home / skills / yellinzero / aico / init

init skill

safe

This skill initializes the PM constitution by guiding prompts and creating the constitution document to establish constraints and domain info.

npx playbooks add skill yellinzero/aico --skill init

Review the files below or copy the command above to add this skill to your agents.

Files (2)

SKILL.md

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---
name: aico-pm-init
description: |
  Initialize PM environment by creating constitution document from template.

  Use this skill when:
  - Running /pm.init command
  - User asks to "initialize PM", "setup product management", "create constitution"
  - Starting a new project and need to establish product constraints and domain info
  - Need to create docs/reference/pm/constitution.md for a new project
---

# PM Init

Initialize the product constitution document that provides shared constraints and domain information for all PM activities.

## Language Configuration

Before generating any content, check `aico.json` in project root for `language` field to determine the output language. If not set, default to English.

## Process

1. **Check existing**: Look for `docs/reference/pm/constitution.md`
2. **If exists**: Ask user if they want to overwrite or update specific sections
3. **If not exists**:
   - Read template from `references/constitution.template.md`
   - Guide user through questions to fill template
4. **Save output**: Write to `docs/reference/pm/constitution.md`

## Document Header Format

All generated documents MUST use this unified header format:

```markdown
# [Document Title]

> Project: [project-name]
> Created: YYYY-MM-DD
> Last Updated: YYYY-MM-DD
```

## Guided Questions

Ask user about:

| Section          | Questions                                                  |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Product Overview | Product name? One-line description? Target users?          |
| Domain Info      | Industry/market? Key terminology? Compliance requirements? |
| Constraints      | Technical stack? Business constraints?                     |
| Standards        | Documentation language? Naming conventions?                |

## Template

See `references/constitution.template.md` for the full constitution template.

## Update Instructions File

After creating constraint files, update the project's AI instructions file to reference them:

1. **Check for existing instructions file**:
   - Look for `CLAUDE.md` (Claude Code) or `AGENTS.md` (Codex) in project root
   - If neither exists, create `CLAUDE.md`

2. **Add reference section** at the end of the file:

   ```markdown
   ## Reference Documents

   The following constraint documents should be read before starting work:

   - `docs/reference/pm/constitution.md` - Product constitution with domain info and constraints
   ```

3. **If file already has Reference Documents section**: Append the new reference if not already present

## Output

```
✓ Created docs/reference/pm/constitution.md
✓ Updated CLAUDE.md with reference to constitution
✓ PM environment initialized
```

## Key Rules

- ALWAYS use the unified header format
- MUST guide user through key questions before generating
- ALWAYS save to `docs/reference/pm/constitution.md`
- MUST update CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md with reference to constraint files

Overview

This skill initializes a product management environment by creating a product constitution document from a template and wiring it into the project instructions. It guides the user through concise, required questions, enforces a unified document header, and writes the result to docs/reference/pm/constitution.md. The skill also ensures the project AI instructions reference the new constitution file.

How this skill works

The skill checks for an existing docs/reference/pm/constitution.md and asks whether to overwrite or update sections if found. If missing, it reads the template at references/constitution.template.md, prompts the user with focused questions for each section, generates the constitution using the unified header format, and saves it to docs/reference/pm/constitution.md. Finally, it updates or creates CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md to include a Reference Documents entry pointing to the new constitution.

When to use it

Running the /pm.init command to set up PM artifacts
Starting a new project and establishing domain constraints and product context
When asked to "initialize PM", "setup product management", or "create constitution"
Need to create docs/reference/pm/constitution.md for project-wide use
Preparing AI instructions so agents respect product constraints

Best practices

Confirm aico.json language setting before generating content; default to English if absent
Review existing constitution.md and choose update instead of overwrite when preserving history
Answer guided questions succinctly: product overview, domain info, constraints, and standards
Keep technical and business constraints explicit and actionable for agents and contributors
Verify CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md is updated to include the new Reference Documents entry

Example use cases

Bootstrapping a new product repo to give AI agents clear domain and constraint guidance
Onboarding a new PM to produce a one-page constitution that defines scope and standards
Migrating an informal product brief into a standardized docs/reference/pm/constitution.md
Ensuring AI agents and contributors reference the same constraint document by updating CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md

FAQ

What if docs/reference/pm/constitution.md already exists?

The skill will ask whether to overwrite the file entirely or update specific sections; choose update to preserve prior content.

Which instruction file is updated after creation?

The skill prefers CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md in project root; if neither exists it creates CLAUDE.md and appends a Reference Documents section linking to the new constitution.