Abbey Init Default Project Bootstrap

July 26, 2026

Created the first safe default Abbey project bootstrap and validated it with Bread Pitt.

Tags: Abbey Root

Abbey Init Default Project Bootstrap

Summary

Abbey can now create a new independent project with abbey init PATH. The bootstrap produces a small, recognizable Abbey repository while leaving the shared toolkit in Abbey Root instead of copying framework implementation into every project.

Accomplishments

• Added safe destination checks, read-only dry runs, optional Git initialization, generated-file reporting, and post-generation validation.
• Introduced project metadata in .abbey/project.yml.
• Separated the installed toolkit root from the active project root.
• Made version, doctor, status, session, and session context project-aware.
• Validated the complete flow with a temporary Bread Pitt repository and focused regression tests.

Lessons Learned

• A reusable framework needs an explicit distinction between where its tools are installed and which repository they are operating on.
• A minimal bootstrap is more useful than a large speculative template: project-specific structure belongs in the project’s first real session.
• Running the workflow on macOS exposed a GNU-specific date assumption and an untracked-file health-check gap that focused acceptance testing could fix.

Next Steps

• Review and commit the completed bootstrap session.
• Use Bread Pitt’s first project session to define its domain model without expanding the universal initializer.