ingest-project

name	ingest-project
description	Ingest an existing, chaotic repo into this template's generic project framework. Reads every part of a source repo, organizes it into a lean standard project folder, proposes dedupes and prunes for your approval, and proves nothing was lost via an accounting ledger. Use when someone wants to bring a scattered or duplicated repo under projects/.
disable-model-invocation	true

Ingest Project

Takes a messy, real-world repo and turns it into a clean project under projects/<name>/, following the generic project framework. The promise: every part of the source gets ingested somewhere — placed, merged, pruned (with a reason), or parked in _inbox/ — and the engine proves it.

This skill writes files and runs a script. It is manual (disable-model-invocation): it only runs when the user types /ingest-project.

The split

• scripts/ingest.py does the accounting (deterministic, reliable): scaffold the destination, preserve a raw copy of the source, build the ledger, and run the final coverage check. Never hand these steps to judgment.
• You (Claude) do the judgment: read the content, decide where each piece belongs, spot duplicates, propose what to prune. Never delete or merge without approval.

The flow

Step 1 — Get the source

Ask for the project name and the source. The source is either:

• a local path (read with Read/Glob), or
• a GitHub URL (clone it locally first so the script can archive it: git clone <url> /tmp/<name>-src; if private/unreachable, say so and stop).

Step 2 — Scaffold + inventory (script)

From the repo root:

python3 scripts/ingest.py scaffold <name>
python3 scripts/ingest.py inventory <name> <source_path>

This creates projects/<name>/ from the generic skeleton, copies the raw source into projects/<name>/_archive/source/ (the safety net — never loaded in normal sessions), and writes _archive/INGEST-LEDGER.md with one row per source file, all pending.

Step 3 — Map every item

Read the source content. For each ledger row, decide its destination slot:

Source content looks like…	Goes to
What the project is, who it's for, current state	context/overview.md
Stakeholders, clients, contacts	context/people.md
Why a choice was made / past decisions	context/decisions.md
Milestones, status, TODOs, phases	planning/roadmap.md
The one-paragraph "how to work here" / entry orientation	CLAUDE.md
Can't tell yet	_inbox/ (park it — temporary)

Large files often split across several slots — break them into sections and account for each section in the ledger (add sub-rows like 004a, 004b if needed). Nothing is too small to account for.

Step 4 — Dedupe + prune (propose, then apply)

As you map, flag:

• Duplicates / overlap — "rows 002 and 007 say the same thing → merge into context/overview.md, drop the rest."
• Stale / dead content — "this references a 2023 tool you no longer use → prune."

Present these as a single review batch and wait for approval. The raw source is safe in _archive/source/, so approved prunes lose nothing recoverable. Only after the user signs off, write the organized files and record each verdict in the ledger:

• placed → the slot path
• merged → which row/slot it folded into
• pruned → a one-line reason (required)
• inbox → still parked (must reach zero before done)

Step 5 — Fill the framework

Write real content into the project's slots — CLAUDE.md purpose/status, overview.md, people.md, decisions.md, roadmap.md. Replace every [PLACEHOLDER]. Delete skeleton slot files that genuinely don't apply (e.g. people.md for a solo project), and record that in the ledger so the coverage check stays honest.

Step 6 — Triage the inbox to zero

Go through everything in _inbox/. Each item gets a real slot or a prune. The inbox must end empty (only its README.md may remain).

Step 7 — Verify (script)

python3 scripts/ingest.py verify <name>

Ingestion is done only when this exits clean: every ledger row has a terminal verdict (placed / merged / pruned), every prune has a reason, and _inbox/ is clear. If it reports gaps, fix them and re-run until it shows COMPLETE ✅. Never call the ingest done while verify is red.

Step 8 — Wire it in + commit

1. Add the project to the root MAP.md Task Routing table and Projects map.
2. Show the user the coverage report and the new project structure.
3. Commit with the project: prefix:

project: ingest <name> into the project framework

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <[e-mail]>

Notes

• Never read _archive/ in a normal session. It exists to prove completeness and to recover mistaken prunes — it is not project context. It's marked never-read in MAP.md.
• If the project matches a domain blueprint in _templates/_examples/ (e.g. it really is a lead-gen consultancy), you can pull that template's structure into planning/ on top of the generic skeleton — but the generic skeleton is always the base.
• Re-running inventory on a project that already has _archive/source/ is blocked on purpose. To start over, delete projects/<name>/ first.