init

Bulwark Init

Initialize, verify, or update Bulwark governance for a project or user. Installs governance files and optionally configures statusline, LSP, and project scaffolding. The --update mode handles propagation of canonical template changes (added rules, new In-Session Protocol sections, etc.) into the user-owned files that init originally wrote — /plugin updates skills/agents/hooks but cannot touch user's CLAUDE.md / rules.md.

Usage

/the-bulwark:init                          # Interactive fresh install
/the-bulwark:init --scope=project          # Project scope, skip prompt
/the-bulwark:init --scope=user             # User scope
/the-bulwark:init --verify                 # Verify previous init completed
/the-bulwark:init --update                 # Review canonical template changes interactively
/the-bulwark:init --scope=project /path    # Project scope at specific path

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Mode Routing

IF $ARGUMENTS contains "--verify":
    → Jump to VERIFY MODE (Stage 8)
ELIF $ARGUMENTS contains "--update":
    → Jump to UPDATE MODE (Stage 9)
ELSE:
    → Continue with INIT MODE (Stage 1)

The three modes are mutually exclusive. --verify and --update are different operations: --verify asserts the original install completed correctly (read-only health check); --update proposes per-section additions from updated canonical templates (mutating, but interactive — no section is written without user approval).

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INIT MODE

Stage 1: Parse Arguments

Extract from $ARGUMENTS:

• --scope=project or --scope=user → SCOPE
• Remaining positional argument → TARGET_DIR (optional, defaults to current directory for project scope)

Stage 2: Pre-Flight — Cross-Scope Initialization Check

Check BOTH scopes regardless of which scope the user selected. This prevents silent conflicts where governance files exist at one scope and the user initializes at another.

Detect existing files at project scope:

• ./CLAUDE.md (or <target-dir>/CLAUDE.md)
• ./.claude/rules/rules.md (or <target-dir>/.claude/rules/rules.md)