cortex-init

Initialize Full Cortex Framework

Initialize both the context framework and project guidelines in one command. Runs context-init first, then guidelines-init. Because context-init creates CONVENTIONS.md before guidelines-init runs, guidelines-init's existing CONVENTIONS.md integration logic handles the cross-reference automatically — no orchestrator wiring needed.

Arguments

Argument	Guidelines mode
(empty)	Simple — flat rules list, minimal interview
--simple	Simple — same as empty
--full	Full — categorized rules with severity tags, comprehensive interview

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Step 1: Pre-flight

1a. Detect existing artifacts

Check for:

• .context/ directory
• CLAUDE.md or .github/copilot-instructions.md in the project root
• PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md in the project root

If any exist, tell the user what was found and ask:

"These files already exist. Do you want to reinitialize? This will overwrite them."

If the user declines, stop.

1b. Determine guidelines mode

• If --full was passed: use full mode
• If --simple was passed or no argument: use simple mode

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Step 2: Run Context Init

Read skills/context-init/SKILL.md and follow its instructions with these adjustments:

• Skip its "Check if already initialized" step — already handled in pre-flight
• Do NOT suggest a commit at the end — the combined commit happens in Step 4

Everything else runs as documented: environment detection, file selection prompt, directory creation, template copying, codebase analysis, placeholder filling.

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Step 3: Run Guidelines Init

Read skills/guidelines-init/SKILL.md and follow its instructions with these adjustments:

• Pass the guidelines mode determined in Step 1b (simple or full)
• If reinitializing and PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md already exists: follow the existing-guidelines edge case logic from the skill
• Do NOT suggest a commit at the end — the combined commit happens in Step 4

Everything else runs as documented. Because context-init already created CONVENTIONS.md in Step 2, guidelines-init's existing CONVENTIONS.md integration logic will naturally detect it, migrate any code quality rules, and add the cross-reference.

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Step 4: Summary and Commit

1. List created files grouped by system:

   • Context Framework: bootloader file, .context/ files created
   • Guidelines: PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md (mode used, rule count or category count)

2. Note the cross-reference: "CONVENTIONS.md references PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md as the source of truth for code quality rules."

3. Suggest a single commit:

   git add .context/ [bootloader] PROJECT_GUIDELINES.md
   git commit -m "Initialize cortex framework (context + guidelines)"
   

4. Mention next steps:

   • Run /context-session at the start of each session
   • Run /guidelines-review to check code against the generated guidelines

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Rules

• Always run context-init before guidelines-init (CONVENTIONS.md must exist for guidelines-init to detect)
• Do NOT suggest separate commits — always suggest a single combined commit
• If context-init fails, ask the user if they want to continue with just guidelines-init
• If guidelines-init fails, the context framework is still intact — suggest running /guidelines-init separately to retry