| name | onboarding |
| description | First-time maina setup and configuration in any AI coding tool. |
| triggers | ["setup","configure","onboard","first time","getting started"] |
Onboarding
When to use
When setting up maina for the first time in a repository, configuring it for a new AI coding tool, or onboarding a new team member. This skill covers initial setup, tool discovery, and per-tool configuration.
Steps
- Bootstrap maina with
maina init (or npx @mainahq/cli init). This creates .maina/ config, detects your project stack, and writes a constitution file.
- Run guided configuration with
maina setup. This walks through model selection, API keys, and tool-specific MCP configuration.
- Verify the installation with
maina doctor. This checks that the CLI, MCP server, AI provider, and verification tools are all working.
- Compile codebase knowledge with
maina wiki init. This scans your codebase, extracts entities via tree-sitter, and generates initial wiki articles.
- Review available MCP tools -- once configured, your AI coding tool can call these MCP tools directly:
| MCP Tool | Description |
|---|
getContext | 4-layer context retrieval with dynamic token budget |
getConventions | Project conventions and constitution |
verify | Full verification pipeline on staged changes |
checkSlop | Detect AI-generated filler text and placeholders |
reviewCode | Two-stage AI code review (spec + quality) |
explainModule | Explain a module's purpose, exports, and dependencies |
suggestTests | Generate test stubs from feature plans |
analyzeFeature | Validate spec-plan consistency |
wikiQuery | Search and synthesize answers from wiki articles |
wikiStatus | Wiki health dashboard |
- Follow the standard workflow for development:
brainstorm -> ticket -> plan -> design -> spec -> implement
|
pr <- commit <- review <- verify
|
merge -> learn -> improve
Per-Tool Setup
Claude Code
MCP auto-configured via .claude/settings.json. Run maina init and it is ready.
Cursor
MCP via .cursor/mcp.json or project-level .mcp.json. Rules loaded from .cursorrules. Run maina init.
Windsurf
Rules loaded from .windsurfrules. MCP requires global configuration: run maina setup to write it.
Continue.dev
MCP auto-discovered from .continue/mcpServers/maina.json. Run maina init.
Cline
Rules loaded from .clinerules. MCP configured via VS Code settings: run maina setup.
Roo Code
MCP via .roo/mcp.json. Rules loaded from .roo/rules/maina.md. Run maina init.
GitHub Copilot
MCP via .vscode/mcp.json. Instructions loaded from .github/copilot-instructions.md. Run maina init.
Amazon Q
MCP via .amazonq/mcp.json. Run maina init.
Zed
MCP via global ~/.config/zed/settings.json. Run maina setup to write the config.
Aider
No MCP support. Uses CONVENTIONS.md and .aider.conf.yml for context. Run maina init.
Gemini CLI
MCP via .mcp.json. Instructions loaded from GEMINI.md. Run maina init.
Codex CLI
Instructions loaded from AGENTS.md. Run maina init.
Example
npx @mainahq/cli init
maina doctor
maina wiki init
Notes
- All commands work as both CLI (
maina <command> or npx @mainahq/cli <command>) and MCP tools inside AI coding tools.
- MCP configuration is written automatically by
maina init for tools that support project-level config files.
- For tools that require global config (Windsurf, Zed), use
maina setup instead.
- Run
maina doctor at any time to verify your setup is healthy.