cold-start

Cold Start: Memory Bank + Agents bootstrap (greenfield & brownfield)

Summary

Note: cold-start is the package skill for all-in-one bootstrap. Do not confuse it with the generated project command /cold-start: that command is a lightweight router used after skeleton creation inside a target repo. For modular usage, prefer individual skills: mb-init (skeleton), mb-analysis (optional idea discovery), mb-from-prd (greenfield), mb-map-codebase (brownfield), mb-review (review), mb-execute (implementation), mb-verify (UAT), mb-red-verify (semantic adversarial verification).

What it does: creates the Memory Bank skeleton, writes agent entry points, and routes the repo into the right workflow.
Use it when: you want one entry point for either a new project with a PRD or an existing codebase that needs mapping first.
Input: repository root plus either prd.md / requirements text or an existing codebase.
Output: .memory-bank/, .tasks/, .protocols/, agent entry files, and the next step for greenfield or brownfield work.

Supported scenarios:

Idea-only: repo has a raw idea, but no stable PRD yet; optionally route through /analysis, /brainstorm, and /brief.
Clear concept: repo has enough direction for a product brief; normally run /brief, then /constitution only if project principles are not already ratified|partial, before /write-prd.
Greenfield: repo has prd.md or requirements text, but no code yet.
Brownfield: repo already contains code and needs as-is documentation before change planning.

Non-negotiable principles

1) Orchestrator vs workers

You (main agent) are the orchestrator. You plan and coordinate.
Workers (subagents) do the heavy lifting (scanning many files, producing long reports).
Max depth = 2: orchestrator → subagent. No sub-sub-agents.

2) `.tasks/` is runtime memory (NOT Memory Bank)

Every agent process gets a unique task folder: .tasks/TASK-XXX/.
Subagents write detailed outputs there, and return only short summaries to the orchestrator.

3) Avoid conflicts by design

Split work by non-overlapping file sets.
If overlap is unavoidable, use git branches/worktrees per agent and merge later.

4) Parallelism limits

Run up to 5–7 subagents in parallel.
If your runtime supports multi-tool calls: spawn parallel subagents in a single orchestrator turn.

5) Docs First

After completing any meaningful unit of work:

Update Memory Bank while context is fresh.
Then change code / commit.

Output you MUST create/maintain

Repo root

AGENTS.md (canonical, short, ~100 lines)
CLAUDE.md → symlink (or copy) to AGENTS.md
(optional) GEMINI.md → symlink (or copy) to AGENTS.md

Repo folders

.memory-bank/ — durable knowledge base
.tasks/ — operational runtime memory
.protocols/ — file-based protocols (plans / decision logs / resume)

Step 0 — Detect environment (don’t guess)

Check what tools you have:
- Codex available? (Codex CLI / MCP tool)
- Claude Code available? (CLI claude, subagents)
- Browser tools? (Playwright / agent-browser / CDP MCP)
Decide primary engine:
- If working inside Codex: use gpt-5.2-high for implementation and review (prefer fresh sessions for critical reviews).
- If working inside Claude Code: use subagents for analysis + use Opus for synthesis; optionally call Codex via shell for second opinion or structured review.
- If both Codex and Claude are available (dual-engine): use Claude for wide-context scanning and synthesis, Codex for structured review and implementation. Cross-validate critical outputs (MB compliance, architecture) by running the review step on the other engine. See Step 4 for the hybrid workflow.

If you don’t control Codex model selection via UI, create a project .codex/config.toml profile set (see Step 1.5).

Step 1 — Bootstrap the skeleton

1.1 Create directories

Create (if missing):

.memory-bank/
- mbb/
- architecture/
- guides/
- adrs/
- tech-specs/
- domains/ (optional but recommended)
- contracts/ (optional but recommended)
- states/ (optional but recommended)
- runbooks/ (optional but recommended)
- workflows/ (optional; can keep wfs/ if you already use it)
- quality/ (optional but recommended)
- testing/
- skills/
- epics/
- features/
- schemas/ (JSON schemas, including task records)
- tasks/ (empty JSON task index until /prd-to-tasks, indexed task records, and plans)
- commands/ (slash-command specs used by humans/agents)
- agents/ (subagent prompt library)
- archive/
- bugs/
.tasks/
.protocols/

1.2 Create core files (use the templates)

Use the templates in:

./references/shared-structure-template.md

At minimum you must create:

AGENTS.md
CLAUDE.md symlink/copy
.memory-bank/index.md
.memory-bank/constitution.md
.memory-bank/mbb/index.md
.memory-bank/spec-index.md
.memory-bank/glossary.md
.memory-bank/invariants.md
.memory-bank/product.md
.memory-bank/requirements.md
.memory-bank/schemas/task.schema.json
.memory-bank/tasks/index.json
.memory-bank/testing/index.md

Also create the command specs under .memory-bank/commands/ (use references/commands/*). This includes optional Analysis commands (analysis.md, brainstorm.md, brief.md) when those command specs are present in the package. It also includes constitution.md for the /constitution command, which creates or updates .memory-bank/constitution.md.

1.2.1 Create native skills (proxy commands)

Create thin proxy skills so commands work natively in each runtime:

.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md → Claude Code + OpenCode
.agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md → Codex CLI + OpenCode

Each proxy just says: Read and follow the instructions in .memory-bank/commands/<name>.md. This makes commands available natively (/mb, /constitution, /prd, /execute, etc.) in all three tools.

The init-mb.js script creates both sets automatically.

Agents read .memory-bank/constitution.md early during priming. It is the short governing-principles layer for project decisions, not a replacement for .memory-bank/invariants.md, .memory-bank/contracts/*, .memory-bank/spec-index.md, or tier/workflow policy.

1.3 Enforce frontmatter rule

Every markdown file inside .memory-bank/ must include YAML frontmatter with at least:

description: ...
status: draft|active|deprecated|archived

1.4 Create `.tasks/` protocol

Create a task folder for this run (pick a new id):

.tasks/TASK-MB-INIT/

Inside it, create:

TASK-MB-INIT-S-00-orchestrator-plan.md — what you will do + which subagents

1.5 Optional: Codex profile presets

If Codex is used, create .codex/config.toml with profiles:

default: coding (gpt-5.2, high)
profile deep-review: review (gpt-5.2, xhigh)

(If your repo is shared, consider keeping it local or documenting it in .memory-bank/runbooks/.)

Step 2 — Choose scenario

Decision rule

If repo has substantial code (src/, package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, etc.) → Brownfield (Step 3B).
If repo is mostly empty and you have prd.md → Greenfield (Step 3A); recommend /constitution before /write-prd if project principles are not ratified/partial.
If repo is mostly empty and you only have an idea or loose concept → optionally run Analysis first: /analysis, /brainstorm when the idea is raw, /brief, then /constitution before /write-prd only if project principles are not already ratified|partial.
If both exist: treat as Brownfield + PRD delta (Step 3B).
If repo is empty/new and no prd.md → Skeleton-only (Step 3C).

Record the scenario in:

.tasks/TASK-MB-INIT/TASK-MB-INIT-S-00-orchestrator-plan.md

Step 3A — Greenfield workflow (PRD → Memory Bank)

3A.1 Write clarified PRD

Run /constitution before /write-prd when project principles are still framework-default/skipped/missing. If they are already ratified/partial, continue directly to /write-prd. /constitution reads .memory-bank/analysis/product-brief.md when present and asks up to 5 contextual governance questions per pass.
If the user explicitly skips /constitution, continue with framework-default/skipped principles and note that it can be ratified later.
Run /write-prd to turn Product Brief / PRD text + Constitution into .memory-bank/prd.md.
/write-prd handles PRD-level ambiguity with up to 5 targeted questions per pass.
If PRD mentions “use skills/tools/CLIs” — run /find-skills first (project-installed → marketplace).

If user is temporarily unavailable (“started it and left”):

Record Open questions in .protocols/PRD-BOOTSTRAP/decision-log.md.
Stop and wait (do not invent facts; do not proceed to EP/FT/task generation without answers).

If the user explicitly wants autonomous mode:

record non-blocking gaps as Assumptions
halt only on blocking gaps (security/compliance/external contract/data-loss risks)
continue with /autonomous after /write-prd is complete

3A.2 Route PRD to L1–L3

Run /spec-init to update .memory-bank/spec-index.md as a lightweight SDD route map from PRD/brief/existing-spec evidence, without architecture interview or invented authoritative specs. Then run /prd to decompose .memory-bank/prd.md into product, requirements, epics, features, testing, and index updates. After /prd, always run /spec-design. For small independent T0/T1 features it may record a minimal backbone with irrelevant areas marked not_applicable; for shared/T2/T3 concerns it creates or updates the needed backbone SDD specs and spec-index. This is not another mandatory heavy phase: it creates no tasks and no feature-local implementation design. /spec-improve FT-<NNN> remains the feature-level gate after backbone.

/prd owns:

.memory-bank/product.md
REQ-IDs
RTM table mapping REQ → Epic → Feature → Test
.memory-bank/epics/EP-*.md
.memory-bank/features/FT-*.md

Each generated feature MUST include:

use cases
acceptance criteria
failure modes / edge cases
test strategy pointers

Status policy:

Default EP/FT frontmatter to status: draft until Open questions are resolved.
Promote to status: active only when acceptance criteria + verification plan are stable.
/prd / mb-from-prd do not create tasks; canonical planning path is /write-prd → /spec-init → /prd → /spec-design → /spec-improve FT-<NNN> → /prd-to-tasks FT-<NNN>.
Add feature clarification_status: pending|blocked only for explicit feature-level blockers.

3A.3 Tasks planning (per-feature, no “everything at once”)

Do not generate a full task queue for all features in one pass.

Instead:

Ensure .memory-bank/schemas/task.schema.json and .memory-bank/tasks/index.json exist.
For each selected feature, use /clarify-feature FT-<NNN> only if the feature is explicitly pending/blocked.
Run /spec-design after /prd; use minimal backbone for simple T0/T1 scope and fuller backbone specs for shared/T2/T3 concerns.
Run /spec-improve FT-<NNN>, then /prd-to-tasks FT-<NNN> to produce:
- .memory-bank/tasks/plans/IMPL-FT-<NNN>.md
- atomic .memory-bank/tasks/TASK-*.task.json records grouped by wave, each with mandatory tier: T0|T1|T2|T3

Task routing is authoritative only through task.tier; the old risk / risk.level model is invalid.

3A.4 Identify key concepts and create support docs

For every non-trivial concept, create support docs that make the concept cheap to reload later:

default / compatibility path:
- .memory-bank/architecture/<concept>.md (WHAT/WHY)
- .memory-bank/guides/<concept>.md (HOW)
add spec-driven support docs when they clarify source-of-truth:
- .memory-bank/tech-specs/...
- .memory-bank/contracts/...
- .memory-bank/domains/...
- .memory-bank/states/...
- .memory-bank/adrs/...
- .memory-bank/runbooks/...
- .memory-bank/testing/...

Rules:

classic duo docs remain valid and useful
spec-driven docs are additive, not a replacement by default
do not create a new spec before checking existing specs through .memory-bank/spec-index.md
if richer docs exist, route them from .memory-bank/spec-index.md and related concept docs

3A.5 Update index

Update .memory-bank/index.md with annotated links to all created docs.

Step 3B — Brownfield workflow (Repo → Memory Bank)

3B.1 Spawn repo-scanning subagents (parallel)

Create a new task folder:

.tasks/TASK-MB-MAP/

Spawn up to 5 subagents in parallel with non-overlapping scopes:

S-01: build/tooling (package managers, scripts, CI)
S-02: backend/services
S-03: frontend/UI
S-04: data layer (DB, migrations, schema)
S-05: tests + quality gates

Each subagent MUST:

verify its file glob targets exist ("smart calling")
write a detailed report into .tasks/TASK-MB-MAP/ using naming: TASK-MB-MAP-S-0X-final-report-<code|docs>-YY.md
return a 5–10 line summary + file list

Use ./agents/shared-repo-scanner.md as baseline prompt, but scope it.

3B.2 Synthesize Memory Bank from reports

Using the .tasks/TASK-MB-MAP/ reports, fill:

.memory-bank/product.md — what the system is today
.memory-bank/architecture/ — C4 L1–L3 overview + key invariants
.memory-bank/spec-index.md / .memory-bank/invariants.md / .memory-bank/glossary.md — if the evidence supports explicit normative routing
.memory-bank/runbooks/ — setup, dev, test, deploy
.memory-bank/contracts/ — API/event contracts
.memory-bank/states/ — lifecycle/state rules when they are evident from code or workflows
.memory-bank/testing/index.md — canonical gates + verification notes
.memory-bank/index.md — annotated links

PRD-less rule (non-negotiable): if there is no prd.md, you MUST NOT create or populate:

.memory-bank/epics/*

.memory-bank/features/*

.memory-bank/tasks/*.task.json with real roadmap tasks

Empty skeleton files/folders are allowed if they were created by bootstrap.

Repo mapping is as-is documentation, not roadmap planning. If something cannot be derived from code/logs/tests, record it as a hypothesis or an open question.

3B.3 Ask user for PRD delta

After baseline MB exists:

ask the user for prd.md describing what to change/add
run /constitution first only if project principles are not ratified/partial, then /write-prd, /spec-init, /prd, /spec-design, /spec-improve FT-<NNN>, and /prd-to-tasks FT-<NNN> style decomposition against the existing baseline

Step 3C — Skeleton-only workflow (no PRD, no code)

When the repo is new/empty and no prd.md is available:

3C.1 Create skeleton only

Run Step 1 as usual — create all directories, core files from templates, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md symlink.

The skeleton provides a ready-to-fill structure: product.md, requirements.md, tasks/index.json, etc. remain as draft stubs/placeholders. In PRD-less mode, tasks/index.json must be { "version": 1, "tasks": [] } and no TASK-001.task.json or other runnable task record is generated.

3C.2 Ask for PRD

After skeleton is created, ask the user to provide a PRD:

"Memory Bank skeleton created. To fill it with product details, epics, features, SDD design, and task records, please provide a prd.md file (or paste requirements text). You can do this now or later — run /constitution first only if project principles are not already ratified|partial, then /write-prd, /spec-init, /prd, /spec-design, /spec-improve FT-<NNN>, and /prd-to-tasks FT-<NNN>."

3C.3 Wait or proceed

If user provides PRD now → continue to Step 3A (Greenfield workflow).
If user defers → stop here. The skeleton is valid and usable. The user can invoke $mb-from-prd or /prd later to fill the Memory Bank.
If user provides partial info → route it through /brief, then /constitution only if project principles are not already ratified|partial, and /write-prd; stop if PRD-level blockers remain.

Note: The skeleton-only state is a valid stopping point. AGENTS.md + .memory-bank/index.md + MBB rules are enough for agents to start navigating the repo.

Step 4 — Hybrid mode (Claude ↔ Codex)

If you’re in Claude Code but want Codex quality or long-horizon autonomy:

Use Claude subagents to produce the scan reports into .tasks/TASK-MB-MAP/.
Call Codex via shell to synthesize Memory Bank:

codex exec --ephemeral --full-auto -m gpt-5.2-high \
  'Read .tasks/TASK-MB-MAP and build/refresh .memory-bank per MBB. Keep AGENTS.md short. Produce a summary and run a self-review.'

Then run a Codex deep review profile (or a fresh Claude session) for 5-expert review.

Step 5 — Multi-expert review loop (fresh context)

Run fresh-context reviewers (do not reuse the writer context):

Architect (C4 + dependencies)
Scope analyst (REQ → Epic → Feature → Task coverage)
MBB compliance reviewer (frontmatter, links, atomics, duo)
Plan reviewer (task record quality, waves, gates)
Security reviewer (auth, sensitive data, OWASP risks)
Code quality reviewer (conditional: if code exists — quality gates, conventions, hotspots)

Use prompts in ./agents/shared-review-*.md and ./agents/shared-mb-reviewer.md.