| name | bootstrap |
| description | Initialize minimal AgentOps documentation |
Bootstrap — minimal project setup
Bootstrap fills only missing AgentOps entry documents and the default durable
verdict directory. It does not initialize Git, install hooks, create tracker
state, start runtimes, or impose a delivery workflow.
Never-overwrite is what makes bootstrap safe to run on any repository: a setup
step that can only add is idempotent by construction, while one that can
replace must first prove it understands what it is replacing.
Named failure mode — scaffold sprawl: creating files the caller never
requested because a "complete" setup feels more helpful than a minimal one.
Anti-pattern: inferring product intent from directory names and READMEs to
avoid asking the caller. Corrective: ask for the missing content; a wrong
PRODUCT.md written confidently is worse than a question.
Procedure
- Inspect the target directory and report which canonical files already exist.
- Ask the caller for missing product intent or goal content when it cannot be
inferred safely.
- Create only missing, explicitly requested files. Never overwrite an existing
document.
- Create
.agents/ao/verdicts/sha256/ when durable local verdict storage is
requested.
- Validate filesystem existence and report created, skipped, and failed paths.
- Stop.
Typical documents are PRODUCT.md, GOALS.md, AGENTS.md, and a README section
that explains the RPI traversal. Generated product copy starts from the
operations-layer category and preserves the ownership boundary. Repositories
remain free to use their own Git, CI, tracker, release, and deployment
policies.
Naming. Three surfaces share the word "bootstrap"; they are distinct. This
skill authors missing entry documents. ao init is the CLI command that creates
the local evidence and verdict directories (.agents/ao/**). ao session bootstrap is a read-only session command that reports which local orientation
files are present. This skill invokes neither.
Non-goals
- installing or invoking
ao, br, bd, NTM, Agent Mail, or another runtime;
- creating
.git, worktrees, branches, commits, hooks, or CI workflows;
- choosing work or claiming that repository setup is complete beyond the paths
actually inspected;
- running RPI automatically.
Output
Return target path, requested files, created files, existing files left intact,
failed writes, and validation observations. Do not include a next action.
References