Crypto init

crypto-init

Initialize a Crypto Workbench target workspace.

Gate

None — this is the entry point for any new crypto target.

Steps

Step 1: Create the workspace

Run initialize_workspace(root) from scaffolding.init_workspace, where root is the target project root (typically . — the user's cwd). The function appends .cryptoworkbench/ itself. Do not pass .cryptoworkbench as the root — you will get a nested .cryptoworkbench/.cryptoworkbench/ tree.

Verify these exist after initialization:

• corpus/ with subdirs: papers, standards, notes, drafts, prior_impls, fetched
• extracted/ with subdirs: reviews, notation_maps, ambiguity_logs, impl_specs, security_reviews, library_mappings, test_vectors, source_indexes
• workbench/ with files: current_target.yaml, decisions.md, open_questions.md, implementation_plan.md, config.yaml
• cache/

Step 2: Create agent contract file

Run initialize_claude_files(root) from scaffolding.init_claude_files to place a CLAUDE.md in the target project with the Crypto Workbench workflow contract. Existing files are preserved.

Step 3: Pick an initialization path

Ask the user which path they want:

"How would you like to start?

1. Real target now — tell me what paper / spec / scheme you want to work on
2. Use a demo — install a bundled example target and walk through the pipeline end-to-end
3. Init only — finish here; leave the target deferred and pick it up later"

Then execute the chosen branch:

Branch A — Real target now

Ask the user all three fields in one consolidated prompt, not three sequential questions:

"Tell me about the target in one message. I need:

• name — short slug (e.g. kyber-768, hkdf-sha512)
• type — one of: algorithm / scheme / protocol / paper
• primary_sources — path(s) to the paper/standard, or URL(s) to fetch

You can answer in any format — a single line, a bullet list, or separate messages if easier."

If the user partially answers, only re-prompt for the missing fields. Do not re-ask fields that were already provided. If the user says "I only have a URL, name it for me" or similar, propose a slug derived from the URL/title and confirm before saving.

Call save_target(workbench_root, {name, type, primary_sources, status: "intake"}) from workbench.target.

If sources are URLs, leave primary_sources as the URLs and tell the user to run crypto-intake next — it is responsible for fetching material when search policy allows.

Branch B — Use a demo

List bundled examples with list_examples() from scaffolding.install_example.

• If zero examples are bundled: tell the user and point them to Branch A or C.
• If one example is bundled: tell the user the name and explicitly confirm before installing ("I'll install <name> — OK?"). Do not silently default — silent defaults violate the guided-interaction contract.
• If more than one is bundled: list them with short descriptions and ask which one.

Call install_example(workbench_root, name=<demo>). This copies the demo paper into corpus/papers/ and writes the preset target to current_target.yaml (with status: demo).

Tell the user clearly that this target is labeled as a demo — any artifact produced downstream will carry a "demo only" note and should not be treated as a real implementation.

Branch C — Init only (deferred)

Leave current_target.yaml with its default empty fields and status: draft. Do not prompt further. Tell the user they can invoke crypto-intake later; if they run it with a deferred target, downstream skills will prompt for the missing fields at that point.

Step 4: Confirm initialization

Report to the user:

• Workspace location
• Path taken (real / demo / deferred) and the recorded target
• Next step: crypto-intake to scan and classify source material (or crypto-init again to pick a path when deferred)

Shared modules

• scaffolding.init_workspace — initialize_workspace(root)
• scaffolding.init_claude_files — initialize_claude_files(root)
• scaffolding.install_example — list_examples(), install_example(workbench_root, name)
• workbench.target — load_target(), save_target(), check_target_fields()
• config.loader — load_config(path), save_config(path, updates)

Invocation convention

Shared Python modules ship inside this plugin under ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/src/. The user's current working directory is their working project — that is where .cryptoworkbench/ lives and where any relative path like workbench_root resolves.

When invoking Python from this skill:

• Add the plugin's src/ to the Python path. Inline form: PYTHONPATH="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/src" python .... Inside a script: sys.path.insert(0, "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/src").
• Do not assume the cwd is the plugin repo. The cwd is the user's project.
• Pass workbench_root as a path relative to the user's cwd (typically .cryptoworkbench).
• For calls with multi-line content (code blocks, long strings), use a heredoc-fed script or a temporary .py file — not inline python -c with shell quoting.