Compound Engineering Setup

Interaction Method

Ask the user each question below using the platform's blocking question tool: AskUserQuestion in Claude Code (call ToolSearch with select:AskUserQuestion first if its schema isn't loaded), request_user_input in Codex, ask_user in Gemini, ask_user in Pi (requires the pi-ask-user extension). Fall back to presenting each question as a numbered list in chat only when no blocking tool exists in the harness or the call errors (e.g., Codex edit modes) — not because a schema load is required. Never silently skip or auto-configure. For multiSelect questions, accept comma-separated numbers (e.g. 1, 3).

Interactive setup for compound-engineering — diagnoses environment health, cleans obsolete repo-local CE config, and helps configure required tools. Review agent selection is handled automatically by ce-code-review; project-specific review guidance belongs in CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md.

Phase 1: Diagnose

Step 1: Determine Plugin Version

Detect the installed compound-engineering plugin version by reading the plugin metadata or manifest. This is platform-specific -- use whatever mechanism is available (e.g., reading plugin.json from the plugin root or cache directory). If the version cannot be determined, skip this step.

If a version is found, pass it to the check script via --version. Otherwise omit the flag.

Step 2: Run the Health Check Script

Before running the script, display: "Compound Engineering -- checking your environment..."

Run the bundled check script. Do not perform manual dependency checks -- the script handles all CLI tools, agent skills, repo-local CE file checks, and .gitignore guidance in one pass.

bash scripts/check-health --version VERSION

Or without version if Step 1 could not determine it:

bash scripts/check-health

Script reference: scripts/check-health

Display the script's output to the user.

Step 3: Evaluate Results

Plugin root (pre-resolved): !echo "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}"

If the line above resolved to an absolute path (starts with / and contains no ${), this is a Claude Code session and /ce-update is available. Anything else — empty, the literal ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} token, or an unresolved command string like echo "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}" left in place by a non-Claude harness that doesn't process ! pre-resolution — means this is not Claude Code; omit any /ce-update references from output.

After the diagnostic report, check whether:

any CLI tools are missing (reported as yellow in the Tools section)
any agent skills are missing (reported as yellow in the Skills section)
compound-engineering.local.md is present and needs cleanup
.compound-engineering/config.local.yaml does not exist or is not safely gitignored
.compound-engineering/config.local.example.yaml is missing or outdated

If everything is installed, no repo-local cleanup is needed, and .compound-engineering/config.local.yaml already exists and is gitignored, display the tool and skill list and completion message. Parse the tool and skill names from the script output and list each with a green circle. Omit the Skills line if the Skills section is absent from the script output:

 ✅ Compound Engineering setup complete

    Tools:  🟢 agent-browser  🟢 gh  🟢 jq  🟢 vhs  🟢 silicon  🟢 ffmpeg  🟢 ast-grep
    Skills: 🟢 ast-grep
    Config: ✅

    Run /ce-setup anytime to re-check.

If this is a Claude Code session (the Plugin root above resolved to a non-empty path), append to the message: "Run /ce-update to grab the latest plugin version."

Stop here.

Otherwise proceed to Phase 2 to resolve any issues. Handle repo-local cleanup (Step 4) first, then config bootstrapping (Step 5), then missing dependencies (Step 6).

Phase 2: Fix

Step 4: Resolve Repo-Local CE Issues

Resolve the repository root (git rev-parse --show-toplevel). If compound-engineering.local.md exists at the repo root, explain that it is obsolete because review-agent selection is automatic and CE now uses .compound-engineering/config.local.yaml for any surviving machine-local state. Ask whether to delete it now. Use the repo-root path when deleting.

Step 5: Bootstrap Project Config

Resolve the repository root (git rev-parse --show-toplevel). All paths below are relative to the repo root, not the current working directory.

Example file (always refresh): Copy references/config-template.yaml to <repo-root>/.compound-engineering/config.local.example.yaml, creating the directory if needed. This file is committed to the repo and always overwritten with the latest template so teammates can see available settings.

Local config (create once): If .compound-engineering/config.local.yaml does not exist, ask whether to create it:

Set up a local config file for this project?
This saves your Compound Engineering preferences (like which tools to use and how workflows behave).
Everything starts commented out -- you only enable what you need.

1. Yes, create it (Recommended)
2. No thanks

If the user approves, copy references/config-template.yaml to <repo-root>/.compound-engineering/config.local.yaml. If .compound-engineering/config.local.yaml is not already covered by .gitignore, offer to add the entry:

.compound-engineering/*.local.yaml

If the local config already exists, check whether it is safely gitignored. If not, offer to add the .gitignore entry as above.

Step 6: Offer Installation

Present the missing tools and skills using a multiSelect question with all items pre-selected. Use the install commands and URLs from the script's diagnostic output. Group items under Tools: and Skills: so the user can see which runtime each item targets; omit a group whose items are all installed.

The following items are missing. Select which to install:
(All items are pre-selected)

Tools:
  [x] agent-browser - Browser automation for testing and screenshots
  [x] gh - GitHub CLI for issues and PRs
  [x] jq - JSON processor
  [x] vhs (charmbracelet/vhs) - Create GIFs from CLI output
  [x] silicon (Aloxaf/silicon) - Generate code screenshots
  [x] ffmpeg - Video processing for feature demos
  [x] ast-grep - Structural code search using AST patterns

Skills:
  [x] ast-grep - Agent skill for structural code search with ast-grep

Only show items that are actually missing. Omit installed ones.

Step 7: Install Selected Dependencies

For each selected dependency, in order:

Show the install command (from the diagnostic output) and ask for approval:

Install agent-browser?
Command: CI=true npm install -g agent-browser --no-audit --no-fund --loglevel=error && agent-browser install && npx skills add https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-browser --skill agent-browser -g -y

1. Run this command
2. Skip - I'll install it manually

If approved: Run the install command using a shell execution tool. After the command completes, verify installation:
- For a CLI tool, run the dependency's check command (e.g., command -v agent-browser).
- For an agent skill, prefer npx --yes skills list --global --json | jq -r '.[].name' | grep -qx <skill-name> when npx is available; otherwise fall back to checking that ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name> exists (file, directory, or symlink).
If verification succeeds: Report success.
If verification fails or install errors: Display the project URL as fallback and continue to the next dependency.

Step 8: Summary

Display a brief summary:

 ✅ Compound Engineering setup complete

    Installed: agent-browser, gh, jq
    Skipped:   rtk

    Run /ce-setup anytime to re-check.

If this is a Claude Code session (per platform detection in Step 3), append: "Run /ce-update to grab the latest plugin version."