agentlab-setup

name	agentlab-setup
description	Install, update, and manage AGENTLab — a shared context framework for research labs using Claude Code and Codex CLI. Use when the user wants to set up AGENTLab on a new device, sync updates, initialize their identity, or manage their AGENTLab installation. Works as a standalone skill that bootstraps the full framework.

AGENTLab Setup & Sync

This skill can be installed standalone. Once installed, it bootstraps the full AGENTLab framework through conversation.

What is AGENTLab?

A Git-based shared context framework for research labs using Claude Code and Codex CLI. It manages:

• Team member profiles and expertise
• Research project goals, progress, and documentation
• Shared skills and agent instructions
• Multi-device sync (laptop, clusters, etc.)

Repository: Your team's Git repo (created from this template)

Installation

# Clone AGENTLab to any directory, then run setup
git clone <your-team-repo-url> <your-path>
cd <your-path> && bash scripts/setup.sh <your-name>

setup.sh automatically symlinks all lab skills (including this one) to ~/.claude/skills/ and ~/.codex/skills/.

To update:

cd <your-path> && bash scripts/sync.sh

Agent Behaviors

User says: "Set up AGENTLab"

This is the first-time setup on a new device (laptop or cluster).

1. Ask for install path (default: ~/AGENTLab), or detect if already cloned:

   # Check common locations
   for path in ~/AGENTLab ~/Desktop/project/AGENTLab /mnt/*/project/AGENTLab; do
     [ -d "$path/lab/skills/agentlab-guide" ] && echo "Found: $path"
   done
   

2. If not found, clone:

   git clone <your-team-repo-url> <install-path>
   

3. Ask for member name (or detect from ~/.agentlab/identity):

   cat ~/.agentlab/identity 2>/dev/null || echo "not set"
   

4. Run setup:

   cd <install-path> && bash scripts/setup.sh <name>
   

   This will:

   • Create members/<name>/ directory
   • Install all lab skills to ~/.claude/skills/ (or ~/.codex/skills/)
   • Set local identity at ~/.agentlab/identity
   • Install INSTRUCTIONS.md as CLAUDE.md / AGENTS.md

5. Confirm success and show next steps:

   • Fill in members/<name>/ME.md (including Sharing section)
   • Create branch, commit, PR

User says: "Sync AGENTLab"

This is the daily sync — pull latest + re-install skills.

1. Locate AGENTLab repo:

   # Find repo path
   for path in ~/AGENTLab ~/Desktop/project/AGENTLab; do
     [ -d "$path/.git" ] && echo "$path" && break
   done
   # Or search more broadly
   find ~ /mnt -maxdepth 4 -name "agentlab-guide" -path "*/lab/skills/*" 2>/dev/null | head -1
   

2. Run sync:

   cd <repo-path> && bash scripts/sync.sh
   

   This will: git pull --rebase → re-symlink all skills → update INSTRUCTIONS.md

3. Show what changed:

   cd <repo-path> && git log --oneline --since="24 hours ago"
   

User says: "Record progress"

1. Locate repo and run:

   cd <repo-path> && bash scripts/update.sh log
   

   Or do it conversationally (preferred):
   • Ask what they worked on
   • Read current PROGRESS.md
   • Prepend new entry with date, author, tags
   • git add + git commit + git push

User says: "Check status"

cd <repo-path> && bash scripts/update.sh status

User says: "Set up on cluster"

For cluster setup (no GUI, might not have Claude Code):

1. If Claude Code IS available on cluster:

   # Full setup (same as laptop)
   cd <cluster-path>/AGENTLab && bash scripts/setup.sh <name>
   

2. If Claude Code is NOT available:

   # Lightweight — just clone + set identity
   git clone <your-team-repo-url> <path>
   bash <path>/scripts/update.sh init <name>
   # Then use update.sh for daily operations
   

User says: "Update this skill"

Self-update: pull latest version of this skill from the AGENTLab repo:

REPO_PATH="<detected-repo-path>"
cp -r "$REPO_PATH/lab/skills/agentlab-setup/" ~/.claude/skills/agentlab-setup/
echo "Updated agentlab-setup skill from repo"

Compatibility

Tool	Skill Location	Install Method
Claude Code	~/.claude/skills/agentlab-setup/	Clone/copy this directory
Codex CLI	~/.codex/skills/agentlab-setup/	Clone/copy this directory

This skill works identically on both tools. No format conversion needed.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
git clone fails (SSH)	Try HTTPS URL instead of SSH
Skills not detected	Check symlinks: ls -la ~/.claude/skills/
Identity not set	Run: bash scripts/update.sh init <name>
Permission denied on cluster	Check if ~/.claude/ is writable; try --personal path