Project Init

Project Init

Deep-scan an existing project and generate AI context files (AGENTS.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, TESTING.md) for the root and all significant subprojects. After completion, the runtime has the context it needs: tech stack, conventions, structure, setup, testing, security.

1. Initial Reconnaissance

1a. Root Structure Scan

// turbo
ls -la  # or Get-ChildItem on Windows

Identify stack signals:

| Signal | Indicates | |---|---| | package.json, tsconfig.json | Node.js / TypeScript | | pom.xml, build.gradle | Java / Spring | | pyproject.toml, requirements.txt | Python | | go.mod | Go | | *.csproj, *.sln | .NET | | Cargo.toml | Rust | | Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml | Containerized | | terraform/, *.tf | Infrastructure as Code | | helm/, k8s/, charts/ | Kubernetes | | Multiple package.json / pom.xml | Monorepo | | nx.json, turbo.json, pnpm-workspace.yaml, lerna.json | Monorepo tooling | | content/blog/, posts/, .mdx files with frontmatter | Blog / file-based content | | llms.txt | AI search optimization |

1b. Detect Project Boundaries

Identify project boundaries — directories that are independent units:

• Monorepo: apps/, packages/, services/, libs/ with own config files
• Single project: One root config, directories are modules (src/, app/, internal/)

Build a project map:

Project Root
├── [subproject-1] (type: service, stack: Java Spring Boot)
├── [subproject-2] (type: frontend, stack: Next.js + TypeScript)
├── [subproject-3] (type: infra, stack: Terraform)
└── [shared-lib]   (type: library, stack: TypeScript)

1c. Check for Existing Context Files

// turbo
find . -name "AGENTS.md" -o -name "ARCHITECTURE.md" -o -name "TESTING.md" -o -name "FEATURES.md" | head -20

If files exist — read them, note gaps. Create missing files, update outdated ones (with user confirmation).

2. Deep Scan — Iterative

Process one boundary at a time. Scan limits: max 10 boundaries, 20 files per boundary, 3 levels deep. For 100+ file boundaries, summarize from directory listing and configs only.

2a. Per-Boundary Scan Sequence

For each subproject or the root project:

1. Config files first — package.json, pom.xml, pyproject.toml, go.mod, *.csproj, tsconfig.json, .eslintrc, Dockerfile
2. Entry points — main.ts, App.tsx, main.py, Main.java, main.go, Program.cs
3. Directory structure — list 2–3 levels deep to understand module organization
4. Key patterns — read 1–2 representative files from each major directory to understand conventions:

• Naming patterns (files, classes, functions)
• Import style and module organization
• Error handling patterns
• Testing patterns (find test files)

1. CI/CD — .github/workflows/, Jenkinsfile, .gitlab-ci.yml, cloudbuild.yaml
2. Docs — README.md, docs/, CONTRIBUTING.md
3. Content — two patterns to detect:

• Static content files — static-content/, data/ dirs with TS/JS exports. Map content file → sections → consuming pages
• File-based content (blog/docs) — content/blog/, posts/, MDX/MD directories. Read 1-2 sample files to extract: frontmatter format (all fields, types, required/optional), file naming convention, cover image path pattern, tags/categories, discovery assets (llms.txt, sitemap config, RSS feed)

1. UI conventions — grep for icon libs (lucide, solar, phosphor), animation libs (framer-motion, gsap), component libs (shadcn, radix, mui), icon registries
2. AI tooling — .codeiumignore, .cursorignore, .gitignore — paths AI tools cannot access

2b. Identify Significant Directories

Identify directories warranting their own scoped AGENTS.md. Criteria (any one): 10+ files with distinct responsibility, clear architectural layer, different conventions than parent, public API surface, generated code, infrastructure code.

Common significant directories:

| Stack | Significant Directories | |---|---| | Java Spring Boot | controller/, service/, repository/, model/, config/, exception/ | | Next.js / React | app/, components/, lib/, hooks/, api/, middleware/ | | FastAPI / Python | routers/, services/, models/, schemas/, dependencies/ | | Go | cmd/, internal/, pkg/, handler/, store/, middleware/ | | .NET | Controllers/, Services/, Models/, Data/, Middleware/ |

3. Generate Root AGENTS.md

Use the matching stack-specific template from .codex/templates/ as a starting point. If no stack matches, use .codex/templates/universal-agents.template.md. Fill in all sections based on deep scan results from Step 2.

Critical rules:

• State the tech stack explicitly — this drives Codex role selection and overlay activation
• Include real setup commands — extracted from config files and CI, copy-pastable
• Link to ARCHITECTURE.md and TESTING.md in the Architecture reference and Testing Instructions sections
• Map content architecture (if applicable) — which content files drive which pages. Prevents repeated code_search during content edits
• Document UI conventions (if applicable) — icon set + variant + registry, animation library, component library
• Document blog conventions (if applicable) — frontmatter format, file naming, discovery assets. Enables blog-post skill workflow
• Keep concise — avoid repeating what scoped AGENTS.md files will cover

4. Generate ARCHITECTURE.md

Apply system-architect role for this step. The system architect owns the ARCHITECTURE.md file — creation, updates, and reviews.

Use templates/architecture.template.md as the starting point. Fill in all 11 sections based on the deep scan results from Step 2.

Rules:

• Mermaid/ASCII diagrams for all visual elements
• Document what exists now, not aspirations. Include versions
• Focus on relationships and data flows
• Monorepos: Root ARCHITECTURE.md (system-wide) + per-subproject for each service with own build config. Skip doc-only, config-only, type-only dirs

5. Generate TESTING.md

Apply qa-engineer role for this step. The QA engineer owns the TESTING.md file — creation, updates, and reviews.

Use templates/testing.template.md as the starting point. Fill in all sections based on the deep scan results from Step 2.

5a. Root TESTING.md

Create TESTING.md at the project root using templates/testing.template.md (root template section). Fill in all placeholders based on deep scan results from Step 2. All sections in the template are required — remove only those marked with `` comments.

Key data sources: test config files → test types and commands; CI pipeline → pipeline stages; directory listing → test organization; .env.example → credential structure.

5b. Per-Service TESTING.md (Monorepos)

For each subproject/service identified in Step 1b, create a scoped TESTING.md using templates/testing.template.md (per-service template section at the bottom of the file).

Rules:

• Include actual commands — copy-pastable, tested
• Reference root .env for credentials (test_ prefixed vars), do not duplicate
• List key test scenarios for critical paths (auth, payments, data mutations)
• Keep service-specific — do not repeat root TESTING.md content

5c. Single-Project (Non-Monorepo)

For single-project repos, create only root TESTING.md (no per-service files). Include all service-level detail directly in the root file.

6. Generate Scoped AGENTS.md Files

For each significant directory identified in Step 2b, create a scoped AGENTS.md:

# AGENTS.md

## Purpose
[1 sentence: what this directory contains and its role in the architecture]

## Conventions
[Directory-specific patterns, naming, file organization]

## Key Files
[Important files with brief descriptions]

## Patterns
[Code patterns used in this directory — how to add new items]

## Testing
[How to test code in this directory specifically]

## Do NOT
[Directory-specific anti-patterns and constraints]

Rules for scoped AGENTS.md:

• Never repeat root AGENTS.md content — reference it if needed
• Be directory-specific — only include information relevant to THIS directory
• Include "how to add new X" — the most common operation in each directory
• Keep it short — 20–50 lines. Developers read these frequently
• State constraints — what should NOT be in this directory

Example

src/controllers/AGENTS.md — Purpose, naming convention ({Resource}Controller.java), injection rules (constructor, never repositories directly), validation (@Valid), "Adding a New Controller" steps.

7. Review and Confirm

Present a summary of all files to be created:

## Project Init Summary

### Files to create:
- [ ] AGENTS.md (root) — [X lines]
- [ ] ARCHITECTURE.md (root) — [X lines]
- [ ] TESTING.md (root) — [X lines]
- [ ] [service-1]/TESTING.md — [X lines] (monorepo only)
- [ ] [service-2]/TESTING.md — [X lines] (monorepo only)
- [ ] src/controllers/AGENTS.md — [X lines]
- [ ] src/services/AGENTS.md — [X lines]
- [ ] ...

### Project map:
[project boundary diagram from Step 1b]

### Tech stack detected:
[list of technologies, frameworks, tools]

Wait for user APPROVE before writing files. User may skip directories, add undetected ones, or adjust content.

8. Write Files

After approval, create all files. For each file:

1. Write the content
2. Verify it was created successfully
3. Report any issues

If updating existing files — show the diff and request confirmation.

9. Verify

After all files are created:

// turbo
find . -name "AGENTS.md" -o -name "ARCHITECTURE.md" -o -name "TESTING.md" | sort

Verify:

• [ ] Root AGENTS.md exists and contains correct tech stack
• [ ] Root AGENTS.md links to TESTING.md in Testing Instructions section
• [ ] Root and per-subproject ARCHITECTURE.md files exist
• [ ] Root TESTING.md exists with all test types, commands, infrastructure
• [ ] Per-service TESTING.md files exist for each subproject (monorepos)
• [ ] All significant directories have scoped AGENTS.md
• [ ] No redundancy between root and scoped files
• [ ] All test commands are accurate and copy-pastable
• [ ] No secrets, PII, or hardcoded credentials in any file (especially .env test values)

Integration

• Precedes: All other workflows — run this first on a new project
• Templates: .codex/templates/*-agents.template.md, .codex/templates/architecture.template.md, .codex/templates/testing.template.md
• Roles: system-architect role (ARCHITECTURE.md creation/review), qa-engineer role (TESTING.md creation/review), cloud-architect role (cloud infrastructure context), devops-architect role (CI/CD architecture context)
• Skills: test-strategy skill (test strategy, coverage targets)
• Enables: plan skill, feature-dev skill, bugfix skill, test-local skill, run-tests skill

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: alex-voloshin-dev
• Source: alex-voloshin-dev/ai-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://voloshin.net

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.