mdcms-brownfield-init

MDCMS Brownfield Init

Onboard an existing repository whose content already lives as .md/.mdx files on disk. mdcms init is the one-shot command that creates mdcms.config.ts, infers a schema from the existing files, syncs that schema to the server, and imports the files as draft documents.

When to use this skill

The user has:

• an MDCMS backend reachable (if not, run mdcms-self-host-setup first), and
• a repo with Markdown/MDX content they want MDCMS to manage.

Do not use this skill for empty repos — use mdcms-greenfield-init instead.

Prerequisites

• Server URL (e.g. http://localhost:4000).
• An MDCMS API key with permission to create projects/environments and sync schema. Create one via Studio → Settings → API Keys, or use the demo key from docker-compose.dev.yml for local development.
• A project slug and environment name (defaults to production if omitted).
• Node.js / npm — the CLI is npx mdcms (or bun x mdcms).

Steps

1. Discover the content directories

find . -type f \( -name '*.md' -o -name '*.mdx' \) \
  -not -path '*/node_modules/*' -not -path '*/.*' \
  | awk -F/ '{print $2"/"$3}' | sort -u

List the top two directory levels (for example content/posts, docs/blog). Confirm with the user which of these MDCMS should manage. Those become --directory values in step 3.

2. Prepare the non-interactive flags

Collect these inputs up front. If any are missing and the user wants headless, stop and ask:

Flag	Value
--server-url	MDCMS API base URL
--project	slug to create on the server (e.g. my-site)
--environment	environment name (default production)
--api-key	token with project create + schema sync scopes
--directory	one per managed directory, repeatable

Alternatively, set the corresponding env vars (MDCMS_SERVER_URL, MDCMS_PROJECT, MDCMS_ENVIRONMENT, MDCMS_API_KEY) and omit the flags.