Oss Bootstrap

oss-bootstrap

Prepare the smallest publishable repository from a new or nearly empty directory. Inspect before writing. Never overwrite existing README, LICENSE, or .gitignore, and never commit, add a remote, or push without an explicit request.

Activate when

• Starting a new open-source project
• The repository is empty or nearly empty
• Converting a private prototype into a clean public starting point
• Preparing the first local commit or first remote push

Do not activate when

• Doing routine feature work in an established repository -> use implement-minimal
• Releasing or deploying an existing project -> use release-deploy
• Migrating a large repository or history
• Copying a proprietary codebase into public Git

Required inputs

• Target directory (confirm before any write)
• Intended project type, if the user already knows it
• Whether this session may commit, add a remote, or push (default: no)
• Chosen license, if the user already has one

Low-resource policy

Read the first of these that exists, then follow it:

• ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/shared/LOW_RESOURCE.md
• $HOME/.claude/shared/LOW_RESOURCE.md

If neither exists, apply this fallback: run one expensive command at a time, prefer the narrowest validation, disable watch mode, reuse existing environments, and run full validation only at a milestone boundary. Do not scan the whole filesystem to locate the policy.

Context-efficiency policy

Read the first of these that exists, then follow it:

• ${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR}/.claude/shared/CONTEXT_EFFICIENCY.md
• $HOME/.claude/shared/CONTEXT_EFFICIENCY.md

If neither exists, apply this fallback: select files before reading; use targeted searches and bounded ranges; do not preload references; do not reread unchanged files; finish one atomic increment and stop; create a compact handoff before context is exhausted.

Facts that must not be assumed

• Whether Git is already initialized
• The default branch name
• That the directory is empty
• The stack, package manager, or test runner
• That files with common names are safe to overwrite
• That a remote exists or is empty

Preflight

1. Confirm the absolute target directory with the user
2. Run git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree to detect an existing repo
3. List top-level entries without reading large binaries
4. If the directory already contains a substantial project, stop and hand off to oss-plan or public-code-review

Workflow

1. Confirm the target directory
2. Detect Git state and existing files -> see references/project-detection.md
3. Classify the project: Python, JavaScript or TypeScript, Rust, mixed stack, documentation-only, or a Claude Code skills repository
4. Identify existing manifests and conventions; do not replace them
5. Define the smallest publishable structure for that stack -> references/stack-bootstrap.md
6. Scan for public-release risks: secrets, personal information, proprietary names, private URLs, accidental binaries, generated output
7. Select or confirm license, README, .gitignore, .env.example (only when secrets are required), and a minimal validation path
8. Create only missing files; never overwrite an existing README, LICENSE, or .gitignore
9. Preserve executable permissions on existing scripts
10. Prepare the staged diff and verify the exact file list -> references/git-first-publish.md
11. Commit only when explicitly requested
12. Add a remote only when explicitly requested
13. Push only when explicitly requested
14. Produce the report -> templates/bootstrap-report.md

Decision branches

• Existing README, LICENSE, or .gitignore present -> keep it, record it as preserved, and note any gap instead of rewriting
• Secret or private data found -> stop, report the exact path and line, do not stage it, do not commit
• Binary or generated output found -> propose a .gitignore entry, do not add it to the commit
• No test or runnable path exists -> add the minimal validation described for the stack; do not scaffold a framework
• Git already initialized with commits -> do not re-initialize; treat as an existing project

Validation escalation

Run the narrowest available check for the detected stack, in this order, only as far as needed to prove the repo is runnable:

syntax or parse check on created files
single smoke test or example run
stack lint or typecheck on changed files only

Do not run a full build or full suite during bootstrap.

Stop conditions

• Target directory is ambiguous or unconfirmed
• A secret or private datum would be committed
• An existing README, LICENSE, or .gitignore would be overwritten
• Git would be initialized in the wrong directory
• The user has not authorized commit, remote, or push for those steps

Human review boundaries

• Final license choice
• Whether the project name and contents are cleared for public release
• Remote URL and account ownership
• Any file the risk scan flagged as uncertain

Final report

Fill in templates/bootstrap-report.md with detected type, created files, preserved files, skipped files, validation performed, unresolved public-release risks, Git operations performed, Git operations not performed, and the next manual action.