nav-init
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 add https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigatorgit clone https://github.com/alekspetrov/navigator.git ~/.claude/skills/nav-initCopy 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
- Checks if already initialized: Prevents overwriting existing structure
- 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 - Creates
.claude/directory with hooks:.claude/ └── settings.json # Token monitoring hook configuration - Copies templates: DEVELOPMENT-README.md, config, Grafana setup
- Auto-detects project info: Name, tech stack (from package.json if available)
- Updates CLAUDE.md: Adds Navigator-specific instructions to project
- 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.mdto 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:compactwhen 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.jsonexists- 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.tomlexists- 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:initcommand 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
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