Project Setup Skill

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when:

• User asks to "set up a new project"
• User asks to "create a CLAUDE.md"
• User asks to "initialize Claude Code" for a project
• User asks to "scaffold" a project
• User wants to add Claude Code support to existing code

Do NOT use for:

• General coding questions
• Editing existing CLAUDE.md (see optimize-claude-md skill)
• Running or testing projects

Prerequisites

• Write access to target directory
• For existing projects: ability to read config files (package.json, pyproject.toml, etc.)

Instructions

Step 1: Determine Project Type

Analyze the target directory:

# Check for Node.js/TypeScript
ls package.json 2>/dev/null && echo "Node.js project"

# Check for Python
ls pyproject.toml requirements.txt setup.py 2>/dev/null && echo "Python project"

# Check for Go
ls go.mod 2>/dev/null && echo "Go project"

# Check for Rust
ls Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null && echo "Rust project"

If no config files exist, ask the user what type of project they want to create.

Step 2: Gather Project Information

For new projects, ask:

1. Project name
2. Project description
3. Primary language/framework
4. Any special requirements

For existing projects, extract from:

• README.md (description)
• Package config (dependencies, scripts)
• Existing folder structure

Step 3: Generate CLAUDE.md

Use the appropriate template:

• React/TypeScript → /templates/claude-md/react-typescript.md
• Python API → /templates/claude-md/python-api.md
• Full Stack → /templates/claude-md/fullstack.md
• Other → /templates/claude-md/minimal.md

Fill in all {{PLACEHOLDER}} values with actual project information.

Step 4: Create Slash Commands

Set up .claude/commands/ with useful commands:

Essential commands:

• review.md - Code review
• test-and-commit.md - Quality check and commit

Copy from /templates/commands/ and customize.

Step 5: Verify Setup

1. Ensure CLAUDE.md is valid markdown
2. Check that referenced commands/paths exist
3. Test that any scripts are executable

Step 6: Provide Next Steps

Tell the user:

1. How to use the generated configuration
2. How to customize further
3. Recommended MCP servers for their stack

Examples

Example 1: New React Project

User says: "Set up a new React TypeScript project called my-app"

Actions:

1. Create my-app/ directory
2. Run npm create vite@latest . -- --template react-ts
3. Generate CLAUDE.md from react-typescript template
4. Create .claude/commands/ with review.md and test-and-commit.md

Result:

my-app/
├── CLAUDE.md
├── .claude/
│   └── commands/
│       ├── review.md
│       └── test-and-commit.md
├── src/
├── package.json
└── ...

Example 2: Existing Python Project

User says: "Add Claude Code support to my Django project"

Actions:

1. Read existing pyproject.toml and requirements.txt
2. Analyze project structure
3. Generate CLAUDE.md tailored to Django
4. Add relevant slash commands

Verification

After setup is complete:

1. Read CLAUDE.md - Ensure it's coherent and accurate
2. Check commands - Verify slash commands are recognized
3. Test a command - Try /project:review or similar
4. Run verification - Execute any verification commands listed

Reference Files

• Templates: /templates/claude-md/
• Command templates: /templates/commands/
• Best practices: /docs/best-practices.md