setup-automation

name	setup-automation
description	Install all automation for a new repo (git hooks + GitHub Actions)

Created: 2026-02-09-00-00 Last Updated: 2026-02-12-12-00

Setup Automation for Codex Workflow

Installs all automation tools for autonomous operation in the current repo.

EXECUTION INSTRUCTIONS FOR CODEX

When this skill is invoked, do the following:

1. Run the bootstrap script (if first-time setup):

   ~/.crosscheck/scripts/bootstrap-crosscheck.sh
   

   This clones/updates CrossCheck, installs settings, and offers to install git hooks globally.

2. Or install git hooks for the current repo only:

   ~/.crosscheck/scripts/install-git-hooks.sh
   

3. Then follow Steps 1-5 below to initialize repo structure, GitHub config, and workflow docs.

4. After setup, tell the user:

   Setup complete! Automation installed for this repo.
   
   IMPORTANT: You need to restart Codex for skills to work in future sessions:
   
   1. Exit: exit
   2. Restart: codex
   
   Skills like /submit-pr and /plan are loaded at startup.
   

IMPORTANT: Skills are loaded at startup. The user MUST restart Codex after running setup for the first time.

---

What Gets Installed

Git Hooks (Local)

• pre-commit: Quality gates (timestamps, secrets, debug code)
• commit-msg: Conventional commits enforcement
• post-commit: Checkpointing, assessment counter, Codex review
• post-checkout: Background process cleanup, environment reset
• pre-push: Final verification (timestamps, markers, conflicts)
• post-merge: Branch cleanup, CI verification

GitHub Actions (CI/CD)

• PR checks: Documentation timestamp verification

Repository Files

• $(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks-pr-counter: PR counter (managed by post-merge hook)
• .codex/assessment-history.txt: Assessment log
• garbage/: Folder for safe file deletion (gitignored)
• do-work/: Task queue for autonomous agent work
• user-content/: Human-only zone (protected by pre-commit hook)
• .gitignore: Updated with garbage folder

Installation Steps

Step 1: Install Git Hooks

~/.crosscheck/scripts/install-git-hooks.sh

This installs local git hooks that trigger during your git operations.

Step 2: Install GitHub Actions (Optional)

If you want CI/CD automation:

# Create workflows directory
mkdir -p .github/workflows

# Copy quality gates workflow from CrossCheck
CROSSCHECK_DIR="${CROSSCHECK_DIR:-$HOME/.crosscheck}"
cp "$CROSSCHECK_DIR/.github/workflows/quality-gates.yml" .github/workflows/quality-gates.yml

# Commit and push
git add .github/workflows/quality-gates.yml
git commit -m "feat: add quality gates CI workflow"
git push

Step 3: Initialize Repo Structure

# Create .codex directory
mkdir -p .codex

# Initialize PR counter (managed by post-merge hook in git-common-dir)
COUNTER_FILE="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks-pr-counter"
echo "0" > "$COUNTER_FILE"

# Create empty history file
touch .codex/assessment-history.txt

# Create standard directories
mkdir -p garbage      # Safe file deletion (gitignored)
mkdir -p do-work      # Task queue for autonomous work
mkdir -p user-content      # Human-only zone (hook-protected)

# Add READMEs to tracked directories (if not already present)
SETUP_DATE=$(date +"%Y-%m-%d-%H-%M")

if [ ! -f "do-work/README.md" ]; then
    cat > do-work/README.md << DOWORK
**Created:** $SETUP_DATE
**Last Updated:** $SETUP_DATE

# Task Queue

Drop .md files here for the agent to process with /do-work.
Numbers 001-099 are for humans. 100+ are for agents.
See /do-work skill for full details.
DOWORK
fi

if [ ! -f "user-content/README.md" ]; then
    cat > user-content/README.md << CONTENT
**Created:** $SETUP_DATE
**Last Updated:** $SETUP_DATE

# Content (Human-Only Zone)

Agents may read files here for context but must never modify them.
Protected by pre-commit hook.
CONTENT
fi

# Update .gitignore
if ! grep -q "^garbage/$" .gitignore 2>/dev/null; then
    echo "garbage/" >> .gitignore
fi

# Commit structure
git add .codex/ .gitignore
git commit -m "chore: initialize Codex automation structure"
git push

Step 4: GitHub Configuration

# Create GitHub config directory
mkdir -p .github/rulesets

# CODEOWNERS -- set default reviewer
if [ ! -f ".github/CODEOWNERS" ]; then
    GITHUB_USER=$(gh api user --jq '.login' 2>/dev/null || echo "YOUR_GITHUB_USERNAME")
    cat > .github/CODEOWNERS << OWNERS
# Default code owner for all files
* @${GITHUB_USER}
OWNERS
fi

# Dependabot -- dependency update monitoring
CROSSCHECK_DIR="${CROSSCHECK_DIR:-$HOME/.crosscheck}"
if [ ! -f ".github/dependabot.yml" ]; then
    cp "$CROSSCHECK_DIR/.github/dependabot.yml" .github/dependabot.yml
    echo "  Edit .github/dependabot.yml to uncomment ecosystems you use (npm, pip, docker)"
fi

# Branch protection ruleset template
if [ ! -f ".github/rulesets/protect-main.json" ]; then
    cp "$CROSSCHECK_DIR/.github/rulesets/protect-main.json" .github/rulesets/protect-main.json
    echo "  Import .github/rulesets/protect-main.json via GitHub Settings > Rules > Rulesets"
fi

git add .github/
git commit -m "chore: add GitHub config (CODEOWNERS, dependabot, branch protection)"

Step 5: Copy Workflow Documentation

# Copy CODEX.md to repo
CROSSCHECK_DIR="${CROSSCHECK_DIR:-$HOME/.crosscheck}"
cp "$CROSSCHECK_DIR/CODEX.md" ./CODEX.md

# Customize for your project
# Edit CODEX.md with project-specific details

# Commit
git add CODEX.md
git commit -m "docs: add workflow documentation"
git push

Verification

After installation, verify everything works:

Test Git Hooks

# Test pre-commit hook
echo "# Test Doc" > test.md
git add test.md
git commit -m "test: verify pre-commit hook"
# Should warn about missing timestamp

# Test post-checkout hook
git checkout -b test-branch
# Should show context management tip
git checkout main
git branch -d test-branch

Test PR Counter

The PR counter is managed automatically by the post-merge git hook, stored at $(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks-pr-counter. No separate script is needed.

# Check counter status
COUNTER_FILE="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks-pr-counter"
cat "$COUNTER_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo "0 (counter not yet initialized)"

# Manually increment to test
echo "1" > "$COUNTER_FILE"

# Reset for actual use
echo "0" > "$COUNTER_FILE"

Test GitHub Actions (if installed)

# Create a test PR
git checkout -b test-automation
echo "test" >> README.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "test: automation"
git push -u origin test-automation
gh pr create --title "Test Automation" --body "Testing workflow"

# Check GitHub Actions tab - should see workflow running
gh pr close --delete-branch

What Happens Automatically Now

Before (Manual)

# Finish feature
/pre-pr-check
gh pr create
/pr-review
# ... review process ...
# Manually track PR count
# Check if 3 PRs
/repo-assessment  # ← Manual
# Manually reset counter

After (Automated)

# Finish feature
/submit-pr  # ← Combines pre-check + PR creation + review start
# ... review process ...
git merge  # ← Automatically increments counter via git hook
# Automatic assessment reminder if 3 PRs
/repo-assessment  # ← When prompted
# Counter automatically resets via git hook

Automation Summary

Action	Manual	Automated	How
Pre-PR checks	❌ Manual /pre-pr-check	✅ Auto in /submit-pr	Combined command
Create PR	❌ Manual gh pr create	✅ Auto in /submit-pr	Combined command
Start review	❌ Manual /pr-review	✅ Auto in /submit-pr	Combined command
Increment counter	❌ Manual tracking	✅ Auto on merge	post-merge git hook
Assessment reminder	❌ Manual check	✅ Auto notification	Git hook
Reset counter	❌ Manual reset	✅ Auto after assessment	post-merge git hook
Doc timestamp check	❌ Manual verify	✅ Auto before commit	Git hook
Context reminder	❌ Manual remember	✅ Auto on branch switch	Git hook

Customization

Disable Specific Hooks

# Disable a hook by removing execute permission
HOOKS_DIR="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks"
chmod -x "$HOOKS_DIR/post-merge"

# Or rename it
mv "$HOOKS_DIR/post-merge" "$HOOKS_DIR/post-merge.disabled"

Modify GitHub Actions

Edit .github/workflows/quality-gates.yml to customize:

• Markdown lint rules
• Shellcheck severity
• Link check configuration
• Documentation metadata requirements

Change Assessment Threshold

Default is 3 PRs. To change to 5:

# In git hooks (source of truth):
# Edit ~/.crosscheck/git-hooks/post-merge
# Change: if [ "$pr_count" -ge 3 ]; then
# To: if [ "$pr_count" -ge 5 ]; then
# Then reinstall hooks: ~/.crosscheck/scripts/install-git-hooks.sh

Troubleshooting

Git hooks not running

# Verify hooks are executable
HOOKS_DIR="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks"
ls -la "$HOOKS_DIR/"

# Reinstall
~/.crosscheck/scripts/install-git-hooks.sh

GitHub Actions not triggering

# Check workflow file exists
ls -la .github/workflows/quality-gates.yml

# Check GitHub Actions enabled
gh repo view --json hasIssuesEnabled,hasProjectsEnabled

# View workflow runs
gh run list --workflow=quality-gates.yml

Counter not incrementing

# The PR counter is managed by the post-merge git hook.
# Counter file location:
COUNTER_FILE="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks-pr-counter"

# Check counter file exists
ls -la "$COUNTER_FILE"

# Check the post-merge hook is installed and executable
ls -la "$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks/post-merge"

# Manually set counter to test
echo "1" > "$COUNTER_FILE"
cat "$COUNTER_FILE"

Uninstall

To remove automation:

# Remove git hooks
HOOKS_DIR="$(git rev-parse --git-common-dir)/hooks"
rm "$HOOKS_DIR/pre-commit"
rm "$HOOKS_DIR/commit-msg"
rm "$HOOKS_DIR/post-commit"
rm "$HOOKS_DIR/post-checkout"
rm "$HOOKS_DIR/pre-push"
rm "$HOOKS_DIR/post-merge"

# Remove GitHub Actions
rm .github/workflows/quality-gates.yml

# Keep .codex/ directory (has counter history)
# Or remove completely:
# rm -rf .codex/

Next Steps

After installation:

1. ✅ Automation installed
2. ✅ Test with practice PR
3. ✅ Customize CODEX.md for project
4. ✅ Start using /submit-pr for new features
5. ✅ Let automation handle tracking
6. ✅ Focus on coding, not process