MCPInstall

sdd-init

Initialize Spec-Driven Development context — detects tech stack, conventions, architecture patterns, and bootstraps persistence backends. Triggers on 'sdd-init', 'init sdd', 'setup sdd', 'initialize sdd', 'setup project', 'initialize project context'. Creates/updates docs/specs/architecture.md & ontology.md (Constitution), and populates knowledge-graph.json.

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Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill sdd-init
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads sdd-init automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

SDD Init Skill

Initialize Spec-Driven Development (SDD) in the current project. Detects tech stack, conventions, architecture patterns, and bootstraps all persistence backends (Constitution + Knowledge Graph).

When to Use

Trigger phrases:

  • "sdd-init", "init sdd", "setup sdd"
  • "initialize sdd", "setup project", "initialize project context"
  • "bootstrap sdd", "start sdd"
  • "detect project stack", "detect tech stack"

Workflow

1. Detect Project Context
   ├── Scan tech stack (languages, frameworks, tools)
   ├── Identify conventions (folder structure, patterns, configs)
   └── Detect architecture (monolith, microservices, serverless)

2. Bootstrap Constitution
   ├── Check if docs/specs/architecture.md exists
   ├── If missing → ask user to create with constitution skill
   └── If exists → show current state

3. Bootstrap Knowledge Graph
   ├── Check if docs/specs/knowledge-graph.json exists
   ├── Create with initial discoveries (stack, patterns, conventions)
   └── Link to Constitution

4. Return Structured Result
   └── status, executive_summary, artifacts, next_recommended

Phase 1: Detect Project Context

1.1 Scan Tech Stack

Detect the primary language and framework:

# Detect language (priority order)
ls *.go *.rs *.ts *.js *.py *.java *.cs *.rb *.php *.cpp *.c 2>/dev/null | head -1

# Detect framework/type
ls package.json pyproject.toml Cargo.toml go.mod pom.xml *.csproj Gemfile composer.json 2>/dev/null

# Detect project type
ls -la src/ lib/ app/ cmd/ internal/ pkg/ services/ 2>/dev/null

1.2 Identify Conventions

Scan for existing patterns:

# Folder structure
find . -maxdepth 2 -type d -name "src" -o -name "lib" -o -name "app" -o -name "cmd" | head -10

# Config files
ls -la *.yaml *.yml *.toml *.json *.env* Makefile 2>/dev/null

# Testing patterns
find . -name "*_test.*" -o -name "test_*.py" -o -name "*_test.go" -o -name "*.spec.ts" 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Build system
ls Makefile Dockerfile docker-compose*.yml *.mk 2>/dev/null

# CI/CD
ls .github/workflows/ .gitlab-ci.yml .circleci/ 2>/dev/null

1.3 Detect Architecture Style

Analyze project structure for architectural patterns:

# Microservices vs Monolith
ls services/ microservices/ cmd/ api/ internal/ 2>/dev/null

# Serverless
ls functions/ lambda/ handlers/ 2>/dev/null

# Layered architecture
ls controllers/ services/ repositories/ models/ 2>/dev/null

# Hexagonal/Ports & Adapters
ls ports/ adapters/ domain/ infrastructure/ 2>/dev/null

Phase 2: Bootstrap Constitution

2.1 Check Existence

# Check if Constitution files exist
[ -f docs/specs/architecture.md ] && echo "architecture:exists" || echo "architecture:missing"
[ -f docs/specs/ontology.md ] && echo "ontology:exists" || echo "ontology:missing"

2.2 If Missing → Ask User

Use AskUserQuestion to prompt:

The Constitution files (architecture.md, ontology.md) don't exist yet.

Option 1: Create both (Recommended) - Sets up architectural DNA and domain language Option 2: Create architecture.md only Option 3: Create ontology.md only
Option 4: Skip for now - I'll detect context but skip Constitution

If user chooses option 1-3, delegate to /developer-kit-specs:constitution create with the detected context.

2.3 If Exists → Show Current State

Read and display current Constitution files with detected context as comparison.

Phase 3: Bootstrap Knowledge Graph

3.1 Check Existence

# Check if KG exists
ls docs/specs/knowledge-graph.json 2>/dev/null

3.2 Create/Update KG

Create or update docs/specs/knowledge-graph.json with initial discoveries:

{
  "metadata": {
    "spec_id": "project-init",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "created": "{{ISO_DATE}}",
    "project": "{{PROJECT_NAME}}",
    "type": "initial-discovery"
  },
  "context": {
    "workingDirectory": "{{PWD}}",
    "projectName": "{{PROJECT_NAME}}"
  },
  "stack": {
    "primaryLanguage": "{{DETECTED_LANGUAGE}}",
    "framework": "{{DETECTED_FRAMEWORK}}",
    "buildSystem": "{{DETECTED_BUILD_SYSTEM}}"
  },
  "conventions": {
    "folderStructure": ["{{FOLDERS}}"],
    "namingPatterns": ["{{PATTERNS}}"],
    "configFiles": ["{{CONFIGS}}"],
    "testingPattern": "{{TESTING_PATTERN}}"
  },
  "architecture": {
    "style": "{{MONOLITH|MICROSERVICE|SERVERLESS|LAYERED|HEXAGONAL}}",
    "layers": ["{{LAYERS}}"],
    "patterns": ["{{ARCHITECTURAL_PATTERNS}}"]
  },
  "references": {
    "constitution": "docs/specs/architecture.md",
    "ontology": "docs/specs/ontology.md"
  },
  "source": "sdd-init"
}

3.3 Validation

After creating KG, validate it exists and has valid JSON:

# Validate KG
cat docs/specs/knowledge-graph.json | python3 -m json.tool > /dev/null && echo "KG:valid" || echo "KG:invalid"

Phase 4: Return Structured Result

Return a JSON object with:

{
  "status": "success|partial|skipped",
  "executive_summary": "Brief description of what was detected and initialized",
  "artifacts": [
    {
      "path": "docs/specs/architecture.md",
      "action": "created|existing|skipped",
      "summary": "What this file contains"
    },
    {
      "path": "docs/specs/ontology.md",
      "action": "created|existing|skipped", 
      "summary": "What this file contains"
    },
    {
      "path": "docs/specs/knowledge-graph.json",
      "action": "created|updated",
      "summary": "What was discovered and stored"
    }
  ],
  "next_recommended": [
    "Review Constitution if just created",
    "Run brainstorm to start first spec",
    "Check knowledge-graph.json for detected patterns"
  ]
}

Output Format

Display result in a structured format:

══════════════════════════════════════════════════
SDD Init — {{PROJECT_NAME}}
══════════════════════════════════════════════════

STATUS: {{status}}

TECH STACK DETECTED:
  Language: {{language}}
  Framework: {{framework}}
  Build: {{build_system}}

ARCHITECTURE:
  Style: {{architecture_style}}
  Patterns: {{patterns}}

ARTIFACTS:
  ✓ Constitution (architecture.md) — {{status}}
  ✓ Constitution (ontology.md) — {{status}}
  ✓ Knowledge Graph — {{status}}

NEXT STEPS:
  {{next_recommended}}

══════════════════════════════════════════════════

Integration with Other Skills

SkillIntegration Point
constitutionCreated/updated by sdd-init if missing
knowledge-graphPopulated by sdd-init with initial discoveries
brainstormShould read Constitution before starting
spec-to-tasksShould validate against KG and Constitution
task-implementationShould check KG for existing patterns

Constraints and Warnings

  • Read-only detection — Does NOT modify source code
  • Non-destructive — Only creates new files, never overwrites existing content
  • Permission check — Warn if docs/specs/ cannot be created
  • Backup KG — If updating existing KG, preserve existing data

Error Handling

ErrorRecovery
Cannot create docs/specs/Ask user to create directory manually
KG JSON invalidShow error, keep raw file, suggest validation
Constitution delegate failsFall back to inline creation with template

FAQ

What does the sdd-init skill do?

Initialize Spec-Driven Development context — detects tech stack, conventions, architecture patterns, and bootstraps persistence backends. Triggers on 'sdd-init', 'init sdd', 'setup sdd', 'initialize sdd', 'setup project', 'initialize project context'. Creates/updates docs/specs/architecture.md & ontology.md (Constitution), and populates knowledge-graph.json.

How do I install sdd-init?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit --skill sdd-init in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/sdd-init/ (personal) or .claude/skills/sdd-init/ (project).

Which AI agents can use sdd-init?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is sdd-init safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains sdd-init?

It is published by giuseppe-trisciuoglio in giuseppe-trisciuoglio/developer-kit. It has 874 recorded installs.

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