kn-init

Session Initialization

Announce: "Using kn-init to initialize session."

Core principle: BOOTSTRAP WITH MCP INITIAL → DISCOVER WITH HELP → READ ONLY RELEVANT DOCS.

Inputs

• Optional user focus such as a task ID, feature area, bug, or question
• Current project root already opened in the agent session

Preflight

• Confirm this is a Knowns project
• Call MCP initial first when available; it is the runtime bootstrap
• Use help("tool.*") or help("workflow.*") when an action schema or workflow route is not visible
• Prefer project docs over guessing from code structure
• If README, ARCHITECTURE, or CONVENTIONS do not exist, choose the closest equivalents from the docs list
• If a doc is large, read its TOC first and only open the relevant sections

Step 1: Runtime Bootstrap

mcp_knowns_initial({})

If the MCP client exposes the tool as initial rather than mcp_knowns_initial, call that tool. Summarize project state, tool domains, active timer, and any warnings.

Step 2: List Docs

mcp_knowns_docs({ "action": "list" })

Step 3: Read Core Docs

mcp_knowns_docs({ "action": "get", "path": "README", "smart": true })

For large docs, do not read the whole file. Use:

mcp_knowns_docs({ "action": "get", "path": "<path>", "toc": true })
mcp_knowns_docs({ "action": "get", "path": "<path>", "section": "<heading-or-number>" })

Step 4: Check Current State

mcp_knowns_tasks({ "action": "list", "status": "in-progress" })
mcp_knowns_tasks({ "action": "board" })

Note the shape of the Task IDs you get back. A project that sets settings.defaultTaskIdPrefix generates IDs like KN-4F7Q2M; without it they look like 4f7q2m. Either way, pass the ID exactly as printed — the hyphen in KN-4F7Q2M is part of the ID, not a task- reference prefix to strip.

The initial tool reports the active format. Over MCP you can override the prefix per Task with tasks({ action: "create", prefix: "SPC" }); changing the project default is a CLI or Settings action, not an MCP one: