onboard-computer

---

name: onboard-computer description: Use when the user wants to generate a .onboard file from a codebase, scan a repo for dependencies, create an onboard config, bootstrap an onboard setup, or says "onboard-computer". Triggers on "onboard computer", "onboard-computer", "generate onboard", "make onboard", "scan dependencies", "onboard file", "create onboard". version: 2.0.0 argument-hint: [name] [--minimal]

Create Onboard Config

Scan the current repository and generate a .onboard YAML config file that captures all the dependencies (and optionally apps) needed to develop on this project.

When This Skill Applies

• User says /create-onboard or asks to generate an onboard config
• User wants to capture a project's dev environment as an .onboard file
• User wants to make it easy for others to set up this codebase

How It Works

Phase 1: Scan the Codebase

Search for these signals in the current working directory to detect the stack:

Package/dependency files (search for all of these):

File	Signals
package.json	Node.js, npm; check for yarn.lock/pnpm-lock.yaml/bun.lockb to detect package manager
requirements.txt / pyproject.toml / setup.py / Pipfile / poetry.lock	Python
Cargo.toml	Rust
go.mod	Go
Gemfile	Ruby
composer.json	PHP
build.gradle / pom.xml	Java/Kotlin
Package.swift	Swift
mix.exs	Elixir
pubspec.yaml	Flutter/Dart

Infrastructure & tools (search for all of these):

File/Pattern	Signals
Dockerfile / docker-compose.yml / docker-compose.yaml	Docker
.github/ directory	GitHub CLI useful
.terraform/ / *.tf	Terraform
serverless.yml	Serverless Framework
.env.example / .env.sample	Check variable names only for service references (DATABASE_URL → PostgreSQL, REDIS_URL → Redis). NEVER read .env — it contains secrets. Only read .env.example or .env.sample.

Database signals (grep dependency manifests like package.json, requirements.txt, Gemfile — never .env):

• PostgreSQL: references to pg, psycopg, postgres in dependency names
• MySQL: references to mysql, mysql2 in dependency names
• Redis: references to redis, ioredis in dependency names
• MongoDB: references to mongodb, mongoose in dependency names
• SQLite: references to sqlite, better-sqlite3 in dependency names

Phase 2: Build the Dependency Tree

Every .onboard file should include these foundational dependencies (they're always needed on macOS):

# Always include these first:
- xcode-cli    # Foundation for all dev tools
- homebrew     # Package manager (depends on xcode-cli)
- git          # Version control (depends on homebrew)

Then add project-specific dependencies based on what was detected. Common mappings:

Detected	Dependency ID	Name	Check	Install	Icon
Node.js	node	Node.js	which node	brew install node	icon_img: nodejs.svg, icon_bg: "#333"
Python	python	Python 3	which python3	brew install python	icon_img: python.svg, icon_bg: "#306998"
Rust	rust	Rust	which rustc	curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh	icon: "🦀", icon_bg: "#CE422B"
Go	go	Go	which go	brew install go	icon: "🔵", icon_bg: "#00ADD8"
Ruby	ruby	Ruby	which ruby	brew install ruby	icon: "💎", icon_bg: "#CC342D"
PHP	php	PHP	which php	brew install php	icon: "🐘", icon_bg: "#777BB4"
Java	java	Java	which java	brew install openjdk	icon: "☕", icon_bg: "#ED8B00"
Elixir	elixir	Elixir	which elixir	brew install elixir	icon: "💧", icon_bg: "#6E4A7E"
Dart/Flutter	flutter	Flutter	which flutter	brew install --cask flutter	icon: "🦋", icon_bg: "#02569B"
Bun	bun	Bun	which bun	brew install oven-sh/bun/bun	icon_img: bun.svg, icon_bg: "#fbf0df"
Yarn	yarn	Yarn	which yarn	brew install yarn	icon: "📦", icon_bg: "#2C8EBB"
pnpm	pnpm	pnpm	which pnpm	brew install pnpm	icon: "📦", icon_bg: "#F69220"
pipx	pipx	pipx	which pipx	brew install pipx && pipx ensurepath	icon: "📦", icon_bg: "#3775A9"
GitHub CLI	gh	GitHub CLI	which gh	brew install gh	icon_img: github.png, icon_bg: "#24292e"
Terraform	terraform	Terraform	which terraform	brew install terraform	icon: "🏗", icon_bg: "#7B42BC"
Serverless	serverless	Serverless Framework	which serverless	brew install serverless	icon: "⚡", icon_bg: "#FD5750"

All project-specific dependencies should have depends_on: homebrew (except Rust which installs via rustup).

Phase 3: Interactive Review

Do not proceed to generation yet. Before presenting, scan the user's machine for installed apps:

# List GUI apps in /Applications
ls /Applications/ 2>/dev/null | grep '\.app$' | sed 's/\.app$//' | sort

# List Homebrew cask apps (gives us exact cask names for install commands)
brew list --cask 2>/dev/null

From the installed apps, identify developer-relevant tools using this reference table:

App Name (in /Applications)	Cask Name	Category
Cursor	cursor	Editor
Visual Studio Code	visual-studio-code	Editor
Zed	zed	Editor
iTerm	iterm2	Terminal
Warp	warp	Terminal
Docker	docker	Infrastructure
Postman	postman	API
Insomnia	insomnia	API
Alfred 5	alfred	Productivity
Raycast	raycast	Productivity
Rectangle	rectangle	Productivity
Caffeine	caffeine	Productivity
Figma	figma	Design
Sketch	sketch	Design
Slack	slack	Communication
Discord	discord	Communication
1Password 7	1password	Security
Field Theory	fieldtheory	Productivity
Codex	Codex	AI
TablePlus	tableplus	Database
Postico 2	postico	Database
Proxyman	proxyman	Networking
Charles	charles	Networking

For apps found in /Applications/ that are NOT in this table and NOT in the brew list --cask output, use brew search --cask <name> to find the correct cask name. Only recommend apps where you can confidently generate a brew install --cask command. Do not guess cask names. Skip system default apps (Safari, Calendar, Mail, etc.) and non-developer apps.

Now present everything in one message:

Here's what I detected in this codebase:

Dependencies to include:

• Xcode CLI Tools (foundation)
• Homebrew (package manager)
• Git (version control)
• Node.js (detected: package.json)
• Python 3 (detected: requirements.txt)
• [etc.]

I also found these developer apps on your machine:

Editors: Cursor, VS Code Terminals: iTerm Productivity: Alfred, Rectangle Other: Docker, Slack

Are there any dependencies or apps you'd like to add, remove, or change?

This is the only pause point. One question, one wait. The user can:

• Confirm as-is ("looks good")
• Modify dependencies (add/remove)
• Pick apps to include (e.g., "add Cursor and iTerm")
• Decline apps entirely (just don't mention them)
• Add apps NOT on their machine — warn them: "[App Name] doesn't appear to be installed on your machine. Are you sure?" If confirmed, use brew search --cask <name> to verify the cask exists.

Rules:

• List every dependency with the detection reason in parentheses
• Group dependencies: foundational first, then project-specific
• Categorize discovered apps by type
• If the user adds a dependency not in the mapping table, ask them for the check and install commands
• If the user removes a dependency that others depend on, warn about the dependency chain
• Once confirmed, proceed to Phase 4

Building app entries:

For each app the user selects, construct:

• id: lowercase, no spaces (e.g., cursor, vscode, iterm)
• name: Display name as it appears in /Applications
• icon: Use emoji. Use icon_img only for well-known tools with SVG/PNG assets in the Onboard app
• icon_bg: Pick a color matching the app's brand
• desc: One sentence describing what the app does
• check: ls /Applications/App\ Name.app (escape spaces with backslash)
• install: brew install --cask <cask-name>
• depends_on: homebrew

Phase 4: Generate and Write

Construct the YAML:

schema_version: 1
name: "Config Name"
description: "Short description of what this setup is for"

dependencies:
  # ... foundational deps first, then project-specific

If the user selected apps in Phase 3, add the apps section:

apps:
  # ... selected apps

If the user declined apps or selected none, omit the apps: key entirely from the YAML. Do not write an empty apps: [].

Naming rules:

• If the user provided a name argument, use it
• Otherwise, derive from the repo/directory name
• The name field should be human-friendly (e.g., "My Project" not "my-project")
• The description should mention the key technologies (e.g., "Node.js + React development environment")

File naming:

• Save as <project-name>.onboard in the project root directory
• Use kebab-case for the filename (e.g., my-project.onboard)

After generating:

1. Write the file to the project root
2. Show a summary of what was included
3. Display the generated YAML
4. Always show the full absolute path to the generated file so the user can find it
5. Tell them: "Open this with the Onboard app, or share it with your team."

Good Practices

• Use the mapping table for install commands — don't copy install commands from repo files. The table ensures consistent, correct output. If a dependency isn't in the table, use the pattern brew install <well-known-package-name> or ask the user.
• Skip .env files — read .env.example or .env.sample instead (same structural info, no secrets). Only look at variable names, not values.
• Don't include secrets or credentials in the generated file.

Important Rules

• Always include xcode-cli → homebrew → git as the foundation chain
• Respect depends_on chains — everything installed via brew depends on homebrew
• Use icon_img for well-known tools where SVG/PNG assets likely exist in the Onboard app (node, python, git, homebrew, github). Use emoji icon for everything else.
• Keep descriptions short — one sentence, focused on what it does for THIS project
• Quote install commands in single quotes when they contain special shell characters (dollar signs, exclamation marks, subshells)
• --minimal flag: Only include the foundational deps + the primary language runtime. Skip app discovery entirely.
• Don't over-include: Only add dependencies that are actually needed for THIS project. A Python project doesn't need Node.js unless there's evidence of it.
• Check commands must be reliable: which <binary> for CLI tools, ls /Applications/Name.app for apps
• Apps are interactive and optional: Always ask the user. Only recommend apps actually installed on their machine. Never silently bundle apps the user doesn't use.
• Don't guess cask names: If you can't confidently map an app to a Homebrew cask, skip it or ask the user.