GitHub Repo Init Context

Goal

Set up a repository so humans and coding agents can quickly discover the project purpose, contribution process, release process, and deeper project-specific development context.

When invoked without additional instructions, treat the request as: inspect the current repository and standardize its AGENTS.md and docs/ project context end to end using this skill's conventions.

Use these conventions unless the user overrides them:

• Keep root README.md consumer-facing for GitHub, npm/package pages, and top-level project discovery.
• Keep root CONTRIBUTING.md for contribution and PR conventions.
• Keep root RELEASE.md for release process; do not create RELEASING.md.
• Use docs/, not spec/, for project documentation.
• Keep docs/README.md as the docs index.
• Scaffold docs/development.md, docs/testing.md, docs/architecture.md, and docs/conventions.md when absent.
• Keep docs/features/ when present or useful.
• Do not create docs/release.md, docs/releasing.md, or docs/decisions/ by default.

Workflow

1. Inspect the repo before editing:

   • Use the current repository or workspace root unless the user names another path.
   • rg --files -g '*.md' -g 'package.json' -g 'pyproject.toml' -g 'Cargo.toml' -g 'go.mod' -g 'Makefile'
   • Read root README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, RELEASE.md, any existing AGENTS.md, and docs/README.md if present.
   • Treat an existing AGENTS.md as an input source before replacing or shrinking it. Extract any repo-specific purpose, architecture map, source-path ownership, local commands, testing constraints, generated-file warnings, style rules, docs links, and domain boundaries that are not already preserved elsewhere.
   • Inspect project manifests and test/build scripts enough to write accurate starter docs.

2. Create or update AGENTS.md:

   • Read references/AGENTS.template.md.
   • Use the template as the default content for a new AGENTS.md.
   • Keep the template wording and section order verbatim unless a concrete repo-specific reason requires a targeted edit.
   • If an existing AGENTS.md has project rules or context, preserve the information by moving it into the canonical docs before applying the template. Prefer AGENTS.md as the stable routing skeleton and keep deeper project-specific details in linked docs.
   • Add links only for existing docs that are important entry points and not already covered by the template.
   • Remove or adjust template links only when the target files will not exist after this skill finishes.
   • Do not add a Baseline Commands section by default.
   • Do not duplicate contribution, release, build, test, or style details already owned by linked docs.

3. Create or update docs/README.md:

   • Treat it as the docs index, not a second consumer README.
   • Link the canonical docs files and existing useful docs.
   • Preserve links to useful existing docs such as methodology, feature, research, operations, troubleshooting, or legacy development guides.
   • Add short one-line descriptions for each linked document.
   • If docs/PROJECT.md, docs/DEVELOPING.md, docs/TESTING.md, or similar files already exist, normalize names only when the content clearly maps to the canonical filename and links can be updated safely; otherwise keep the file and add it to the index.

4. Scaffold missing canonical docs:

   • docs/development.md: setup, local workflows, repository-specific development notes.
   • docs/testing.md: test commands, test organization, fixtures, coverage, manual checks.
   • docs/architecture.md: module/service map, data/control flow, important boundaries, invariants.
   • docs/conventions.md: project-specific coding, naming, documentation, UX/API, and maintenance conventions.
   • Prefer accurate concise starter content from the repo over generic filler. If uncertain, mark a short TODO under the relevant heading.
   • When migrating context from an existing AGENTS.md, place it where future agents will naturally look:
     • Purpose, product boundary, "not this kind of tool" constraints, module maps, data/control flow, public API surfaces, and important invariants go in docs/architecture.md.
     • Setup details, source invocation examples, package-manager quirks, generated output locations, build artifacts, and useful source paths go in docs/development.md.
     • Test commands, fixture behavior, temp directories, manual checks, coverage expectations, and when to prefer integration tests go in docs/testing.md.
     • Language/runtime requirements, import style, lint/format expectations, generated-file warnings, naming conventions, documentation rules, and maintenance rules go in docs/conventions.md.
     • Existing long-form reference docs remain in place and are linked from docs/README.md.
   • Before finalizing, compare the old AGENTS.md against the new docs/ files and confirm that no repo-specific instruction or context was silently dropped.

5. Update root README.md only when needed:

   • Keep it consumer-facing.
   • Add or refresh a concise documentation link to docs/README.md if there is no discoverable path to deeper docs.

6. Validate:

   • Run the repo's markdown lint command if obvious and cheap.
   • Otherwise run a lightweight link/path sanity check manually with rg/find.
   • For repos with an existing AGENTS.md, explicitly sanity-check that migrated details now appear in one of the canonical docs or are already covered by linked existing docs.
   • Report any validation you could not run.

AGENTS.md Template

Use references/AGENTS.template.md as the source of truth for generated AGENTS.md content. Copy it verbatim for a fresh repo unless a file it links to will not exist after setup or the user explicitly asks for project-specific additions.

Reference Prompt

If the user asks for a one-shot prompt instead of applying the skill, read references/one-shot-prompt.md and adapt it to their target repo.