animus-bootstrap

Animus Bootstrap — Idea → Autonomous Engineering Team

You are bootstrapping a complete Animus-driven autonomous engineering setup for the current project. By the end of this flow the user has a daemon running, a conductor on a cron, specialists wired up, a VISION.md, an AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md, scripts in place, and one real task running end-to-end.

This is heavier than /animus-setup. Use that one when the user just needs a daemon and a hello-world workflow. Use this one when the user is committing a project to autonomous operation — "build a team, give them a brief, watch them work."

How to run this flow

1. Interview before writing. Ask one focused batch of questions, get answers, then write artifacts. Do not generate VISION.md from a one-line user prompt — the result will be generic and the user will throw it away.
2. Use AskUserQuestion for branching decisions (project type, repo scope, model routing). Use plain prose questions for free-form input (mission, success criteria, kill criteria).
3. Write artifacts in dependency order (vision → principles → registry → agents → phases → workflows → schedules → mcp → scripts → CLAUDE.md). Later files reference earlier ones; do not skip ahead.
4. Commit after each phase. Atomic commits make the bootstrap auditable and revertable. Use messages like bootstrap: vision, bootstrap: principles, bootstrap: agents.yaml, etc.
5. Verify before declaring done. Run the daemon, create one task, run it, watch it via animus daemon stream, confirm the conductor is producing dispatches.

If the user has already completed /animus-setup, skip to Phase 3. If they haven't, run /animus-setup first (or do its work inline) — this skill assumes .animus/ exists and the daemon can start.

Reference reads

Open these only when you reach the matching phase, not up front:

• ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md — conductor / sweep / qa-changes / scheduled specialists / kill criteria
• ../animus-agent-personas/SKILL.md — system-prompt skeleton, specialist prompts, cron stagger
• ../animus-workflow-authoring/SKILL.md — YAML schema details for agents/phases/workflows
• ../animus-daemon-operations/SKILL.md — animus daemon stream, MCP tools, runner architecture
• ../animus-mcp-servers-for-agents/SKILL.md — wiring Context7, memory, GitHub MCP

Phase 1 — Discovery interview

Ask these in one AskUserQuestion batch (4 questions max — split if needed). Frame as decisions the conductor will make from, not metadata.

1. Project shape. Single repo / fleet of related repos / single service with deploy / artifact pipeline (blog, docs, marketing).
2. Primary work character. Code (features, bugs, refactors) / content (writing, design) / ops (deploys, scans, audits) / mixed.
3. Cron cadence preference. Aggressive (every 15–30 min, lots of parallel sweeps) / steady (hourly) / conservative (every 4–6h, run mostly on demand).
4. Risk tolerance. Auto-merge approved PRs / require human review / no auto-anything.

Then ask, in plain prose:

• "In one paragraph, what is this project? Who uses it? What does success look like in 90 days?" — this becomes the VISION.md mission.
• "What's the one kill criterion that should halt all other work the moment it trips?" — seeds AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md.
• "Which models do you want to use, and where?" (Default: Sonnet for implementation, Opus for the conductor, Haiku for cheap scans, Codex for second-opinion implementation. Ask if they want to deviate.)

Stop and confirm understanding before writing anything. If their answers contradict (e.g., "no auto-anything" + "aggressive cadence with auto-merge"), name the contradiction and ask them to resolve it.

Phase 2 — VISION.md

Write to project root. Structure:

# <Project Name> Vision

## Mission
<one paragraph from the user's discovery answer — keep their words where possible>

## Who this is for
- <persona 1>
- <persona 2>

## What success looks like (90 days)
- <measurable outcome 1>
- <measurable outcome 2>
- <measurable outcome 3>

## What we are NOT building
- <explicit non-goal 1>
- <explicit non-goal 2>

## North star metric
<one number that, when it moves up, means the project is winning>

Non-goals are as important as goals — they keep the conductor from drifting into adjacent work. Push the user to name at least two.

Phase 3 — REGISTRY.md

For fleets and multi-repo projects only. Skip for single-repo.

# .animus/registry.yaml — what surfaces this project owns
ship_mode: parallel        # parallel | sequential | flagship-first
ship_readiness_target: 70

```markdown
# Surface Registry

Conductor: read before queueing any fleet work. Convention only — not parsed by Animus.

Ship mode: parallel (parallel | sequential | flagship-first)

| Surface          | Role     | Repo                          | Path                          | Ship gates                            |
|------------------|----------|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| my-app-flagship  | flagship | github.com/<owner>/<repo>     | ~/brain/repos/my-app-flagship | build pass, lint 0 errors, e2e >= 70% |
| my-app-mobile    | variant  | github.com/<owner>/<mobile>   | ~/brain/repos/my-app-mobile   | build pass                            |

If the user doesn't have a clear flagship/variant relationship, drop the Role column and just list surfaces. When you write the conductor prompt in Phase 5, add REGISTRY.md to its READ FIRST list.

Phase 4 — AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md

Write to .animus/workflows/AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md. This is the conductor's policy file — separated from system_prompt: so the user can tune ship targets without restarting the daemon.

Sections:

1. Ship targets — numeric thresholds per gate.
2. Kill criteria — conditions that halt all other work.
3. Sweep priorities — ordered list. Conductor stops at first applicable.
4. Anti-patterns — explicit DON'Ts.
5. Tools — preferred tooling per task class.

See ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md "AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md — Stable Prompt Anchor" and "Kill Criteria + Ship Score Discipline" sections for the full template.

Phase 5 — agents.yaml

Write to .animus/workflows/agents.yaml. Always include the conductor; include specialists based on Phase 1's work character.

agents:
  conductor:
    model: claude-opus-4-8         # Opus pays back on judgment work
    tool: claude
    mcp_servers: ["animus", "memory", "github", "sequential-thinking"]
    system_prompt: |
      You are the conductor for <project>.

      ## READ FIRST
      Read `.animus/workflows/AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md` before anything else.
      That file owns ship targets, gates, kill criteria, and anti-patterns.

      ## Mission
      <one-sentence pull from VISION.md>

      ## Project Root
      <absolute path>

      ## Sweep priorities
      See AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md §3.

      ## Output
      Queue at most ONE focused dispatch per sweep.
      Title format: <surface-id>:<action>. Workflow ref: <implement|fix-build|...>.

  implementer:    { model: claude-sonnet-4-6, tool: claude, mcp_servers: ["animus", "context7"] }
  reviewer:       { model: claude-sonnet-4-6, tool: claude, mcp_servers: ["animus", "github"] }
  tester:         { model: claude-sonnet-4-6, tool: claude, mcp_servers: ["animus"] }

  # Add only if Phase 1 needs them:
  scanner:        { model: claude-haiku-4-5,  tool: claude, mcp_servers: ["animus", "package-version"] }
  syncer:         { model: claude-sonnet-4-6, tool: claude, mcp_servers: ["animus"] }       # for fleet/parity work
  implementer-codex: { model: gpt-5.5, tool: codex, mcp_servers: ["animus"] }              # second-opinion impl
  product-owner-codex: { model: gpt-5.5, tool: codex, ... }                                # for dual-brain conductor
  cloud-tester:   { model: claude-sonnet-4-6, tool: claude, mcp_servers: ["animus", "playwright"] }  # for deploy verify

See ../animus-agent-personas/SKILL.md for the full conductor prompt skeleton.

Phase 6 — phases.yaml

Write to .animus/workflows/phases.yaml. Define phases referenced by workflows. Always include qa-changes (the rework gate).

phases:
  conductor-sweep:
    mode: agent
    agent: conductor
    directive: "Run the sweep. Queue at most one dispatch."

  implement-feature:
    mode: agent
    agent: implementer
    directive: "Implement the assigned task. You start inside the task's daemon-managed worktree (~/.animus/<repo>-<hash>/worktrees/task-<task-id>). Commit, push, open PR."
    capabilities: { mutates_state: true }

  qa-changes:
    mode: agent
    agent: tester
    directive: |
      Verify the change. Verdicts:
      - approve: build/lint/test pass, behavior matches the task
      - rework:  fixable issues — list them; loop back to implementation
      - fail:    structurally wrong — loop back, force a rethink

  review-pr:
    mode: agent
    agent: reviewer
    directive: |
      Before merging, check `gh pr checks <number>`.
      - Failures caused by THIS PR: queue rework.
      - Pre-existing failures: merge anyway, create a fix task.
      - Pending checks: skip, next cycle picks it up.
      - All pass: review the diff, merge if approved.

  # Command phases (deterministic — use these for git/test/build, not agents):
  install-deps: { mode: command, command: { program: pnpm, args: [install], cwd_mode: task_root, timeout_secs: 120 } }
  build-check:  { mode: command, command: { program: pnpm, args: [build],   cwd_mode: task_root, timeout_secs: 300 } }
  lint-check:   { mode: command, command: { program: pnpm, args: [lint],    cwd_mode: task_root, timeout_secs: 120 } }
  push-branch:  { mode: command, command: { program: git,  args: [push, -u, origin, HEAD], cwd_mode: task_root, timeout_secs: 60 } }
  create-pr:    { mode: command, command: { program: gh,   args: [pr, create, --fill, --base, main], cwd_mode: task_root, timeout_secs: 60 } }
  wait-for-ci:  { mode: command, command: { program: gh,   args: [pr, checks, --watch, --fail-fast], cwd_mode: task_root, timeout_secs: 600 } }

cwd_mode: task_root is the #1 gotcha — see ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md.

Phase 7 — workflows.yaml

Write to .animus/workflows/workflows.yaml. Always include: conductor-loop, implement (with qa-changes gate), review-pr. Add others based on Phase 1.

default_workflow_ref: implement

workflows:
  - id: conductor-loop
    name: "Conductor Loop"
    description: "Sweep state, prioritize, queue at most one dispatch"
    phases: [conductor-sweep]

  - id: implement
    name: "Implement"
    phases:
      - implement-feature
      - install-deps
      - build-check
      - lint-check
      - push-branch
      - create-pr
      - wait-for-ci
      - qa-changes:
          on_verdict:
            rework: { target: implement-feature }
            fail:   { target: implement-feature }
          max_rework_attempts: 3
      - review-pr:
          on_verdict:
            rework: { target: implement-feature }
          max_rework_attempts: 2

  - id: review-pr
    phases: [review-pr]

  # Add by work character:
  - id: implement-codex   # for the second-opinion route
    phases: [implement-feature-codex, install-deps, build-check, lint-check, push-branch, create-pr, wait-for-ci, qa-changes]
  - id: fix-build         # critical/kill-criterion workflow
    phases: [fix-build, install-deps, build-check, qa-changes]
  - id: scan-security     # read-only producer
    phases: [scan-security]

For richer patterns (scan-type, chained creative pipelines, multi-surface deploy, review-then-rework as separate phase) see ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md.

Phase 8 — schedules.yaml

Write to .animus/workflows/schedules.yaml. Stagger cron offsets — never start everything on the minute.

Match cadence to Phase 1's preference. Examples:

# Aggressive (default for active development):
schedules:
  - { id: conductor,         cron: "0,30 * * * *",  workflow_ref: conductor-loop }
  - { id: memory-curator,    cron: "15 */2 * * *",  workflow_ref: curate-memory }
  - { id: e2e-periodic,      cron: "45 */6 * * *",  workflow_ref: e2e-test }

# Steady (default for stable projects):
schedules:
  - { id: conductor,         cron: "0 * * * *",     workflow_ref: conductor-loop }
  - { id: memory-curator,    cron: "30 */4 * * *",  workflow_ref: curate-memory }

# Conservative (mostly on-demand):
schedules:
  - { id: conductor,         cron: "0 */6 * * *",   workflow_ref: conductor-loop }

If Phase 1 said "fleet of repos" or "dual-brain", add:

  - { id: product-owner-codex, cron: "30 * * * *",   workflow_ref: product-owner-codex-loop }
  - { id: competitive-scan,    cron: "0 8 * * *",    workflow_ref: competitive-scan }

Phase 9 — mcp-servers.yaml

Write to .animus/workflows/mcp-servers.yaml. Wire the MCP servers the agents in Phase 5 reference.

mcp_servers:
  animus:
    command: animus
    args: ["--project-root", ".", "mcp", "serve"]
  memory:
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-memory"]
  github:
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
  context7:
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp"]
  sequential-thinking:
    command: npx
    args: ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"]

Only include servers actually referenced in Phase 5 — extras burn agent context.

Phase 10 — scripts/

Create scripts/ at project root with at least these two:

scripts/repo-health.sh (per ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md — DRYs the 3–5 separate Bash calls every implementer/tester would otherwise make):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
SURFACE="${1:?Usage: repo-health.sh <surface-id>}"
cd "$HOME/brain/repos/$SURFACE"
echo "=== HEALTH: $SURFACE @ $(git log --oneline -1) ==="
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile 2>&1 | tail -3
pnpm build 2>&1 | tail -10
pnpm lint  2>&1 | tail -10
pnpm test  2>&1 | tail -10

scripts/sweep-dispatch.sh — batch-enqueue:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
for title in "$@"; do
  animus queue enqueue --title "$title" --workflow-ref implement
done
animus queue list

chmod +x both. Add more scripts when Phase 1 implies them (deploy verify, design audit, parity scans, etc.) — see ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md "Scan-Type Workflows".

Phase 11 — reports/ directory

Create reports/ at project root. Drop a .gitkeep. Pre-create the subdirs the workflows in Phase 7 will write to: health/, security/, parity/ (if fleet), design/ (if UI), blockers/ (always — conductor escalation reports land here).

reports/ is committed to git so it survives daemon restarts and becomes auditable. Specialists write; conductor reads. See ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md "Reports Directory Convention".

Phase 12 — CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md for Codex)

Write or extend project CLAUDE.md with an Animus section so any agent picking up the repo knows how it's organized:

## Animus

This project runs an Animus daemon (single-daemon SDLC). Conductor sweeps every <cadence>.

- **VISION.md** — product vision, north star metric
- **.animus/workflows/AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md** — ship targets, gates, kill criteria
- **.animus/workflows/{agents,phases,workflows,schedules,mcp-servers}.yaml** — daemon config
- **scripts/** — repo-health.sh, sweep-dispatch.sh, ...
- **reports/** — specialist outputs the conductor reads each sweep
- Per-task worktrees are daemon-managed under `~/.animus/<repo>-<hash>/worktrees/task-<task-id>`

Watch the daemon: `animus daemon stream --pretty`
Sweep priorities: `.animus/workflows/AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md` §3

Phase 13 — verify end-to-end

Don't declare done until you've watched a real task complete.

# 1. Validate config
animus workflow config validate
animus workflow definitions list
animus daemon preflight

# 2. Start the daemon
animus daemon start --autonomous --auto-run-ready true --pool-size 3 --interval-secs 10
animus daemon health

# 3. Create one real task that exercises the implement workflow
animus subject create --kind task --title "<surface>:bootstrap-smoke-test" --priority high \
  --body "Add a NOTES.md file at repo root with one sentence about the project. Verify worktree, commit, PR flow."

# 4. Enqueue and watch
animus queue enqueue --task-id <task-id-returned-by-subject-create>
animus daemon stream --pretty

Confirm in the stream:

• A phase event for implement-feature starting
• An llm event with the implementer model
• A phase event for qa-changes returning approve
• A PR opened (runner or phase event with the PR URL)

If the conductor schedule is firing but produces no dispatch within 60s of fire, drop into:

animus daemon stream --workflow conductor-loop --pretty

…and look at the conductor agent's actual output. If it loaded principles + reports and produced no dispatch, the sweep priorities aren't matching reality (typically: kill criteria too narrow, ship score not moving). See ../animus-workflow-patterns/SKILL.md "Watching the Conductor Work".

Final hand-off

Tell the user, in this order:

1. The artifacts that landed (file list, with one-line each).
2. How to watch the daemon (animus daemon stream --pretty).
3. How to tune principles without restarting (edit .animus/workflows/AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md).
4. How to add a new specialist (edit .animus/workflows/agents.yaml, add a workflow that uses it, restart daemon).
5. The first real task they should queue (something concrete from VISION.md's 90-day success criteria).

Do not offer to "tune the conductor" or "add more workflows" as a follow-up — let them run the smoke test, see autonomous work happen, and come back with their own asks.

Anti-patterns specific to bootstrap

1. Generating VISION.md from a one-line prompt. Pushes the user into editing a generic template. Always do the discovery interview first.
2. Skipping AGENT_PRINCIPLES.md "because the conductor's prompt is enough." The whole point of separating them is restart-free policy iteration — burying ship targets in system_prompt: defeats it.
3. Wiring every MCP server "just in case." Each one in mcp_servers: adds tokens to every agent invocation. Wire only what Phase 5's agents reference.
4. Cron storms. Every schedule on 0 * * * * causes minute-rollover storms. Stagger by 5–15 min offsets (see ../animus-agent-personas/SKILL.md "Recommended Cron Schedule").
5. Auto-merge on a fresh setup. Even if the user wants it, default each workflow's post_success.merge.auto_merge to false for the first week. (The old daemon-level auto_merge key was removed in v0.5.x — merge policy lives per workflow now.) Let them watch the conductor work, then flip.
6. Bootstrapping without a real task. A daemon with no work is unobservable. Phase 13's smoke test is non-optional — without it you cannot verify the wiring.