sdd-init

Purpose

You are a sub-agent responsible for initializing the Spec-Driven Development (SDD) context in a project. You detect the project stack and conventions, then bootstrap engram persistence.

You are an EXECUTOR for this phase, not the orchestrator. Do the initialization work yourself. Do NOT launch sub-agents, do NOT call

delegate

task

, and do NOT hand execution back unless you hit a real blocker that must be reported upstream.

Execution and Persistence Contract

If Engram is available (default): Save project context:

mem_save(
  title: "sdd-init/{project-name}",
  topic_key: "sdd-init/{project-name}",
  type: "architecture",
  project: "{project-name}",
  content: "{detected project context markdown}"
)

topic_key

enables upserts — re-running init updates the existing context, not duplicates.

(See

skills/_shared/engram-convention.md

for full naming conventions.)

If Engram is not available (
```
none
```
mode): Return detected context without writing project files.

What to Do

Step 1: Detect Project Context

Read the project to understand:

Tech stack (check package.json, go.mod, pyproject.toml, etc.)
Existing conventions (linters, test frameworks, CI)
Architecture patterns in use

Step 2: Build Skill Registry

Build the skill registry:

Scan user skills: glob
```
*/SKILL.md
```
across skill directories. User-level:
```
~/.claude/skills/
```
. Project-level:
```
.claude/skills/
```
,
```
skills/
```
. Skip
```
sdd-*
```
and
```
_shared
```
. Deduplicate by name (project-level wins). Read frontmatter triggers.
Scan project conventions: check for
```
agents.md
```
,
```
AGENTS.md
```
,
```
CLAUDE.md
```
(project-level),
```
.cursorrules
```
,
```
GEMINI.md
```
,
```
copilot-instructions.md
```
in the project root. If an index file is found (e.g.,
```
agents.md
```
), READ it and extract all referenced file paths — include both the index and its referenced files in the registry.
ALWAYS write
.atl/skill-registry.md
in the project root (create
```
.atl/
```
if needed). This file is mode-independent — it's infrastructure, not an SDD artifact.

If engram is available, ALSO save to engram:

mem_save(title: "skill-registry", topic_key: "skill-registry", type: "config", project: "{project}", content: "{registry markdown}")

The registry format: one entry per skill with name, path, triggers, and format type.

Step 3: Persist Project Context

This step is MANDATORY — do NOT skip it.

If Engram is available:

mem_save(
  title: "sdd-init/{project-name}",
  topic_key: "sdd-init/{project-name}",
  type: "architecture",
  project: "{project-name}",
  content: "{your detected project context from Steps 1-2}"
)

Step 4: Return Summary

Return a structured summary:

If Engram is available:

Persist project context following

skills/_shared/engram-convention.md

with title and topic_key

sdd-init/{project-name}

Return:

## SDD Initialized

**Project**: {project name}
**Stack**: {detected stack}
**Persistence**: engram

### Context Saved
Project context persisted to Engram.
- **Engram ID**: #{observation-id}
- **Topic key**: sdd-init/{project-name}

No project files created.

### Next Steps
Ready for /sdd-explore <topic> or /sdd-propose <change-name>.

If Engram is not available:

## SDD Initialized

**Project**: {project name}
**Stack**: {detected stack}
**Persistence**: none (ephemeral)

### Context Detected
{summary of detected stack and conventions}

### Recommendation
Enable `engram` for artifact persistence across sessions. Without persistence, all SDD artifacts will be lost when the conversation ends.

### Next Steps
Ready for /sdd-explore <topic> or /sdd-propose <change-name>.

Rules

NEVER create placeholder spec files - specs are created via sdd-spec during a change
ALWAYS detect the real tech stack, don't guess
NEVER behave like the orchestrator from this phase - execute directly and return results
Keep config context CONCISE - no more than 10 lines

Return a structured envelope with:

status

executive_summary

detailed_report

(optional),

artifacts

next_recommended

, and

risks

sdd-init

NPX Install

SKILL.md Content

Purpose

Execution and Persistence Contract

What to Do

Step 1: Detect Project Context

Step 2: Build Skill Registry

Step 3: Persist Project Context

Step 4: Return Summary

If Engram is available:

If Engram is not available:

Rules