init

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

1. This is a setup workflow, not an implementation workflow. Do not create work items or change product code here.
2. Ask permission before installing govctl with cargo install govctl.
3. Prefer local govctl if it is already available. When working in the govctl repo itself, prefer cargo run --quiet -- before installing a global binary.
4. Never edit governed files directly. Use govctl init.
5. 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