Skill: IDEA Project Onboarding

Complete IDEA setup workflow for new projects.

When to Use

Setting up IDEA for a new project
First-time IDEA configuration
Importing existing project into IDEA
Re-initializing IDEA configuration from scratch

When NOT to Use

For ongoing maintenance (use /idea maintenance)
For quick sync (use /idea sync-modules)
For vault-specific setup (use /idea vault-sync)

Workflow Steps

1. Project Discovery

Analyze project structure:

[ ] Scan for Git submodules
[ ] Identify folder patterns (PARA, src, etc.)
[ ] Detect language/framework hints
[ ] Find existing .idea config (if any)

2. Module Planning

Plan module structure:

Project Root
├── Module: main-workspace (WEB_MODULE)
├── Module: submodule-a (EMPTY_MODULE)
├── Module: submodule-b (EMPTY_MODULE)
└── PARA Modules (if applicable)

3. Module Creation

Invoke idea-tools:module-sync:

Create .iml files for each module
Configure content roots
Set up exclusions (node_modules, .git, etc.)

4. Group Configuration

Organize modules into groups:

By project area (frontend, backend, shared)
By PARA category (if Obsidian vault)
By submodule hierarchy

5. Scope Creation

Generate file scopes:

Per-module scopes
Composite scopes (All Source, All Tests)
Custom workflow scopes

6. Changelist Setup

Invoke idea-tools:changelist-mgmt:

Create initial changelists
Map to project areas if applicable

7. Initial Backup

Invoke idea-tools:config-backup:

Create baseline backup
Document initial configuration

Command Reference

`/idea onboard`

Full onboarding workflow.

Options:

--dry-run - Preview without creating files
--minimal - Skip optional steps (changelists, advanced scopes)
--verbose - Detailed output

Example:

/idea onboard --verbose

`/idea onboard --type vault`

Vault-specific onboarding (shortcut to /idea vault-sync + extras).

Interactive Steps

The onboarding process may ask:

Module type preference:
- Empty modules (Java-free view)
- Web modules (for web projects)
- Mixed (auto-detect)
Group organization:
- By folder structure
- By PARA category
- Custom grouping
Scope templates:
- Standard development scopes
- PARA-specific scopes
- Custom scope patterns

Orchestrated Skills

Skill	Purpose
`idea-tools:module-sync`	Create/configure modules
`idea-tools:config-backup`	Baseline backup
`idea-tools:changelist-mgmt`	Changelist setup

Output

Success Report

IDEA Onboarding Complete - 2026-01-31

Project: My New Project
Location: /path/to/project

Modules Created: 8
- main-workspace (WEB_MODULE)
- submodule-a (EMPTY_MODULE)
- submodule-b (EMPTY_MODULE)
- 00_Inbox (EMPTY_MODULE)
- 10_Goals (EMPTY_MODULE)
- 20_Projects (EMPTY_MODULE)
- 30_Areas (EMPTY_MODULE)
- 40_Resources (EMPTY_MODULE)

Groups: 3 (PARA, Submodules, Root)
Scopes: 12 created
Changelists: 2 configured
Backup: idea_config_2026-01-31-init.zip

Next Steps:
1. Open project in IDEA
2. Review module structure in Project view
3. Test scopes in Find dialog

Error Handling

Error	Recovery
.idea exists	Backup existing, proceed or abort
Permission denied	Check folder permissions
Invalid project structure	Manual module configuration
Submodule not initialized	Run `git submodule update --init`

Best Practices

Start fresh - Remove old .idea if re-onboarding
Review modules - Verify structure before committing
Test scopes - Ensure scopes work as expected
Keep backup - Preserve initial configuration

Security & Permissions

Required tools: Read, Write, Bash
Files modified: .idea/*, project .iml files
Confirmations: Before overwriting existing config

Metadata

author: Christian Kusmanow / Claude
version: 1.0.0
last_updated: 2026-01-31
depends_on:
  - idea-tools:module-sync
  - idea-tools:config-backup
  - idea-tools:changelist-mgmt

project-onboarding