How do I install the Setup Here skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add vforge/setup-here in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Setup Here safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Setup Here?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Setup Here free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Setup Here?

vforge (@vforge) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Setup Here by vforge — Agent Skill

Name: Setup Here
Author: vforge

Setup Here

Wire a git checkout's .atlas and .specstory symlinks to the shared stores — .atlas to the Atlas vault's work/ directory, .specstory to the specstory store keyed by git remote. Use when setting up a new checkout or worktree, when artifacts have nowhere to go, or when a link is missing, dangling, or pointing at the wrong target.

vforge f59fb29 2 files · 5.7 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

setup-here

Give a checkout its two gitignored symlinks. Both targets are derived — nothing to choose:

.atlas     -> Atlas/work/                  the same target in every checkout
.specstory -> specstory/<remote-repo-name>/  parallel checkouts share one

$ARGUMENTS is the checkout path; default to git rev-parse --show-toplevel.

Happy path

"$CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR/setup-here.sh" "<checkout-path>"

The script derives the remote name, creates specstory/<remote>/ on demand, replaces existing symlinks, and warns if either path isn't gitignored. If it succeeds, verify and report — that's the whole job.

The cases the script deliberately refuses

.atlas or .specstory is a real directory, not a symlink. The script stops rather than clobber data. Migrate first:

Copy its contents into Atlas/work/<ticket-or-slug>/ — one directory per ticket or topic, never per repo. Add frontmatter per Atlas/AGENTS.md.
Where a filename already exists in work/, compare contents. Identical → one file, with both repos in repos:. Different → genuine variants, kept as <name>--<repo>.md with variant: set. Never silently pick a winner.
cmp every file against its copy before deleting the original.
Then run the script.

A link points somewhere other than the two targets above. An older layout keyed artifacts per repo (and an even older one nested both under ai/_misc/ai/_specstory); anything still pointing at either is writing where nothing reads. Copy any content forward into Atlas/work/<ticket-or-slug>/ before repointing.

Not gitignored. The global ~/.gitignore-global patterns .atlas and .specstory should cover both. If a repo lacks that protection, add .atlas and .specstory to <checkout>/.git/info/exclude. Note a trailing-slash pattern (.atlas/) matches directories but not symlinks — a repo relying on that form is unprotected.

Verify before reporting success

ls -A "<checkout>/.atlas/"        # trailing slash matters
ls -A "<checkout>/.specstory/"
git -C "<checkout>" status --porcelain      # must be unchanged
git -C "<checkout>" check-ignore .atlas .specstory

Without the trailing slash ls lists the symlink itself, so a working link looks like it holds exactly one entry. This has caused a false alarm before.

Claude Code also needs the vault in permissions.additionalDirectories to write through .atlas without prompts — already configured for Atlas.

Scope

One checkout. To audit many at once — stale links, unmigrated content, artifacts drifting outside the vault — use /check-ai-dirs in the Atlas vault instead.

---name: setup-heredescription: Wire a git checkout's .atlas and .specstory symlinks to the shared stores — .atlas to the Atlas vault's work/ directory, .specstory to the specstory store keyed by git remote. Use when setting up a new checkout or worktree, when artifacts have nowhere to go, or when a link is missing, dangling, or pointing at the wrong target.---# setup-hereGive a checkout its two gitignored symlinks. Both targets are **derived** — nothing to choose:```.atlas -> Atlas/work/ the same target in every checkout.specstory -> specstory/<remote-repo-name>/ parallel checkouts share one````$ARGUMENTS` is the checkout path; default to `git rev-parse --show-toplevel`.## Happy path```sh"$CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR/setup-here.sh" "<checkout-path>"```The script derives the remote name, creates `specstory/<remote>/` on demand, replaces existing symlinks, and warns if either path isn't gitignored. If it succeeds, verify and report — that's the whole job.## The cases the script deliberately refuses**`.atlas` or `.specstory` is a real directory, not a symlink.** The script stops rather than clobber data. Migrate first:1. Copy its contents into `Atlas/work/<ticket-or-slug>/` — one directory per ticket or topic, **never per repo**. Add frontmatter per `Atlas/AGENTS.md`.2. Where a filename already exists in `work/`, compare contents. Identical → one file, with both repos in `repos:`. Different → genuine **variants**, kept as `<name>--<repo>.md` with `variant:` set. Never silently pick a winner.3. `cmp` every file against its copy before deleting the original.4. Then run the script.**A link points somewhere other than the two targets above.** An older layout keyed artifacts per repo (and an even older one nested both under `ai/_misc`/`ai/_specstory`); anything still pointing at either is writing where nothing reads. Copy any content forward into `Atlas/work/<ticket-or-slug>/` before repointing.**Not gitignored.** The global `~/.gitignore-global` patterns `.atlas` and `.specstory` should cover both. If a repo lacks that protection, add `.atlas` and `.specstory` to `<checkout>/.git/info/exclude`. Note a trailing-slash pattern (`.atlas/`) matches directories but **not** symlinks — a repo relying on that form is unprotected.## Verify before reporting success```shls -A "<checkout>/.atlas/" # trailing slash mattersls -A "<checkout>/.specstory/"git -C "<checkout>" status --porcelain # must be unchangedgit -C "<checkout>" check-ignore .atlas .specstory```**Without the trailing slash `ls` lists the symlink itself**, so a working link looks like it holds exactly one entry. This has caused a false alarm before.Claude Code also needs the vault in `permissions.additionalDirectories` to write *through* `.atlas` without prompts — already configured for `Atlas`.## ScopeOne checkout. To audit many at once — stale links, unmigrated content, artifacts drifting outside the vault — use `/check-ai-dirs` in the Atlas vault instead.

Frequently asked questions