Initialise Knowledge Base

Set up a project to use the sdlc-knowledge-base plugin. This skill is idempotent — safe to run multiple times. It checks for existing setup before making changes.

Arguments

• --with-starter-pack (default) — Seed library/ with three example library files synthesised from the Agentic SDLC research programme: agentic-sdlc-options.md, agent-suitability-rubric.md, specification-formality-and-agent-performance.md. New users get a queryable library on first install and can see the format end-to-end. The starter content is example only and meant to be replaced or extended.
• --empty — Create the library directory structure but skip the starter pack. Use when you want a completely empty library to populate from scratch.
• --library <path> — Initialise a library at this explicit path instead of ./library and skip the CLAUDE.md append (the section assumes one library at the default path). Use for isolated testing or a secondary library. See #209.

Steps

1. Verify the plugin is installed

Check that the sdlc-knowledge-base plugin is available. If not, report:

sdlc-knowledge-base plugin is not installed. Run:
  /plugin install sdlc-knowledge-base@ai-first-sdlc
Then re-run this skill.

2. Check for existing CLAUDE.md

The schema section gets appended to the project's CLAUDE.md. If CLAUDE.md does not exist, report:

CLAUDE.md not found in the project root. Create it first (even an empty file is fine), then re-run this skill.

3. Check for existing knowledge base section

Read CLAUDE.md and look for an existing ## Knowledge Base heading. If present, report:

[Knowledge Base] section already exists in CLAUDE.md. Skipping append.
If you want to reset the section, remove it manually and re-run this skill.

Then proceed to step 5 (directory creation) — it's still useful even if the section already exists.

4. Append the schema section template

Read the template from templates/claude-md-section.md (relative to this skill's directory; in plugin install this resolves to ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/kb-init/templates/claude-md-section.md).

Strip the HTML comment block at the top of the template (the <!-- ... --> block explaining what the template is for).

Append the remaining content to CLAUDE.md with one blank line of separation.

Report what was added:

Appended [Knowledge Base] section to CLAUDE.md (XX lines).

5. Create the library directory structure

Check whether library/ exists. If it does, skip the directory creation step (the starter pack copy in step 6 is still useful and safe).

If --library <path> is given, create the structure under <path> instead of ./library, and skip steps 2-4 (the CLAUDE.md append).

If it does not, create:

library/
library/raw/

Plus a placeholder library/.gitkeep so git tracks the empty directory.

Report:

Created library/, library/raw/

6. Optionally seed with the starter pack

Default mode (--with-starter-pack or no argument): copy the starter pack from the plugin install directory into the project's library/. The starter pack files live at ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/kb-init/templates/starter-pack/library/:

• agentic-sdlc-options.md
• agent-suitability-rubric.md
• specification-formality-and-agent-performance.md
• _shelf-index.md (with placeholder hashes)
• log.md (with starter header and install entry)

For each file, check whether the destination already exists in library/. If yes, skip (don't overwrite). If no, copy.

Report:

Seeded library/ with starter pack:
  Copied: agentic-sdlc-options.md
  Copied: agent-suitability-rubric.md
  Copied: specification-formality-and-agent-performance.md
  Copied: _shelf-index.md (placeholder hashes — run kb-rebuild-indexes to regenerate)
  Copied: log.md

After copying, recommend the user run /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-rebuild-indexes to replace the placeholder hashes in the shelf-index with real ones based on the actual file contents.

--empty mode: skip the copy entirely. Create only the directory structure plus an empty log.md with the starter header:

# Knowledge Base Log

Append-only chronological record of ingest, query, and lint events.
Format: `## [YYYY-MM-DD] <operation> | <subject>`

Report:

Created empty library structure (no starter pack).
Add raw sources to library/raw/ and run kb-ingest to populate.

7. Report next steps

Print a summary of what to do next.

For --with-starter-pack (default):

Knowledge base initialised with starter pack.

Next steps:
  1. Run /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-rebuild-indexes to replace placeholder hashes with real ones
  2. Try a query: /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-query "What does our research say about specification formality?"
  3. Review the example library files in library/ — replace or extend with content for your problem space
  4. Add your own raw sources to library/raw/ and run /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-ingest <source> to integrate
  5. Read CLAUDE.md's new [Knowledge Base] section for the full conventions and workflow

For the format and design rationale, see:
  - The plugin README at plugins/sdlc-knowledge-base/README.md
  - The pattern document at docs/architecture/knowledge-base-pattern.md (in the framework repo)

For --empty:

Knowledge base initialised (empty).

Next steps:
  1. Add raw sources to library/raw/ (papers, articles, reports, conversation excerpts)
  2. Run /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-ingest <source> to integrate them into structured library files
  3. After your first few library files exist, run /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-rebuild-indexes to build the shelf-index
  4. Query the library with /sdlc-knowledge-base:kb-query "your question"
  5. Read CLAUDE.md's new [Knowledge Base] section for the full conventions and workflow

For the format and design rationale, see:
  - The plugin README at plugins/sdlc-knowledge-base/README.md
  - The pattern document at docs/architecture/knowledge-base-pattern.md (in the framework repo)

What this skill does NOT do

• It does not write any library files. The user adds raw sources; kb-ingest produces library files from them.
• It does not build the shelf-index. kb-rebuild-indexes does that, after library files exist.
• It does not modify any agents or skills — they're shipped by the plugin install.
• It does not configure environment validation integration. That's an explicit opt-in the user adds to CLAUDE.md after reviewing the schema section.

Idempotency

This skill is safe to run multiple times. On second invocation:

• Existing [Knowledge Base] section in CLAUDE.md is detected and not duplicated
• Existing library/ directory is detected and not recreated
• The summary is still printed so the user knows where they are

Error handling

• CLAUDE.md missing → preflight failure with guidance (step 2)
• Plugin not installed → preflight failure with install command (step 1)
• Template file unreadable → fail with explicit path so the user can check the install
• Permission denied creating library/ → report the error and stop; do not continue with partial setup