Project Bootstrapper Skill for Claude

Project Bootstrapper

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 (src/, tests/, docs/, scripts/, .github/)
• Logical file organization
• Structure improvements

2. Git Configuration

• Comprehensive .gitignore
• .gitattributes for line endings/diffs
• Git hooks (pre-commit, commit-msg)
• Branch protection patterns
• Git LFS if needed

3. Documentation

• Comprehensive README.md
• CONTRIBUTING.md
• Code documentation (JSDoc, docstrings)
• CHANGELOG.md structure
• Architecture docs if complex

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

Tools Used

• AskUserQuestion: Gather requirements
• Write: Create configuration files, documentation
• Edit: Update existing files
• Bash: Initialize tools (git init, npm init)
• Read: Analyze existing structure
• Glob: Find files to update

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

Integration

• feature-planning: For planning custom features
• code-auditor: For validating setup quality
• codebase-documenter: For generating detailed docs

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