plastic-install

name	plastic-install
description	Use when initializing Plastic globally (~/.plastic/) or locally in a project, or to re-install/repair a broken installation. Accepts channel flags (--alpha, --beta, --latest) to select release channel. First install defaults to --latest (stable); reinstalls match the already-installed channel. Global install is recommended: it creates the global intent store as a git-backed repository. Local install creates .plastic/ in the current project for testing.
user-invocable	true

Install Plastic

Recommended path: for a first install, run npx -y @zalom/plastic@latest install --claude in your shell (or bunx -y @zalom/plastic@latest install --claude if you use Bun). This skill exists to re-install or repair an existing setup from inside the agent, and to drive interactive global configuration. Whenever this skill performs an install or re-install, it runs /plastic-doctor afterward and reports the result.

Channel rule

If Plastic is installed, derive <channel> from ~/.plastic/VERSION: a version containing -alpha means @alpha, -beta means @beta, otherwise @latest. If not installed (first install), default to @latest. The user can always override with --alpha / --beta / --latest.

Re-install / repair

If Plastic is already installed but something is broken (skills missing, hooks not firing, leftover legacy plugin), re-run the installer, it is idempotent, prunes files that no longer ship, and removes any legacy plugin/marketplace layout:

npx -y @zalom/plastic@<channel> install --reinstall --claude

Then run /plastic-doctor and report what it found.

Channel Flags

Flag	Behavior
--latest	Install from the stable channel (default on a first install)
--beta	Install from the beta channel
--alpha	Install from the alpha channel

When invoked from within Claude Code (re-install or channel switch), the skill runs the appropriate npx command:

# Stable (default on a first install)
npx -y @zalom/plastic@latest install --claude

# Beta
npx -y @zalom/plastic@beta install --claude

# Alpha
npx -y @zalom/plastic@alpha install --claude

The installed version and channel are recorded in ~/.plastic/VERSION.

Modes

Global Install (default, recommended)

Run /plastic-install with no arguments.

Procedure

Step 1: Run the installer

Check if ~/.plastic/VERSION exists.

• If yes: announce "Plastic is already installed at ~/.plastic/. Run /plastic-update to sync core files, or use the re-install command above to repair in place."
• If no: first ask the advisor question below (Claude Code only), then run the fresh install command (default @latest, or the channel the user named) with whichever flags that answer produced:

npx -y @zalom/plastic@latest install --claude [--no-advisor] [--advisor VALUE]

This single command, via install.rb (bootstrap + distribute), creates store/, projects/, config.yml, projects.yml, INDEX.md, and AGENTS.md under ~/.plastic/, and copies the utility scripts (folgezettel-id, read-config, and the rest of scripts/). This skill does none of that itself; it wraps the command with the interactive steps the CLI does not yet own, plus reporting and a doctor pass.

The advisor (Claude Code only)

Ask the user one feature question, interactive sessions only:

"Would you like an advisor agent for expensive reasoning: plan review, architecture calls, second opinions, breaking deadlocks?"

• Yes (recommended) -> ask which advisor is the default, below
• No -> append --no-advisor

If yes, ask which advisor is the default, exactly two choices:

"Which advisor should be the default?"

• Faux Fable (recommended): Opus 4.8 carrying the frontier reasoning instructions. Much cheaper, available on any plan, reasons in the same disciplined way. -> append --advisor faux
• Fable 5: the frontier model itself. The strongest reasoning available, billed through usage credits, so summon it for a few rounds and close it. -> append --advisor real

Non-interactive sessions (no tty) skip the question entirely: the install ships with the shipped default, advisor enabled with no --advisor flag (the plastic-agent-advisor skill's own routing falls back to plastic-faux-advisor at consult time).

Update flow: pending config questions, including this one, are now announced generically by plastic-update's Step 2, sourced from config_asks.yml - not duplicated here. A value already set by either path is never re-asked by the other.

Statusline

On install, if an existing statusline is already configured, Plastic asks whether to keep it or switch to Plastic's (interactive sessions only). The choice is honored via --statusline keep or --statusline plastic, which skips the prompt. Non-interactive sessions (no tty) default to keeping the user's line: nothing is silently overwritten. A fresh system with no statusline configured gets Plastic's line with no prompt.

Step 2: Initialize git (retained)

Only if ~/.plastic/.git is absent (a fresh bootstrap does not init git):

cd ~/.plastic && git init && git add . && git commit -m "chore: initialize Plastic global intent store"

Retained here because the CLI does not git-init the store yet (follow-up).

Step 3: Personalize config (retained)

Detect which agent is running:

• If CLAUDE_CODE env var is set or we're running inside Claude Code -> agent.type: claude-code
• If HERMES_HOME env var is set -> agent.type: hermes
• Otherwise -> ask the user: "Which AI agent are you using? (claude-code / hermes / other)"

Ask the user:

"Enable Agent Teams? (experimental: parallel project work with teammates)"

• Yes -> set parallel_mode: agent-teams
• No -> set parallel_mode: linear (subagents only)

Inform the user:

"Plastic agents can create GitHub repositories for new projects. By default, all agent-created repos are private. Your global intent store (~/.plastic/) is never pushed, it stays local-only."

Ask the user:

"Default visibility for agent-created repos?"

• Private (recommended) -> set github.default_visibility: private
• Public -> set github.default_visibility: public

"Allow agents to push to GitHub without asking?"

• No (recommended) -> set github.auto_push: false
• Yes -> set github.auto_push: true

"Where do you keep your projects? Default: ~/.plastic/projects/" "Add additional roots? (e.g., ~/apps/personal/, ~/apps/companies/)"

Write each answer via read-config --migrate first (ensures the v3 schema), then the chosen values; auto-commit each change. Retained here because the CLI writes only hardcoded defaults, so these interactive choices stay in the skill.

Step 4: Verify with doctor

Run /plastic-doctor and report the result. Resolve any fixable findings before announcing success.

Step 5: Register stores with QMD (retained)

QMD is an optional search layer. If it is installed, register the Plastic stores so they are searchable:

ruby ~/.plastic/scripts/qmd-sync detect && ruby ~/.plastic/scripts/qmd-sync register --all

qmd-sync no-ops cleanly when QMD is absent, so this is safe to run unconditionally. It registers plastic-global and every project store from projects.yml, then indexes them. Report what was registered, or that QMD was not detected and the step was skipped. Retained here because the CLI does not register at install time (follow-up).

Step 6: Report + announce

Plastic install (<channel>)
Command:  npx -y @zalom/plastic@<channel> install --claude <flags>
Version:  none -> <installed>
Doctor:   <summary or "all clear">

Then: "Read docs/guides/your-first-intent-in-10-minutes.md for your first intent, start to finish."

Local Install (testing/legacy)

Run /plastic-install --local. install.rb has no --local verb, so this mode is genuinely skill-owned.

Procedure

Step 1: Check if .plastic/ exists in CWD, if so, warn and exit.

Step 2: Create .plastic/ in CWD:

• config.yml from templates
• INDEX.md from templates
• store/ with .gitkeep

Step 3: If global install exists (~/.plastic/projects.yml), register this project:

• Determine project slug from directory name
• Detect git remote URL if available
• Add entry to ~/.plastic/projects.yml with parent: null
• Auto-commit in ~/.plastic/

Step 4: Commit in project: git add .plastic/ && git commit -m "chore: initialize Plastic local store"

Step 5: Announce: "Plastic initialized locally. This is a testing/legacy mode. Consider /plastic-install for global mode."