onboard-app

name	onboard-app
description	Configure and verify AI setup for a Hoist project. Detects project type, generates CLAUDE.md, configures the hoist-react MCP server, optionally installs the hoist-core MCP+CLI tools, and verifies the surfaces in the current environment.
allowed-tools	Read, Glob, Grep, Bash, Write, Edit, mcp__hoist-react__*

Hoist Project Onboarding

Configure this Hoist project for AI-augmented development. Follow each phase in order.

Hoist Project Structure

All Hoist applications share the same layout: a Grails/Groovy backend at the project root and a React/TypeScript frontend in client-app/. Key locations:

• client-app/package.json -- frontend dependencies, including @xh/hoist
• client-app/yarn.lock or client-app/package-lock.json -- package manager lockfile
• client-app/src/ -- frontend application source
• build.gradle -- Gradle build config with hoist-core dependency (direct or via client plugin)
• gradle.properties -- app metadata (xhAppCode, and typically hoistCoreVersion -- though this may be absent if hoist-core is provided transitively by a client-specific Grails plugin)
• grails-app/ -- Grails controllers, services, domain classes

Phase 1: Detect Project

1. Detect package manager. Check which lockfile exists in client-app/:

   • yarn.lock -- use yarn (e.g. yarn install, yarn why)
   • package-lock.json -- use npm (e.g. npm install, npm ls) Store the detected package manager for use throughout this skill.

2. Determine the installed @xh/hoist version. Read client-app/package.json and check dependencies for @xh/hoist.

   • Direct dependency: If @xh/hoist appears in dependencies, extract the version.
   • Transitive dependency: If not found directly, @xh/hoist may be pulled in via a client-specific plugin. Run (from client-app/):
     • Yarn: yarn why @xh/hoist
     • npm: npm ls @xh/hoist Parse the output to find the resolved version and note which package depends on it.
   • If neither approach finds @xh/hoist, inform the user: "This does not appear to be a Hoist project -- @xh/hoist was not found as a direct or transitive dependency." Then stop.

3. Detect client plugins. Enterprise Hoist applications often use one or more client-specific plugins -- npm packages that wrap @xh/hoist (client-side) and/or Grails plugins that wrap hoist-core (server-side). These are important for AI agents to understand because they add an intermediate layer between the application and the core Hoist framework.

   Naming convention: Client plugins always include the word "hoist" in their name. This is the primary signal for detection on both sides -- look for any dependency containing "hoist" that is NOT published by XH (i.e. not @xh/hoist on npm or io.xh:hoist-core on Gradle).

   Client-side (npm): Scan client-app/package.json dependencies for packages containing "hoist" in their name that are NOT @xh/hoist. The typical naming convention is clientname-hoist-react. If @xh/hoist was detected as a transitive dependency in step 2, the package that pulls it in is itself a client plugin.

   For each detected client plugin, record:

   • Package name and current version
   • Whether it provides @xh/hoist transitively (from step 2)

   Server-side (Grails): Read build.gradle and look for dependencies containing "hoist" in their artifact name that are NOT io.xh:hoist-core. The typical naming convention is clientname-hoist (e.g. com.clientname:clientname-hoist). If hoistCoreVersion is NOT set directly in gradle.properties, check build.gradle for a client plugin dependency that may provide hoist-core transitively.

   For each detected server-side plugin, record:

   • Dependency coordinates (group:artifact:version)
   • Whether it provides hoist-core transitively

   Even when Hoist dependencies are provided transitively through client plugins, always verify the actual installed versions using the package manager (step 2 for npm) and Gradle's dependency graph (step 5 for hoist-core).

4. Confirm standard project structure: check that build.gradle, grails-app/, and gradle.properties exist at the project root.

5. Read gradle.properties and extract hoistCoreVersion. If hoistCoreVersion is not present (i.e. it is inherited from a client-specific Grails plugin), determine the resolved version using Gradle's dependency graph:

   ./gradlew dependencies --configuration runtimeClasspath | grep hoist-core
   

   Record the resolved version and note that it is provided transitively.

6. Check for an existing CLAUDE.md at the project root.

7. Query npm for the latest stable @xh/hoist version:

   npm view @xh/hoist dist-tags.latest
   

   npm view is a registry-query command -- it works in any Node.js environment regardless of which package manager the project uses, since npm ships with Node itself. No need to route through the project's detected manager here.

   Compare the installed version (from step 2) to the latest available. Store both values for use in Phase 2. Note: @xh/hoist (hoist-react) is the primary upgrade signal -- it is the more frequently updated package and the one applications depend on most heavily. Upgrades to hoist-react drive the process and specify the required hoist-core version to match.

   SNAPSHOT handling. If the installed version contains -SNAPSHOT (e.g. 85.0.0-SNAPSHOT.1777529713059), the developer is intentionally on a pre-release that is typically ahead of the published latest tag. Do not flag this as "behind latest" -- semver comparison against dist-tags.latest will lie. Treat SNAPSHOT installs as up-to-date for upgrade-prompt purposes; surface "on a pre-release SNAPSHOT" in Phase 2's detection summary instead of an upgrade nudge.

Phase 2: Present Findings

Display a summary of what was detected:

## Project Detection Results

- **@xh/hoist (hoist-react):** v[version] [(direct | via [plugin name])] ([up to date | upgrade available: v[latest]])
- **hoist-core:** v[version] [(direct | via [plugin name])]
- **Client plugins:** [None detected | See table below]
- **Existing CLAUDE.md:** [Yes -- merge needed | No -- will create fresh]

For both hoist-react and hoist-core, report the resolved version from the dependency manager (npm/yarn for hoist-react, Gradle for hoist-core) and indicate whether the dependency is direct or provided transitively via a client plugin.

If client plugins were detected in Phase 1, include a table:

### Client Plugins

| Plugin | Type | Version | Provides |
|--------|------|---------|----------|
| @clientname/hoist-toolkit | npm | 4.2.0 | @xh/hoist transitively |
| com.client:hoist-core-ext | Grails | 3.1.0 | hoist-core transitively |

These plugins add a client-specific layer between this app and the core Hoist
framework. They will be documented in CLAUDE.md so AI agents understand the
dependency chain.

Then list the planned actions:

### Planned Actions
- [Configure | Verify] `.mcp.json` with hoist-react MCP server (if @xh/hoist v82+)
- [Create | Update] CLAUDE.md with Hoist conventions (~[N] lines)
- [Include client plugin documentation (if plugins detected)]
- Detect whether hoist-core MCP+CLI tools are installed; if `hoistCoreVersion >= 39.0` and
  they're not yet wired up, ask separately whether to install them (modifies `build.gradle`)
- Verify both surfaces -- hoist-react MCP via ping, hoist-core via the CLI launcher (universal,
  works even in MCP-blocked environments)

If the installed @xh/hoist version is behind the latest stable release, add this section after the detection summary and BEFORE the "Proceed with setup?" confirmation:

The Hoist MCP server is first available in @xh/hoist v82.0. If the installed version is below v82, the MCP server will not exist and the AI tooling will be significantly limited.

If the installed version is below v82, show:

### Hoist Upgrade Required

Your project is on @xh/hoist v[installed], but the Hoist MCP server requires v82.0 or later.
Without it, AI tooling will be limited to the static conventions in CLAUDE.md -- no live
framework documentation, API lookup, or symbol search will be available.

**Recommendation:** Run `/xh:hoist-upgrade` to upgrade before completing onboarding.

If the installed version is v82+ but behind the latest stable release, show:

### Hoist Upgrade Available

Your project is on @xh/hoist v[installed], but v[latest] is available.
Newer versions include improved MCP server capabilities and AI tooling support.

**Recommendation:** Run `/xh:hoist-upgrade` to upgrade before completing onboarding.

In either case, ask: "Would you like to upgrade first? (yes = run /xh:hoist-upgrade, no = continue with current version)"

• If yes: Tell the developer to run /xh:hoist-upgrade. The onboarding skill should stop here and instruct the developer to re-run /xh:onboard-app after the upgrade completes. (Skills cannot invoke other skills directly -- this is a handoff.)
• If no: Continue with onboarding as normal using the current version. If below v82, note that the MCP server verification in Phase 5 will be skipped.

If the installed version is already up to date, skip the upgrade recommendation and proceed directly to:

Ask the user: "Proceed with setup? (yes/no)"

Wait for the user to confirm before making any changes. Do NOT write any files until the user says yes.

Phase 3: Configure hoist-react MCP Server

If the installed @xh/hoist version is v82.0 or later, configure the project's .mcp.json so the hoist-react MCP server launches automatically. This must be done at the project level (not via the plugin) because the server binary lives in the project's own node_modules.

The .mcp.json entry is harmless in environments where MCP is blocked: Claude Code simply won't connect to it, and the entry becomes functional automatically if the environment later permits MCP. In MCP-blocked environments, the parallel CLI surface (npx hoist-docs, npx hoist-ts) is the working path and is documented in the generated CLAUDE.md.

1. Check if .mcp.json already exists at the project root.
2. If it exists, read it and check whether a hoist-react entry is already present under mcpServers. If so, skip this phase -- it's already configured.
3. Before writing anything, confirm the binary exists at client-app/node_modules/@xh/hoist/bin/hoist-mcp.mjs. If it does not, warn the user that they need to run their package manager install from client-app/ first, then re-run onboarding.
4. If .mcp.json exists but has no hoist-react entry, add it to the existing mcpServers object. Preserve all other entries.
5. If .mcp.json does not exist, create it with the following content:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "hoist-react": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "client-app/node_modules/@xh/hoist/bin/hoist-mcp.mjs"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Note: the MCP server will not be available until the next Claude Code restart after this file is written. Phase 5 will attempt to verify connectivity, but if this is a fresh configuration it may not be running yet.

Phase 3.5: Install hoist-core MCP Server and CLI Tools (optional)

The hoist-core developer tools ship as a fat JAR (io.xh:hoist-core-mcp:<version>:all) that project Gradle builds resolve through normal Maven resolution. Running the install task writes project-local launchers under bin/ -- these expose both the MCP server (bin/hoist-core-mcp, referenced from .mcp.json) and the CLI tools (bin/hoist-core-docs, bin/hoist-core-symbols). The CLI surface is the primary path in MCP-blocked environments and works once installed without depending on Claude Code restarts or MCP availability.

Step 1: Detect current state

1. Check whether bin/hoist-core-mcp exists at the project root and is executable.
2. Check whether .mcp.json already has a hoist-core entry under mcpServers.
3. If both are present, this phase is already done -- skip.
4. If hoistCoreVersion < 39.0 (the first release containing the installHoistCoreTools task), skip with a note in Phase 6: "hoist-core MCP+CLI install requires hoistCoreVersion

   = 39.0 -- run /xh:hoist-upgrade first, then re-run /xh:onboard-app to install."

Step 2: Ask permission

Show the user a focused confirmation BEFORE making any Gradle-level changes:

### Install hoist-core MCP server and CLI tools?

This will:
- Add ~15 lines to `build.gradle`: a `hoistCoreCli` configuration and the
  `installHoistCoreTools` Sync task.
- Run `./gradlew installHoistCoreTools` to resolve the version-locked fat JAR
  (`io.xh:hoist-core-mcp:<hoistCoreVersion>:all`) and write launchers under `bin/`.
- Add a `hoist-core` entry to `.mcp.json` pointing at `./bin/hoist-core-mcp`.

The CLI surface (`./bin/hoist-core-docs`, `./bin/hoist-core-symbols`) works in any environment,
including MCP-blocked ones. The `.mcp.json` entry is forward-compatible -- harmless if MCP is
blocked, functional automatically if MCP later becomes available.

Proceed? (yes/no)

If the user says no: record the decision and surface a clear deferred-step note in the Phase 6 report. The install can be run later by asking Claude to install/setup the hoist-core MCP+CLI in this app -- the using-hoist-core-reference skill will fire on that ask and walk through it.

Step 3: Run the install procedure

If the user agreed, follow the install procedure documented in the using-hoist-core-reference skill (the source of truth for this flow). Read it via:

**/skills/using-hoist-core-reference/SKILL.md

Jump to the "Installing the MCP server and CLI tools" section and follow its steps end to end (Gradle snippet, installHoistCoreTools, .mcp.json wiring including --source bundled on the mcp launcher). Do not duplicate the snippet here -- the reference skill is the canonical copy and is what will be re-read on future re-runs.

Step 4: Verify (CLI-first, MCP-opportunistic)

After install, verify with the CLI -- this works in any environment, no restart required:

./bin/hoist-core-docs ping

Expect: hoist-core CLI is running. If this fails, surface the error to the user before continuing.

Do not depend on mcp__hoist-core__hoist-core-ping succeeding here -- the .mcp.json write is fresh and Claude Code has not yet restarted, AND the environment may block MCP. The CLI ping is the universal sanity check.

Phase 4: Generate CLAUDE.md

Locate the template files bundled with this skill. Use Glob to find the templates:

**/onboard-app/templates/claude-md-base.md

Read the base template from the matched path.

1. Read the base template. The base template includes both client-side (hoist-react) and server-side (hoist-core) documentation. Version substitution is not needed -- actual Hoist versions should be determined at runtime from the dependency managers rather than baked into CLAUDE.md where they can go stale.

   Do substitute the package-manager tokens in the Commands section to reflect the manager detected in Phase 1 (yarn for yarn.lock, npm for package-lock.json):

   • {{PKG_MGR_INSTALL}} → yarn install or npm install
   • {{PKG_MGR_START}} → yarn start or npm start
   • {{PKG_MGR_LINT}} → yarn lint or npm run lint

   The generated CLAUDE.md should show only the commands that match the project's actual package manager -- not both with a "(or X)" parenthetical that implies a preference.

2. If client plugins were detected in Phase 1, also read claude-md-client-plugins.md from the same templates directory and append its content. Replace the placeholder table with a row for each detected plugin:

   • {{PLUGIN_TABLE}} -- one row per plugin: | name | npm or Grails | version | what it provides |
   • {{PLUGIN_NOTES}} -- for each npm plugin, note if it provides @xh/hoist transitively (meaning the app does not depend on @xh/hoist directly). For Grails plugins, note if hoist-core is provided transitively. Add a brief note advising AI agents to check plugin source/docs when changes touch plugin-provided APIs. If no client plugins were detected, skip this template entirely.

3. If an existing CLAUDE.md is present:

   • Read the existing file.
   • Check which Hoist sections are already present (look for headings like "Architecture Primer", "MCP Tools", "hoist-core", "Commands", "Client Plugins").
   • Append only sections that are missing. Do NOT overwrite or duplicate existing content.
   • Show the user what will be added before writing.
   • Preserve all existing project-specific content.

4. If no CLAUDE.md exists: write the complete generated template to ./CLAUDE.md.

Phase 5: Verify Surfaces (CLI-first, MCP-opportunistic)

Verification's job is to confirm the working surfaces are reachable in the current environment. Treat MCP as opportunistic (it requires Claude Code restart and may be blocked by the environment); treat CLI as the universal sanity check (works as soon as it's installed).

hoist-react

If @xh/hoist < v82.0, skip hoist-react verification -- MCP is unavailable in those versions. Note this in the Phase 6 report.

Otherwise:

1. Opportunistic MCP ping. Call mcp__hoist-react__hoist-ping if the tool is in your context. Success → "MCP active". Tool not present or fails → "MCP entry written, will activate on next Claude Code restart (or remain dormant in MCP-blocked environments)" -- this is not an error.
2. CLI launcher presence (informational). Check whether ./bin/hoist-docs and ./bin/hoist-ts exist at the project root.
   • If both present, optionally run ./bin/hoist-docs index to confirm output. If client-app/node_modules isn't installed yet, surface the package-manager install step.
   • If absent, do not install them here. Note in the Phase 6 report: "hoist-react CLI launchers not yet installed -- the using-hoist-react-reference skill installs them automatically the first time an agent reaches for the CLI surface in this project." This deferred-install model keeps onboarding focused on once-only setup (.mcp.json, CLAUDE.md) and lets the reference skill own the launcher lifecycle, including refresh when the stamp version bumps.

hoist-core (only if Phase 3.5 installed it)

1. CLI sanity (always run). From the project root, run ./bin/hoist-core-docs ping. Expect hoist-core CLI is running. If this fails, the install didn't take -- surface the error.
2. Opportunistic MCP ping. Call mcp__hoist-core__hoist-core-ping if the tool is in your context. Same semantics as hoist-react: success → "MCP active"; not present → "entry written, activates on Claude Code restart in environments that permit MCP". Not an error.

Why CLI-first matters for enterprise environments

In environments that block MCP traffic, the CLI surface is the working path. Onboarding must not stall or surface scary "verification failed" errors when MCP isn't reachable -- the .mcp.json entries are forward-compatible (harmless if MCP is blocked, functional if and when the environment unblocks it), and the CLI is fully usable today. Phase 6 must clearly distinguish "working now" from "queued for activation".

Phase 6: Report

Display a final summary that distinguishes "working now" from "queued for activation" and calls out the CLI fallback for MCP-blocked environments:

## Onboarding Complete

### Configuration
- **CLAUDE.md:** [Created | Updated (added N sections) | Already up to date]
- **`.mcp.json`:** [Created | Updated (added entries: <list>) | Already configured]
- **Client plugins:** [N plugin(s) documented | None detected]

### hoist-react
- **MCP entry:** [Written | Already present | Skipped (requires @xh/hoist v82+ -- run /xh:hoist-upgrade first)]
- **MCP runtime:** [Active (verified via ping) | Will activate on Claude Code restart, or remain dormant if the environment blocks MCP]
- **CLI launchers:** [Installed at `./bin/hoist-docs`, `./bin/hoist-ts` | Not yet installed -- `using-hoist-react-reference` skill installs on first CLI use]
- **CLI surface:** `./bin/hoist-docs` and `./bin/hoist-ts` -- works in any environment, including MCP-blocked ones.

### hoist-core
- **MCP+CLI tools:** [Installed via installHoistCoreTools, CLI verified working | User deferred (run again later or ask Claude to install/set up the hoist-core MCP+CLI tools) | Skipped (requires hoistCoreVersion >= 39.0 -- upgrade hoist-core first) | Already installed]
- **CLI surface:** `./bin/hoist-core-docs` and `./bin/hoist-core-symbols` -- works in any environment.
- **MCP runtime:** [Active (verified via ping) | Will activate on Claude Code restart, or remain dormant if the environment blocks MCP | N/A (not installed)]

### Reference skills
The `using-hoist-react-reference` and `using-hoist-core-reference` skills (shipped by the `xh`
plugin) fire automatically when authoring Hoist code, asking for orientation, or asking to
install/upgrade the hoist-core MCP+CLI tools. No manual invocation needed.

### MCP-blocked environments
If your environment blocks MCP traffic, the CLI surfaces above are the working path. Use
`./bin/hoist-docs`/`./bin/hoist-ts` (hoist-react) and `./bin/hoist-core-docs`/`./bin/hoist-core-symbols`
(hoist-core) directly. Both pairs are project-root launchers usable from any working directory.
The `.mcp.json` entries are harmless in this state and become functional automatically if MCP
later becomes available -- no rerun required.

### Next steps
Restart Claude Code to pick up new `.mcp.json` entries (skip if MCP is blocked in your
environment -- the CLI surfaces are already live). Then start coding -- the reference skills
will route you to framework docs and API lookups.