| name | ad-bootstrap |
| description | Generate AGENTS.md at the repo root by scanning the codebase first, pre-filling placeholders from observed signals, and asking only the genuine gaps. Use whenever the user wants to bootstrap, scaffold, generate, create, set up, or audit AGENTS.md / agents.md / CLAUDE.md (the operational guide for agents working on this project). Covers greenfield (empty repo), brownfield (code exists, no AGENTS.md), and audit (drift report against existing AGENTS.md). |
| summary | Generate or audit `AGENTS.md` at the repo root. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash |
/ad-bootstrap
Produces AGENTS.md at the repo root, ≤150 lines, every line operational. Generic agent behavior (think-before-coding, verify-before-claiming-done, etc.) does not belong here — that lives in the ad-philosophy skill.
Step 0 — Detect mode
Run from the consumer repo root before inspecting it:
node .claude/skills/ad-bootstrap/scripts/project-signals.mjs AGENTS.md
Parse its JSON. Its mode selects the branch below; use stacks to focus the manifest scan and surface every unreadable[] entry as a scan gap, never as an absent path. Then inspect the repo:
AGENTS.md exists at the repo root → audit mode. Do not rewrite it. Stop after producing a drift list (see Step 4).AGENTS.md absent and the directory only holds trivial entries (.git, node_modules, .gitignore, .gitattributes, .DS_Store, .env*, .idea, .vscode, LICENSE*, README.md) → greenfield mode. There is nothing to scan; walk the template's <placeholders> with the user one at a time and skip Step 1.AGENTS.md absent and meaningful code is present → brownfield mode. Scan first, pre-fill, ask only the gaps.
Step 1 — Scan (brownfield only)
Read in this order, taking the first that exists for each category:
- Manifests:
package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, go.mod, Gemfile, composer.json, pubspec.yaml.
README.md, plus any doc/ or docs/ directory.- Top-level directory listing.
doc/adr/ — binding decisions; read every ADR.GUIDELINES.md at repo root — if present, the AGENTS.md sections that have a corresponding GUIDELINES.md section (Code Style → §2; Quality Gates → §8; Commit & PR → §10; Security & Privacy → §12) emit as pointer stubs instead of inline rules..claude/, .cursor/, .openai/, .agents/ — existing agent config.- Hook configs:
.husky/, .pre-commit-config.yaml, .github/workflows/, .gitlab-ci.yml, .circleci/.
- Lockfiles:
package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml, poetry.lock, Cargo.lock.
git remote -v for the repo URL.
Build a model of: stack (languages and versions), entry points, build / test / lint commands, conventions, quality gates, security boundaries, gotchas confirmed by code.
Step 2 — Pre-fill
For every <placeholder> in the referenced template, fill from observed signals. No fabrication. If a section has no signal, write <TODO: not yet wired> in one line and move on. Do not write meta-prose explaining the gap.
Step 3 — Show only the gaps
Print to the user:
- (a) placeholders that could not be filled from repo signals;
- (b) signals that conflict (two test commands, two style configs, README contradicts code, etc.).
One question per gap. Skip everything filled confidently. Do not ask philosophical questions ("is this doc for agents or humans?", "what is the most important quality bar?") — those are decisions, not interview material.
When the host exposes Plan Mode, the agent may render the proposed AGENTS.md body inside the plan (the user reviews and approves before write) instead of writing-then-presenting. Plan Mode is opt-in — skip for incremental edits where the user already saw the prior content.
Step 4 — Write the file
On user confirmation, write AGENTS.md at the repo root. Cut every line that does not change agent behavior. No "External Resources" section (URLs are derivable from git remote and the manifest). No appended Universal Agent Behavior block. No marketing prose.
Audit mode override: do not write the file. Produce a drift list. Format each line as:
[file or section]: spec says X, code says Y. Suggested resolution: change spec / change code / discuss.
If something the user says contradicts what the code shows, surface the conflict. Don't silently trust the user; don't silently trust the code.
Template — AGENTS.md
The AGENTS.md skeleton lives in references/agents-template.md — fill its <placeholders> from the scan; pick the <when-guidelines-md-exists> variant when GUIDELINES.md is present, else <when-no-guidelines>; omit sections with no signal.
Output contract
A single AGENTS.md at the repo root, ≤150 lines, every line operational. No "External Resources" section. No appended Universal Agent Behavior block — that lives in the ad-philosophy skill. No meta-prose explaining gaps. In audit mode: a drift list, no file written.
AGENTS.md is a narrative document, so the Documentation Discipline rules in WORKFLOW.md §2 apply at write time:
- No emoji anywhere in the file.
- No dates, version stamps,
DRAFT markers, or changelog blocks. Stack versions are facts (Node ≥18); release timelines are not.
Project Overview is the business-context-first paragraph — why the project exists before what it does.- One scope: this file is the operational guide for agents. Do not duplicate
ARCHITECTURE.md patterns or ADR rationale here; link instead.
- No speculation. If a section has no signal, write
<TODO: not yet wired> once; do not narrate "this could be added later".
Next
- Run
/ad-architecture once load-bearing patterns emerge in the code.
- When you scope a product (multi-feature, target user, success metrics):
/ad-prd (Layer 3 of the six-layer artifact stack).
- When you start your first feature:
/ad-spec (Layer 4 of the six-layer artifact stack; references parent PRD for product-scope inheritance).
- Do not create artifacts before the work needs them — the WORKFLOW §1 prune principle applies.
ad-philosophy auto-loads on non-trivial work; no explicit invocation needed.
