/onboard — Interactive Onboarding & Context Loading

Set up your first project, run an interactive interview, generate a personalized _core/identity.md, create your first daily note, then load vault context. Returning users skip straight to context loading.

Usage

/onboard          # First time: project setup → interview → profile → daily → context. Returning: context only.
/onboard --reset  # Re-run interview even if profile exists (skips project setup if already configured)

Flow

/onboard
  ├── _core/identity.md populated + config has real projects + no --reset?
  │   → Returning user → Load context → "Welcome back"
  │
  └── First time (no profile OR default projects OR --reset)?
       │
       ├── Phase 1: Welcome message
       ├── Phase 2: Project Setup (if config still has default project-a)
       │   ├── Read config.yaml
       │   ├── Detect default project-a/project-b
       │   ├── AskUserQuestion: project name
       │   ├── Edit config.yaml (replace project-a, remove project-b)
       │   ├── Create dirs: docs/{id}/, decisions/{id}/, blockers/{id}/
       │   └── Create 01-index/{id}.md from template
       │
       ├── Phase 3: Personal Interview (3 rounds, 7 questions)
       │   └── Generate _core/identity.md
       │
       ├── Phase 4: First Daily Note
       │   └── Create daily/{today}.md with welcome content
       │
       ├── Phase 5: Load Context
       │
       └── Phase 6: Handoff with "what to do next"

Phase 1: Detect & Welcome

Check if _core/identity.md has been populated (not just the default template):

Read: _core/identity.md

Also read _core/config.yaml to check if projects are still defaults:

Read: _core/config.yaml

Detection logic:

• Returning user: _core/identity.md is populated (has a real role, not placeholder brackets) AND config does NOT contain id: project-a AND no --reset flag → Skip to Phase 5 (Load Context). Greet with:

  Welcome back! Loading your vault context...

• First time or --reset: Continue to Phase 2.

Display welcome message (for new users):

Welcome to PM-Kit!

I'm your AI-augmented knowledge partner for technical PM and engineering work. Let me get you set up — this takes about 3 minutes.

We'll do three things:

1. Set up your first project
2. Learn how you work (7 quick questions)
3. Load your vault context

Let's get started.

Create session tasks for progress tracking:

Task 1: "Set up first project" (activeForm: "Setting up first project...")
Task 2: "Complete onboarding interview" (activeForm: "Running onboarding interview...", blockedBy: Task 1)
Task 3: "Generate personal profile" (activeForm: "Generating personal profile...", blockedBy: Task 2)
Task 4: "Create first daily note" (activeForm: "Creating first daily note...", blockedBy: Task 3)
Task 5: "Load vault context" (activeForm: "Loading vault context...", blockedBy: Task 4)

Phase 2: Project Setup

Mark Task 1 as in_progress.

Skip condition: If config.yaml does NOT contain id: project-a, projects are already configured. Mark Task 1 as completed and skip to Phase 3.

If config still has the default project-a, ask the user to name their project:

AskUserQuestion

#	Header	Question	Options	multiSelect
1	Project	"What's your main project called? (This becomes your folder name — lowercase, hyphens ok)"	"my-product": "A product you're building" / "my-team": "Team-level tracking" / "my-company": "Company-wide knowledge"	false

The user can pick a preset or type a custom name via "Other".

After receiving the answer

1. Derive project ID: Use the answer directly as the ID (already lowercase with hyphens). If the user typed a display name with spaces/caps, slugify it (lowercase, replace spaces with hyphens, remove special characters).

2. Derive display name: Capitalize the ID (e.g., my-product → My Product, acme-app → Acme App).

3. Edit config.yaml: Use the Edit tool to:

   • Replace id: project-a with id: {project-id}
   • Replace name: Project A with name: {Display Name}
   • Replace description: Your first project with description: {Display Name} workspace
   • Remove the entire project-b block (the 4 lines: - id: project-b, name: Project B, description: Your second project, active: true)

4. Create project directories:

   Write empty .gitkeep files to:
   - docs/{project-id}/.gitkeep
   - decisions/{project-id}/.gitkeep
   - blockers/{project-id}/.gitkeep
   

5. Create project index: Write 01-index/{project-id}.md:

   ---
   type: index
   project: {project-id}
   status: active
   ---
   
   # {Display Name}
   
   > {Display Name} workspace
   
   ---
   
   ## Open Blockers
   
   *No open blockers*
   
   ---
   
   ## Active Docs
   
   *No active docs*
   
   ---
   
   ## Recent Dailies (7 days)
   
   *No dailies yet*
   
   ---
   
   ## Recent Decisions (30 days)
   
   *No decisions yet*
   
   ---
   
   ## Manual Notes
   
   %% Add your own notes below — this section is preserved during updates %%
   

Mark Task 1 as completed.

Phase 3: Interview (3 Rounds)

Mark Task 2 as in_progress.

Skip condition for --reset: If --reset flag is set but projects are already configured (no project-a in config), skip Phase 2 but still run the interview.

Use AskUserQuestion for each round. All 3 rounds use a single AskUserQuestion call each (multiple questions per call).

Round 1 — Who Are You

Ask these 2 questions in a single AskUserQuestion call:

#	Header	Question	Options	multiSelect
1	Role	"What's your primary role?"	Product Manager: "Roadmaps, specs, stakeholder alignment" / Engineering Lead: "Architecture, team velocity, technical decisions" / Founder-Operator: "Wearing all hats — product, eng, strategy" / Researcher: "Deep exploration, synthesis, knowledge work"	false
2	AI Experience	"What's your experience with AI-assisted workflows?"	New to this: "First time using AI for structured work" / Getting started: "Tried a few tools, learning the ropes" / Experienced: "Regular AI user, ready for advanced workflows"	false

Round 2 — How You Work

Ask these 3 questions in a single AskUserQuestion call:

#	Header	Question	Options	multiSelect
3	Communication	"How do you prefer feedback and communication?"	Direct: "Cut to the chase, no fluff" / Collaborative: "Think together, build on ideas" / Detailed: "Thorough explanations, show your work"	false
4	Planning	"How do you prefer to plan?"	Detailed plans: "Upfront structure, clear milestones" / Flexible: "Rough direction, adapt as we go" / Minimal: "Just start building, plan emerges"	false
5	Energy	"When do you do your best focused work?"	Morning: "Peak focus before noon" / Afternoon: "Hit my stride after lunch" / Evening: "Night owl, late-day clarity" / Flexible: "Varies day to day"	false

Round 3 — What Drives You

Ask these 2 questions in a single AskUserQuestion call:

#	Header	Question	Options	multiSelect
6	Focus	"What matters most in your work right now?"	Shipping fast: "Velocity and momentum above all" / Quality depth: "Doing fewer things really well" / Clarity: "Understanding before building" / Alignment: "Getting everyone on the same page"	true
7	Coaching	"How should I challenge you?"	Gentle nudges: "Light reminders, supportive tone" / Moderate push: "Flag issues directly, suggest alternatives" / Intense coach: "Call out everything, hold me accountable"	false

After all 3 rounds complete, mark Task 2 as completed.

Phase 4: Generate Profile

Mark Task 3 as in_progress.

Map answers to _core/identity.md. Write to the bootloader directory.

Answer Mapping

Work Hours (derived from Energy answer):

• Morning → "7am - 3pm"
• Afternoon → "10am - 6pm"
• Evening → "1pm - 9pm"
• Flexible → "Flexible"

Scope Creep Alerts (derived from Coaching answer):

• Gentle nudges → "Gentle reminders"
• Moderate push → "Flag when noticed"
• Intense coach → "Call out aggressively"

Working Philosophy (generate a 1-2 sentence statement based on role + focus areas): Combine the role and selected focus areas into a concise personal statement. Examples:

• PM + Shipping fast + Clarity → "Ship with intention — move fast but make sure every feature tells a clear story."
• Engineering Lead + Quality depth → "Build it right the first time — depth over breadth, craft over speed."
• Founder-Operator + Shipping fast + Alignment → "Move fast together — velocity means nothing if the team isn't aligned."
• Researcher + Clarity + Quality depth → "Understand deeply, document clearly — knowledge compounds when it's well-structured."

Write the file using Write tool to _core/identity.md:

# Personal Profile

> Generated by `/onboard` on {today's date}. Edit anytime — tracked in your vault.

## Identity

- **Role**: {answer 1}
- **AI Experience**: {answer 2}
- **Onboarded**: {today's date YYYY-MM-DD}

## Working Style

- **Communication**: {answer 3}
- **Planning**: {answer 4}

## Energy & Schedule

- **Best Focus Time**: {answer 5}
- **Timezone**: America/New_York
- **Work Hours**: {derived from answer 5}

## Current Priorities

What matters most right now:
{for each selected focus area from answer 6, write as bullet with description}

## Coaching Settings

- **Challenge Level**: {answer 7}
- **Scope Creep Alerts**: {derived from answer 7}

## Working Philosophy

> {generated statement}

## Notes for Claude

[Add custom instructions here — this section is yours to edit freely]

---

*Regenerate with `/onboard --reset`*

Mark Task 3 as completed.

Phase 5: First Daily Note

Mark Task 4 as in_progress.

Create today's daily note at daily/{YYYY-MM-DD}.md with a welcome entry under the user's project:

---
type: daily
status: active
date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
tags: []
---

# {YYYY-MM-DD}

## {Project Display Name}

### Shipped
- Set up PM-Kit vault

### In Progress
*None*

### Blocked
*None*

### Notes

Welcome to PM-Kit! Your vault is ready. Try `/daily {project-id}: shipped X, wip Y` tomorrow.

---

## Tomorrow

- Start using `/daily` for standups

Skip condition: If daily/{today}.md already exists, do not overwrite it.

Mark Task 4 as completed.

Phase 6: Load Context

Mark Task 5 as in_progress (or create it if this is a returning user without tasks).

Load vault context in this order:

1. Core Config (Always First)

_core/config.yaml      → Projects, paths, note types, keywords
_core/PROCESSING.md    → I-P-O flows for all skills
_core/MANIFESTO.md     → Philosophy and principles

2. Vault Context

CLAUDE.md              → Vault overview, skills, agents, conventions
_core/identity.md      → Personal profile (just generated or existing)

3. Project Indexes

01-index/{project}.md  → MOC for each active project

4. Current State

daily/{today}.md       → Today's standup (if exists)
daily/{yesterday}.md   → Yesterday's context

5. Active Blockers

blockers/**/status: open  → All open blockers across projects

Smart loading rules:

• Only load indexes for projects marked active: true in config.yaml
• Read today's and yesterday's dailies for current context
• Scan open blockers to understand current obstacles

Mark Task 5 as completed.

Phase 7: Handoff

New Users

Personalize the ready message based on their profile:

You're all set, {role}!

Your profile is saved to _core/identity.md. Here's what I set up:

• Project: {project display name} ({project-id}/)
• Config: {n} active projects
• Index: 01-index/{project-id}.md
• Today: daily/{today}.md (your first entry)

Based on your preferences, I'll keep communication {communication style} and challenge you at {coaching level} intensity.

A few commands to try:

• /daily {project-id}: shipped X, wip Y — Write your standup
• /ask — Quick vault lookup
• /progress {project-id} — Project status
• /push — Save changes to git

What would you like to work on?

Returning Users

Welcome back!

Context loaded:

• Config: {n} active projects
• Indexes: {n} project MOCs
• Today: {summary or "No standup yet"}
• Blockers: {n} open across projects
• Updates: {version status from API check, non-fatal — e.g. "Up to date (v2026.02.14)" or "Update available: vX → vY"}

What would you like to work on?