| name | add-project |
| description | Add a named project bucket to an initiative. Creates the Active Projects row, the Project section in ideas.md, the folder under the initiative root, and a 00-how-to-use.md orientation file. Use when the user wants to create a new project, add a project bucket, or group ideas under a named project. |
Add Project
Use this skill when the user wants to create a named project inside an initiative. A project is a bucket that groups related ideas. All it needs to exist is a row in Active Projects, a section in ideas.md, and a folder under the initiative root.
Do not use Trello. Use only files in this repo.
Follow SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md (project priority, naming conventions) and the target initiative's ideas.md layout.
Inputs
Resolve from the user and files:
- Initiative - which
initiatives/[Initiative Name]/ folder (must exist). Ask once if ambiguous.
- Project name - the exact string that will appear in the Project column and as the folder name. Must not duplicate an existing active project in that initiative.
- Purpose - one-line description for the Active Projects table.
- Priority -
High, Medium, or Low (or 1 / 2 / 3). Default Medium when not specified.
Do not invent initiatives. Do not create a project that already exists in Active Projects for that initiative.
Files to touch (checklist)
| Step | Action |
|---|
| 1 | Edit initiatives/[Initiative]/ideas.md. |
| 2 | Add a row to the ## Projects table: Project, Purpose, Priority. |
| 3 | Add a ## Project: [Exact Name] section below the existing project sections, with the standard idea table header and a placeholder row. |
| 4 | Create initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/ on disk. Add .gitkeep if no other files will be placed there immediately. |
| 5 | Create initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/00-how-to-use.md (see below). |
| 6 | If the project has an associated GitHub repo: create an empty repo/ subfolder with a .gitkeep inside. Add the Repo section to 00-how-to-use.md (see below). Do not attempt to configure the submodule — tell the user to run git submodule add <repo-url> "initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/repo" from the repo root. |
| 7 | Optionally update Last initiative work in DASHBOARD.md to today when this is a significant structural addition the user wants to count toward recency. |
Active Projects row format
The standard columns are Project, Purpose, Priority. Set Priority to the value the user specified, or default to Medium.
| [Project Name] | [Purpose one line] | Medium |
Project section format
Place the new section after the last existing ## Project: section, before ## Done. Use this structure:
## Project: [Exact Name]
| Idea | Status | Priority | Last updated | Notes / next action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *(Add ideas here)* | | | | |
The Project column header and the section heading must match the Project column in ## Projects exactly, including spacing and casing.
00-how-to-use.md
Keep it short. Include:
- A one-line statement that all idea work for this project lives under
[Project Name]/[Idea Name]/.
- A link to the initiative's
ideas.md at ../ideas.md.
- Links to
SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md and IDEA_LIFECYCLE.md at repo root. Adjust ../ depth by counting path segments from this file to the repo root (the file lives at initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/00-how-to-use.md, so three levels up: ../../../SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md).
Use an existing 00-how-to-use.md in the same initiative as a template when one exists. If none exists, write a minimal version using the rules above.
If the project has an associated GitHub repo, append a ## Repo section explaining that repo/ is a git submodule placeholder and providing the exact git submodule add command the user needs to run (with the correct path, leaving <repo-url> for the user to fill in).
Naming rules
- Folder name must match the Project column exactly (spaces allowed, same casing).
- Do not use special characters or slashes in project names.
- The section heading ## Project: [Name] must use the identical string.
Completion summary (return to user)
- Initiative and project name created.
- Priority set.
- Files and folders touched (list them).
- Reminder to use the add-idea skill to populate the project with its first idea.
