# Semantic Anchor Onboarding > Install semantic anchors into persistent coding-agent context for Codex, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and similar agents. Use when setting up project-level or user-level onboarding, generating or updating AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, or Copilot instruction files, choosing anchors by category, or resolving overlapping or mutually exclusive anchors before making them always-on. Use when this capability is needed. - Skill: `tomevault-io/semantic-anchor-onboarding-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add tomevault-io/semantic-anchor-onboarding-2` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/tomevault-io/semantic-anchor-onboarding-2/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: tomevault-io (https://skillmd.com/u/tomevault-io) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/tomevault-io/semantic-anchor-onboarding-2 --- # Semantic Anchor Onboarding Install a small, stable set of semantic anchors so coding agents start each session with the same working vocabulary. Prefer project-local onboarding for portability; add user-level memory only when the user wants personal defaults across repositories. ## Workflow 1. Decide scope and portability. - Prefer project-local onboarding when the goal is "works across as many agents as possible." - Use user-level memory only for agents that support it natively. Do not promise universal home-directory onboarding across all tools. - Read [references/agent-support.md](references/agent-support.md) before writing files. 2. Select anchors. - Keep the always-on set small: usually 3 to 7 anchors. - Ask for zero or more anchors per category, but force a single primary choice inside the conflict groups listed in [references/anchor-selection.md](references/anchor-selection.md). - Separate always-on defaults from task-local anchors. Put stable team conventions in startup files; keep exploratory methods task-local unless the user explicitly wants them always on. 3. Render the selected anchor block. - Start from `assets/templates/anchor-block.md`. - Fill in the selected anchors as a concise markdown block without markers; the installer adds markers automatically. - Name each selected anchor explicitly and add one sentence on how it should influence behavior. - Add precedence rules when two selected anchors might pull in different directions. - State that explicit user instructions override the default anchors. 4. Run the installer instead of editing by hand. - Use `scripts/install.sh --source /path/to/anchor-block.md --target-dir --scope project` for repository onboarding. - Use `scripts/install.sh --source /path/to/anchor-block.md --scope home` for personal onboarding. - The installer follows the same pattern as ToonDex: inject into the first suitable existing markdown file, otherwise create a minimal `AGENTS.md`. - The installer writes an idempotent marker block so future updates replace the old anchor section instead of appending duplicates. 5. Add native behavior only where needed. - For Claude Code, add `--claude-hook` if the user wants a SessionStart hook that re-injects the selected block at the beginning of each session. - For Gemini CLI, either rely on the shared file chosen by the installer or mirror the same block into `GEMINI.md` if the team wants native Gemini memory. - For GitHub Copilot, mirror the same block into `.github/copilot-instructions.md` only when chat or review workflows also need it. - For Cursor, the shared file is usually enough; use `.cursor/rules` only when path-scoped behavior is required. 6. Validate on a fresh session. - Start a new session in each target agent. - Ask the agent to list the active semantic anchors and explain how they will affect the next answer. - If the agent misses anchors, shorten the file, move prose out, and make the active list more explicit. ## Writing Rules - Prefer `AGENTS.md` as the cross-agent baseline. - Prefer project onboarding over user onboarding when the user says "all agents." - Prefer one primary anchor in each mutually exclusive cluster. - Keep anchor text concrete. Name the anchor and expected behavior; avoid essays. - Do not make `Chain of Thought` an always-on requirement unless the user explicitly asks for it; reasoning visibility differs across agents. - Treat architecture, documentation, testing, and communication anchors as safer always-on defaults than adversarial or exploratory techniques. - If the user wants both home and project setup, put personal style in home-level memory and team or process anchors in project-level files. ## References - Agent loading rules and portability: [references/agent-support.md](references/agent-support.md) - Category prompts, overlap rules, and one-line explainers: [references/anchor-selection.md](references/anchor-selection.md) ## Assets Reusable starter templates live in `assets/templates/`: - `anchor-block.md` - `AGENTS.md` - `CLAUDE.md` - `GEMINI.md` - `copilot-instructions.md` ## Scripts - `scripts/install.sh` - `scripts/claude-session-start.sh` Use the installer first. Mirror into native files only when a target agent requires it. ## Requirements - **Runtime:** python3 (used by `install.sh` and `claude-session-start.sh` for JSON manipulation and path resolution) - **Platform:** Unix/macOS (WSL on Windows). Shell scripts use Unix paths (`$HOME/.claude/`, `$HOME/.codex/`) and are not Windows-native. ## Maintenance - Treat `skill/` as the canonical source for generic skills. - Regenerate the Claude plugin skill copies with `scripts/sync-claude-plugin.sh`. - Do not edit both `skill/` and `plugins/semantic-anchors/skills/` by hand. --- > Source: [LLM-Coding/Semantic-Anchors](https://github.com/LLM-Coding/Semantic-Anchors) — distributed by [TomeVault](https://tomevault.io).