ballred/onboard

Onboard Skill

Interactive vault setup (first run) and context loading (subsequent runs).

Usage

/onboard                    # Full onboard (setup if first run, context load if not)
/onboard Projects/MyProject # Load specific project context

First-Run Setup

If the file FIRST_RUN exists in the vault root, this is a new vault. Run the interactive setup:

Step 1: Welcome

Greet the user and explain what will happen:

• "I'll ask a few questions to personalize your vault (~2 minutes)"
• "Your answers are saved locally in vault-config.json"
• "You can change these anytime by editing that file or running /onboard again"

Step 2: Ask Questions

Use AskUserQuestion to ask these interactively:

Question 1: Your name

• "What should I call you?"
• Used for personalized prompts and greetings

Question 2: Preferred review day

• "What day do you prefer for your weekly review?"
• Options: Sunday (Recommended), Saturday, Monday, Friday
• Used by /review auto-detection and session-init nudges

Question 3: Primary goal areas

• "Which areas are most important to you right now? (Pick 2-4)"
• Options: Career & Professional, Health & Wellness, Relationships, Personal Growth
• Also offer: Financial, Creativity & Fun, Learning, Other
• multiSelect: true
• Used to customize goal template suggestions

Question 4: Work style

• "How do you prefer Claude to interact?"
• Options: Direct and concise (Recommended), Coaching and challenging, Detailed and thorough, Minimal — just do the task
• Sets output style preference

Step 3: Save Configuration

Write vault-config.json in the vault root:

{
  "name": "User's name",
  "reviewDay": "Sunday",
  "goalAreas": ["Career & Professional", "Health & Wellness"],
  "workStyle": "Direct and concise",
  "setupDate": "2026-02-15",
  "version": "3.1"
}

Step 4: Personalize CLAUDE.md

Edit the root CLAUDE.md:

• Replace [CUSTOMIZE: Add your personal mission statement here] with a prompt based on their goal areas
• Update the "Current Focus" section to reference their chosen areas

Step 5: Remove First-Run Marker

rm FIRST_RUN

Step 6: Confirm Setup

Tell the user:

• "Your vault is set up! Here's what's available:"
• Brief cascade overview
• "Try /daily to start your first morning routine"
• "Try /review anytime — it auto-detects the right review type"

Then proceed to the standard context loading below.

Standard Context Loading (Subsequent Runs)

What This Skill Does

1. Discovers Context Files

   • Searches for all CLAUDE.md files
   • Traverses project directories
   • Respects depth limits

2. Loads Hierarchical Context

   • Root CLAUDE.md first (global context)
   • Project-specific CLAUDE.md files
   • Recent daily notes for current state

3. Scans Active Projects

   • Auto-discovers all Projects/*/CLAUDE.md files
   • Extracts project name, phase, progress, and goal linkage
   • Displays active project count and summary in onboard output

4. Reads User Preferences

   • Loads vault-config.json if present
   • Applies name, review day, work style preferences
   • Uses goal areas to prioritize context loading

5. Builds Understanding

   • Your personal mission/goals
   • Project structures and status
   • Workflow preferences
   • Custom conventions

Context Hierarchy

vault/
├── CLAUDE.md                 # [1] Global context - loaded first
├── Projects/
│   ├── Project A/
│   │   └── CLAUDE.md         # [2] Project context
│   └── Project B/
│       └── CLAUDE.md         # [3] Another project context
└── Areas/
    └── Health/
        └── CLAUDE.md         # [4] Area-specific context

CLAUDE.md File Structure

Root CLAUDE.md Should Include

# System Context for Claude

## Personal Mission
[Your life mission/purpose]

## Current Focus
[What you're working on now]

## Preferences
- Writing style: [Formal/Casual/Technical]
- Detail level: [High/Medium/Low]

## Conventions
- File naming: [Your patterns]
- Tag system: [Your tags]

Project CLAUDE.md Should Include

# Project: [Name]

## Overview
[What this project is about]

## Current Status
[Where things stand]

## Key Decisions
[Important choices made]

## Next Steps
[What needs to happen]

Smart Context Loading

Recent Activity

Automatically considers:

• Last 7 days of daily notes
• Current week's review
• Recently modified projects

Project Summary

When loading full context, include a project overview:

### Active Projects (N)
| Project | Phase | Progress | Goal |
|---------|-------|----------|------|
| [[ProjectA]] | Active | 60% | [[Goal 1]] |
| [[ProjectB]] | Planning | 10% | [[Goal 3]] |

Selective Loading

For focused assistance:

/onboard Projects/WebApp      # Only specific project
/onboard Goals                # Only goals context

Use Cases

Starting a Session

/onboard
"Help me plan my day based on my goals"

Project Work

/onboard Projects/MyApp
"Help me refactor the authentication module"

Weekly Planning

/onboard Goals
"Analyze my week and suggest improvements"

Context Variables

Your CLAUDE.md files can include preferences:

## Variables for Claude
- DEFAULT_LANGUAGE: JavaScript
- TIMEZONE: America/New_York
- COMMUNICATION_STYLE: Direct and concise

Best Practices

Keep Context Updated

• Review CLAUDE.md files monthly
• Update after major decisions
• Remove outdated information
• Add new learnings

Be Specific

• Clear project descriptions
• Specific preferences
• Concrete examples
• Defined conventions

Hierarchical Information

• Global → Area → Project → Task
• General → Specific
• Strategic → Tactical

Privacy & Security

Never Include in CLAUDE.md

• Passwords or credentials
• Personal identification numbers
• Financial account details
• Private API keys

Safe Context Examples

• "I work in healthcare technology"
• "My projects involve web development"
• "I prefer morning work sessions"

Integration

Works with:

• All other skills (provides context)
• /daily - Better daily planning with context
• /weekly - Informed weekly reviews
• /monthly - Monthly review with full context
• /project - Project status overview
• Goal tracking - Understand goal cascade