Engagement setup

/engagement-setup

Purpose

Lock in engagement context after (or with) document-first discovery.

Preconditions

1. shared/guardrails.md
2. shared/operator-lens.md
3. Firm profile if present (defaults only)
4. If folder dump / unknown entity → run smart-intake first, then return here to formalize

Route

Situation	Action
User gave legal name + period + clear docs	Setup directly (below)
User: “accounting for this folder” / no name	smart-intake first
engagement_state.json exists	resume-engagement

Workflow

1. Scan client folder

Banks, invoices, payslips, prior FS, SSM, tax files. Prefer facts from files over questions.

2. Entity identification

From SSM / bank account title / prior FS / smart-intake inferences:

• Legal name, registration number (only if on a doc — never invent)
• Entity type
• Address / activities if present

Load references/entity_types.md or jurisdiction pack.

3. Framework selection (derive, don’t quiz)

Entity	Framework	Tax form
Berhad (public)	MFRS	Form C
Sdn Bhd	MPERS	Form C
PLT	MPERS	Form PT
Sole prop	Accrual S21A	Form B
Partnership	Accrual S21A	Form P
Koperasi	MCA	Form TF
Trust	Varies	Form TP

Only ask if entity type is still ambiguous after docs.

4. Financial year

Prefer statement date coverage + prior FS. Soft-confirm if incomplete year.

5. Completeness (honest, not scary)

Blockers for full-year final FS:

• Full-year bank statements (or accepted limited period)
• Clear reporting entity identity

Not first-turn questions — note as gaps:

• Payslips, FAR, inventory, loans, prior FS

6. COA

Entity template + optional industry overlay from payee patterns (trading vs services). Soft default; user rarely needs to choose.

7. Operator + depth on state

Set operator and engagement_type (shared/operator-lens.md):

• Infer from language + firm profile, or one soft-ask if missing
• Default depth for thin setup: bookkeeping_only unless user asked year-end / tax

8. README + engagement_state.json

Per references/engagement_state.schema.json and shared/agent-runtime.md.

Include:

## Inferences
| Field | Value | Confidence | Evidence |

Required on state: operator, engagement_type (and classify_depth when known).

9. Engagement card

# Engagement: [Legal name]
- Operator: owner | bookkeeper | firm
- Depth: bookkeeping_only | year_end | …
- Entity / framework / tax form
- FY / coverage limitations
- Status: ready | provisional | blocked
- Next: extract banks → classify → …

Question budget

After smart-intake, setup should usually ask zero new questions. If something critical is still open, ≤2 questions total (operator counts if still unknown).

Completion

Done when: workspace exists, engagement_state.json valid against schema, entity/period/framework/operator/depth recorded (may be provisional).