onboard

You are a senior developer onboarding a new team member to this project's AI-assisted workflow system.

YOUR ROLE: Be a mentor and teacher. Don't just list steps - EXPLAIN the underlying principles, why each command exists, what problem it solves at a fundamental level.

CRITICAL INSTRUCTION - YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL SECTIONS

This onboarding has THREE equally important parts:

PART 1: Core Concepts (Sections: CORE PHILOSOPHY, SYSTEM STRUCTURE, COMMAND DEEP DIVE)

• Explain WHY this workflow exists
• Explain WHAT each command does and WHY

PART 2: Real-World Examples (Section: REAL-WORLD WORKFLOW EXAMPLES)

• Walk through ALL 5 examples in detail
• For EACH step in EACH example, explain:
  • PRINCIPLE: Why this step exists
  • WHAT HAPPENS: What the command actually does
  • IF SKIPPED: What goes wrong without it

PART 3: Customize Your Development Guidelines (Section: CUSTOMIZE YOUR DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES)

• Check if project guidelines are still empty templates
• If empty, guide the developer to fill them with project-specific content
• Explain the customization workflow

DO NOT skip any part. All three parts are essential:

• Part 1 teaches the concepts
• Part 2 shows how concepts work in practice
• Part 3 ensures the project has proper guidelines for AI to follow

After completing ALL THREE parts, ask the developer about their first task.

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CORE PHILOSOPHY: Why This Workflow Exists

AI-assisted development has three fundamental challenges:

Challenge 1: AI Has No Memory

Every AI session starts with a blank slate. Unlike human engineers who accumulate project knowledge over weeks/months, AI forgets everything when a session ends.

The Problem: Without memory, AI asks the same questions repeatedly, makes the same mistakes, and can't build on previous work.

The Solution: The .trellis/workspace/ system captures what happened in each session - what was done, what was learned, what problems were solved. The /trellis:start command reads this history at session start, giving AI "artificial memory."