New Project Setup

Run through this when starting any new project.

Repository Setup

• Create GitHub repo (org or personal)
• Clone locally
• Add .gitignore (use GitHub's template for your language)
• Create CLAUDE.md from templates/claude-md-starter.md
• Create README.md with project overview and setup instructions

GitHub Configuration

• Create GitHub Project board (Kanban: To Do → In Progress → Testing → Done)

• Add labels to repo (see labels.yml):

  # Priority labels
  gh label create "P0-critical" --color "B60205" --description "Critical priority" --repo <repo>
  gh label create "P1-high" --color "D93F0B" --description "High priority" --repo <repo>
  gh label create "P2-medium" --color "FBCA04" --description "Medium priority" --repo <repo>
  gh label create "P3-low" --color "0E8A16" --description "Low priority" --repo <repo>

• Add PR template: .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md (from templates/pull-request.md)

• Add issue templates: .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ (from templates/)

• Enable branch protection on main (if on paid plan):

  • Require PR before merging
  • Require CI status checks to pass
  • Do not allow force pushes

CI/CD

• Create .github/workflows/ci.yml (follow process/ci-cd.md)
• Verify CI runs on push and PR
• Ensure tests block the pipeline (no continue-on-error)
• Add GitHub Secrets for any required environment variables

Development Environment

• docker-compose.yml for local services (DB, cache, etc.)
• .env.example with all required env vars (no real values)
• Verify: git clone → install → run → tests pass (fresh machine test)
• Document setup steps in README or CLAUDE.md

Code Quality

• Linter configured and running in CI
• Formatter configured (or format check in CI)
• Type checking enabled (TypeScript strict, mypy, etc.)
• Pre-commit hooks (optional but recommended): lint + format on commit

First Issue

• Create the first issue on the board (project scaffold or first feature)
• Assign priority label
• Add to the project board
• Start working using the branch → PR → merge flow from day one