import

name	import
description	Import one or more project folders from an older version of this system into a current initiative. Verifies folder structure, reconciles ideas.md, registers missing projects and ideas, repairs broken links, and updates the dashboard. Use when the user wants to bring in projects from a previous or external copy of the knowledge system.

Import

Use this skill when the user has dropped one or more project folders from an older version of this knowledge system into the current repo and wants them fully registered and linked.

Do not use Trello. Use only files in this repo.

Follow SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md for folder layout, naming rules, valid statuses, and the outputs/ vs sources/ distinction. Follow IDEA_LIFECYCLE.md for valid lifecycle stage labels.

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Required folder structure (reference this throughout)

Every imported project must end up matching this layout exactly. Use it as the authoritative checklist in every step below.

initiatives/[Initiative Name]/
  ideas.md
  sources/                        ← initiative-level (immutable after ingestion)
  outputs/                        ← initiative-level deliverables
  [Project Name]/                 ← one folder per project (direct child of initiative)
    00-how-to-use.md
    repo/                         ← optional git submodule for this project’s codebase
    sources/                      ← project-level sources (.gitkeep if empty)
    outputs/                      ← project-level deliverables (.gitkeep if empty)
    [Idea Name]/                  ← one folder per idea
      01_brief.md
      02_pressure_test.md       ← present only if that stage was reached
      ...
      outputs/                    ← idea-level deliverables (.gitkeep if empty)
  wiki/
    index.md
    log.md
    .archive/
    [domain]/
    ...

Key rules from SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md:

• outputs/ is required at the project level and at every idea level — always create it if missing (with .gitkeep), regardless of whether deliverable files currently exist. Future work will deposit files here.
• sources/ is required at the project level — always create it if missing (with .gitkeep).
• sources/ is immutable. Never modify files inside it.
• Lifecycle artifact folders sit at initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/[Idea Name]/. Project folders are not under a projects/ wrapper — they sit alongside ideas.md, wiki/, sources/, and outputs/ for that initiative.

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When to use

The user says they want to import projects, bring in old projects, migrate from an older system, or drop folders in and have them wired up.

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Step 1 - Locate the folders to import

Ask the user (or infer from context) which folders are being imported and into which initiative. Resolve:

• Initiative - the initiatives/[Name]/ folder they are importing into. Must exist. Ask once if ambiguous.
• Project folder paths - where the imported folders are on disk right now. They may already be at initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/ (user dropped them there), or they may still be elsewhere (user will tell you). If they are not yet in the right place, move them to initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/ using a git-aware move (git mv) before continuing. If you are upgrading imports from a v1.x tree that used initiatives/.../projects/[Project Name]/, move up one level to the flat layout first.

List all the project folders you found and confirm the initiative with the user before making any changes.

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Step 2 - Audit each project folder

For each imported project folder, work through the checklist below. Do not stop on the first problem; audit the whole folder first, then report all findings before fixing anything.

2a - Folder name

The folder name becomes the Project column value in ideas.md. Check that it:

• Contains no slashes or other characters that break Markdown links.
• Does not duplicate an existing active project name in the initiative's ideas.md.

If the name would collide with an existing project, flag it and ask the user whether to rename the incoming folder or merge its ideas into the existing project.

2b - Idea subfolders

List every subfolder inside the project folder. Each subfolder is an idea. For each idea subfolder, check:

What to check	Pass condition	Fail action
Folder name matches a valid idea name (noun-style, no slashes)	Name is usable as-is	Flag; ask user if rename is needed
01_brief.md exists	File present	Note as missing - idea will be registered at Backlog
Lifecycle artifacts are in order (02_*, 03_*, etc.)	Files consistent with IDEA_LIFECYCLE.md stage order	Note any gaps; do not repair stage content
outputs/ subfolder is present	Folder present	Required repair - create outputs/ with .gitkeep in Step 4 regardless of whether deliverable files currently exist
No source documents are sitting loose at the idea root	Loose docs belong in sources/ or outputs/	Flag; ask user where they belong

2c - Project-level files

Check each of the following. All three are required regardless of whether any work has been done in the project yet. Mark any missing item as a required repair.

• sources/ subfolder exists. If missing: required repair — create with .gitkeep.
• outputs/ subfolder exists. If missing: required repair — create with .gitkeep. Do not defer this on the assumption that no deliverables exist yet; the folder must be present so future work has a home.
• 00-how-to-use.md exists. If missing: required repair — create it (see 00-how-to-use.md section below).

2d - Existing ideas.md entries

Read the initiative's ideas.md and check whether the project is already listed under ## Projects and whether each idea already has a row under ## Project: [Name].

Record the result for each project and idea: already registered, missing from ideas.md, or conflicting (a row exists but points to a different folder path or has a mismatched name).

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Step 3 - Report findings before changing anything

Before writing any files, show the user a summary table. Use this format:

Project: [Name]
  Folder:          initiatives/[Initiative]/[Name]/
  ideas.md status: not registered / already registered / conflict
  Issues found:
    - [list each issue from Step 2]
  Ideas found: [count]
    - [Idea Name] - [01_brief.md present? yes/no] - [inferred status]
    - ...

Then state what actions you plan to take. Wait for the user to confirm before writing any files.

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Step 4 - Execute repairs and registration

Run in order for each project.

4a - Register the project in ideas.md (if not already present)

1. Add a row to ## Projects:

   | [Project Name] | [Purpose - infer from 00-how-to-use.md or ask] | active |
   

   If a Priority column exists in the table, default to Medium and note it in your summary.

2. Add ## Project: [Exact Name] section with the standard idea table. Place it after the last existing ## Project: section and before ## Done.

4b - Register ideas in the project section

For each idea subfolder:

• If already in ideas.md: verify the row's Status, Priority, and Notes / next action are plausible given the artifacts on disk. If the row says Backlog but 05_build/ exists, flag the drift - do not silently change the status. Report it and let the user decide.

• If not in ideas.md: add a row. Use this logic to set Status:

  Highest artifact present	Default status to assign
  None / only 01_brief.md missing	Backlog
  01_brief.md	Brief
  02_pressure_test.md	PressureTest
  02_market_research.md or 02b_customer_discovery.md	Research
  03_prd.md	PRD
  04_design.md	Design
  05_build/ folder (non-empty)	Build
  06_evaluation.md	Evaluation
  07_launch_plan.md	Launch
  08_marketing_pack.md	Marketing
  09_growth_log.md	Growth

  Set Priority to Medium unless the user specified otherwise. Set Last updated to today. Set Notes / next action to Imported [YYYY-MM-DD] - verify status and next step.

• If the idea row exists but the folder was missing (the reverse gap): note it in your summary. Do not delete the row; add a note in Notes / next action that the artifact folder was not found.

4c - Handle Done and Dropped ideas

If the imported ideas.md (from the old system) has rows in ## Done or ## Dropped sections, copy those rows into the current initiative's history/done-history.md and history/dropped-history.md tables. Do not duplicate rows that already exist.

4d - Create missing folder structure

Apply every repair flagged in Steps 2b and 2c. Work through this checklist for every imported project:

Project level (initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/):

• If sources/ is missing: create it with .gitkeep.
• If outputs/ is missing: create it with .gitkeep. This is always required — do not skip it because no deliverable files exist yet.
• If 00-how-to-use.md is missing: create it now (see 00-how-to-use.md section below).

Idea level (initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/[Idea Name]/):

• If outputs/ is missing inside any idea folder: create it with .gitkeep. This is always required for every idea folder, not only for ideas with existing deliverables.

List every folder and file created in your completion summary.

4e - Fix broken links

Search ideas.md, DASHBOARD.md, and the initiative's wiki/index.md for links that point at old paths (for example the old initiative name or an old project folder path). Update them to the correct current paths. List every link you changed in your summary.

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Step 5 - Update the dashboard

1. DASHBOARD.md - update Last initiative work to today for the initiative you imported into.
2. If any imported idea has status In Review (it was awaiting approval in the old system), add a matching row to Awaiting your approval in the tracker. Ask the user to confirm these before adding them, because they may no longer apply.

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Step 6 - Wiki log

Append a dated entry to initiatives/[Initiative]/wiki/log.md:

## [YYYY-MM-DD] update | Import - [N] project(s) imported

Projects imported: [list names]
Ideas registered: [count] new, [count] already present, [count] flagged for drift
Issues requiring user review: [list or "none"]

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00-how-to-use.md

Create this only when the project folder lacks one. Keep it short:

• One line stating all idea work for this project lives under initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/[Idea Name]/ (or relative: [Project Name]/[Idea Name]/ from the initiative root).
• A link to the initiative's ideas.md at ../ideas.md.
• Links to SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md and IDEA_LIFECYCLE.md at the repo root. The file lives at initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/00-how-to-use.md, so the repo root is three levels up: ../../../SYSTEM_OVERVIEW.md.

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Completion summary (return to user)

After all changes are written:

• Initiatives and projects imported (list them).
• Ideas registered: new rows added, rows already present, rows flagged for drift.
• Folders created (list every new sources/, outputs/, and idea folder, noting whether it required creation).
• Files created or modified (list them).
• Any issues that still need your decision (name collisions, status drift, In Review carryovers, misplaced files).
• Folder structure verification: confirm that every imported project now matches the canonical layout in the Required folder structure section at the top of this skill. If any folder is still missing, explain why and what the user needs to do.
• Reminder to run the health-check skill if multiple projects were imported, to verify the full tracker is consistent.

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Guardrails

• Never modify files inside any sources/ folder. They are immutable after ingestion.
• Do not silently resolve name collisions. Always ask when an imported project name matches an existing one.
• Do not silently upgrade or downgrade idea statuses based on artifacts alone. Flag drift and ask; the user decides.
• Do not delete rows from history/done-history.md or history/dropped-history.md even if they look stale.
• Do not import into an initiative that does not exist. Ask the user which initiative to use.
• Always create outputs/ at both the project level and every idea level. Never skip outputs/ creation because no deliverable files exist yet — the folder is required by the system regardless.
• Always create sources/ at the project level even if no source documents exist yet.
• Project folders must live at initiatives/[Initiative]/[Project Name]/, not under a legacy projects/ subfolder. If imports still use the old .../projects/<Project>/ path from v1.x, re-home them to the flat layout before registering.
• If the imported folder contains a wiki/ subfolder, do not merge it automatically into the current initiative wiki. Flag it and ask the user whether to merge, ingest as sources, or leave it in place.