Bootstrap Skill

Version: 1.0.0
Framework: Jerry Bootstrap
Constitutional Compliance: Jerry Constitution v1.0

Let's get your bindings adjusted so you don't have any Jerry moments.

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Document Sections

Section	Purpose
Purpose	What this skill does
When to Use This Skill	Activation triggers
What This Does	How context distribution works
Quick Start	Getting started commands
How It Works	Architecture of the sync mechanism
Options	CLI flags and arguments
Troubleshooting	Common issues and solutions
For Contributors	Adding new rules and patterns
Available Agents	Agent registry for this skill
Constitutional Compliance	Principle mapping
Integration with Other Skills	Cross-skill dependencies
Templates	Template usage
Routing Disambiguation	When this skill is the wrong choice
References	Canonical sources

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Document Audience (Triple-Lens)

This SKILL.md serves multiple audiences:

Level	Audience	Sections to Focus On
L0 (ELI5)	New users, contributors	What This Does, Quick Start, How It Works
L1 (Engineer)	Developers setting up Jerry	Quick Start, Options, Troubleshooting
L2 (Architect)	Framework maintainers	How It Works, For Contributors, Constitutional Compliance

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Purpose

The Bootstrap skill sets up Jerry's context distribution system by synchronizing behavioral rules and patterns from the canonical source (.context/) to Claude Code's read location (.claude/). This ensures that Claude Code always has access to the latest framework rules.

Key Capabilities

• Platform-Aware Linking - Uses the best available strategy per platform (symlinks, junction points, or file copy)
• Drift Detection - Identifies when copied files are out of sync with the source
• Idempotent Setup - Safe to run multiple times; won't overwrite unless --force is used
• Validation Mode - Check existing setup without making changes (--check)

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When to Use This Skill

Activate when:

• First time setting up the Jerry repository
• After pulling updates that modify .context/rules/ or .context/patterns/
• Troubleshooting Claude Code not seeing the latest rules
• Migrating Jerry to a new machine
• Verifying that context distribution is working correctly

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What This Does

Jerry's behavioral rules and patterns live in .context/ (the canonical source). Claude Code reads them from .claude/rules/ and .claude/patterns/. This skill syncs the two using platform-aware linking:

• macOS/Linux: Symlinks (instant, auto-propagating)
• Windows with Developer Mode: Symlinks
• Windows without Developer Mode: Junction points (no admin required)
• Fallback: File copy with drift detection

Note on Guides: The .context/guides/ directory is intentionally NOT synced. Jerry uses a three-tier architecture where rules and patterns are auto-loaded at session start, but guides remain on-demand content. This prevents context bloat while keeping detailed guidance available when explicitly needed.

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Quick Start

Run the bootstrap script to set up context distribution:

# Full setup
uv run python scripts/bootstrap_context.py

# Check if you're already set up
uv run python scripts/bootstrap_context.py --check

# Force re-sync (overwrites existing)
uv run python scripts/bootstrap_context.py --force

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How It Works

.context/                          .claude/
├── rules/  ──── symlink ────►    ├── rules/
├── patterns/ ── symlink ────►    ├── patterns/
└── templates/                     ├── agents/    (stays)
                                   ├── commands/  (stays)
                                   └── settings.json (stays)

The script (scripts/bootstrap_context.py) handles:

1. Platform detection - Picks the right linking strategy
2. Existing setup check - Won't overwrite unless --force
3. Fallback chain - Symlink -> junction point -> file copy
4. Drift detection - --check verifies sync integrity

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Options

Flag	What It Does
(none)	Full bootstrap with friendly output
--check	Verify existing setup without changes
--force	Overwrite existing links/copies
--quiet	Minimal output (for CI/scripts)

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Troubleshooting

"Source not found" - You're not in the Jerry repo root, or .context/ is missing. Make sure you cloned the full repo.

"Already linked" - You're good! Run --check to verify, or --force to re-link.

Windows junction point fails - Try running from an elevated prompt, or ensure you're on the same drive as the repo.

Drift detected - Files in .claude/rules/ don't match .context/rules/. This happens with file-copy setups. Run without --check to re-sync.

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For Contributors

If you add new rules to .context/rules/ or patterns to .context/patterns/, they'll automatically appear in .claude/ for anyone using symlinks/junctions. File-copy users need to re-run bootstrap.

Adding New Rules

1. Create the rule file in .context/rules/{rule-name}.md
2. Follow the markdown navigation standards (H-23/H-24) - include navigation table
3. Use tier vocabulary (HARD/MEDIUM/SOFT) per quality-enforcement.md
4. Add an L2-REINJECT comment if the rule is critical
5. Test that symlink users see the new rule immediately
6. Document in release notes that file-copy users should re-bootstrap

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Available Agents

This skill does not use agent-based workflows. It provides a single bootstrap script that handles all setup operations.

Invocation: Run the bootstrap script directly via uv run python scripts/bootstrap_context.py

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Constitutional Compliance

The Bootstrap skill adheres to the Jerry Constitution v1.0:

Principle	Requirement	Implementation
P-002: File Persistence	State persisted to filesystem	Symlinks/junctions or file copies created on disk
P-022: No Deception	Transparent about actions	Script reports exactly what it does (link/copy/skip)
H-05: UV Only	Use uv for Python execution	Script invoked via uv run python

Self-Critique Checklist (Before Response):

• P-002: Are symlinks/copies persisted to disk?
• P-022: Does script output clearly state what happened?
• H-05: Did we use uv run instead of python directly?

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Integration with Other Skills

The bootstrap skill is foundational and does not integrate with other skills. However, it enables all other skills by ensuring that:

• .context/rules/quality-enforcement.md is accessible for adversarial quality mode
• .context/rules/architecture-standards.md is accessible for hexagonal architecture validation
• .context/rules/coding-standards.md is accessible for type hints and docstring enforcement
• .context/patterns/ is accessible for CQRS, event sourcing, and other patterns

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Templates

The bootstrap skill does not use templates. It operates directly on the .context/ directory structure.

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Routing Disambiguation

When this skill is the wrong choice and what happens if misrouted.

Condition	Use Instead	Consequence of Misrouting
Task requires research, analysis, or root cause investigation	/problem-solving	Bootstrap is a navigation/setup tool; invoking it for analytical tasks wastes context budget loading orientation content with no analytical capability
Task requires code generation or implementation	/problem-solving (ps-reviewer) or direct coding	Bootstrap agents have no code generation methodology; context loaded with sync/linking logic irrelevant to implementation
Task requires architectural design or ADR creation	/architecture or /problem-solving (ps-architect)	Bootstrap provides no design decision framework; architectural context entirely absent
Task requires quality review or adversarial critique	/adversary	Bootstrap has no quality scoring or adversarial strategy capability
Task requires multi-agent workflow coordination	/orchestration	Bootstrap has no orchestration, state tracking, or checkpoint capability
Task requires security assessment or threat modeling	/eng-team or /red-team	Bootstrap has no security methodology; 10+ security agents remain uninvoked

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References

• Bootstrap script: scripts/bootstrap_context.py
• Source directory: .context/rules/, .context/patterns/
• Target directory: .claude/rules/, .claude/patterns/
• Jerry Constitution: docs/governance/JERRY_CONSTITUTION.md
• Platform-specific linking: Windows junction points, Unix/macOS symlinks

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Skill Version: 1.0.0
Constitutional Compliance: Jerry Constitution v1.0
Created: 2026-02-12
Last Updated: 2026-02-16