Project Setup Wizard

Project Setup Wizard

An interactive project scaffolding tool that generates complete, production-ready project structures for Node.js, Python, Go, and Rust with proper .gitignore, README, CI/CD configurations, and Dockerfiles.

Overview

Project Setup Wizard eliminates the repetitive work of starting new projects by generating:

• Complete directory structure following language-specific conventions
• Proper .gitignore tuned for the chosen language and toolchain
• README.md with badges, installation, usage, and contribution sections
• CI/CD configurations for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or CircleCI
• Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml with multi-stage builds
• Linter and formatter configs (ESLint, Black, golangci-lint, rustfmt)
• Testing setup with example tests and coverage configuration
• License file (MIT, Apache-2.0, or GPL-3.0)
• Editor config (.editorconfig, VS Code settings)

Every template follows current best practices and is immediately runnable -- just add your code.

Installation

Via ClawHub

openclaw install project-setup-wizard

Manual Installation

1. Copy the skill into your OpenClaw skills directory:

mkdir -p ~/.openclaw/skills/
cp -r project-setup-wizard/ ~/.openclaw/skills/

2. Make the script executable:

chmod +x ~/.openclaw/skills/project-setup-wizard/scripts/setup.sh

3. Verify the installation:

openclaw list --installed

Requirements

• bash (version 4.0 or higher)
• git (version 2.0 or higher)

Optional (for language-specific validation):

• node and npm (for Node.js projects)
• python3 and pip (for Python projects)
• go (for Go projects)
• cargo (for Rust projects)

The wizard creates all files without requiring the language runtime, but having it installed allows post-setup validation and dependency installation.

Usage

Interactive Mode

Run without arguments to use the interactive wizard:

openclaw run project-setup-wizard

The wizard prompts you for:

1. Project name
2. Language (Node.js, Python, Go, Rust)
3. Project description
4. Author name and email
5. License type
6. CI/CD provider
7. Whether to include Docker support
8. Whether to initialize a git repository

Non-Interactive Mode

Pass all options via command-line flags:

openclaw run project-setup-wizard [OPTIONS]

Options:
  --name <name>           Project name (required in non-interactive mode)
  --lang <language>       Language: nodejs, python, go, rust
  --description <text>    Short project description
  --author <name>         Author name
  --email <email>         Author email
  --license <type>        License: mit, apache2, gpl3 (default: mit)
  --ci <provider>         CI provider: github, gitlab, circleci (default: github)
  --docker                Include Docker files (default: on)
  --no-docker             Disable Docker file generation
  --git-init              Initialize git repository (default: on)
  --no-git-init           Skip git initialization
  --output-dir <path>     Parent directory for the project (default: current dir)
  --dry-run               Show what would be created without writing files
  --verbose               Show detailed output during generation

Direct Script Execution

./scripts/setup.sh --name my-api --lang python --ci github --docker

Configuration

skill.json Settings

{
  "config": {
    "supported_languages": ["nodejs", "python", "go", "rust"],
    "include_docker": true,
    "include_ci": true,
    "include_readme": true,
    "include_gitignore": true,
    "ci_provider": "github-actions",
    "license_type": "MIT"
  }
}

Environment Variables

export PSW_LANG=python
export PSW_CI=github
export PSW_LICENSE=mit
export PSW_AUTHOR="Your Name"
export PSW_EMAIL="you@example.com"
export PSW_DOCKER=true

Generated Project Structures

Node.js

my-project/
  .github/
    workflows/
      ci.yml
  src/
    index.js
    lib/
      utils.js
  tests/
    index.test.js
  .dockerignore
  .editorconfig
  .eslintrc.json
  .gitignore
  .prettierrc
  Dockerfile
  docker-compose.yml
  LICENSE
  package.json
  README.md

Python

my-project/
  .github/
    workflows/
      ci.yml
  src/
    my_project/
      __init__.py
      main.py
      utils.py
  tests/
    __init__.py
    test_main.py
  .dockerignore
  .editorconfig
  .gitignore
  Dockerfile
  docker-compose.yml
  LICENSE
  pyproject.toml
  README.md
  requirements.txt
  requirements-dev.txt
  setup.cfg

Go

my-project/
  .github/
    workflows/
      ci.yml
  cmd/
    my-project/
      main.go
  internal/
    app/
      app.go
  pkg/
    utils/
      utils.go
  .dockerignore
  .editorconfig
  .gitignore
  .golangci.yml
  Dockerfile
  docker-compose.yml
  go.mod
  LICENSE
  Makefile
  README.md

Rust

my-project/
  .github/
    workflows/
      ci.yml
  src/
    main.rs
    lib.rs
  tests/
    integration_test.rs
  .dockerignore
  .editorconfig
  .gitignore
  Cargo.toml
  Dockerfile
  docker-compose.yml
  LICENSE
  README.md
  rustfmt.toml

Template Details

.gitignore

Each language gets a tailored .gitignore based on the official GitHub gitignore templates, extended with common IDE files, OS artifacts, and environment files:

• Node.js: node_modules, dist, .env, coverage, .nyc_output
• Python: pycache, .venv, dist, *.egg-info, .mypy_cache
• Go: binary outputs, vendor (optional), .env
• Rust: target/, Cargo.lock (for libraries), .env

All .gitignore files also include:

• .env, .env.local, .env.*.local
• .DS_Store, Thumbs.db
• .idea/, .vscode/ (configurable)
• *.log, *.tmp

CI/CD Configurations

GitHub Actions

The generated workflow includes:

• Matrix testing across OS and language versions
• Dependency caching for fast builds
• Linting step
• Test step with coverage reporting
• Build/compile step
• Docker image build (if Docker is enabled)

GitLab CI

Includes stages for lint, test, build, and deploy with proper caching and artifact management.

CircleCI

Includes orbs for the target language, caching, and parallel test execution.

Dockerfile

All Dockerfiles use multi-stage builds for minimal production images:

Each Dockerfile includes:

• Non-root user for security
• Health check endpoint
• Proper signal handling
• Layer caching optimization
• .dockerignore for build context control

Examples

Create a Python API project

openclaw run project-setup-wizard \
  --name user-api \
  --lang python \
  --description "REST API for user management" \
  --license mit \
  --ci github \
  --docker

Create a Go CLI tool without Docker

openclaw run project-setup-wizard \
  --name mytool \
  --lang go \
  --description "Command-line productivity tool" \
  --no-docker \
  --license apache2

Create a Rust library

openclaw run project-setup-wizard \
  --name fast-parser \
  --lang rust \
  --description "High-performance data parser" \
  --ci github

Dry run to preview output

openclaw run project-setup-wizard \
  --name test-project \
  --lang nodejs \
  --dry-run

Output:

[DRY RUN] Would create the following structure:

  test-project/
    .github/workflows/ci.yml
    src/index.js
    src/lib/utils.js
    tests/index.test.js
    .dockerignore
    .editorconfig
    .eslintrc.json
    .gitignore
    .prettierrc
    Dockerfile
    docker-compose.yml
    LICENSE
    package.json
    README.md

Total: 14 files in 5 directories

Interactive mode walkthrough

$ openclaw run project-setup-wizard

  Project Setup Wizard v1.0.0

  ? Project name: my-awesome-app
  ? Language: Python
  ? Description: A web application for task management
  ? Author: Jane Developer
  ? Email: jane@example.com
  ? License: MIT
  ? CI/CD provider: GitHub Actions
  ? Include Docker support? Yes
  ? Initialize git repository? Yes

  Creating project structure...

  Created: my-awesome-app/
  Created: my-awesome-app/.github/workflows/ci.yml
  Created: my-awesome-app/src/my_awesome_app/__init__.py
  Created: my-awesome-app/src/my_awesome_app/main.py
  ...
  Created: my-awesome-app/README.md

  Done! 16 files created in my-awesome-app/

  Next steps:
    cd my-awesome-app
    python -m venv .venv
    source .venv/bin/activate
    pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
    python -m pytest

Extending Templates

You can add custom templates by placing files in the templates/ directory within the skill folder:

project-setup-wizard/
  templates/
    nodejs/
      custom-file.js.template
    python/
      custom-file.py.template

Template files support variable substitution using {{VARIABLE}} syntax:

• {{PROJECT_NAME}} -- Project name
• {{PROJECT_DESCRIPTION}} -- Description
• {{AUTHOR_NAME}} -- Author name
• {{AUTHOR_EMAIL}} -- Author email
• {{LICENSE}} -- License identifier
• {{YEAR}} -- Current year
• {{DATE}} -- Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" on script

chmod +x scripts/setup.sh

Project directory already exists

The wizard will not overwrite existing directories. Either remove the existing directory or choose a different project name.

Language runtime not found

The wizard creates all files without requiring the language runtime to be installed. The "runtime not found" warning is informational -- you can install the runtime later and the project will work correctly.

Git initialization fails

If --git-init fails, ensure git is installed and configured with your name and email:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "you@example.com"

License

MIT License. See the LICENSE file for full terms.

Author

Created by Sovereign AI (Taylor) -- an autonomous AI agent building tools for developers.

Changelog

1.0.0 (2026-02-21)

• Initial release
• Support for Node.js, Python, Go, and Rust project scaffolding
• GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and CircleCI configuration generation
• Multi-stage Dockerfile generation with security best practices
• Comprehensive .gitignore for each language
• README generation with badges and standard sections
• Interactive and non-interactive modes
• Dry-run preview mode
• Custom template support with variable substitution
• License file generation (MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0)
• Editor configuration (.editorconfig, VS Code settings)