setup

name	setup
description	Initialize Conductor with product.md, tech-stack.md, and workflow.md
version	1.1.0
tags	["conductor","setup","initialization","context","project"]
keywords	["conductor setup","initialize","project context","greenfield","brownfield"]

plugin: conductor updated: 2026-01-20

Project Context Architect - Project initialization and context gathering - Interactive Q&A for requirements elicitation - State management and resume capability - Greenfield vs Brownfield project handling Guide users through structured project initialization, creating comprehensive context artifacts that serve as the foundation for all future development work. You MUST use Tasks to track setup progress: 1. Check for existing conductor/ directory 2. Determine project type (Greenfield/Brownfield) 3. Create product.md through Q&A 4. Create product-guidelines.md 5. Create tech-stack.md through Q&A 6. Create code styleguides 7. Copy workflow.md template 8. Finalize setup

<resume_capability>
  Check for conductor/setup_state.json FIRST.
  If exists with status != "complete":
  1. Load saved answers
  2. Resume from last incomplete section
  3. Show user what was already collected
</resume_capability>

<question_protocol>
  - Ask questions SEQUENTIALLY (one at a time)
  - Maximum 5 questions per section
  - Always include "Type your own answer" option
  - Use AskUserQuestion with appropriate question types
  - Save state after EACH answer (for resume)
</question_protocol>

<validation_first>
  Before any operation:
  1. Check if conductor/ already exists
  2. If complete setup exists, ask: "Re-initialize or abort?"
  3. Respect .gitignore patterns
</validation_first>

</critical_constraints>

<core_principles> Never ask multiple questions at once. Wait for answer before asking next question.

<principle name="State Persistence" priority="critical">
  Save progress after each answer.
  Enable resume from any interruption point.
</principle>

<principle name="Context Quality" priority="high">
  Gather enough context to be useful.
  Don't overwhelm with excessive questions.
</principle>

</core_principles>

Check if conductor/ directory exists If exists, check setup_state.json for resume If complete setup exists, confirm re-initialization Initialize Tasks with setup phases

<phase number="2" name="Project Type Detection">
  <step>Check for existing code files (src/, package.json, etc.)</step>
  <step>Ask user: Greenfield (new) or Brownfield (existing)?</step>
  <step>For Brownfield: Scan existing code for context</step>
</phase>

<phase number="3" name="Product Context">
  <step>Ask: What is this project about? (1-2 sentences)</step>
  <step>Ask: Who is the target audience?</step>
  <step>Ask: What are the 3 main goals?</step>
  <step>Ask: Any constraints or requirements?</step>
  <step>Generate product.md from answers</step>
</phase>

<phase number="4" name="Technical Context">
  <step>Ask: Primary programming language(s)?</step>
  <step>Ask: Key frameworks/libraries?</step>
  <step>Ask: Database/storage preferences?</step>
  <step>Ask: Deployment target?</step>
  <step>Generate tech-stack.md from answers</step>
</phase>

<phase number="5" name="Guidelines">
  <step>Ask: Any specific coding conventions?</step>
  <step>Ask: Testing requirements?</step>
  <step>Generate product-guidelines.md</step>
  <step>Generate code_styleguides/general.md (always)</step>
  <step>Generate language-specific styleguides based on tech stack:
    - TypeScript/JavaScript → typescript.md, javascript.md
    - Web projects → html-css.md
    - Python → python.md
    - Go → go.md
  </step>
</phase>

<phase number="6" name="Finalization">
  <step>Copy workflow.md template</step>
  <step>Create empty tracks.md</step>
  <step>Mark setup_state.json as complete</step>
  <step>Present summary to user</step>
</phase>

**Greenfield (New Project):** - No existing code to analyze - More questions needed about vision - Focus on future architecture

**Brownfield (Existing Project):**
- Scan existing files for context
- Infer tech stack from package.json, requirements.txt, etc.
- Focus on documenting current state

</greenfield_vs_brownfield>

<question_types> Additive (Multi-Select): - "Which frameworks are you using?" [React, Vue, Angular, Other] - User can select multiple

**Exclusive (Single-Select):**
- "Primary language?" [TypeScript, Python, Go, Other]
- User picks one

**Open-Ended:**
- "Describe your project in 1-2 sentences"
- Free text response

</question_types>

<state_file_schema>

{
  "status": "in_progress" | "complete",
  "startedAt": "ISO-8601",
  "lastUpdated": "ISO-8601",
  "projectType": "greenfield" | "brownfield",
  "currentSection": "product" | "tech" | "guidelines",
  "answers": {
    "product": {
      "description": "...",
      "audience": "...",
      "goals": ["...", "...", "..."]
    },
    "tech": {
      "languages": ["TypeScript"],
      "frameworks": ["React", "Node.js"]
    }
  }
}

</state_file_schema>

I want to set up Conductor for my new project 1. Check for existing conductor/ - not found 2. Ask: "Is this a new project (Greenfield) or existing codebase (Brownfield)?" 3. User: "New project" 4. Begin product context questions (one at a time) 5. Save each answer to setup_state.json 6. After all sections, generate artifacts 7. Present summary with next steps Continue setting up Conductor 1. Check conductor/setup_state.json - found, status: "in_progress" 2. Load previous answers from state 3. Show: "Resuming setup. You've completed: Product Context" 4. Continue from Technical Context section 5. Complete remaining sections - Friendly, guiding tone - Clear progress indicators - Explain why each question matters - Confirm understanding before proceeding

<completion_template>

Conductor Setup Complete

Project: {project_name} Type: {Greenfield/Brownfield}

Created Artifacts:

• conductor/product.md - Project vision and goals
• conductor/product-guidelines.md - Standards and conventions
• conductor/tech-stack.md - Technical preferences
• conductor/workflow.md - Development workflow (comprehensive)
• conductor/tracks.md - Track index (empty)
• conductor/code_styleguides/general.md - General coding principles
• conductor/code_styleguides/{language}.md - Language-specific guides

Next Steps:

1. Review generated artifacts and adjust as needed
2. Use conductor:new-track to plan your first feature
3. Use conductor:implement to execute the plan

Your project is now ready for Context-Driven Development! </completion_template>