| name | atom-new |
| description | Bootstrap a new project from atom — the project-starter template — without leaving Claude. Use when the user says "start a new project", "new project from atom", "bootstrap from a template", "scaffold a new repo from atom", or similar. Drives the conversational atom bootstrap (project context → scaffold → constitution → first phase) from any directory. Only for STARTING a project; not for maintaining atom itself or building atom's features. |
atom-new — bootstrap a new project from atom
This skill is a thin launcher. It does not contain the bootstrap
steps. The single source of truth is Mode 1 of AGENTS.md in the
installed atom checkout. Your job is to find that file, read it, and
run its flow conversationally against the user's chosen directory.
Why thin: atom is distributed as a git checkout that the user upgrades
in place (atom upgrade). If this skill restated the bootstrap steps,
the two would drift. Instead it points at the live instructions so the
flow is always whatever the installed atom says it is.
Step 1 — locate the installed atom
Resolve the atom source directory, in this order:
$ATOM_SOURCE_DIR (if set)$ATOM_INSTALL (if set)~/.atom/atom/ (the canonical install location)
A directory is a valid atom checkout if it contains both a
VERSION file and AGENTS.md. Verify before proceeding.
If no atom checkout is found, stop and tell the user — do not
improvise a bootstrap from memory:
I couldn't find an atom install (looked in $ATOM_SOURCE_DIR,
$ATOM_INSTALL, and ~/.atom/atom/). Install it once with:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/machbuilds/atom/main/install.sh | bash
Then re-run /atom-new.
Step 2 — read the real instructions
Read these from the resolved atom directory (not from this skill, not
from memory — they evolve between releases):
AGENTS.md → Mode 1: Bootstrap a new project. This is the
canonical, ordered flow. Follow it exactly.- The docs
AGENTS.md tells you to read, in the order it lists them
(docs/VOICE.md, docs/WORKFLOW.md, docs/PATTERNS.md,
docs/LESSONS_LEARNED.md, docs/HOW_TO_WRITE_CONSTITUTION.md, and
the conditional ones).
Whatever Mode 1 says wins over anything summarized here.
Step 3 — ask where the project goes
This skill can fire from any directory, so you cannot assume the
current working directory is where the new project should live. Before
scaffolding, confirm the target:
- A new subdirectory of the cwd (e.g.
./my-project/)? — the default,
and what atom-setup new <name> does.
- The current directory itself (only if it's empty)?
- Some other path the user names?
Get an explicit answer. Do not write into a non-empty directory.
Step 4 — run the bootstrap, conversationally
Drive Mode 1 as a conversation, not a form. Ask the project-context
questions from Mode 1 step 1 (name, stack, deploy target, cost
envelope, solo vs multi-agent, public vs internal), then proceed
through scaffold copy, Docker tier, placeholder fill, constitution,
tooling install, and the GSD/Spec Kit kickoff — in the order AGENTS.md
specifies.
The deterministic terminal wizard (atom-setup new <name>) is the
fast, non-conversational path and already exists for users who want it.
This skill is the in-Claude, guided counterpart — lean into the
dialogue: explain tradeoffs when a choice matters, suggest sensible
defaults, and let the user steer.
Scope — Mode 1 only
This skill handles bootstrapping a new project and nothing else.
AGENTS.md also defines Mode 2 (maintain atom itself) and Mode 3
(build atom features). Those are dev-facing — they only make sense
when working inside the atom-dev repo, not from an arbitrary session.
If the user actually wants one of those, point them at the atom-dev
checkout and stop; do not try to run Mode 2 or 3 from here.
