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Project bootstrap

Skill jerseycheese/agent-skills/skills/project-bootstrap

Bootstrap a project under ~/Projects with the standard agent scaffolding, stamped from the starter kit at shared/Development/templates/starter-kit - a CLAUDE.md from the house template, the stack-agnostic core (.editorconfig, .gitignore, .claude settings/launch, worktree-port script), an optional stack layer, and a row in the ~/Projects/CLAUDE.md root map. Use when creating a new project or repo, or when an existing repo is missing its CLAUDE.md. Trigger on "bootstrap this project", "new project setup", "stamp a CLAUDE.md", "set up agent scaffolding", "give this repo a CLAUDE.md".From its SKILL.md

Install
npx -y skills add jerseycheese/agent-skills --skill project-bootstrap

Assembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.

3 things to look at

  • reads credentialsReads from 1 credential source: `.env.example`.
  • 1 stars1 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.
  • runs commandsInstructs the agent to run 2 commands, including `git log --oneline -15` and 1 more.

SKILL.md

5.1 KB, ~1.2k tokens by cl100k_base, as published. Nobody here has run it

Project Bootstrap

Purpose

Every repo should hand an agent the same things up front: what it is, how to run it, how to test it, and what not to break. This skill stamps that scaffolding from one source of truth - the starter kit - so cold sessions (and cheaper models) execute instead of rediscovering. The CLAUDE.md is the deliverable; it gets smoke-tested before it counts.

The starter kit (single source of truth)

All scaffolding lives at ~/Projects/shared/Development/templates/starter-kit/. Never re-author these files inline - copy them from the kit and fill the placeholders.

  • core/ - stamped into every project, any stack:
    • CLAUDE.md.template, README.md.template - filled with judgment from recon
    • .editorconfig, .gitignore - copied verbatim
    • .claude/settings.json - copied verbatim (committed canon: minimal safe permissions)
    • .claude/settings.local.json.template - copied to settings.local.json, adjusted to stack; only if absent
    • .claude/launch.json.template - filled with dev command + port
    • scripts/worktree-port.cjs - copied verbatim (stable per-worktree dev port)
  • layers/<stack>/ - opt-in, applied over the core; each has its own README with steps:
    • frontend-vite - React + Vite + TS + current Storybook + design-token enforcement (ready)
    • js-ts, python, static-11ty - planned; skip if the directory isn't there yet

Inputs

Ask only for what can't be discovered: the project's name and one-line purpose if there's no README. Everything else comes from recon.

Process

  1. Recon the repo (skip whatever doesn't exist):

    • package.json / pyproject.toml / composer.json - scripts and deps (these also tell you the stack -> which layer, if any)
    • Server entry: grep for PORT|listen; check .env.example for required vars
    • Existing docs (README, AGENTS.md, docs/) - the CLAUDE.md points at them, never duplicates
    • git log --oneline -15 - recent themes become "Common tasks" candidates
    • git worktree list - decides whether the worktrees section applies

  2. Pick a port (web projects only): read the Active projects table in ~/Projects/CLAUDE.md and pick one nothing else claims. Already taken: 3000 (narraitor, rcv-simulator-va main), 3101, 4173, 4174, 5173, 6006.

  3. Stamp the core from starter-kit/core/:

    • Copy verbatim: .editorconfig, .claude/settings.json, scripts/worktree-port.cjs.
    • .gitignore: copy if the repo has none; if it already has one, ensure the kit's .claude commit-canon block is present.
    • Write CLAUDE.md by filling CLAUDE.md.template: every section gets exact commands and literal ports/paths, written for a weaker model - imperative, do-X-then-verify-Y, minimal cleverness required of the reader. Target 100-250 lines. No emojis. (Never overwrite an existing CLAUDE.md - diff instead.)
    • Write README.md from README.md.template only if the repo has none.
    • Write .claude/launch.json from launch.json.template with the chosen dev command and port.
    • Write .claude/settings.local.json from settings.local.json.template, adjusted to the stack (python3, composer, etc.) - only if it doesn't already exist. Keep it small; /fewer-permission-prompts grows it later from real usage.

  4. Apply a stack layer (only if one matches the project): for a React + Vite frontend, follow layers/frontend-vite/README.md - scaffold the baseline with the official tools, then overlay the layer's files. Skip this step if the project's stack has no layer yet.

  5. Register it: append a row to the Active projects table in ~/Projects/CLAUDE.md (project path, stack, canonical ports).

  6. Smoke-test the doc: following ONLY the new CLAUDE.md, start the dev server, hit its verify step, run the test command, then stop anything started. If a step doesn't work as written, fix the doc - not the expectations.

  7. Commit CLAUDE.md (plus the tracked .claude/ canon and core files, if the repo tracks them) with a message saying what the manual covers. settings.local.json stays uncommitted.

Rules

  • The starter kit is the one source of truth - copy from it, never re-author scaffolding inline. If a template needs improving, fix it in the kit, not here.
  • Never overwrite an existing CLAUDE.md unasked - present a diff instead.
  • Point at existing docs; never paste their content into CLAUDE.md.
  • The smoke test is the acceptance test. A CLAUDE.md that hasn't been executed cold doesn't ship.
  • If ports or stack change later, update the root-map row too - one canonical port table.

What ships with it

Read from the repository

Just SKILL.md. No reference files, no scripts.

Gives 0 of the 12 instructions most project setup skills give in ~1.2k tokens

Counted across 1,553 of the 3,091 authors here whose files we hold, read 2026-09-06

  • Write the configuration filein 36 of 1553
  • Create the directory structurein 35 of 1553, across 33 files
  • Verify the setupin 31 of 1553, across 28 files
  • Run the setup scriptin 30 of 1553, across 29 files
  • Pre-determine the required sample sizein 29 of 1553, across 12 files
  • Check if the configuration already existsin 29 of 1553
  • Document every testin 26 of 1553, across 10 files
  • Start with a hypothesisin 26 of 1553, across 11 files
  • Ask one question at a timein 22 of 1553
  • Test a single variable per testin 21 of 1553, across 9 files
  • Read product marketing context before asking questionsin 19 of 1553, across 8 files
  • Do not peek and stop earlyin 18 of 1553, across 7 files

Said here and by no other author read

  • Copy scaffolding from the starter kit
  • Recon the repo before writing files
  • Pick an available port for web projects
  • Fill CLAUDE.md template with exact commands
  • Apply a stack layer if one matches
  • Register the project in the root map

Grouped from the skills themselves: near-identical wordings counted once, and counted by distinct author, so one author publishing three of these counts once. Length counted with cl100k_base; the agent that loads this file may tokenize it differently.

Keep looking

Skills are one crate of 325,949. Ordering is by how many stacks a row turns up in, so the top of any crate is what has actually been picked rather than what has the most stars.