dx-init

You configure the dx workflow for the current project by detecting the environment, asking the user a few key questions, and generating .ai/config.yaml.

Re-run Validation Protocol

CRITICAL: When dx-init is re-run on a project that is already set up, EVERY step MUST execute. NEVER stop early. If the user chooses "Keep as-is" for config, skip to step 5 and continue through ALL remaining steps (5→6→7→8→9→10→11). Each step validates existing files against plugin data:

File Category	Re-run Behavior
Config (config.yaml)	Ask: keep / modify / regenerate
Utility scripts (audit.sh, stop-guard.sh)	Compare against plugin version → update silently if changed
Template-generated (README.md, agent.index.md)	Compare against latest template → update if template is newer
Docs (.ai/docs/)	Removed — plugin docs are public at https://easingthemes.github.io/dx-aem-flow/
Rule files (.ai/rules/, .claude/rules/)	Compare against template → if only template changed: update. If user customized: report diff, ask user
User-owned (me.md)	Never touch — always skip
MCP config (.mcp.json)	Validate configured values match current project config

The scaffold script handles utility and rule validation automatically. Template-generated files are validated inline by each step.

1. Check Existing Config

Check if .ai/config.yaml exists at the project root (use Glob tool).

• If it exists: Read and display the current config, then ask: "Config already exists. (A) Keep as-is, (B) Modify, or (C) Start fresh?"
  • If A: Say "Config kept. Validating all project files..." — then CONTINUE to step 5 to validate all generated files, scripts, rules, and templates. DO NOT stop or exit. The re-run must validate everything.
  • If B: Load existing values as defaults, go to step 2
  • If C: Go to step 2 with no defaults
• If it doesn't exist: Say "No dx config found. Let's set up your project." Go to step 2.

2. Detect Environment

Auto-detect as much as possible before asking the user.

2a. Project Type

Use Read tool to check project files (no Bash needed). Check in this order:

Check	Result
pom.xml with uber-jar or AEM dependency	AEM full-stack (Java + Maven)
pom.xml with content-package-maven-plugin, no Java	AEM frontend module (Maven-based)
package.json + AEM indicators (aem-clientlib-generator, clientlib.config.js)	AEM frontend module (npm-based)
package.json + framework (next, nuxt, angular, vue, react)	Frontend standalone
pom.xml (generic Java/Maven)	Java/Maven project
package.json (generic)	Node.js project
Cargo.toml	Rust project
go.mod	Go project
*.csproj / *.sln (use Glob)	.NET project

Use Glob to check file existence and Read to inspect contents. No Bash needed for this step.

2b. Build Commands

Detect from the project files (use Read tool):

Source	Build	Test	Lint
pom.xml	mvn clean install	mvn test	—
package.json scripts	npm run build	npm test	npm run lint
Makefile	make build	make test	make lint
Cargo.toml	cargo build	cargo test	cargo clippy
go.mod	go build ./...	go test ./...	golangci-lint run

Use the first matching entry. Read package.json scripts for exact command names (might be build:prod, test:unit, lint:fix, etc.).

2c. SCM, Base Branch, ADO Details & Sibling Repos

Run the detection script — this consolidates all git and filesystem detection into a single command:

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/detect-env.sh

Output is JSON:

{
  "remote_url": "https://dev.azure.com/org/project/_git/repo",
  "scm_provider": "ado",
  "base_branch": "develop",
  "ado_org": "myorg",
  "ado_project": "myproject",
  "sibling_repos": ["sibling-a", "sibling-b"]
}

• scm_provider: "ado" → Azure DevOps, "github" → GitHub, "unknown" → ask the user
• If the remote URL points to a Bitbucket or Atlassian instance, or if the user selects jira when asked: set provider to jira
• base_branch: "unknown" → ask the user
• ado_org / ado_project: empty if not ADO or extraction failed → ask the user
• sibling_repos: if non-empty, ask: "Found these sibling repos: . Are any of these related to this project? (comma-separated numbers, or 'none')"
  • For each selected sibling, store name, path (default: ../<sibling-name>), and role:

    repos:
      - name: <sibling-name>
        path: ../<sibling-name>
        role: <role>
    

2d. Project Name & Prefix

• Name — from pom.xml artifactId, package.json name, or directory name (use Read tool)
• Prefix — from component naming patterns found in source (e.g., Java package prefix, CSS class prefix)

3. Confirm with User

Present detected values and ask to confirm or correct:

## Detected Configuration

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Project Name | <name> |
| Project Type | <type> |
| Build | `<command>` |
| Test | `<command>` |
| Lint | `<command or "none detected">` |
| SCM | <ADO / GitHub / Bitbucket> |
| Tracker | <ADO / Jira> |
| Organization | <org> |
| Project | <project> |
| Base Branch | <branch> |

**Correct?** Type "yes" or tell me what to change.

4. Preferences

Ask two separate questions:

Question 1:

Auto-commit after successful builds? When enabled, the pipeline automatically commits after build + code review pass.

1. No — manual commits only (default)
2. Yes — auto-commit after successful build + review

Question 2:

Auto-PR after successful pipeline? When enabled, a PR is automatically created after all phases pass.

1. No — manual PR creation only (default)
2. Yes — auto-PR

5. Generate Files

5a. Scaffold directories and static files

Run the scaffold script — this creates all directories and validates/installs static files:

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/scaffold.sh

This creates:

• .ai/specs, .ai/rules, .ai/research, .ai/lib, .ai/templates
• .claude/rules, .claude/hooks
• Copies utility scripts to .ai/lib/ (audit.sh, dx-common.sh, pre-review-checks.sh, plan-metadata.sh, gather-context.sh, ensure-feature-branch.sh, queue-pipeline.sh) with chmod +x
• Copies stop-guard.sh to .claude/hooks/ with chmod +x
• Copies output templates to .ai/templates/ (spec/, wiki/, ado-comments/)
• Copies shared rule templates to .ai/rules/
• Copies universal rule templates to .claude/rules/

On re-run: The script validates existing files against plugin data:

• Utility scripts (.ai/lib/*.sh, stop-guard.sh): updated silently if plugin version changed
• Rule files: if file differs from template, reported as REVIEW — read the diff and ask the user whether to update or keep their version
• Missing files: installed normally

Review the script output. For any REVIEW items, read both the existing file and the plugin template, show the user what changed, and ask whether to update.

5b. Write .ai/config.yaml

Read templates/config.yaml.template from the plugin directory (use Read tool). Fill in the detected/confirmed values by replacing all {{PLACEHOLDER}} tokens. Write the result to .ai/config.yaml (use Write tool).

If the user selected sibling repos in step 2c, write them under repos: (uncommented) with name, path (default: ../<name>), and role fields. /aem-init will later enrich these entries with platform, ado-project, and base-branch fields. If no siblings were selected, leave the repos: section commented out as in the template.

If tracker provider = jira

Ask the user for:

1. Jira URL — the Jira instance URL (e.g., https://jira.example.com)
2. Jira Project Key — the project key (e.g., PROJ)
3. Jira Deployment — server or cloud
4. Confluence URL — the Confluence instance URL (often {base}/wiki)
5. Confluence Space Key — the space key for documentation

Append these sections to .ai/config.yaml:

tracker:
  provider: jira

jira:
  url: <user input>
  deployment: <server or cloud>
  project-key: <user input>
  child-issue-type: Sub-task
  custom-fields:
    acceptance-criteria: ''
    story-points: story_points

confluence:
  url: <user input>
  space-key: <user input>
  doc-root: ''
  pr-review-root: ''

Print: "Add JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN and CONFLUENCE_PERSONAL_TOKEN to your .claude/settings.local.json env block or shell profile."

5c. (Removed — .ai/README.md and agent-index.md no longer generated)

Plugin documentation is public at https://easingthemes.github.io/dx-aem-flow/ — no need to copy docs into each consumer project.

5d-bis. Generate AGENTS.md

Generate AGENTS.md at the project root for Copilot CLI agent discovery. This file lists all available agents with descriptions and invocation syntax.

If AGENTS.md already exists: Read it. Check if any installed agents are missing from the table (compare against .github/agents/ directory). If missing agents found, append them. If up to date, skip.

If AGENTS.md does not exist: Scan .github/agents/*.agent.md files (use Glob). For each file, extract name and description from the YAML frontmatter. Generate a markdown file with categorized agent tables:

# Agents

Available AI agents for this project. Invoke with `@AgentName` in Copilot CLI or as subagents in Claude Code.

| Agent | Description | Invoke |
|-------|-------------|--------|
| <name> | <first 80 chars of description> | `@<name>` |

Group agents by prefix: Dx* agents under "Development Workflow", AEM* agents under "AEM". Write to AGENTS.md at project root using Write tool.

5e. Create .ai/me.md

Create .ai/me.md with a demo template if it does not already exist (use Glob to check, Write tool to create). This file describes the developer's personal communication style — used by dx-pr-answer to match tone and persona in PR replies.

If .ai/me.md already exists → skip, report "already exists".

Content to write:

# About Me

## Tone & Personality
<Describe your default communication style — e.g., casual and direct, or formal and thorough>

## Language
<Your preferred language, sentence length, vocabulary style>

## Communication Patterns
<How you structure replies — bullets vs prose, emoji usage, greetings>

## Context
<Your role, seniority, team context — helps calibrate technical depth>

5f. Add .ai/ to .gitignore (if needed)

Read .gitignore (use Read tool) and check if it already handles .ai/ or .ai/specs/. If not, suggest adding:

# dx workflow
.ai/specs/
.ai/run-context/
.ai/research/
.ai/me.md

Do NOT auto-modify .gitignore — ask the user first.

5g. Configure ADO MCP Server

If scm.provider is ado and an ADO organization was detected/confirmed:

1. Check if .mcp.json exists at the project root (use Glob tool).

2. If it exists: Read it and check if an ADO MCP server is already configured (any entry in mcpServers whose args array contains @azure-devops/mcp).

   • If ADO MCP already configured: Validate the org name in args matches the current scm.org. If it differs, ask the user: "ADO MCP org is <old> but config says <new>. (A) Update, (B) Keep." Report "ADO MCP validated" or "ADO MCP updated".
   • If ADO MCP not configured: Read the existing JSON, add the ado entry to mcpServers, write back (use Write tool). Report "Added ADO MCP server to existing .mcp.json".

3. If .mcp.json does not exist: Create it with just the ADO MCP server (use Write tool).

The ADO MCP server entry (use the confirmed scm.org value — just the org name, not the full URL):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ado": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@azure-devops/mcp", "<ado_org>"]
    }
  }
}

Where <ado_org> is the organization name extracted from scm.org (e.g., if scm.org is https://myorg.visualstudio.com/, use myorg; if scm.org is already just myorg, use it as-is).

If SCM is not ADO (GitHub or other): Skip this step entirely.

5g-bis. Configure Atlassian MCP Server

If tracker.provider is jira:

1. Check if .mcp.json exists at the project root.
2. If it exists, check if an atlassian entry already exists in mcpServers.
   • If exists: validate URLs match config. Report "Atlassian MCP validated".
   • If not: add the entry. Report "Added Atlassian MCP server".
3. If .mcp.json does not exist: create it.

The Atlassian MCP server entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atlassian": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["mcp-atlassian"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_URL": "<jira.url from config>",
        "JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN": "${JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN}",
        "CONFLUENCE_URL": "<confluence.url from config>",
        "CONFLUENCE_PERSONAL_TOKEN": "${CONFLUENCE_PERSONAL_TOKEN}",
        "TOOLSETS": "jira_issues,jira_comments,jira_transitions,jira_projects,jira_agile,jira_fields,jira_links,confluence_pages,confluence_comments,confluence_labels"
      }
    }
  }
}

If both ADO code repos AND Jira tracker are used: Both ado and atlassian entries should exist in .mcp.json. Do NOT remove the ADO entry when adding Atlassian.

5g-ter. Generate VS Code MCP Config

VS Code Chat reads MCP servers from .vscode/mcp.json — it does NOT read the root .mcp.json. The format also differs: VS Code uses "servers" (not "mcpServers").

After generating/updating .mcp.json in steps 5g/5g-bis, mirror the same servers to .vscode/mcp.json:

1. Check if .vscode/mcp.json exists (use Glob tool).
2. If it exists: Read it. For each server in the root .mcp.json, check if a matching entry exists under "servers". Add any missing entries. Do NOT remove existing VS Code-only entries (e.g., Playwright, BrowserMCP).
3. If it does not exist: Create it.

Convert the format: root .mcp.json uses "mcpServers": {}, VS Code uses "servers": {}. The server entries themselves are identical.

Example — if root .mcp.json has:

{ "mcpServers": { "ado": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@azure-devops/mcp", "<org>"] } } }

Then .vscode/mcp.json should have:

{ "servers": { "ado": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@azure-devops/mcp", "<org>"] } } }

Same for Atlassian if present. Report "VS Code MCP config synced" or "Created .vscode/mcp.json".

5g-quater. Configure VS Code Chat Settings

VS Code Chat needs explicit settings to discover project instructions and plugin skills. After syncing MCP config (step 5g-ter), ensure .vscode/settings.json has the required Chat settings.

1. Check if .vscode/settings.json exists (use Glob tool).
2. If it exists: Read it. Check if chat.instructionsFilesLocations and chat.agentSkillsLocations are present. Add any missing keys — do NOT overwrite existing settings.
3. If it does not exist: Create it with the settings below.

Required settings:

{
  "chat.instructionsFilesLocations": {
    ".claude/rules": true,
    ".github/instructions": true
  },
  "chat.agentSkillsLocations": {
    ".claude/skills": true
  },
  "chat.subagents.allowInvocationsFromSubagents": true
}

When merging into an existing file, preserve all existing keys (formatOnSave, editor settings, etc.) — only add the Chat-specific keys if missing.

Report "VS Code Chat settings configured" or "VS Code Chat settings already present".

5h. Ensure Attribution Settings

Check if .claude/settings.json exists (use Glob tool).

1. If it exists: Read it and check if "attribution" key is present at the top level.

   • If attribution exists: Report "Attribution settings validated" — no changes needed.
   • If attribution is missing: Parse the existing JSON, add the attribution object, write back (use Write tool). Report "Added attribution settings to .claude/settings.json".

2. If .claude/settings.json does not exist: Read the template from templates/claude-code/settings.json.template (use Read tool). Merge with attribution settings and write to .claude/settings.json (use Write tool).

The resulting file should include attribution (disables Claude's default co-author footer) and dx defaults:

{
  "plansDirectory": ".ai/specs",
  "attribution": {
    "commit": "",
    "pr": ""
  },
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Read",
      "Glob",
      "Grep",
      "Bash(npm run *)",
      "Bash(git *)"
    ]
  }
}

When adding to an existing file, merge new keys into the existing JSON object — do not overwrite existing settings (permissions, hooks, etc.).

5i. Create Local Secrets File

Check if .claude/settings.local.json exists (use Glob tool).

1. If it exists: Read it and verify it has an "env" key. Report "Local secrets file validated" — do not overwrite user values.

2. If it does not exist: Create .claude/settings.local.json with placeholder env vars. This file is auto-gitignored by Claude Code and stores per-project secrets as environment variables.

{
  "env": {
    "QA_BASIC_AUTH_USER": "",
    "QA_BASIC_AUTH_PASS": "",
    "QA_BASIC_AUTH_FALLBACK_USER": "",
    "QA_BASIC_AUTH_FALLBACK_PASS": "",
    "AXE_API_KEY": ""
  }
}

If tracker.provider is jira, also include Jira/Confluence tokens in the placeholder env vars:

{
  "env": {
    "JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN": "",
    "CONFLUENCE_PERSONAL_TOKEN": ""
  }
}

Report: "Created .claude/settings.local.json — add your credentials before using QA/accessibility skills."

Print env var guidance:

Environment variables can be set in two ways (either works for Claude Code):
  1. Shell profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) — required for Copilot CLI compatibility
  2. .claude/settings.local.json "env" block — Claude Code only, per-project

Recommendation: use shell exports for machine-wide vars, settings.local.json for project-specific secrets.

Note: AEM-specific env vars (AEM_INSTANCES) are added by /aem-init if the project is AEM.

On re-run: If the file exists, check for missing env var keys from the template above. If new keys were added by a plugin update, merge them in (empty string value) without overwriting existing values.

6. Detect Project Profile

Run dx-adapt detection inline — Phases 1–3 only. This detects the project type, extracts build commands and AEM values, confirms with the user, and saves the profile into .ai/config.yaml.

Since the project: section in .ai/config.yaml does not exist yet at this point, skip adapt's Phase 0 existence check entirely — go directly to Phase 1 (detect).

Run adapt Phases 1–3:

• Phase 1 — detect project type and extract build commands, source roots, AEM values
• Phase 2 — confirm detected values with the user (one confirmation table)
• Phase 3 — save detected profile into .ai/config.yaml

Stop here — do NOT run Phase 4 (value substitution) or Phase 5 (report) yet. Those run in step 8 after AEM setup.

7. AEM Setup (conditional)

After the profile is saved to .ai/config.yaml, check the detected project type:

If project type is aem-fullstack or aem-frontend:

1. Check if the aem plugin is available — use Glob to search for plugins/dx-aem/skills/aem-init/SKILL.md or skills/aem-init/SKILL.md relative to the aem plugin location. Also check if aem skill files are accessible from the plugin system.

2. If aem plugin is available:

   • Print: "AEM project detected. Running AEM setup..."
   • Run the /aem-init flow inline, executing these steps from aem-init:
     • Step 1 (Check Prerequisites) — .ai/config.yaml exists (already confirmed). If aem: section exists, ask whether to keep/modify/regenerate as normal.
     • Step 2 (Detect AEM Structure) — find component paths, module structure, frontend structure, brands
     • Step 3 (Ask AEM URL) — author URL, QA URL
     • Step 4 (Confirm) — present detected AEM values
     • Step 5 (Append to Config) — add aem: section to .ai/config.yaml
     • Step 6 (Generate Component Index) — optional scan
     • Step 7 (Extend Shared Rules) — append AEM/Sling patterns to .ai/rules/pr-review.md and .ai/rules/pr-answer.md
     • Step 8c (Copy rule templates) — install AEM convention rules to .claude/rules/ (and .github/instructions/ if Copilot enabled in step 9)
     • Step 8g (Report) — show what was installed
   • Skip these aem-init steps (handled by dx-init step 9 instead):
     • Step 8a (Copilot question) — dx-init asks this in step 9
     • Step 8b (mkdir for Copilot) — handled in step 9
     • Step 8e (AEM Copilot agents) — installed in step 9
     • Step 8f (copilot-instructions.md update) — handled in step 9
   • Set COPILOT_ENABLED=false for step 8c — dx-init handles Copilot output in step 9 instead. If the user enables Copilot in step 9, rule templates are also copied to .github/instructions/.
   • Skip aem-init step 9 (Confirm) — the dx-init step 10 shows a combined summary.

3. If aem plugin is NOT available:

   • Print: "AEM project detected but the aem plugin is not installed. Install it and run /aem-init to get AEM coding conventions."
   • Continue to step 8.

If project type is NOT aem-fullstack or aem-frontend:

Skip this step entirely.

8. Finalize Rules

DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. This must run after Step 7 (AEM setup) and before Step 9 (Copilot). It filters rules by project type and verifies project-specific values were applied.

8a. Filter rules by project type

Read project.type from .ai/config.yaml, then:

Project Type	Action
aem-fullstack	Keep all rules. No deletions.
aem-frontend	Delete all be-*.md files from .claude/rules/ (keep fe-*.md, accessibility.md, naming.md)
frontend	Delete all be-*.md and fe-clientlibs.md from .claude/rules/ (keep accessibility.md, naming.md)
java	Delete all fe-*.md files from .claude/rules/ (keep be-*.md, accessibility.md, naming.md)

Use Glob to list .claude/rules/be-*.md and .claude/rules/fe-*.md, then delete the ones that don't apply. If no files match the deletion criteria, report "no rules to filter".

8b. Verify project values in rules

Read each .claude/rules/*.md file that was written in Step 7. Verify that project-specific values from .ai/config.yaml are present (not generic placeholders). Check for:

• Java package name (should match aem.java-package from config.yaml aem: section)
• Component path (should match aem.component-path from config.yaml aem: section)
• Component group (should match aem.component-group from config.yaml aem: section)

If any file still contains generic examples (myproject, <prefix>, <package>) instead of real values, substitute them with values from .ai/config.yaml (aem:, toolchain:, and project: sections).

8c. Report

Print a summary:

### Rules Finalized
- **Kept:** <list of .claude/rules/ files kept>
- **Deleted:** <list deleted, or "none">
- **Values verified:** <count> files checked, <count> substitutions made (or "all correct")

8d. Install cross-repo coordination rule (if multi-repo)

Read .ai/config.yaml. If the repos: section does not exist or is empty → skip this step entirely and move to Step 9.

If a repos: section exists with at least one entry:

1. Read plugins/dx-core/templates/rules/cross-repo.md.template (use Read tool).

2. Build {{REPOS_TABLE}} from config:

   • First row: current repo — name from project.name, role from project.role, platform from aem.platform (if set, otherwise "—"), base branch from scm.base-branch
   • Remaining rows: each entry in repos: section — name, role, platform (if set, otherwise "—"), base-branch (if set, otherwise "—")

   Format:

   | Repo | Role | Platform | Base Branch |
   |---|---|---|---|
   | {project.name} (this repo) | {project.role} | {aem.platform or —} | {scm.base-branch} |
   | {repos[0].name} | {repos[0].role} | {repos[0].platform or —} | {repos[0].base-branch or —} |
   | ... | ... | ... | ... |
   

3. Replace {{REPOS_TABLE}} in the template content with the generated table.

4. Apply smart-update logic (same as Step 8c in aem-init):

   • If .claude/rules/cross-repo.md exists and is identical to the generated content → skip, report "cross-repo.md up to date"
   • If .claude/rules/cross-repo.md exists but differs, AND user has not customized it (differs from template in the same way) → update silently, report "cross-repo.md updated"
   • If .claude/rules/cross-repo.md exists and user has customized it → show diff, ask: (A) Keep yours, (B) Use updated version, (C) Merge manually

5. Write the result to .claude/rules/cross-repo.md (use Write tool).

9. Copilot Support (optional)

Ask:

Support GitHub Copilot? When enabled, Copilot agent definitions and instructions are generated alongside Claude Code for developers using Copilot Chat across supported development environments (VS Code, JetBrains IDEs...).

1. No — Claude Code only (default)
2. Yes — generate .github/agents/ and copilot-instructions.md

If No, skip to step 10.

If Yes:

9a. Install dx agent templates

Run the Copilot agent install script — this batch-copies all dx agent templates in a single command:

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/install-copilot-agents.sh

This copies all *.agent.md.template files from the dx plugin's templates/agents/ to .github/agents/ (stripping .template suffix), applies post-copy transforms (editFiles→edit, chrome-devtools→chrome-devtools-mcp, allowed-tools injection). Files that already exist are skipped. Review the script output to report what was installed vs skipped.

9a-bis. Set COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS

Read .claude/settings.json. If no env.COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS exists, add it:

{
  "env": {
    "COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS": ".claude/rules"
  }
}

This tells Copilot CLI (v1.0.6+) to read rules from .claude/rules/ directly — the same location Claude Code uses. No .github/instructions/ copies needed. Rules with dual frontmatter (paths: for Claude Code, applyTo: for Copilot CLI) work in both tools from a single source.

9b. Install AEM agent templates (if AEM was set up in step 7)

If step 7 ran aem-init successfully, also install AEM Copilot agents:

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/install-copilot-agents.sh "$AEM_PLUGIN_DIR"

Where $AEM_PLUGIN_DIR is the path to the aem plugin root (resolve from the aem skill files found in step 7). This installs AEM agent templates (AEMBefore.agent.md, AEMAfter.agent.md, etc.) to .github/agents/.

Note: .github/instructions/ copies are no longer needed. Copilot CLI reads rules directly from .claude/rules/ via COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS env var (set in step 9a-bis). If the directory exists from a previous install, leave it — Copilot reads both locations.

9c. Generate copilot-instructions.md

Read templates/copilot-instructions.md.template from the plugin directory (use Read tool). Replace {{PROJECT_NAME}} with the confirmed project name. Write to .github/copilot-instructions.md (use Write tool).

If it already exists, ask: (A) Keep existing, (B) Replace, (C) Write as .template (user can diff manually).

9d. Append AEM agents to copilot-instructions.md (if AEM was set up)

If step 7 ran aem-init and .github/copilot-instructions.md exists, append the AEM agents section:

## AEM Agents

| Agent | Purpose | Invoke |
|-------|---------|--------|
| AEMBefore | Pre-development baseline snapshot | `@AEMBefore <component>` |
| AEMAfter | Post-deployment verification | `@AEMAfter <component>` |
| AEMSnapshot | Component inspection | `@AEMSnapshot <component>` |
| AEMDemo | Dialog screenshot + authoring guide | `@AEMDemo <component>` |
| AEMComponent | Find pages using a component | `@AEMComponent <component>` |
| AEMVerify | Bug verification on AEM | `@AEMVerify <component>` |

Check if the section already exists before appending (idempotent).

9e. Generate .github/README.md

Read templates/github-readme.md.template from the plugin directory (use Read tool). Replace {{PROJECT_NAME}}. Write to .github/README.md (use Write tool).

If it already exists, ask same as 9c.

9f. Append Copilot section to agent.index.md

Read agent.index.md. If it does not already contain ## Copilot Agents, append before the ## Not Agent Files line:

## Copilot Agents

| Path | What | Committed |
|------|------|-----------|
| `.github/agents/` | VS Code Copilot agent definitions | Yes |
| `.github/instructions/` | Copilot path-scoped instruction files | Yes |

### Agents (orchestrators)

| Agent | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `@DxPlanExecutor` | Execute plan steps |
| `@DxCodeReview` | Full code review |
| `@DxReqAll` | Full requirements workflow |
| `@DxStepAll` | Full execution loop |
| `@DxBugAll` | Full bug fix workflow |
| `@DxAgentAll` | End-to-end pipeline |
| `@DxPRReview` | PR review |
| `@DxPRAnswer` | Answer PR comments |
| `@DxPRFix` | Fix PR review issues |
| `@DxCommit` | Commit + PR |
| `@DxTicket` | Ticket research |
| `@DxComponent` | Component lookup |
| `@DxHelp` | Workflow Q&A |
| `@DxDebug` | Debug failures |

If AEM was set up in step 7, also append the AEM agents to the same table.

9g. Report

### Copilot Files
**dx Agents:** <N> written to `.github/agents/`, <N> skipped
<If AEM:> **AEM Agents:** <N> written to `.github/agents/`, <N> skipped
**Instructions:** `.github/copilot-instructions.md` <written|skipped>

9h. Generate AGENTS.md at repo root

Create AGENTS.md at the project root for Copilot CLI agent discovery. This file lists all available agents with invocation syntax.

Use Glob to find all .github/agents/*.md files. For each, read the frontmatter description field. Build a markdown table:

# Agents

Available agents for this project. Use `@AgentName` to invoke in Copilot CLI.

| Agent | Description |
|-------|-------------|

Populate the table dynamically from the discovered agent files. The agent name is the filename without .agent.md suffix.

If AGENTS.md already exists, compare and update silently if content has changed.

9i. Install hooks for Copilot CLI

Deploy plugin hooks to .github/hooks/ so Copilot CLI gets the same safety and convenience hooks as Claude Code.

mkdir -p .github/hooks

Copy templates/hooks/branch-guard-hooks.json.template to .github/hooks/hooks.json.

The template includes:

• PreToolUse — branch guard (prevents commits on main/master/develop)
• SessionStart — config validation + next-step suggestions
• PostToolUse Edit — validates plugin file edits

If .github/hooks/hooks.json already exists, merge new hooks into the existing file — do not overwrite hooks that are already present. Match by event type + matcher to detect duplicates.

10. Confirm

After writing, display:

## dx Initialized

**Project:** <name> (<project type from config.yaml>)
**Config:** `.ai/config.yaml` (project config + build commands + module structure)
**Rules:** `.ai/rules/` (<N> shared rules installed)
**Attribution:** `.claude/settings.json` — commit/PR attribution disabled
**Secrets:** `.claude/settings.local.json` — local env vars for QA auth, API keys (gitignored)
<If ADO:> **MCP:** `.mcp.json` — ADO MCP server configured (org: `<ado_org>`)
<If Jira:> **Tracker:** Jira (project: `<project-key>`, deployment: `<server|cloud>`)
<If Jira:> **Wiki:** Confluence (space: `<space-key>`)
<If Jira:> **MCP:** `.mcp.json` — Atlassian MCP server configured

<If AEM:>
**AEM:** configured (component path: `<path>`, prefix: `<prefix>`)
**AEM Rules:** `.claude/rules/` (<N> AEM convention rules installed)

### Build Commands
| Command | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Full build | `<build.full>` |
| Test | `<build.test>` |
| Lint | `<build.lint or "—">` |

### Directory Structure

agent.index.md ← AI setup entry point (all paths, all agents) .ai/ ├── config.yaml ← project configuration + build commands + module structure ├── README.md ← workflow quick reference ├── me.md ← personal tone/style for PR replies (gitignored) ├── rules/ ← shared rules (dx skills + automation agents) ├── specs/ ← generated spec documents └── research/ ← saved research results

<If Copilot enabled:>

.github/ ├── copilot-instructions.md ← Copilot master instructions ├── README.md ← Copilot config overview ├── agents/ ← Copilot agent definitions (orchestrators) │ ├── DxCodeReview.agent.md │ ├── DxPlanExecutor.agent.md │ ├── DxReqAll.agent.md │ ├── DxStepAll.agent.md │ ├── DxBugAll.agent.md │ ├── DxAgentAll.agent.md │ ├── DxPRReview.agent.md │ ├── DxPRAnswer.agent.md │ ├── DxPRFix.agent.md │ ├── DxCommit.agent.md │ ├── DxTicket.agent.md │ ├── DxComponent.agent.md │ ├── DxHelp.agent.md │ ├── DxDebug.agent.md <If AEM + Copilot:> │ ├── AEMBefore.agent.md │ ├── AEMAfter.agent.md │ ├── AEMSnapshot.agent.md │ ├── AEMDemo.agent.md │ ├── AEMComponent.agent.md │ └── AEMVerify.agent.md

> **Quality scales with context:** The dx plugins provide workflow orchestration and convention templates. Your project provides context — `config.yaml`, `.claude/rules/` customizations. Extend the installed rule templates with project-specific patterns (brand naming, component variants, accessibility guards). The richer your project context, the better AI output quality.

### Next Steps
<If ADO:> - Start working: `/dx-req <ADO work item ID>`
<If Jira:> - Start working: `/dx-req <Jira issue key, e.g. PROJ-123>`
- Full pipeline: `/dx-agent-all <ID>`
- Re-detect project profile: `/dx-adapt` (re-run anytime if structure changes)
<If AEM:>
- AEM component lookup: `/aem-component <name>`
- AEM baseline snapshot: `/aem-snapshot <name>`
<If Copilot enabled:>
- VS Code Copilot agents: `@DxCodeReview`, `@DxReqAll`, `@DxAgentAll`, etc.
<If AEM + Copilot:>
- AEM Copilot: `@AEMBefore`, `@AEMAfter`, `@AEMSnapshot`, etc.

11. Offer AI Automation

Ask:

Set up AI automation? Deploys ten autonomous agents (DoR checker, DoD checker, DoD fixer, PR reviewer, PR answerer, BugFix agent, QA agent, DevAgent, DOCAgent, Estimation) as ADO pipelines triggered by AWS Lambda webhooks. Requires the automation plugin installed plus AWS CLI and Azure CLI configured.

1. Yes — scaffold now (run /auto-init inline)
2. Skip — set up later with /auto-init

If Yes: run the full auto-init flow inline (Phases 0–3). Then append the automation section to agent.index.md — read the file, and if it does not already contain ## CI/CD Pipeline Agents, insert before ## Not Agent Files:

## CI/CD Pipeline Agents

| Path | What | Committed |
|------|------|-----------|
| `.ai/automation/` | CI/CD automation — pipeline agents, Lambda handlers, eval framework | Yes |

| Agent | Trigger |
|-------|---------|
| DoR (Definition of Ready) | Tag work item |
| DoD (Definition of Done) | Tag work item |
| PR Review | PR created/updated |
| PR Answer | Comment on your PR |
| BugFix | Tag bug ticket |
| QA | Tag work item |
| DevAgent | Tag work item |
| DOCAgent | Tag work item |

If Skip: note in the Next Steps block:

- `/auto-init` — Add autonomous AI agents (DoR, PR review, PR answer) running via ADO + Lambda

Examples

1. /dx-init — First run on a new repo. Detects Maven + Node 10 + AEM project structure, asks about ADO project and base branch, generates .ai/config.yaml with build commands, SCM settings, and branch conventions. Scaffolds .claude/rules/ from plugin templates and offers to run /aem-init.

2. /dx-init (re-run on existing project) — Detects that .ai/config.yaml already exists. Validates each section against current project state, finds that build.frontend command was missing, and adds it. Updates .claude/rules/ files that have new template versions while preserving user customizations.

3. /dx-init (non-AEM project) — Detects a React + TypeScript project with npm run build and npm test. Skips AEM-specific detection, generates config with frontend-only build commands, and scaffolds JavaScript/TypeScript convention rules.

Troubleshooting

• ".ai/config.yaml already exists — overwrite?" Cause: You ran /dx-init on a project that was already initialized. Fix: Choose "validate and update" to keep existing config and only fix outdated values. Choose "overwrite" only if the config is corrupted or you want a fresh start.

• Build commands not detected correctly Cause: The project uses a non-standard build tool or the build scripts are in an unusual location. Fix: Answer "no" when asked to confirm detected commands, then provide the correct commands manually. They will be saved to .ai/config.yaml under build:.

• AEM detection triggers but project is not AEM Cause: The project has a pom.xml or ui.frontend/ directory that resembles AEM structure. Fix: When asked "Is this an AEM project?", answer "no" to skip AEM-specific configuration. You can always run /aem-init later if needed.

Rules

• Interactive — use AskUserQuestion — Every question, confirmation, or choice in this skill MUST use the AskUserQuestion tool to pause and wait for the user's response. Never proceed past a question without receiving the user's answer first. Present numbered options in the question text, then STOP and wait. Do not batch multiple questions into one message — ask one, wait for the answer, then continue.
• Detect first, ask second — auto-detect everything possible, then confirm
• Minimal questions — don't ask what you can detect
• Never overwrite config — if .ai/config.yaml exists, ask before replacing
• Validate on re-run — every step executes on re-run; validate existing files against plugin data, smart-update what's outdated, ask when in doubt
• No project-specific data — no brand lists, market tables, component indexes (those belong in project-specific extensions like an AEM plugin)
• Templates are the source of truth — always Read template files from templates/ directory, never hardcode file contents
• Gitignore is sacred — suggest changes, never auto-modify
• Prefer Read/Write/Glob tools over Bash — use Bash only for the consolidated scripts (detect-env.sh, scaffold.sh, install-copilot-agents.sh); use Read tool for templates, Write tool for output files, Glob tool for existence checks
• AEM auto-chain — when AEM is detected, run aem-init inline between adapt Phase 3 and Phase 4 so that AEM rules are installed before value substitution runs