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skaro init creates the .skaro/ directory structure and bootstraps your project with templates, constitution, and configuration files.

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Usage

skaro init [OPTIONS]
OptionDescription
--name TEXTProject name (default: current directory name)
--description TEXTProject description
--no-gitSkip Git repository detection

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Init Wizard

When you run skaro init, an interactive wizard guides you through setup:
1

Language

Choose between English and Russian. This sets the language for CLI output, prompts, and LLM instructions. You can change it later in config.yaml.
2

License

Skaro is licensed under AGPL-3.0. The wizard shows the license and asks for confirmation before proceeding.
3

Project Name

Enter a name for your project. Defaults to the current directory name.
4

Project Detection

Skaro checks whether you’re in an existing project (has a .git directory or 3+ source files). If so, it offers two initialization paths — see below.

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New Project

If no existing project is detected, Skaro creates the standard .skaro/ structure: 
.skaro/
├── constitution.md
├── architecture/
│   └── architecture.md
├── config.yaml
├── templates/
│   ├── constitution-template.md
│   ├── spec-template.md
│   ├── plan-template.md
│   ├── ai-notes-template.md
│   ├── adr-template.md
│   └── ...
├── milestones/
├── docs/
└── ops/
It also creates .skaroignore in the project root and adds Skaro-specific entries to .gitignore (secrets, token usage logs). Your next steps: fill in the constitution, configure an LLM provider, and launch the dashboard.

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Existing Project

When Skaro detects an existing project, it offers two options:

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Option A — Manual Setup

Templates are created but left empty. You fill in the constitution, architecture, and other artifacts yourself. Best for:
  • Sensitive codebases you don’t want to send to an LLM
  • Projects where you already know the architecture well
  • Quick setup when you’ll use the dashboard later

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Option B — Automatic LLM Analysis

Skaro scans your repository, sends the code to your configured LLM, and generates initial artifacts automatically. The wizard guides you through:
  1. LLM Configuration — choose provider, enter API key, select model
  2. Repository Scan — Skaro collects source files and estimates token count
  3. Smart Sampling — if the repo exceeds the token limit (default: 200,000), Skaro prioritizes important files and skips redundant ones
  4. Privacy Confirmation — you see which files will be sent and confirm before anything leaves your machine
  5. Analysis — the LLM generates constitution, architecture, and a dev plan
Always review auto-generated artifacts. They are starting points, not final documents. The LLM may make incorrect assumptions about your project.
Generated artifacts include:
  • .skaro/constitution.md — extracted from codebase patterns
  • .skaro/architecture/architecture.md — inferred project structure
  • .skaro/devplan/devplan.md — suggested development roadmap

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.skaroignore

The .skaroignore file controls which files are excluded from LLM analysis during init (Option B). The syntax is identical to .gitignore. The default excludes secrets, credentials, database dumps, vendored code, and large assets. 
# Secrets
.env
*.pem
*.key

# Data
*.sql
*.sqlite3
data/

# Generated
vendor/
generated/

# Large assets
assets/
media/

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Re-initialization

If .skaro/ already exists, skaro init warns you and asks for confirmation. Re-initialization resets approval flags but preserves task history and token usage data.