Problem
charter init currently does minimal scaffolding. New users have to read docs to understand which ADF modules to create, how to configure hooks, and what governance policies to enable. The gap between install and first value is too wide.
Proposal
Make charter init a comprehensive guided onboarding flow:
- Auto-detect repo type — scan for package.json, Cargo.toml, go.mod, etc. Suggest relevant ADF modules based on stack
- Interactive module selection — present available governance modules with descriptions, let user pick
- Hook installation — offer to install pre-commit hooks (
charter tidy, charter validate) with one confirmation
- First scan — run
charter doctor + charter drift scan immediately after setup so the user sees value in <60 seconds
- Config generation — produce
.charter/config.json with sensible defaults based on selections
Flags
--interactive (default): guided walkthrough
--minimal: current behavior (just scaffold)
--preset <name>: skip questions, apply a known config (e.g. --preset typescript-monorepo)
Why this matters
- Reduces time-to-first-value from "read docs + manual setup" to "answer 3 questions"
- Presets enable org-wide standardization ("all new repos use
charter init --preset acme-standard")
- Running doctor + scan immediately builds trust that the tool works
References
- OpenClaw
onboard --install-daemon pattern
npm init / pnpm create interactive flows
- Rust's
cargo init auto-detection
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
Problem
charter initcurrently does minimal scaffolding. New users have to read docs to understand which ADF modules to create, how to configure hooks, and what governance policies to enable. The gap between install and first value is too wide.Proposal
Make
charter inita comprehensive guided onboarding flow:charter tidy,charter validate) with one confirmationcharter doctor+charter drift scanimmediately after setup so the user sees value in <60 seconds.charter/config.jsonwith sensible defaults based on selectionsFlags
--interactive(default): guided walkthrough--minimal: current behavior (just scaffold)--preset <name>: skip questions, apply a known config (e.g.--preset typescript-monorepo)Why this matters
charter init --preset acme-standard")References
onboard --install-daemonpatternnpm init/pnpm createinteractive flowscargo initauto-detection🤖 Generated with Claude Code