Overview

Sets up new projects or improves existing projects with development best practices, tooling, documentation, and workflow automation.

When to Use

• "set up a new project"

• "bootstrap this project"

• "add best practices"

• "improve project structure"

• "set up development tooling"

• "initialize project properly"

What It Sets Up

1. Project Structure

• Standard directories (docs/, .github/, .cursor/, .claude/)

• Logical file organization

• Structure improvements

2. Git Configuration

• Comprehensive .gitignore

• .gitattributes for line endings/diffs

• Git hooks (pre-commit, commit-msg)

• Branch protection patterns

3. Documentation

• Comprehensive README.md

• CONTRIBUTING.md

• Code documentation (JSDoc, docstrings)

• CHANGELOG.md structure

• Architecture docs if complex

• MIT License file

4. Testing Setup

• Identify/suggest testing framework

• Test structure and conventions

• Example/template tests

• Configure test runners

• Coverage reporting

• Testing scripts/commands

5. Code Quality Tools

• Linters (ESLint, Pylint, etc.)

• Formatters (Prettier, Black, etc.)

• Type checking (TypeScript, mypy, etc.)

• Pre-commit hooks for quality

• Editor configs (.editorconfig)

• Code quality badges

6. Dependencies Management

• Package manager configuration

• Organize dependencies

• Check security vulnerabilities

• Set up dependency updates (Dependabot, Renovate)

• Create lock files

• Document dependency choices

7. Development Workflow

• Useful npm scripts / Makefile targets

• Environment variable templates (.env.example)

• Docker configuration if appropriate

• Development startup scripts

• Hot-reload / watch modes

• Document development workflow

8. CI/CD Setup

• GitHub Actions / GitLab CI config

• Automated testing

• Automated deployment (if applicable)

• Status badges

• Release automation

• Branch protection

Approach

Discovery Phase

Ask clarifying questions:

• Project type: New or existing?

• Primary purpose: Web app, library, CLI tool?

• Language/framework: JS/TS, Python, Go, etc.?

• Collaboration: Personal or team?

• Deployment target: Server, cloud, mobile, desktop?

• Preferences: Specific tools/frameworks?

• Scope: Full setup or specific areas?

Implementation Phase

• Analyze existing structure (if existing project)

• Create plan based on answers

• Show plan and get approval

• Implement systematically (one area at a time)

• Verify completeness

• Provide handoff documentation

Customization

Adapts to:

• Language ecosystem: Node.js vs Python vs Go vs Rust

• Project size: Small script vs large app

• Team size: Solo vs collaborative

• Maturity: Startup speed vs enterprise standards

Success Criteria

• All standard files present and configured

• Clear and complete documentation

• Documented development workflow

• Automated quality tooling (pre-commit hooks)

• Easy test execution

• Follows language/framework conventions

• Quick developer onboarding

• No obvious best practices missing

Templates

• Node.js/TypeScript web app

• Python CLI tool

• Python web API (FastAPI/Flask)

• React/Next.js app

• Go service

• Rust CLI/library

Scope Control

• Full bootstrap: Everything from scratch

• Partial setup: Specific areas only (e.g., "just add testing")

• Improvement pass: Enhance existing project

• Audit + fix: Check what's missing and add it