new-client

Input

$ARGUMENTS

Expected: a client name, optionally followed by a project name - e.g. ACME or ACME PaymentPortal. If no input is provided, ask: "What's the client name, and what should we call the first project? (e.g. ACME PaymentPortal)"

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New Client / Project Scaffolder

This skill creates the folder structure and context files for a new piece of work using the nested client → project model. It supports three relationships:

Scenario	What to create
New client, new project	A new CLIENT/ with client.md + a PROJECT/ with context.md
New project for an existing client	A new PROJECT/ under the existing CLIENT/; reuse the existing client.md
New client only (project named later)	A CLIENT/ with client.md; prompt for the first project

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Step 1 - Resolve and validate the names

• CLIENT - uppercase the folder name (e.g. ACME, GLOBEX). This is the relationship.
• PROJECT - TitleCase or kebab-case, the user's choice (e.g. PaymentPortal, mobile-app). This is one engagement.

Validate before creating anything (security - these names become file paths). Allow only [A-Za-z0-9._-]. Reject any name that contains /, \, .., a leading -, whitespace, control characters, or that looks like an absolute path - these could escape the clients/ directory. If a name fails, do not run mkdir; ask the user for a clean name. Every path you create must stay inside clients/. See Input Validation & Sanitisation in .claude/CLAUDE.md.

Before creating anything, check what already exists:

find clients -maxdepth 2 -type d 2>/dev/null

• If clients/CLIENT/ already exists → do not recreate client.md. Add the new PROJECT/ only, and say so.
• If clients/CLIENT/PROJECT/ already exists → stop and ask whether to overwrite or pick a different name. Never silently overwrite.
• If no project name was given → create the client level, then ask for the first project name before finishing.

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Step 2 - Create the structure

clients/
  CLIENT/
    client.md                ← shared: stakeholders, billing, commercial terms, history
    PROJECT/
      context.md             ← per-engagement: phase, sprint, open risks, last artefact
      project-artefacts/     ← intake summaries, charters, risk scans, PRDs, discovery
      sprint-artefacts/      ← sprint SOWs, sprint reports, release checklists
      meeting-notes/         ← meeting minutes
      user-stories/          ← epics and story files

Create directories with mkdir -p, then write the two context files using the templates below.

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Step 3 - Write client.md (shared, relationship-level)

Only create this if it does not already exist. Fill in what the user gave you; mark unknowns [TBC].

# CLIENT - Client Profile

**Created:** [today's date]
**Status:** Active

## Relationship
- Account owner: [PM name or role - TBC]
- Commercial model: [Retainer / T&M / Fixed-price - TBC]
- Master agreement / SOW reference: [TBC]
- Billing contact: [TBC]

## Key Stakeholders
| Name / Role | Responsibility | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| [Sponsor] | Budget authority, final decisions | [TBC] |
| [Day-to-day contact] | Approvals, coordination | [TBC] |

## Projects
| Project | Phase | Status |
|---|---|---|
| [PROJECT] | Pre-project | Active |

## History / Notes
- [Anything that spans all of this client's projects - preferences, past engagements, sensitivities]

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Step 4 - Write context.md (per-project, engagement state)

Always create this for the new project.

# CLIENT / PROJECT - Active Context

**Client:** CLIENT
**Project:** PROJECT
**Created:** [today's date]
**Phase:** Pre-project
**Last updated:** [today's date]

## Current State
- Sprint: [N/A yet]
- Sprint dates: [TBC]
- Sprint goal: [TBC]

## Artefacts Produced
| Date | Artefact | Path |
|---|---|---|
| | (none yet) | |

## Open Risks
| # | Risk | Priority | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| | (none logged yet) | | |

## Open Decisions / Questions
- [TBC]

## Next Step
- Run `/triage` or `/pm` on the first stakeholder input for this project.

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Step 5 - Confirm and hand off

After creating everything, confirm exactly what was made:

Created clients/CLIENT/PROJECT/ with context.md and four artefact folders. [If client was new:] Also created clients/CLIENT/client.md. [If client existed:] Reused existing clients/CLIENT/client.md - added PROJECT/ as a new engagement.

Then remind:

clients/ is excluded from version control - all client data stays local only. When you start work, /pm will read both client.md and this project's context.md to pick up where you left off.

If a client was created without a project, ask for the first project name now and complete Step 2-4 for it.