Init Jean JSON

init-jean-json

Onboard a repository to Jean (coollabsio/jean — worktree-per-agent dev environment) by authoring its automation manifest from evidence, then proving it in a real throwaway worktree before committing anything. The deliverable is not a file — it is a verified worktree bootstrap: a fresh worktree that installs, runs, and tears down cleanly with zero manual steps.

Every schema claim here is verified against Jean source (src-tauri/src/projects/{types,git,commands}.rs) — exact contracts in references/jean-json-spec.md.

Use this skill when

• a repo is being onboarded to Jean and needs jean.json created or fixed
• worktree creation is slow or broken (missing .env, reinstalling node_modules every time, orphaned containers) and you must optimize it
• authoring or repairing a .worktreeinclude manifest (which gitignored files travel into new worktrees)
• documenting the worktree bootstrap in AGENTS.md so non-Jean agents can replicate it

Do NOT use this skill when

• the task is "work on X in an isolated worktree" — that is session isolation, not manifest authoring; use your native worktree tool
• operating the Jean desktop app (creating sessions, chatting) — this skill only authors repo-side config
• the repo will never use worktrees (single-checkout deploy repo) — say so and stop

Hard rules

1. Never claim done without the test-worktree proof. A jean.json that was written but never executed in a fresh worktree is a draft, not a deliverable.
2. Never leave test worktrees or test branches behind. Finalize includes cleanup; verify with git worktree list + git branch --list 'jean-test-*' both empty of your artifacts.
3. jean.json and .worktreeinclude must be committed (tracked). Jean reads jean.json from the project root when creating worktrees — a gitignored manifest silently does nothing for teammates.
4. Setup scripts must be idempotent and non-interactive. They run in a background login shell with no TTY; a prompt = a silent hang.
5. Guard every rm/destructive command with the env vars Jean validates ($JEAN_WORKSPACE_PATH, $JEAN_ROOT_PATH are guaranteed non-empty absolute paths — plain relative rm -rf is not similarly guarded).

Workflow

Phase 1 — Explore (evidence before authoring)

Build a bootstrap inventory. Do not guess — read the repo:

git rev-parse --show-toplevel && git status --porcelain --ignored -- . | head -50
cat .gitignore 2>/dev/null
ls -d .env* .envrc .claude .agents .cursor .vscode config/secrets* 2>/dev/null
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | jq '{pm: .packageManager, scripts}'
ls pnpm-lock.yaml yarn.lock bun.lockb package-lock.json Cargo.toml pyproject.toml go.mod compose*.y*ml docker-compose*.y*ml Makefile 2>/dev/null
cat jean.json .worktreeinclude AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null

Answer these six questions (they map 1:1 onto the manifest):

If the repo has databases/containers per worktree, or parallel-port collisions, read references/worktree-optimization.md (port strategy, shared caches, COW copies) before drafting.

Phase 2 — Draft both manifests

Author from references/jean-json-spec.md (exact schema, env vars, shell semantics) and references/templates.md (per-stack starting points: node/pnpm, bun, python, rust, go, docker-compose, monorepo).

Principles:

• .worktreeinclude is the declaration; jean.json setup is the executor. Jean does not read .worktreeinclude (verified against source) — so the setup script must perform the copies itself using $JEAN_ROOT_PATH. The .worktreeinclude file still ships for Claude Code WorktreeCreate hooks, other tools, and humans. Keep the two in sync; generate the setup copy-lines from the include list.
• Copy small config (.env*, .claude/, .agents/) with cp; clone big artifacts (node_modules/, target/, .venv/) with COW (cp -Rc on APFS — measured ~3ms for what a normal copy takes seconds on) or skip them for store-backed installs (pnpm install --prefer-offline is already near-instant).
• Never symlink node_modules across worktrees — parallel agents would mutate shared state and realpath-resolving tools break.
• Order setup: copies first (cheap, unblocks the agent), install second, slow warmups last or not at all.
• run uses the array form when there are independent processes (api + web + worker).
• teardown must be idempotent and safe to run twice (docker compose down --remove-orphans || true).

Phase 3 — Test in a throwaway worktree (the gate)

Simulate exactly what Jean does, with the same env contract:

ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
TB="jean-test-$(date +%s)"
WT="$(mktemp -d)/$TB"
git -C "$ROOT" worktree add -b "$TB" "$WT"

# replicate Jean's execution: login shell, cwd=worktree, three env vars
JEAN_WORKSPACE_PATH="$WT" JEAN_ROOT_PATH="$ROOT" JEAN_BRANCH="$TB" \
  zsh -l -c "cd '$WT' && <setup script verbatim from your draft jean.json>"

Verify each contract, not vibes:

1. Setup exit code 0 and every declared copy landed (ls "$WT"/.env* etc.).
2. Run works: launch the run command in background from the worktree; poll the declared port(s) (curl -fsS localhost:<port> or nc -z) until up or a deadline; capture the failure output if not.
3. Teardown works: run it, confirm processes/containers/ports are actually released (lsof -i :<port> empty), then run it again to prove idempotence.
4. Timing: record wall-clock of setup. If install dominates, apply one optimization from references/worktree-optimization.md and re-test.

Any failure → fix the draft, re-run the phase. Do not weaken a check to pass it. Three distinct failed approaches on the same step → surface the evidence and ask.

Phase 4 — Finalize

Only after Phase 3 is green:

1. Write final jean.json + .worktreeinclude at the repo root.
2. Ensure .worktreeinclude's entries are actually gitignored (intersection rule: only ignored∩listed files copy) and that jean.json itself is not gitignored.
3. AGENTS.md: add/refresh a "Worktrees & jean.json" section so any agent — Jean or not — can bootstrap a worktree by hand. Use the block in references/templates.md#agents-md-section: what jean.json is, the manual equivalent (git worktree add + the same setup commands + the env vars), the ports table, and the teardown expectation. If AGENTS.md doesn't exist but CLAUDE.md does, put it there; if neither, create AGENTS.md.
4. Commit (feat(dev-env): add jean.json worktree automation or repo's convention).

Phase 5 — Retire test artifacts

git -C "$ROOT" worktree remove --force "$WT"
git -C "$ROOT" branch -D "$TB"
git -C "$ROOT" worktree prune
git -C "$ROOT" worktree list && git -C "$ROOT" branch --list 'jean-test-*'   # both must show no test leftovers

Also kill anything the run test started (final lsof -i :<port> check). Report ends with: files committed, setup wall-clock time, proof summary, cleanup confirmation.

Decision rules

• Existing jean.json present → diff-and-improve, never blind-overwrite; keep working script lines unless evidence says they're wrong.
• Secret files found (.env with real credentials) → copy them via setup/include as designed, but never print their contents into output or commit them; verify they remain gitignored.
• No dev server (library/CLI repo) → run = test or build watcher, ports omitted; don't invent a server.
• Setup would exceed ~60s even optimized → keep the slow step but move it to the end of the setup script (Jean runs setup in background; the agent can start typing immediately) and note the tradeoff.
• Repo already has a worktree bootstrap script (scripts/setup-worktree.sh etc.) → have jean.json call it instead of duplicating logic.
• Monorepo → one root jean.json; scope setup/run to the package(s) actually developed, per references/templates.md.
• Not on macOS/APFS → drop cp -c, fall back to store-backed installs (pnpm/uv/cargo already dedupe globally).

Reference routing

Red flags — stop and fix

• About to write jean.json without having read .gitignore and package scripts → back to Phase 1.
• About to report done without a fresh-worktree run → Phase 3 is the definition of done.
• git worktree list still shows a jean-test-* path in the final report → cleanup incomplete.
• Setup script contains an unguarded rm -rf on a variable path → rewrite using $JEAN_WORKSPACE_PATH prefix.
• .worktreeinclude lists a tracked file → it will never copy (intersection rule); remove it or untrack the file.