Repo scaffold

repo-scaffold

Scaffold a new project with appropriate repo structure and AI configuration.

When to Use

User wants to create a new project, scaffold a repo, or set up a workspace. Also invoked by skill-forge when scaffolding a new standalone skill that needs a backstage for design docs and iteration plans. In that case, skill-forge passes "git init but skip push" — the push is handled by skill-forge's own Step 4.

Execution Procedure

scaffold(project_name) → workspace_ready

Step 0: Ask archetype
  IF user specifies public/open-source → Archetype A
  IF user specifies private/internal/monorepo → Archetype B
  IF unclear → ask user

Step 1: Create structure
  IF Archetype A → create_split_repos(project_name)
  IF Archetype B → create_monorepo(project_name)

Step 2: Generate AI config files
  → CLAUDE.md (constitutional, public)
  → CLAUDE.local.md (bridge, gitignored)
  → .claude/progress.md (execution state, gitignored)
  → .gitignore

Step 3: Initialize git repos
  IF Archetype A → git init per subfolder, push to separate remotes
  IF Archetype B → git init single repo, push

GATE: all files exist, git repos initialized, .gitignore correct

Archetype A: Public Open-Source (Split Repos)

For projects published as public repos, especially those with skills or components needing independent distribution.

<project>-project/                  # Parent folder (NOT a git repo)
├── .gitignore                      # Contains `*` — prevents accidental git init
├── <project>/                      # Public code repo → GitHub public
│   ├── src/
│   ├── CLAUDE.md                   # Public, constitutional
│   ├── CLAUDE.local.md             # Gitignored, points to backstage
│   ├── .claude/
│   │   └── progress.md             # Gitignored execution state
│   ├── .gitignore
│   ├── README.md
│   └── LICENSE
├── <project>-backstage/            # Private repo → GitHub private
│   ├── design/                     # Design truth
│   ├── plan/                       # Execution plans
│   └── research/                   # Technical references
└── <project>-<skill-name>/         # Standalone skill repo (if needed)
    ├── SKILL.md
    ├── references/
    └── README.md

Key Points

• Parent folder is NOT a git repo — just filesystem namespace
• Each subfolder is an independent git repo with its own remote
• Backstage uses full name <project>-backstage/ (matches GitHub repo name exactly)
• Skills needing independent distribution get their own repos under the parent
• In-repo skills (.claude/skills/) stay in the main code repo

Naming Convention

Item	Local path	GitHub name
Parent folder	<project>-project/	— (not a repo)
Public code	<project>-project/<project>/	org/<project>
Private backstage	<project>-project/<project>-backstage/	org/<project>-backstage
Standalone skill	<project>-project/<project>-<skill>/	org/<project>-<skill>

Why full name everywhere: Local folder name = GitHub repo name. No mental translation needed. No name collisions when cloning multiple projects into the same parent.

Setup

# 1. Parent folder
mkdir -p <project>-project && cd <project>-project
echo '*' > .gitignore

# 2. Public repo
mkdir <project> && cd <project> && git init
# Create: CLAUDE.md, CLAUDE.local.md, .claude/progress.md, .gitignore, README.md, LICENSE

# 3. Backstage
cd .. && mkdir <project>-backstage && cd <project>-backstage && git init

# 4. Push
cd ../<project>
gh repo create ORG/<project> --public --source=. --push
cd ../<project>-backstage
gh repo create ORG/<project>-backstage --private --source=. --push

Archetype B: Private Monorepo

For internal projects, SaaS products, or teams preferring a unified codebase.

<project>/                          # Single monorepo (private)
├── src/                            # Application code
├── packages/                       # Internal packages (if monorepo tooling)
├── CLAUDE.md                       # Project identity
├── CLAUDE.local.md                 # Gitignored, local dev context
├── .claude/
│   ├── progress.md                 # Gitignored execution state
│   └── skills/                     # In-repo skills (project-specific)
│       └── maintenance-rules/
├── docs/                           # Internal docs (in-repo, since private)
│   ├── design/
│   ├── plan/
│   └── research/
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Key Points

• Single git repo — code, docs, and in-repo skills together
• No backstage needed — the whole repo is private
• Docs live in docs/ directly (or split to <project>-backstage/ if team prefers)
• CLAUDE.local.md still gitignored — contains machine-specific paths and local state

When to Split Docs Out

Even for private projects, separate backstage makes sense when:

• Multiple repos share the same design docs
• Non-engineering stakeholders need doc access without code access
• Docs have a different review/approval workflow

If splitting: create <project>-backstage/ as a sibling repo.

Skill Organization (Private Projects)

Skill type	Location	When to use
In-repo capability	.claude/skills/<name>/	Project-specific workflows, commands, helpers
In-repo rule-skill (paired)	.claude/skills/<name>-rules/	Constraints that augment an in-repo capability skill
In-repo rule-skill (maintenance)	.claude/skills/<name>-rules/	Repo maintenance constraints (e.g., skills-cli-rules) — stand-alone, no capability pair
Product skill	skills/<name>/SKILL.md	Skills distributed with the product to end users
Product collection	skills/*/SKILL.md (multi)	Multiple skills always consumed together
Protocol skill (rare)	Standalone repo with scripts/install-*.sh	Skills that activate by modifying the host environment (e.g., global meta-rule injection)
Personal tool	Graduate to standalone repo	Cross-project utility worth sharing

Notes on rule-skill sub-types:

• Any skill with the -rules suffix is treated as MUST-level hard constraint if the user has installed rules-as-skills and activated its meta-rule protocol. Don't use the suffix for non-constraint content.
• Maintenance rule-skills (no capability pair) are legitimate when they enforce something about the repo itself rather than a capability — e.g., how to run a CLI safely, how to update a cache. See skills-cli-rules in this repo for an example pattern.

In-repo skills use relative symlinks for cross-vendor: .agents/skills/X → ../../.claude/skills/X

Product skills at repo root follow collection layout when multiple: skills/<a>/SKILL.md, skills/<b>/SKILL.md.

For detailed taxonomy, collection sub-types (Augmented vs Peer), Protocol Skill classification, and publishing guidance, see skill-forge. For rule-skill authoring discipline (three-layer model, decision tree, paths field), see rules-as-skills.

File Roles

CLAUDE.md — public, in git

Constitutional: stable, rarely-changing content.

• Project identity, tech stack, design principles, code conventions
• No internal paths, no backstage references, no progress tracking

CLAUDE.local.md — private, gitignored

CC reads automatically alongside CLAUDE.md. Must live at project root.

Template (Archetype A):

# Local Development Context

## Internal Docs
Design documents and plans live in a sibling private repo:
`../<project>-backstage/`

## Execution State
Read `.claude/progress.md` for current phase and next steps.

## Git Workflow
Two repos, two commit flows:
- Code changes → commit here
- Doc changes → commit in `../<project>-backstage/`

Template (Archetype B):

# Local Development Context

## Execution State
Read `.claude/progress.md` for current phase and next steps.

## Internal Docs
Design docs in `docs/design/`, plans in `docs/plan/`.

.claude/progress.md — private, gitignored

Dynamic execution state: current phase, completed items, next steps. Referenced by CLAUDE.local.md, never by CLAUDE.md.

.gitignore must include

.claude/*
!.claude/skills/
.agents/*
!.agents/skills/
CLAUDE.local.md
node_modules/
dist/
*.tsbuildinfo
.DS_Store
.env
coverage/

Why the .claude/* + !.claude/skills/ exception: In-repo skills (including rule-skills) live at .claude/skills/<name>/ and MUST be version-controlled for distribution via clone/fork. A naive .claude/ ignore rule silently swallows them. Same logic for .agents/skills/ (Codex/Windsurf symlink target). See rules-as-skills §In-Repo Rule-Skills for the full convention.

Platform Support

Platform	Project instructions	Local bridge	Progress
Claude Code	CLAUDE.md	CLAUDE.local.md	.claude/progress.md
Cursor	.cursor/rules/*.mdc	.cursor/rules/personal.mdc	.cursor/progress.md
Codex	AGENTS.md	AGENTS.override.md	tracked in AGENTS.md
OpenClaw	AGENTS.md	via openclaw.json	tracked in AGENTS.md

Daily Workflow

Run CC in the code repo root. CC reads CLAUDE.md + CLAUDE.local.md automatically — full backstage context without special prompts.