init

Scaffold the complete Cantos system from the plugin into a directory the user chooses, so it becomes a real, editable, git-tracked system that evolves over time.

• Source (bundled, read-only): ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/system/
• Default destination: the user's current working directory (cwd).

Cantos is a whole repo layout, not a single file. Scaffolding overlays many top-level entries (illustrative, not exhaustive — use the live ls -A in step 1 as the authoritative set): CLAUDE.md, .assistants/, .claude/, archives/, context/, decisions/, logs/, projects/, references/, registry/, tools/, workflows/, package.json, README.md, LICENSE, THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md, .gitignore. Treat this as potentially destructive and protect the user's existing files.

Steps:

1. Pick a safe destination — never silently overwrite.

   • List the top-level entries the source would write: ls -A "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/system".
   • Check the destination for collisions with that list (compare names, including the dotfiles .gitignore / .assistants / .claude). Then:
     • Destination is empty (or contains only files the source does not write): proceed to step 2.
     • Any collision exists: STOP. Show the user the exact colliding paths and offer three choices, recommending the first:
       1. Scaffold into a fresh subdirectory instead (e.g. ./cantos/), so nothing existing is touched. This is the safe default — recommend it whenever the cwd is an existing project.
       2. Overwrite only the listed colliding paths in place — only after the user explicitly confirms the full list. Call out .gitignore, README.md, LICENSE, and package.json specifically, since overwriting .gitignore can later cause secrets to be committed.
       3. Abort.
     • Never overwrite a CLAUDE.md, .gitignore, or any other existing file without the user's explicit, itemized confirmation.

2. Copy the system into the chosen destination, preserving structure and symlinks. With DEST as the confirmed directory (cwd or the subdir), prefer:

   rsync -a --exclude='.git' "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/system/" "$DEST"/
   

   If rsync is unavailable, use cp -a "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/system/." "$DEST"/ (this preserves the symlinks under .claude/agents/). After copying, confirm a sample agent symlink resolves, e.g. ls -lL "$DEST"/.claude/agents/browser-agent.md.

3. Confirm the scaffold. List what landed in DEST: CLAUDE.md, .assistants/ (cantos, folio, lyren, pylon), .claude/ (skills, agents, rules, templates), workflows/, references/, registry/, context/ (placeholders), decisions/, tools/.

4. Run first-run setup now. The scaffolded context/me.md still contains the literal marker <!-- SETUP-NOT-DONE -->. Read "$DEST"/workflows/cantos/first_run_setup.md and run it start to finish in this session: interview the user, personalize context/me.md and context/work.md, set the communication style, tune the starter assistants (rename, remove, or add), log the decision, then remove the marker. This is the same gate the scaffolded CLAUDE.md enforces on the first message; running it now completes setup immediately. (If the user scaffolded into a subdirectory, note that Cantos will auto-load only when Claude Code is started from inside DEST.)

5. Tell the user the system is live. From the next session started in DEST, CLAUDE.md loads automatically as project memory and Claude Code begins as Cantos. Recommend they keep that directory in a private repo, since it will hold their personal context; the bundled README.md and its Privacy notes explain why.

Then proceed.