| name | init |
| description | Set up govctl in the current project. Installs the binary if missing, initializes governance structure. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, TodoWrite |
| argument-hint | [optional setup scope] |
/init - Set Up Govctl
Set up govctl in the current project.
Outputs: Initialized governance structure, verified local setup, and a recommended next workflow.
Critical Rules
- This is a setup workflow, not an implementation workflow. Do not create work items or change product code here.
- Ask permission before installing
govctl with cargo install govctl.
- Prefer local
govctl if it is already available. When working in the govctl repo itself, prefer cargo run --quiet -- before installing a global binary.
- Never edit governed files directly. Use
govctl init.
- If setup succeeds and the user wants it recorded, hand off to
/commit rather than embedding raw VCS commands here.
Steps
1. Check for govctl binary
govctl --version
If you are working in the govctl repository itself, prefer:
cargo run --quiet -- --version
If that works, use cargo run --quiet -- <subcommand> for the rest of this workflow instead of installing a global binary.
If no usable local invocation exists, ask permission, then install it:
cargo install govctl
If cargo is also missing, tell the user to install Rust first: https://rustup.rs
2. Initialize the project
If gov/config.toml does not exist:
govctl init
If it already exists, skip — the project is already initialized.
3. Optional: Install project-local agent assets
If the user wants the bundled skills and reviewer agents copied into the project or agent config directory, run:
govctl init-skills
Use govctl init-skills --format codex for Codex agent role output, and --dir <path> when the assets should be written outside the project directory.
4. Verify
govctl status
Show the user what was created and confirm everything is working.
Next Steps
- Use
/discuss for design work
- Use
/spec for governance-only artifact maintenance
- Use
/gov for implementation-bearing work
- Use
/quick for trivial non-behavioral cleanup