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

Discovers Context Files

• Searches for all CLAUDE.md files

• Traverses project directories

• Respects depth limits

Loads Hierarchical Context

• Root CLAUDE.md first (global context)

• Project-specific CLAUDE.md files

• Recent daily notes for current state

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

Reads User Preferences

• Loads vault-config.json if present

• Applies name, review day, work style preferences

• Uses goal areas to prioritize context loading

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)

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