bootstrap
Project bootstrapping orchestrator for repos that depend on Vercel-linked resources (databases, auth, and managed integrations). Use when setting up or repairing a repository so linking, environment provisioning, env pulls, and first-run db/dev commands happen in the correct safe order.
Best use case
bootstrap is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
Project bootstrapping orchestrator for repos that depend on Vercel-linked resources (databases, auth, and managed integrations). Use when setting up or repairing a repository so linking, environment provisioning, env pulls, and first-run db/dev commands happen in the correct safe order.
Teams using bootstrap should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How bootstrap Compares
| Feature / Agent | bootstrap | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
Project bootstrapping orchestrator for repos that depend on Vercel-linked resources (databases, auth, and managed integrations). Use when setting up or repairing a repository so linking, environment provisioning, env pulls, and first-run db/dev commands happen in the correct safe order.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
SKILL.md Source
# Project Bootstrap Orchestrator
Execute bootstrap in strict order. Do not run migrations or development server until project linking and environment verification are complete.
## Rules
- Do not run `db:push`, `db:migrate`, `db:seed`, or `dev` until Vercel linking is complete and env keys are verified.
- Prefer Vercel-managed provisioning (`vercel integration ...`) for shared resources.
- Use provider CLIs only as fallback when Vercel integration flow is unavailable.
- Never echo secret values in terminal output, logs, or summaries.
## Preflight
1. Confirm Vercel CLI is installed and authenticated.
```bash
vercel --version
vercel whoami
```
2. Confirm repo linkage by checking `.vercel/project.json`.
3. If not linked, inspect available teams/projects before asking the user to choose:
```bash
vercel teams ls
vercel projects ls --scope <team>
vercel link --yes --scope <team> --project <project>
```
4. Find the env template in priority order: `.env.example`, `.env.sample`, `.env.template`.
5. Create local env file if missing:
```bash
cp .env.example .env.local
```
## Resource Setup: Postgres
### Preferred path (Vercel-managed Neon)
1. Read integration setup guidance:
```bash
vercel integration guide neon
```
2. Add Neon integration to the Vercel scope:
```bash
vercel integration add neon --scope <team>
```
3. Verify expected environment variable names exist in Vercel and pull locally:
```bash
vercel env ls
vercel env pull .env.local --yes
```
### Fallback path 1 (Dashboard)
1. Provision Neon through the Vercel dashboard integration UI.
2. Re-run `vercel env pull .env.local --yes`.
### Fallback path 2 (Neon CLI)
Use Neon CLI only when Vercel-managed provisioning is unavailable. After creating resources, add required env vars in Vercel and pull again.
## AUTH_SECRET Generation
Generate a high-entropy secret without printing it, then store it in Vercel and refresh local env:
```bash
AUTH_SECRET="$(node -e "console.log(require('node:crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('base64url'))")"
printf "%s" "$AUTH_SECRET" | vercel env add AUTH_SECRET development preview production
unset AUTH_SECRET
vercel env pull .env.local --yes
```
## Env Verification
Compare required keys from template file against `.env.local` keys (names only, never values):
```bash
template_file=""
for candidate in .env.example .env.sample .env.template; do
if [ -f "$candidate" ]; then
template_file="$candidate"
break
fi
done
comm -23 \
<(grep -E '^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*=' "$template_file" | cut -d '=' -f 1 | sort -u) \
<(grep -E '^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*=' .env.local | cut -d '=' -f 1 | sort -u)
```
Proceed only when missing key list is empty.
## App Setup
After linkage + env verification:
```bash
npm run db:push
npm run db:seed
npm run dev
```
Use the repository package manager (`npm`, `pnpm`, `bun`, or `yarn`) and run only scripts that exist in `package.json`.
## UI Baseline for Next.js + shadcn Projects
After linkage and env verification, establish the UI foundation before feature work:
1. Add a baseline primitive set: `npx shadcn@latest add button card input label textarea select switch tabs dialog alert-dialog sheet dropdown-menu badge separator skeleton table`
2. Apply the Geist font fix in `layout.tsx` and `globals.css`.
3. Confirm the app shell uses `bg-background text-foreground`.
4. Default to dark mode for product, admin, and AI apps unless the repo is clearly marketing-first.
## Bootstrap Verification
Confirm each checkpoint:
- `vercel whoami` succeeds.
- `.vercel/project.json` exists and matches chosen project.
- Postgres integration path completed (Vercel integration, dashboard, or provider CLI fallback).
- `vercel env pull .env.local --yes` succeeds.
- Required env key diff is empty.
- Database command status is recorded (`db:push`, `db:seed`, `db:migrate`, `db:generate` as applicable).
- `dev` command starts without immediate config/auth/env failure.
If verification fails, stop and report exact failing step plus remediation.
## Summary Format
Return a final bootstrap summary in this format:
```md
## Bootstrap Result
- **Linked Project**: <team>/<project>
- **Resource Path**: vercel-integration-neon | dashboard-neon | neon-cli
- **Env Keys**: <count> required, <count> present, <count> missing
- **Secrets**: AUTH_SECRET set in Vercel (value never shown)
- **Migration Status**: not-run | success | failed (<step>)
- **Dev Result**: not-run | started | failed
```
## Bootstrap Next Steps
- If env keys are still missing, add the missing keys in Vercel and re-run `vercel env pull .env.local --yes`.
- If DB commands fail, fix connectivity/schema issues and re-run only the failed db step.
- If `dev` fails, resolve runtime errors, then restart with your package manager's `run dev`.
## next-forge Projects
If the project was scaffolded with `npx next-forge init` (detected by `pnpm-workspace.yaml` + `packages/auth` + `packages/database` + `@repo/*` imports):
1. Env files are per-app (`apps/app/.env.local`, `apps/web/.env.local`, `apps/api/.env.local`) plus `packages/database/.env`.
2. Run `pnpm migrate` (not `db:push`) — it runs `prisma format` + `prisma generate` + `prisma db push`.
3. Minimum env vars: `DATABASE_URL`, `CLERK_SECRET_KEY`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_WEB_URL`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL`.
4. Optional services (Stripe, Resend, PostHog, etc.) can be skipped initially — but remove their `@repo/*` imports from app `env.ts` files to avoid validation errors.
5. Deploy as 3 separate Vercel projects with root directories `apps/app`, `apps/api`, `apps/web`.
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