/start — Project Initialization

Creates the .project/ directory structure. This is the foundation — run this first before any other skill.

When This Skill Fires

User Says	Activation
"start a new project"	Full initialization
"init project"	Full initialization
"setup project"	Full initialization
Any first command in a fresh project	Auto-detect → initialize

What This Skill Does

1. Creates the .project/ directory at the root of the project
2. Initializes all required subdirectories:
   • .project/idea/ — for idea documents
   • .project/architecture/ — for design documents
   • .project/plans/ — for implementation plans and slices
3. Creates the master index.md — the active document that tracks project state
4. Confirms readiness for /idea to be run next

Execution Steps

Step 1: Check Current State

Check if .project/ already exists:

• If exists and has content → ask user: "Project already initialized. Run /idea to capture your idea, or /plan to see existing plans?"
• If doesn't exist → proceed to create

Step 2: Create Directory Structure

Create the following:

.project/
├── index.md
├── idea/
│   └── .gitkeep
├── architecture/
│   └── .gitkeep
└── plans/
    └── .gitkeep

Step 3: Create index.md

Write the initial index.md:

---
created: {{CURRENT_DATE}}
status: initialized
phase: 0
---

# Project: {{PROJECT_NAME}}

**Status:** Initialized
**Phase:** 0 — Ready to capture idea
**Last Updated:** {{CURRENT_DATETIME}}

## Quick Links

- [Idea](./idea/idea.md)
- [Architecture](./architecture/design.md)
- [Plans](./plans/)

## Current Phase

Project initialized. Run `/idea` to capture what you want to build.

Step 4: Update index.md

After creating structure, update .project/index.md to reflect the initialized state.

Step 5: Output Confirmation

Show the user:

/start complete.
> Project structure created at .project/
> Next: /idea — capture your idea

Data Read

None — this is the first skill, runs on fresh state.

Data Written

.project/
├── index.md              # Master document with project state
├── idea/                 # (empty, ready for /idea)
├── architecture/         # (empty, ready for /architect)
└── plans/                # (empty, ready for /plan)

Supporting Files

Scripts

• scripts/init.sh — Alternative script to create .project structure programmatically
  • Usage: bash scripts/init.sh "Project Name"
  • Creates all directories and index.md automatically

Templates

• templates/index.md — Template for index.md with all fields documented

Important Notes

• Always run this first — No other skill should run before /start
• Check before creating — Don't overwrite existing .project/ without asking
• Human owns index.md — This is an active document that all skills update
• Naming — Use folder name "start" (lowercase, as per agentskills.io spec)