/project-init

name: project-init
description: Scaffolds new projects with git, CI/CD workflows, pre-commit hooks, and build config. Use when starting a new Python, Rust, or TypeScript project from scratch.
alwaysApply: false
tools: []
modules:
- ./modules/language-detection.md
- ./modules/metadata-collection.md
- ./modules/template-rendering.md
role: entrypoint

Project Initialization Skill

Interactive workflow for initializing new software projects with complete development infrastructure.

Use When

• Starting a new Python, Rust, or TypeScript project
• Updating existing project tooling to current standards
• Need to set up git, GitHub workflows, pre-commit hooks, Makefile
• Want consistent project structure across team
• Converting unstructured project to best practices
• Adding missing configurations to established codebases

Workflow

1. Detect or Select Language

Load `modules/language-detection.md`

• Auto-detect from existing files (pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, package.json)
• If ambiguous or empty directory, ask user to select
• Validate language is supported (python, rust, typescript)

2. Collect Project Metadata

Load `modules/metadata-collection.md`

Gather:

• Project name (default: directory name)
• Author name and email
• Project description
• Language-specific settings:
• Python: version (default 3.10)
• Rust: edition (default 2021)
• TypeScript: framework (React, Vue, etc.)
• License type (MIT, Apache, GPL, etc.)

3. Review Existing Files

Check for existing configurations:

ls -la

**Verification:** Run the command with `--help` flag to verify availability.

If files exist (Makefile, .gitignore, etc.):

• Show what would be overwritten
• Ask for confirmation or selective overwrite
• Offer merge mode (preserve custom content)

4. Render and Apply Templates

Load `modules/template-rendering.md`

Run initialization script:

python3 plugins/attune/scripts/attune_init.py \
  --lang {{LANGUAGE}} \
  --name {{PROJECT_NAME}} \
  --author {{AUTHOR}} \
  --email {{EMAIL}} \
  --python-version {{PYTHON_VERSION}} \
  --description {{DESCRIPTION}} \
  --path .

**Verification:** Run the command with `--help` flag to verify availability.

The script also scaffolds the project decision journal: `docs/tradeoffs.md` and `docs/lessons-learned.md`. These are append-only logs that later workflows (brainstorm, specify, plan, execute, review) write to as decisions and lessons arise. Existing journal files are never overwritten. The format follows the `leyline:decision-journal` contract; init uses leyline's template when present and a vendored copy otherwise, so it works with or without leyline installed.

**Verification:** Confirm `docs/tradeoffs.md` and `docs/lessons-learned.md` exist and each contains an `## Active index` and an `## Archive` section.

5. Initialize Git (if needed)

# Check if git is initialized
if [ ! -d .git ]; then
  git init
  echo "Git repository initialized"
fi

**Verification:** Run `git status` to confirm working tree state.

6. Verify Setup

Validate setup:

# Check Makefile targets
make help

# List created files
git status

**Verification:** Run `git status` to confirm working tree state.

7. Next Steps

Advise user to:

# Install dependencies and hooks
make dev-setup

# Run tests to verify setup
make test

# See all available commands
make help

**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.

Error Handling

• **Language detection fails**: Ask user to specify `--lang`
• **Script not found**: Guide to plugin installation location
• **Permission denied**: Suggest `chmod +x` on scripts
• **Git conflicts**: Offer to stash or commit existing work

Success Criteria

• All template files created successfully
• No overwrites without user confirmation
• Git repository initialized
• `make help` shows available targets
• `make test` runs without errors (even if no tests yet)

Exit Criteria

• [ ] Template files for the selected language are created (or, in dry-run,

reported) with no unconfirmed overwrites.

• [ ] `docs/tradeoffs.md` and `docs/lessons-learned.md` exist, each with an

`## Active index` and an `## Archive` section.

• [ ] A pre-existing journal file is detected and left unmodified.
• [ ] Git is initialized (unless `--no-git`) and `make help` lists targets.
• [ ] Running with `--dry-run` writes no files, including the journal.

Examples

Example 1: New Python Project

**Verification:** Run `pytest -v` to verify tests pass.
User: /attune:project-init