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nav-init

alekspetrov
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Metaword

About

The nav-init skill automatically sets up the Navigator documentation structure in a project when triggered by commands like "Initialize Navigator" or "Set up Navigator." It creates the `.agent/` directory with templates and configuration while preventing overwrites of existing structures. This provides developers with a ready-to-use documentation framework for their projects.

Quick Install

Claude Code

Recommended
Plugin CommandRecommended
/plugin add https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator
Git CloneAlternative
git clone https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator.git ~/.claude/skills/nav-init

Copy and paste this command in Claude Code to install this skill

Documentation

Navigator Initialization Skill

Purpose

Creates the Navigator documentation structure (.agent/) in a new project, copies templates, and sets up initial configuration.

When This Skill Auto-Invokes

  • "Initialize Navigator in this project"
  • "Set up Navigator documentation structure"
  • "Create .agent folder for Navigator"
  • "Bootstrap Navigator for my project"

What This Skill Does

  1. Checks if already initialized: Prevents overwriting existing structure
  2. Creates .agent/ directory structure:
    .agent/
    ├── DEVELOPMENT-README.md
    ├── .nav-config.json
    ├── tasks/
    ├── system/
    ├── sops/
    │   ├── integrations/
    │   ├── debugging/
    │   ├── development/
    │   └── deployment/
    └── grafana/
        ├── docker-compose.yml
        ├── prometheus.yml
        ├── grafana-datasource.yml
        ├── grafana-dashboards.yml
        ├── navigator-dashboard.json
        └── README.md
    
  3. Creates .claude/ directory with hooks:
    .claude/
    └── settings.json    # Token monitoring hook configuration
    
  4. Copies templates: DEVELOPMENT-README.md, config, Grafana setup
  5. Auto-detects project info: Name, tech stack (from package.json if available)
  6. Updates CLAUDE.md: Adds Navigator-specific instructions to project
  7. Creates .gitignore entries: Excludes temporary Navigator files

Execution Steps

1. Check if Already Initialized

if [ -d ".agent" ]; then
    echo "✅ Navigator already initialized in this project"
    echo ""
    echo "To start a session: 'Start my Navigator session'"
    echo "To view documentation: Read .agent/DEVELOPMENT-README.md"
    exit 0
fi

2. Detect Project Information

Read package.json, pyproject.toml, go.mod, Cargo.toml, or similar to extract:

  • Project name
  • Tech stack
  • Dependencies

Fallback: Use current directory name if no config found.

3. Create Directory Structure

Use Write tool to create:

.agent/
.agent/tasks/
.agent/system/
.agent/sops/integrations/
.agent/sops/debugging/
.agent/sops/development/
.agent/sops/deployment/
.agent/grafana/

4. Copy Templates

Copy from plugin's templates/ directory to .agent/:

DEVELOPMENT-README.md:

  • Replace ${PROJECT_NAME} with detected project name
  • Replace ${TECH_STACK} with detected stack
  • Replace ${DATE} with current date

.nav-config.json:

{
  "version": "4.6.0",
  "project_name": "${PROJECT_NAME}",
  "tech_stack": "${TECH_STACK}",
  "project_management": "none",
  "task_prefix": "TASK",
  "team_chat": "none",
  "auto_load_navigator": true,
  "compact_strategy": "conservative"
}

Grafana Setup: Copy all Grafana dashboard files to enable metrics visualization:

# Find plugin installation directory
PLUGIN_DIR="${HOME}/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/jitd-marketplace"

# Copy Grafana files if plugin has them
if [ -d "${PLUGIN_DIR}/.agent/grafana" ]; then
  cp -r "${PLUGIN_DIR}/.agent/grafana/"* .agent/grafana/
  echo "✓ Grafana dashboard installed"
else
  echo "⚠️  Grafana files not found in plugin"
fi

Files copied:

  • docker-compose.yml (Grafana + Prometheus stack)
  • prometheus.yml (scrape config for Claude Code metrics)
  • grafana-datasource.yml (Prometheus datasource config)
  • grafana-dashboards.yml (dashboard provider config)
  • navigator-dashboard.json (10-panel Navigator metrics dashboard)
  • README.md (setup instructions)

5. Update Project CLAUDE.md

If CLAUDE.md exists:

  • Append Navigator-specific sections
  • Keep existing project customizations

If CLAUDE.md doesn't exist:

  • Copy templates/CLAUDE.md to project root
  • Customize with project info

6. Setup Token Monitoring Hook

Create .claude/settings.json for token budget monitoring:

mkdir -p .claude

cat > .claude/settings.json << 'EOF'
{
  "hooks": {
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Write|Edit|Bash|Task",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "python3 \"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DIR}/hooks/monitor-tokens.py\"",
            "timeout": 5
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}
EOF

echo "✓ Token monitoring hook configured"

What this does:

  • Monitors context usage after each tool call
  • Warns at 70% usage, critical alert at 85%
  • Suggests /nav:compact when approaching limits

7. Create .gitignore Entries

Add to .gitignore if not present:

# Navigator context markers
.context-markers/

# Navigator temporary files
.agent/.nav-temp/

8. Success Message

✅ Navigator Initialized Successfully!

Created structure:
  📁 .agent/                    Navigator documentation
  📁 .agent/tasks/              Implementation plans
  📁 .agent/system/             Architecture docs
  📁 .agent/sops/               Standard procedures
  📁 .agent/grafana/            Metrics dashboard
  📄 .agent/.nav-config.json    Configuration
  📁 .claude/                   Claude Code hooks
  📄 .claude/settings.json      Token monitoring config
  📄 CLAUDE.md                  Updated with Navigator workflow

Next steps:
  1. Start session: "Start my Navigator session"
  2. Optional: Enable metrics - see .agent/sops/integrations/opentelemetry-setup.md
  3. Optional: Launch Grafana - cd .agent/grafana && docker compose up -d

Token monitoring is active - you'll be warned when approaching context limits.

Documentation: Read .agent/DEVELOPMENT-README.md

Error Handling

If .agent/ exists:

  • Don't overwrite
  • Show message: "Already initialized"

If templates not found:

  • Error: "Navigator plugin templates missing. Reinstall plugin."

If no write permissions:

  • Error: "Cannot create .agent/ directory. Check permissions."

Predefined Functions

project_detector.py

def detect_project_info(cwd: str) -> dict:
    """
    Detect project name and tech stack from config files.

    Checks (in order):
    1. package.json (Node.js)
    2. pyproject.toml (Python)
    3. go.mod (Go)
    4. Cargo.toml (Rust)
    5. composer.json (PHP)
    6. Gemfile (Ruby)

    Returns:
        {
            "name": "project-name",
            "tech_stack": "Next.js, TypeScript, Prisma",
            "detected_from": "package.json"
        }
    """

template_customizer.py

def customize_template(template_content: str, project_info: dict) -> str:
    """
    Replace placeholders in template with project-specific values.

    Placeholders:
    - ${PROJECT_NAME}
    - ${TECH_STACK}
    - ${DATE}
    - ${YEAR}

    Returns customized template content.
    """

Examples

Example 1: New Next.js Project

User says: "Initialize Navigator in this project"

Skill detects:

  • package.json exists
  • Name: "my-saas-app"
  • Dependencies: next, typescript, prisma

Result:

  • .agent/ created
  • DEVELOPMENT-README.md shows: "Project: My SaaS App"
  • DEVELOPMENT-README.md shows: "Tech Stack: Next.js, TypeScript, Prisma"
  • .nav-config.json has project_name: "my-saas-app"

Example 2: Python Project

User says: "Set up Navigator"

Skill detects:

  • pyproject.toml exists
  • Name: "ml-pipeline"
  • Dependencies: fastapi, pydantic, sqlalchemy

Result:

  • .agent/ created
  • Tech stack: "FastAPI, Pydantic, SQLAlchemy"

Example 3: Already Initialized

User says: "Initialize Navigator"

Skill checks:

  • .agent/ directory exists

Result:

✅ Navigator already initialized in this project

To start a session: 'Start my Navigator session'

Integration with Other Skills

nav-start skill:

  • Checks for .agent/DEVELOPMENT-README.md
  • If missing, suggests: "Initialize Navigator first"

nav-task skill:

  • Creates tasks in .agent/tasks/
  • Requires initialization

nav-sop skill:

  • Creates SOPs in .agent/sops/
  • Requires initialization

Version History

  • 1.0.0 (2025-01-20): Initial implementation
    • Auto-detection of project info
    • Template customization
    • Grafana setup included
    • Error handling for existing installations

Notes

  • This skill replaces the deleted /nav:init command from v2.x
  • Templates are copied from plugin installation directory
  • Project info detection is best-effort (falls back to directory name)
  • Safe to run multiple times (won't overwrite existing structure)

GitHub Repository

alekspetrov/navigator
Path: skills/nav-init

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