Project Bootstrap

Transform a project description into scaffolding for incremental development.

Phase 1: Critical Review & Clarification

BEFORE generating any features, analyze the project description critically:

Step 1: Identify Gaps

Ask yourself:

• Is the tech stack specified? (frontend, backend, database, etc.)
• Are there ambiguous requirements?
• What constraints are missing? (auth method, hosting, scale, etc.)
• What domain knowledge is needed?

Step 2: Ask Clarifying Questions

Use AskUserQuestion to gather missing information. Example questions:

• Tech Stack: "What technologies should I use? (React/Vue/Svelte, Node/Python/Go, PostgreSQL/MongoDB, etc.)"
• Auth: "What authentication method? (OAuth, JWT, email/password, SSO)"
• Scope: "Is this an MVP or full product? Should I include admin features?"
• Integrations: "Any third-party services to integrate? (Stripe, SendGrid, AWS, etc.)"
• Constraints: "Any specific requirements? (offline support, i18n, accessibility)"

Do NOT proceed until you have enough clarity to create specific, implementable features.

Step 3: Document Assumptions

If the user says "just use sensible defaults", document your assumptions explicitly in the feature list metadata.

---

Phase 2: Research Documentation

Before creating features, search for relevant documentation for the chosen tech stack:

Step 1: Identify Technologies

List all technologies, libraries, and APIs that will be used.

Step 2: Find Documentation URLs

Use WebSearch to find official documentation for each technology:

• Framework docs (Next.js, SvelteKit, Django, etc.)
• Library docs (Auth libraries, ORMs, UI components)
• API docs (External services being integrated)

Step 3: Save Documentation References

Each feature should include relevant documentation URLs that the implementing agent will need.

---

Phase 3: Create Feature List

Create three files that will guide long-running autonomous development:

1. feature_list.json

Create a comprehensive feature breakdown with documentation references:

{
  "project": "Project Name",
  "created": "2025-01-08T12:00:00Z",
  "tech_stack": {
    "frontend": "Next.js 14",
    "backend": "Node.js with tRPC",
    "database": "PostgreSQL with Drizzle ORM",
    "auth": "Better Auth",
    "styling": "Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui"
  },
  "assumptions": [
    "Single-tenant application",
    "English only (no i18n)",
    "Desktop-first responsive design"
  ],
  "features": [
    {
      "id": "F001",
      "priority": 1,
      "category": "core",
      "description": "Set up Next.js 14 project with App Router and TypeScript",
      "verification": [
        "Run `npm run dev` starts development server",
        "Navigate to localhost:3000 shows default page",
        "TypeScript compilation succeeds with no errors"
      ],
      "documentation": [
        "https://nextjs.org/docs/getting-started/installation",
        "https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/routing"
      ],
      "passes": false,
      "completed_at": null
    },
    {
      "id": "F002",
      "priority": 1,
      "category": "core",
      "description": "Configure Drizzle ORM with PostgreSQL connection",
      "verification": [
        "Database connection succeeds",
        "Can run `npm run db:push` to sync schema",
        "Drizzle Studio accessible via `npm run db:studio`"
      ],
      "documentation": [
        "https://orm.drizzle.team/docs/get-started-postgresql",
        "https://orm.drizzle.team/docs/drizzle-config-file"
      ],
      "passes": false,
      "completed_at": null
    }
  ]
}

Feature Rules:

• Create 50-200 features depending on project scope
• Order by dependency (foundational features first)
• Use categories: core, functional, ui, integration, polish
• Set priority: 1 (critical) to 5 (nice-to-have)
• Each feature must be independently testable
• All features start with "passes": false
• Write clear, actionable descriptions
• Include 2-4 specific verification steps per feature
• Include 1-4 documentation URLs per feature (official docs preferred)

2. claude-progress.txt

Create a session log file:

# Project: [Name]
# Created: [Timestamp]
# Total Features: [Count]
# Tech Stack: [Summary]

## Assumptions Made
- [List assumptions from clarification phase]

## Session Log

3. init.sh

Create an environment setup script tailored to the chosen stack:

#!/bin/bash
set -e

# Install dependencies (customize for your stack)
npm install 2>/dev/null || pip install -r requirements.txt 2>/dev/null || true

# Add any project-specific setup here
# Examples:
# - Start development server in background
# - Set up database
# - Configure environment variables

echo "Dev environment ready"

Make it executable with: chmod +x init.sh

---

Output

After creating the files, provide a summary:

• Clarifications received - What questions were answered
• Assumptions made - What defaults were chosen
• Tech stack - Technologies being used
• Total features created - Count
• Breakdown by category - Features per category
• First 3 features to implement - Starting point
• Key documentation - Most important docs to reference