/setup-project

Setup Project Command

When this command is invoked, initialize a new research software project with community health files and standard open-source infrastructure.

Input Handling

If argument provided (e.g., /setup-project my-climate-tool):

• Use the argument as the project name
• Proceed to project setup

If no argument provided:

• Ask the user:

  What is the name of your new project?
  
  I'll create a project with:
  - Community health files (README, CONTRIBUTING, LICENSE, CODE_OF_CONDUCT, SECURITY, CITATION.cff)
  - Issue and PR templates
  - .gitignore for your language
  
  Optionally:
  - Set up CI/CD (requires the GitHub plugin)
  - Add a Dockerfile (requires the containerization plugin)
  
  Please provide a project name (kebab-case recommended, e.g., `climate-analysis-tool`).
  

• WAIT for the user's response before proceeding

Information Gathering

Before creating files, ask the user for essential configuration (use defaults if they want to proceed quickly):

1. Brief project description (one sentence)
2. License — Default: BSD-3-Clause (common for research software). Options: MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0
3. Primary language — Python, R, Julia, Rust, Go, Node.js, C/C++, Other
4. Author/organization name — Default: detect from gh config or git config

If the user says "use defaults" or "just create it", proceed with all defaults.

Project Scaffolding Steps

Step 1: Create Directory Structure

Create the standard project scaffold with universal infrastructure files:

<project-name>/
├── .github/
│   ├── ISSUE_TEMPLATE/
│   │   ├── bug_report.yml
│   │   └── feature_request.yml
│   └── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
├── README.md
├── CONTRIBUTING.md
├── LICENSE
├── CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
├── SECURITY.md
├── CITATION.cff
└── .gitignore

Note: Language-specific directories (src/, tests/, docs/, lib/, etc.) and project configuration files (pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, package.json, etc.) should be created using language-specific tooling. This command scaffolds the universal project infrastructure that every project needs regardless of language.

Step 2: Generate Community Health Files

Use the community-health-files skill as reference for content and templates.

• README.md: Use the README template from community-health-files skill assets. Customize with project name, description, and badge placeholders appropriate for the chosen language.
• CONTRIBUTING.md: Use the CONTRIBUTING template. Customize with project name and language-appropriate development setup guidance.
• LICENSE: Generate the selected license with current year and author name.
• CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md: Use Contributor Covenant v2.1 template.
• SECURITY.md: Use SECURITY template with project name.
• CITATION.cff: Use CITATION template. Fill in project name, description, author, and current date.

Step 3: Generate Issue and PR Templates

• Bug report (bug_report.yml): GitHub issue form with description, reproduction steps, expected/actual behavior, environment info (language-neutral).
• Feature request (feature_request.yml): GitHub issue form with problem statement, proposed solution, alternatives considered.
• PR template (PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md): Checklist with description, type of change, testing done, and documentation updated.

Step 4: Language-Specific Configuration (User Responsibility)

The project scaffold includes community health files and GitHub templates. Language-specific project configuration should be created using the appropriate tooling:

• Python: pip install hatch && hatch new or configure pyproject.toml manually
• Rust: cargo init
• Node.js: npm init
• R: usethis::create_package()
• Go: go mod init
• Julia: Pkg.generate()
• C/C++: Create a CMakeLists.txt or Makefile as appropriate

This command focuses on the universal project infrastructure that every project needs regardless of language.

Step 5: CI/CD Setup (Optional — Requires GitHub Plugin)

If you have the GitHub plugin installed, run /ci-setup to generate GitHub Actions CI/CD workflows tailored to your project's language and tooling.

Step 6: Pre-commit Hooks (Optional — Requires GitHub Plugin)

If you have the GitHub plugin installed, it can configure pre-commit hooks appropriate for your project's language.

Step 7: Generate .gitignore

Generate a .gitignore based on the project's primary language. Include universal entries:

• .DS_Store, Thumbs.db
• .env, *.log
• Editor files: .vscode/, .idea/

Add language-specific patterns based on the selected language (e.g., __pycache__/ for Python, target/ for Rust, node_modules/ for Node.js, .Rhistory for R).

Output Summary

After creating all files, present a summary:

## Project Created: <project-name>

### Files Created:
- README.md — Project description, installation, quickstart
- CONTRIBUTING.md — Contribution guidelines with development setup
- LICENSE — <license-type>
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md — Contributor Covenant v2.1
- SECURITY.md — Security reporting policy
- CITATION.cff — Academic citation metadata
- .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/bug_report.yml — Bug report form
- .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/feature_request.yml — Feature request form
- .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md — PR checklist
- .gitignore — <language> .gitignore

### Next Steps:
1. `cd <project-name>`
2. `git init && git add . && git commit -m "Initial project scaffold"`
3. `gh repo create <project-name> --public --source=. --push`
4. Set up language-specific project configuration (see Step 4 above)
5. (Optional) Install GitHub plugin and run `/ci-setup` for CI/CD workflows

### Customize:
- Update README.md with detailed project description
- Add language-specific configuration files
- Update CITATION.cff with all authors and ORCIDs
- Customize issue templates for your project's needs

Important Notes

• Check before overwriting: If any files already exist in the target directory, warn the user and ask before overwriting.
• Validate YAML: Ensure all generated configuration files are syntactically valid.
• Use templates: Reference the community-health-files skill asset templates for community health files.
• Respect user choices: Honor the license and language the user specified.
• Universal infrastructure only: This command scaffolds community health files and GitHub templates. Language-specific project configuration is the user's responsibility.