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 - •
.gitattributesfor 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.mdstructure - •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