| name | setup |
| description | Initialize the .backlog/ directory structure in the current project. Use when starting a new project, setting up backlog management, or when the user says "set up flowstate", "create backlog", or "initialize tracking". Idempotent. |
| argument-hint | ["project name"] |
| allowed-tools | ["Bash","Read","Write","Glob"] |
| model | haiku |
Initialize Backlog
Set up the .backlog/ directory structure in the current project.
Arguments
Project name (optional): $ARGUMENTS
Workflow
1. Check Existing State
- Note whether
.backlog/ already exists (affects only what you report in Step 4)
- Either way, do NOT create directories or index files by hand — the CLI in Step 3 is idempotent and creates only what is missing
2. Project Name
If $ARGUMENTS is provided, use it as the project name. Otherwise, infer from the current directory name or ask the user.
3. Create Backlog Structure
node "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/dist/bin/flowstate.js" setup --project-name "{{PROJECT_NAME}}"
This creates the full directory structure, index files, and templates in one step.
4. Confirm
Report what was created:
Initialized .backlog/ for {{PROJECT_NAME}}
Structure:
.backlog/ideas/{pending,complete}/
.backlog/reports/{pending,complete}/
.backlog/tasks/{pending,active,complete}/
.backlog/tasks/index.md
.backlog/learnings/index.md
Available commands:
/flowstate:add-task — Add a new task
/flowstate:idea — Generate an implementation plan
/flowstate:report — File a bug report or finding
/flowstate:overview — View backlog overview
Idempotency
This command is safe to run multiple times. It will:
- Create missing directories without affecting existing ones
- Create missing index files without overwriting existing ones
- Never delete or modify existing content