RESEARCH.md:

• Topic placeholder
• Empty findings section

AGENTS.md:

• Empty, ready for agent coordination

Step 7: Initial Commit

git add .
git commit -m "Initial project scaffold

Created standard structure with:
- CLAUDE.md (project guidance)
- README.md (documentation)
- PLAN.md (work tracker)
- RESEARCH.md (investigation notes)
- AGENTS.md (agent coordination)
- .gitignore (comprehensive patterns)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>"

Output Format

After scaffolding, report:

Project scaffolded: {{project_name}}

Created files:
  - CLAUDE.md
  - README.md
  - PLAN.md
  - RESEARCH.md
  - AGENTS.md
  - .gitignore
  - .claude/skills/ (directory)

Next steps:
1. Review CLAUDE.md and customize for your project
2. Update README.md with project description
3. Add initial tasks to PLAN.md
4. Install skills with: skills scan --all

Customization Options

User can specify:

• --language: Primary language (typescript, python, rust, go)
• --framework: Framework (react, svelte, next, sveltekit)
• --no-git: Skip git initialization
• --skills: Comma-separated list of skills to install

Example Usage

Basic:

/project-init my-app

With options:

/project-init my-app --language typescript --framework sveltekit

Skill Chaining

After scaffolding:

1. dogfood-skills runs skills scan to recommend skills
2. doc-maintenance is ready to update PLAN.md
3. tdd is available for test-driven development

Notes

• Does not overwrite existing files
• Creates parent directories as needed
• Uses Handlebars-style templates ({{variable}})
• Respects user's existing git configuration