| name | init |
| description | Initialize the dev-methodology in the current project. Scaffolds CLAUDE.md, memory files, workflow docs, and testing templates. Run once per project. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob |
| user-invocable | true |
| argument-hint | [project-name] |
| automation | manual |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0","created":"2026-03-13T00:00:00.000Z","author":"Ability.ai","changelog":["1.0: Initial version — scaffolds CLAUDE.md, memory files, workflow docs, and testing templates to initialize the dev-methodology in a project."]} |
Initialize Dev Methodology
ℹ️ First, set expectations: before anything else, print one short line with this skill's version and its most recent change — the top entry of metadata.changelog above — e.g. init vX.Y — recent: <summary>. Then proceed.
Scaffold the documentation-driven development methodology into the current project.
Process
Step 1: Check Existing Setup
Check if the methodology is already initialized:
ls docs/memory/requirements.md 2>/dev/null && echo "EXISTS" || echo "NOT_FOUND"
ls CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null && echo "EXISTS" || echo "NOT_FOUND"
If files already exist, ask the user if they want to overwrite or skip existing files.
Step 2: Gather Project Information
If $ARGUMENTS is provided, use it as the project name.
Otherwise, ask the user for:
- Project name (e.g., "My App")
- Project description (one-line)
- Repository URL (e.g.,
https://github.com/org/repo)
- Backend URL (default:
http://localhost:8000)
- Frontend URL (default:
http://localhost:3000)
Step 3: Create Directory Structure
mkdir -p docs/memory/feature-flows
mkdir -p docs/reports
mkdir -p docs/security-reports
mkdir -p testing/phases
Step 4: Scaffold CLAUDE.md
Read the CLAUDE.md template from the plugin:
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/templates/CLAUDE.md.template
Replace all placeholders with the user's values:
{{PROJECT_NAME}} -> project name
{{PROJECT_DESCRIPTION}} -> description
{{REPO_URL}} -> repository URL
{{BACKEND_URL}} -> backend URL
{{FRONTEND_URL}} -> frontend URL
Write to CLAUDE.md in the project root.
Step 5: Scaffold Memory Files
Copy each template from the plugin, removing the .template extension:
| Source (in plugin) | Destination |
|---|
reference/templates/requirements.md.template | docs/memory/requirements.md |
reference/templates/architecture.md.template | docs/memory/architecture.md |
reference/templates/roadmap.md.template | docs/memory/roadmap.md |
reference/templates/changelog.md.template | docs/memory/changelog.md |
reference/templates/feature-flows.md.template | docs/memory/feature-flows.md |
reference/templates/feature-flows/_example-feature.md | docs/memory/feature-flows/_example-feature.md |
Read each template from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/templates/ and write to the destination.
Step 6: Scaffold Workflow Docs
| Source (in plugin) | Destination |
|---|
reference/DEVELOPMENT_WORKFLOW.md | docs/DEVELOPMENT_WORKFLOW.md |
reference/TESTING_GUIDE.md | docs/TESTING_GUIDE.md |
reference/testing/INDEX.md.template | testing/phases/INDEX.md |
reference/testing/_PHASE_TEMPLATE.md | testing/phases/_PHASE_TEMPLATE.md |
Read each source from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/ and write to the destination.
Step 7: Scaffold Local Config Example
Copy reference/templates/CLAUDE.local.md.example to CLAUDE.local.md.example in the project root.
Step 8: Update .gitignore
Check if .gitignore exists and add these entries if not already present:
# Claude Code local config
CLAUDE.local.md
.claude/settings.local.json
Step 9: Create Initial Changelog Entry
Update docs/memory/changelog.md to replace the placeholder date with the current timestamp:
date '+%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
Replace YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS in the changelog with the actual timestamp.
Step 10: Setup GitHub Labels (Optional)
Ask the user if they want to set up GitHub labels for roadmap integration.
If yes, run:
gh label create "priority-p0" --color "B60205" --description "Blocking/Urgent" --force
gh label create "priority-p1" --color "D93F0B" --description "Critical path" --force
gh label create "priority-p2" --color "FBCA04" --description "Important" --force
gh label create "priority-p3" --color "0E8A16" --description "Nice to have" --force
gh label create "type-feature" --color "0075CA" --description "New feature" --force
gh label create "type-bug" --color "D73A4A" --description "Bug fix" --force
gh label create "type-refactor" --color "CFD3D7" --description "Code refactoring" --force
gh label create "type-docs" --color "0075CA" --description "Documentation" --force
gh label create "status-ready" --color "0E8A16" --description "Ready to work on" --force
gh label create "status-in-progress" --color "FBCA04" --description "Being worked on" --force
gh label create "status-review" --color "D93F0B" --description "In review" --force
gh label create "status-blocked" --color "B60205" --description "Blocked" --force
Step 11: Report Completion
## Dev Methodology Initialized
### Files Created
- `CLAUDE.md` - Project instructions
- `docs/memory/requirements.md` - Feature requirements
- `docs/memory/architecture.md` - System design
- `docs/memory/roadmap.md` - Task queue
- `docs/memory/changelog.md` - Change history
- `docs/memory/feature-flows.md` - Flow index
- `docs/memory/feature-flows/_example-feature.md` - Example flow
- `docs/DEVELOPMENT_WORKFLOW.md` - Workflow guide
- `docs/TESTING_GUIDE.md` - Testing guide
- `testing/phases/INDEX.md` - Test phases index
- `testing/phases/_PHASE_TEMPLATE.md` - Phase template
### Next Steps
1. Edit `CLAUDE.md` to customize project structure and commands
2. Edit `docs/memory/requirements.md` to add your features
3. Edit `docs/memory/architecture.md` to document your stack
4. Run `/read-docs` to verify setup
5. Create your first feature flow: `/feature-flow-analysis <feature-name>`
Completion Checklist