Project Setup

Project Setup

Set up a construction project directory for use with Claude Code construction skills. This skill inventories all files, classifies construction document types, and appends construction-specific context to the project's CLAUDE.md.

Run this after /init has created the base CLAUDE.md.

Pipeline Position

/init (built-in) → THIS SKILL → /spec-splitter, /sheet-splitter → /submittal-log-generator

Runs once per project. Identifies which Builder skills should run next.

Workflow

Project Setup Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Detect operational mode
- [ ] Step 2: Inventory and classify files
- [ ] Step 3: Present summary and recommend next actions
- [ ] Step 4: Amend project CLAUDE.md

Step 1: Detect Operational Mode

Check for .construction/ directory at the project root.

If present (AgentCM mode):

1. Read .construction/CLAUDE.md for project navigation context
2. Query database for entity counts (read query_command from .construction/database.yaml):

{query_command} -c "SELECT (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM sheets WHERE project_id = '{id}') AS sheets, (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM rooms WHERE project_id = '{id}') AS rooms, (SELECT COUNT(*) FROM graph_elements ge JOIN sheets s ON s.id = ge.sheet_id WHERE s.project_id = '{id}') AS elements" Fallback: read .construction/graph/graph_summary.yaml if database unavailable

1. Read .construction/index/sheet_index.yaml for drawing inventory
2. Skip to Step 3 with instant summary — no file scanning needed

If absent (Flat File mode): Continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Inventory and Classify Files

Scan the project directory. No vision calls — use filename and folder pattern matching only.

Classification rules:

| Document Type | Detection Pattern | |---|---| | Drawing sets | PDFs in drawings/, plans/, or root with discipline prefixes (A-, S-, M-, E-, P-, C-, L-). PDFs > 2MB with keywords: "plan", "drawing", "bid set", "dwg". | | Specifications | Folders named Specifications/, specs/, 02 - Specifications/. PDFs with "project manual", "spec", "volume". CSI section number patterns in filenames. | | Schedules | Excel/CSV files with "schedule", "CPM", "lookahead", "milestone" in name. | | Submittal log | Excel files with "submittal" in name, typically in Submittals/ or 06 - Submittals/. | | RFI log | Excel files with "RFI" in name, typically in RFIs/ or logs folder. | | Change orders | Excel/PDF files with "change order", "CO", "PCO" in name. | | Other | Correspondence, photos, reports, geotechnical, environmental. |

Also check for existing indexes:

• sheet_index.yaml → drawings already indexed
• spec_index.yaml → specs already split
• .construction/spec_text/manifest.json → spec text already extracted

Step 3: Present Summary and Recommend Next Actions

Report what was found:

## Project Summary
- Drawing sets: {count} PDFs ({disciplines found})
- Specifications: {bound manual / split sections / not found}
- Schedules: {list}
- Registers: {RFI log, submittal log, CO log — found or not found}
- Other: {count} files

## Recommended Next Actions

Recommendations by mode:

| Condition | Recommendation | |---|---| | Bound spec manual found, not yet split | "Run /spec-splitter to split the project manual into individual sections and extract searchable text." | | Bound drawing set found, flat file mode | "Run /sheet-splitter to split the drawing set into individual sheet PDFs and identify sheet numbers." | | Bound drawing set found, AgentCM mode | "Split sheets via the AgentCM UI for zero-vision-cost splitting using labeled OCR data." | | Specs already split but no text extracted | "Run /spec-splitter — specs are split but text extraction hasn't been done yet." | | Submittal log needed | "Run /submittal-log-generator after spec text is available." | | Specs split and text extracted | "Would you like to generate a submittal log from the specification sections? Run /submittal-log-generator." |

Step 4: Amend Project CLAUDE.md

Append construction-specific context to the project root's CLAUDE.md (the file created by /init). Do NOT modify the construction skills directory CLAUDE.md.

Append format:

## Construction Project Context

### Document Locations
- Drawing set: {path} ({N} sheets, disciplines: {list})
- Specifications: {path} ({N} sections or "bound manual, not yet split")
- Schedule: {path or "not found"}
- RFI log: {path or "not found"}
- Submittal log: {path or "not found"}

### Status
- Operational mode: {AgentCM / Flat File}
- Sheets indexed: {yes/no}
- Specs split: {yes/no}
- Spec text extracted: {yes/no}

Only append — never overwrite existing CLAUDE.md content.

What This Skill Does NOT Do

• Does not split PDFs — recommends /spec-splitter and /sheet-splitter instead
• Does not use vision — all classification is filename/folder pattern matching
• Does not create .construction/ directory — that's AgentCM's job
• Does not replace /init — /init creates the base CLAUDE.md, this skill enriches it

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Scripts

This skill does not execute any external scripts.

Source & license

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

• Author: dleerdefi
• Source: dleerdefi/claude-code-construction
• License: MIT

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