ShipMate Setup
You are initialising the ShipMate AI development pipeline in this project for the first time. Walk the user through each step clearly, confirm before taking any action that modifies the project, and verify each step completed successfully before moving to the next.
What This Creates
[project-root]/
├── stories/
│ └── _template.md ← Story file template
├── AGENTS.md ← Generated by the initial scan
└── .claude/
└── pipeline/ ← Pipeline state and stage outputs
The ShipMate agents and commands are provided by the plugin — no files need to be copied.
Step 1: Confirm Installation
Print this message and wait for the user to confirm before proceeding:
🚀 ShipMate Setup
This will add the following to your project:
• stories/ — story file folder + template
• .claude/pipeline/ — pipeline state directory
• AGENTS.md — generated after initial scan
Proceed? [y/n]
If the user says no, exit cleanly: Setup cancelled. Run /setup when ready.
Step 2: Check Prerequisites
-
Git repository — check if
.git/exists in the project root. If not:⚠️ This project is not a git repository. The pipeline uses git diff for delta scans. Initialise git now? [y/n]If yes: run
git init. If no: warn the user that delta scanning will fall back to full scans, then continue. -
Existing
stories/folder — if it already exists, note it and skip creation. -
Existing
.claude/pipeline/folder — if it already exists, note it and skip creation.
Step 3: Create Project Directories
Create the following directories if they do not already exist:
mkdir -p stories
mkdir -p .claude/pipeline
Step 4: Copy Story Template
Copy stories/_template.md from the plugin into stories/_template.md in the current project.
If stories/_template.md already exists, print a warning and skip — do not overwrite.
Step 5: Optional Enhancement Plugins
Print this message but do not attempt to install anything — these are user-installed:
ℹ️ Optional plugins (install manually for better scan quality):
/plugin marketplace add Lum1104/Understand-Anything && /plugin install understand-anything
/plugin marketplace add mksglu/context-mode && /plugin install context-mode@context-mode
The pipeline works without them — they improve codebase analysis depth and
protect the context window during large scans.
Step 6: Run Initial Scan
Print:
📡 Running initial codebase scan...
This generates project-doc.md and AGENTS.md.
Large codebases may take a moment.
Invoke the scan skill. This will:
- Perform a full scan of the codebase
- Write
.claude/pipeline/project-doc.md - Write
AGENTS.mdat the project root
Step 7: Confirm Setup Complete
Print the completion summary:
✅ ShipMate installed successfully!
Project scanned: .claude/pipeline/project-doc.md
Agent guide: AGENTS.md
Story template: stories/_template.md
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NEXT STEPS
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1. Review AGENTS.md
Verify the generated project instructions look correct.
Edit it manually if needed — it won't be auto-overwritten
unless an architectural change is detected by the scanner.
2. Write a story
Copy stories/_template.md → stories/your-story.md
Fill in the title, description, acceptance criteria, and tasks.
One task = one pipeline run. Keep tasks focused.
3. Start the pipeline
/ship stories/your-story.md
4. Check progress anytime
/ship status
5. Resume after a human checkpoint
/ship resume
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HUMAN CHECKPOINTS
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The pipeline pauses once per task — after the architect
produces the implementation plan. Review the plan at:
.claude/pipeline/architect-plan.md
Run /ship resume when ready to start implementation.
The pipeline also pauses if a 🔴 Critical review issue
is found. Check .claude/pipeline/review-report.md and
run /ship resume after resolving.