version: "1.0.0" name: "Init" description: Initialize Genesis Spec-Kit in a project — scaffold .genesis/ and determine the project mode (greenfield, brownfield, lowfield). Use when setting up the kit for the first time. argument-hint: "[project-path] [--mode greenfield|brownfield|lowfield]"

Init — Scaffold Genesis Spec-Kit

Set up the kit's file-backed scaffolding in a project and establish its mode. Everything the kit does afterward reads from the files this step creates.

Process

1. Check for an existing install. If .genesis/ already exists, ask whether to reinitialize (overwrite kit system files, preserve all user artifacts) or stop. On reinitialize, preserve: constitution/, project-state.md, discovery/, design/, features/.

1. Determine the mode. If --mode is given, use it. Otherwise scan the directory and recommend:

• Empty (only .git) → Greenfield — a new project from scratch.
• Files present → Brownfield — an existing codebase needing structure.
• Lowfield — a content or creative project (novel, research corpus, knowledge base). Lowfield is always an explicit choice, never auto-detected.

Present all three and let the user confirm.

1. Resolve the project name from package.json / Cargo.toml / pyproject.toml / etc., or ask.

1. Create the directory structure:

`` .genesis/ ├── constitution/ # supreme law (populated by /genesis-constitute) ├── discovery/ # project profile (populated by /genesis-discover) ├── design/ # project-level design docs │ ├── technical/ │ ├── user-journeys/ │ ├── systems/ │ └── decisions/ # ADRs ├── features/ # per-feature artifacts ├── templates/ # copied from the kit ├── hooks/ # optional git hooks ├── furnace.json # deferred-idea backlog (starts empty) └── project-state.md # the live state file ``

1. Copy the kit templates into .genesis/templates/ (constitution, spec, micro-spec, feature-design, north-star, discovery-{greenfield,brownfield,lowfield}, design-inputs).

1. Seed `furnace.json`: { "entries": [] }.

1. Write `project-state.md` from the template: project name, mode, init date, current phase Initialized, and empty sections for Active Features, Completed Features, Key Decisions, Constitutional Amendments, Open Questions, Blockers.

1. Generate or update `CLAUDE.md` with: the project name, the mode, an instruction to read the constitution and project-state.md at session start, and a one-line command reference pointing at /genesis-help.

1. Git: if no repo exists, git init and write a .gitignore. Stage only the kit scaffolding and commit: genesis: initialize spec-kit scaffolding.

1. Print a mode-specific welcome with next steps (constitute → discover → brainstorm).

Mode additions

• Brownfield: run the codebase scan from discovery-brownfield.md and pre-populate the discovery findings; note brownfield audit-scoping rules (audits scoped to changed files; findings classified inherited vs introduced).
• Lowfield: use the content-oriented templates; the work-unit registry is built later by /genesis-discover.

Constraints

• MUST NOT modify any existing non-kit files (no edits to package.json, source files, etc.).
• MUST NOT run builds, tests, or install dependencies.
• MUST NOT create files outside .genesis/, .claude/, and CLAUDE.md.
• MUST preserve all user artifacts on reinitialize.
• MUST commit only kit scaffolding, never unrelated changes.

Next step

Run /genesis-constitute to establish the project's constitution.

Natural language triggers

- "initialize genesis"
- "set up the spec kit"
- "start a new project"
- "onboard this project"