Setup

Setup

This skill scaffolds the docs/ folder structure required for spec-driven development and ensures project instruction files (CLAUDE.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md) properly defer task tracking to the /project-management skill. It is called automatically by /spec-writer and /project-management as a prerequisite.

When to Use

• Automatically — Invoked by /spec-writer and /project-management at the start of every invocation
• Manually — When user says "setup docs", "initialize docs", "create docs structure", or "setup project"
• Fresh projects — When starting a new project that will use spec-driven development

Workflow

Step 1: Check Existing Structure

ls -la docs/ 2>/dev/null
ls docs/specs/ docs/changes/ 2>/dev/null
test -f docs/tasks.md && echo "tasks.md exists" || echo "tasks.md missing"
test -f docs/index.yml && echo "index.yml exists" || echo "index.yml missing"
test -f docs/index.md && echo "index.md exists" || echo "index.md missing"

If all docs/ files exist, skip to Step 6 (instruction files check). Do not overwrite existing docs/ files.

If partially exists, only create what's missing in Steps 2-5. Never overwrite existing files.

Step 2: Create Directory Structure

mkdir -p docs/specs
mkdir -p docs/changes

Step 3: Create docs/tasks.md

Only if it doesn't exist. If docs/PROJECT.md exists, offer to migrate it.

# Tasks

Catch-all task list for work not tracked in a specific [change document](changes/).

## Backlog

## Completed

Migration from PROJECT.md: If docs/PROJECT.md exists, read it and migrate tasks to the new format. Use AskUserQuestion to confirm:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "Found existing docs/PROJECT.md. Migrate tasks to docs/tasks.md?"
  options:
    - label: "Yes, migrate"
      description: "Move tasks to docs/tasks.md and keep PROJECT.md as backup"
    - label: "No, start fresh"
      description: "Create empty docs/tasks.md, leave PROJECT.md untouched"

Step 4: Create docs/index.yml

Only if it doesn't exist. Use this exact structure — field names and format are strict:

# Documentation Index
# Auto-updated by /spec-writer and /project-management skills

specs:
  # - name: <spec-name>
  #   path: specs/<spec-name>/
  #   description: <one-line description>
  #   status: active | deprecated

changes:
  # - id: "NNNN"
  #   name: <change-name>
  #   path: changes/NNNN-<change-name>.md
  #   description: <one-line description>
  #   spec: <spec-name>
  #   status: draft | in-progress | complete
  #   depends_on: []

Step 5: Create docs/index.md

Only if it doesn't exist. Use these exact column names — table schema is strict:

# Documentation

## Specs

| Spec | Description | Status |
|------|-------------|--------|

## Changes

| # | Change | Spec | Status | Depends On |
|---|--------|------|--------|------------|

Step 6: Ensure CLAUDE.md Defers to /project-management

Check the project root CLAUDE.md. If it doesn't exist, create it with the block below.

6.1 Check for CURRENT language

Search CLAUDE.md for the exact string /project-management. This is the only valid marker.

• If /project-management is found → current. Skip to Step 7.
• If NOT found → missing or stale. Proceed to 6.2.

6.2 Handle stale or missing language

If stale task-tracking language exists (anything referencing PROJECT.md, docs/specs/ for tasks, - [x], mark.*done, or task-tracking rules that don't mention /project-management):

• Remove the entire stale section
• Insert the new block in its place

If no task-tracking language exists at all:

• Append the new block to the end of CLAUDE.md

The EXACT block to insert (do NOT add to, modify, or expand this):

## Task Tracking

**You MUST load the `/project-management` skill before creating, modifying, or completing any task.** It owns all task-tracking rules and knows where tasks belong. Do not manage tasks without it.

⛔ FORBIDDEN: Do NOT add ANY of the following to CLAUDE.md:

• Descriptions of docs/ folder structure
• Rules about - [x], PR numbers, status fields, or task placement
• Explanations of specs vs changes vs tasks.md
• Anything beyond the exact block above

The /project-management skill contains all the rules. CLAUDE.md just says "load it."

Step 7: Ensure .github/copilot-instructions.md Has PR Review Cross-Reference

Check .github/copilot-instructions.md. Create .github/ directory and the file if they don't exist.

Copilot cannot load skills — it only reviews PRs. So this file tells it WHERE to cross-reference, not how to manage tasks.

7.1 Check for CURRENT language

Search .github/copilot-instructions.md for the exact string docs/changes/.

• If docs/changes/ is found → current. Skip to Step 8.
• If NOT found → missing or stale. Proceed to 7.2.

7.2 Handle stale or missing language

If the file does NOT exist, create .github/copilot-instructions.md with the block below.

If the file DOES exist but has stale language (references PROJECT.md or docs/specs/ for tasks):

• Remove the stale section
• Prepend the new block at the TOP, followed by --- and a blank line

The EXACT block to insert (do NOT add to, modify, or expand this):

# PR Review

## Task Cross-Reference

Cross-reference every PR against task lists in `docs/changes/` and `docs/tasks.md`. If the PR completes work tracked in those files, the task checkboxes MUST be updated in this same PR. Request changes if missing.

⛔ FORBIDDEN: Do NOT add ANY of the following to copilot-instructions.md:

• Detailed rules about - [x] format, PR numbers, or status fields
• Explanations of the spec/change/task system
• Instructions about where tasks should be placed
• Anything beyond the exact block above

Step 8: Report

If any files were created or modified, report what was done:

Docs structure ready:
  docs/
  ├── specs/          (living specifications)
  ├── changes/        (change documents with task tracking)
  ├── tasks.md        (catch-all task list)
  ├── index.yml       (machine-readable index)
  └── index.md        (human-readable index)

Instruction files:
  ├── CLAUDE.md       (defers task tracking to /project-management)
  └── .github/copilot-instructions.md (PR review checks)

If everything was already current, report briefly: "Docs structure and instruction files verified — no changes needed."

Rules

• Never overwrite existing docs/ files — only create what's missing
• Offer migration if PROJECT.md exists
• Keep it minimal — bare templates, not example content
• Idempotent — safe to run multiple times; repeated runs MUST NOT duplicate content
• Exact marker checks — CLAUDE.md checks for /project-management, copilot-instructions checks for docs/changes/
• Replace stale language — if old-style references exist (PROJECT.md, docs/specs/ for tasks), remove and replace them
• Insert ONLY the exact blocks specified — do NOT expand, embellish, or add detail to the CLAUDE.md or copilot-instructions content. The blocks above are the complete content. Adding anything extra violates the design
• Prepend for copilot-instructions — review rules go at the TOP so they're seen first
• Append for CLAUDE.md — task tracking section is appended to not disrupt existing structure

Source: fx/cc — distributed by TomeVault.