ai-project-setup-script

AI-Assisted Development Environment Setup

This project provides a comprehensive setup script that automatically configures your development environment for optimal AI coding assistant integration. The script detects and configures six major AI coding assistants with their native rule systems, best practices, and professional-grade templates.

🚀 Key Features

Universal AI Assistant Configuration

• GitHub Copilot - Instructions files, prompt files, and VS Code integration
• Cline - Rules-based system with contextual activation
• Cursor - MDC rules with auto-attachment and templates
• Windsurf - Memories & rules system with XML formatting
• Augment - Rules & Guidelines with Always/Manual/Auto modes
• Roo Code - Hierarchical custom instructions with mode-specific rules

Professional Development Templates

• Requirements documentation with EARS syntax
• Technical design specifications
• Implementation task management
• Testing standards and templates
• Security best practices
• Framework-specific guidelines

Team Collaboration Ready

• Version-controlled rules and guidelines
• Consistent coding standards across team members
• Project-specific customization capabilities
• Organization-wide best practices

Enhanced Script Features (v2.0)

• Robust Error Handling - Comprehensive validation and graceful error recovery
• Dry-Run Mode - Preview changes before applying them
• Dependency Checking - Automatic validation of required tools and versions
• Command Line Interface - Full CLI support with help, version, and options
• Signal Handling - Proper cleanup on interruption or errors
• Cross-Platform - Improved portability across different systems
• Professional Output - Color-coded messages with clear status indicators

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🎯 Quick Start

One-Command Setup

chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

Command Line Options

# Interactive setup (recommended)
./setup.sh

# Show help and all available options
./setup.sh --help

# Setup specific AI assistant directly
./setup.sh --assistant cursor

# Preview changes without applying them
./setup.sh --dry-run

# Run without colored output
./setup.sh --no-color

# Show version information
./setup.sh --version

The setup script will:

1. Detect your AI coding assistant preference (GitHub Copilot, Cline, Cursor, Windsurf, Augment, Roo Code)
2. Automatically configure the chosen assistant with professional rules and templates
3. Create project templates with best practices and documentation standards
4. Validate environment and check dependencies before making changes

What Gets Configured

AI Assistant Rules & Guidelines

Each AI assistant gets configured with its native rule system:

• GitHub Copilot: .github/copilot-instructions.md, prompt files, and VS Code settings
• Cline: .clinerules/ folder with contextual activation system
• Cursor: .cursor/rules/ with MDC format and auto-attachment
• Windsurf: .windsurf/rules/ with XML formatting and memory integration
• Augment: .augment/rules/ with Always/Manual/Auto activation modes
• Roo Code: .roo/rules/ with hierarchical global/workspace structure

Professional Templates

• Coding standards and best practices
• Framework-specific guidelines (TypeScript, React, Python, Django, Next.js)
• API development patterns and security practices
• Testing standards with comprehensive examples
• Documentation generation templates
• Code review workflows and checklists

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📋 The Development Methodology

The project also includes a structured development methodology based on requirements-driven design and EARS (Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax):

1. Requirements (src/requirements.md): Define what the system must do using User Stories and EARS syntax
2. Design (src/design.md): Create a technical blueprint for how the system will be built
3. Implementation Plan (src/tasks.md): Break the design into actionable tasks with requirement traceability
4. Execution: Follow the structured approach with AI assistant guidance

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🛠️ Detailed Usage

Interactive Setup Process

The setup script provides a user-friendly, interactive experience:

1. AI Assistant Selection

   Which AI coding assistant are you using?
   1) GitHub Copilot
   2) Cline (formerly Claude Dev)
   3) Roo Code
   4) Cursor
   5) Augment
   6) Windsurf
   7) None / Skip AI setup
   

2. Automatic Configuration

   • Installs necessary extensions (VS Code/Cursor)
   • Creates rule files and directories
   • Sets up templates and examples
   • Configures settings and preferences

Advanced Usage with start.sh

For project scaffolding, use the interactive menu script:

chmod +x start.sh
./start.sh

Option 1: Create a new project

• Prompts for project name
• Runs setup.sh to create structured template
• Sets up documentation, prompts, and source directories

Option 2: Start a task in existing project

• Prompts for project directory path
• Runs start_task.sh for development workflow
• Begins requirements-driven development process

📁 Project Structure

The setup script creates a comprehensive development environment with AI assistant configurations:

AI Assistant Configurations

project/
├── .github/                     # GitHub Copilot
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md
│   ├── instructions/
│   └── prompts/
├── .clinerules/                 # Cline
│   ├── 01-coding-standards.md
│   ├── 02-documentation.md
│   └── 03-testing-standards.md
├── .cursor/rules/               # Cursor
│   ├── coding-standards.mdc
│   ├── typescript-react.mdc
│   └── api-development.mdc
├── .windsurf/rules/             # Windsurf
│   ├── coding-standards.md
│   ├── typescript-react.md
│   └── api-development.md
├── .augment/rules/              # Augment
│   ├── coding-standards.md
│   ├── typescript-react.md
│   └── testing-standards.md
└── .roo/                        # Roo Code
    ├── rules/
    ├── rules-code/
    ├── rules-docs-extractor/
    ├── rules-architect/
    └── rules-debug/

Development Templates

project/
├── src/
│   ├── requirements.md         # EARS-based requirements
│   ├── design.md              # Technical specifications
│   └── tasks.md               # Implementation planning
├── docs/                      # Project documentation
├── prompts/                   # Development workflow prompts
└── *-rules-bank/             # Additional rule templates

Rule Banks for Easy Management

Each AI assistant gets a rules bank for easy activation:

• clinerules-bank/ - Cline rule templates
• cursor-rules-bank/ - Cursor rule templates
• windsurf-rules-bank/ - Windsurf rule templates
• augment-rules-bank/ - Augment rule templates
• roo-rules-bank/ - Roo Code rule templates

Legacy Project Structure (start.sh)

my-new-project/
├── .gdn/                   # General coding standards and instructions
├── docs/                   # Project documentation
│   ├── instructions.md     # High-level instructions for the AI
│   ├── requirements.md     # The project's requirements (what to build)
│   └── design.md           # The technical design (how to build it)
├── prompts/                # Step-by-step prompts for the AI
│   └── 01-phase-one-setup.md
├── src/                    # Application source code
├── master_plan.md          # The phased implementation plan (the to-do list)
└── package.json

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🎨 AI Assistant Features Breakdown

GitHub Copilot Configuration

• ✅ Instructions Files - Custom coding standards and project guidelines
• ✅ Prompt Files - Reusable prompts for code review and test generation
• ✅ VS Code Integration - Automatic extension installation and settings
• ✅ File-Specific Rules - Different instructions for TypeScript, Python, etc.
• ✅ Commit Message Templates - Conventional commit format automation

Cline (Claude Dev) Configuration

• ✅ Rules System - .clinerules/ folder with contextual activation
• ✅ Rules Bank - Repository of framework and context-specific rules
• ✅ Contextual Switching - Easy activation of relevant rules per project phase
• ✅ Team Collaboration - Version-controlled rules for consistent standards
• ✅ Comprehensive Templates - Coding, testing, documentation, and debugging rules

Cursor Configuration

• ✅ MDC Format Rules - Metadata + content format with frontmatter
• ✅ Auto-Attachment - Rules automatically apply based on file patterns
• ✅ Template Integration - Referenced template files for components and APIs
• ✅ Multiple Rule Types - Always, Auto Attached, Agent Requested, Manual
• ✅ Nested Rules Support - Subdirectory-specific rule organization

Windsurf Configuration

• ✅ Memory Integration - Works with Windsurf's automatic memory system
• ✅ XML Tag Formatting - Structured rules for better AI understanding
• ✅ Four Activation Modes - Manual, Always On, Model Decision, Glob patterns
• ✅ Global + Workspace Rules - Organization and project-specific standards
• ✅ Template Embedding - Code examples directly in rules

Augment Configuration

• ✅ Three Rule Types - Always, Manual, Auto for different use cases
• ✅ Migration Support - Import rules from other AI tools and memories
• ✅ User Guidelines - IDE-level preferences across all workspaces
• ✅ Smart Detection - Agent automatically applies relevant rules
• ✅ Legacy Support - Backward compatibility with existing setups

Roo Code Configuration

• ✅ Hierarchical Rules - Global → Workspace → Legacy loading order
• ✅ Mode-Specific Rules - Different rules for code, docs, architect, debug modes
• ✅ Directory Organization - Better structure than single-file approaches
• ✅ Override Capability - Project rules can override global standards
• ✅ Team Standardization - Organization-wide consistency with project flexibility

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🚀 Advanced Features

Professional Development Templates

• Requirements Documentation - EARS syntax and user story templates
• Technical Design - Architecture patterns and component specifications
• Testing Standards - Unit, integration, and E2E testing guidelines
• Security Best Practices - Input validation, authentication, data protection
• API Development - RESTful design, validation, error handling patterns
• Framework Guidelines - React, TypeScript, Python, Django, Next.js specific rules

Team Collaboration Features

• Version-Controlled Rules - All configurations stored in repository
• Consistent Standards - Same rules applied across all team members
• Easy Rule Management - Rules banks for quick activation/deactivation
• Project Customization - Override global rules with project-specific needs
• Migration Tools - Import existing rules from other AI assistants

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🔧 Behind the Scenes

Script Architecture

The project includes multiple scripts for different use cases:

• setup.sh - Main AI assistant configuration script (v2.0, recommended)
• start.sh - Legacy project scaffolding script
• start_task.sh - Interactive requirements-driven development workflow

Enhanced Script Features (v2.0)

• Strict Mode - Uses set -euo pipefail for safer script execution
• Signal Handling - Proper cleanup on interruption with trap handlers
• Dependency Validation - Automatic checking of required tools and versions
• Error Recovery - Comprehensive error handling with informative messages
• Dry-Run Mode - Preview all changes before applying them
• Command Line Interface - Full CLI support with help, version, and options
• Cross-Platform - Improved portability with #!/usr/bin/env bash
• Professional Output - Color-coded messages with terminal detection

Extensibility

• Modular Design - Easy to add new AI assistants or modify existing ones
• Template System - Customizable templates for different project types
• Rule Banks - Organized collections of rules for easy management
• Configuration Detection - Automatic detection of installed AI assistants
• Robust Testing - Built-in validation and testing capabilities

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📋 Requirements

System Requirements

• Bash 4.0+ - The script automatically validates your Bash version
• Linux/macOS/Windows - Cross-platform bash script support with WSL
• Write Permissions - Current directory must be writable for configuration files

AI Assistant Requirements

• VS Code - Required for most AI assistants (GitHub Copilot, Cline, Augment, Roo Code)
• Cursor - Required for Cursor-specific configuration
• Windsurf - Required for Windsurf-specific configuration

Optional Requirements

• Git - For version control of rules and templates (recommended)
• curl - For downloading additional resources (if needed)

AI Assistant Extensions

The script will attempt to install these automatically:

• GitHub Copilot - GitHub.copilot and GitHub.copilot-chat
• Cline - saoudrizwan.claude-dev
• Roo Code - Available from VS Code marketplace
• Augment - Available from VS Code marketplace

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🤝 Contributing

Adding New AI Assistants

To add support for a new AI assistant:

1. Study the Documentation - Understand the assistant's rule/configuration system
2. Create Setup Function - Add a new setup_[assistant]() function in setup.sh
3. Follow Patterns - Use existing implementations as templates
4. Add to Menu - Update the assistant selection menu
5. Test Thoroughly - Ensure the configuration works as expected

Improving Existing Configurations

• Update Rule Templates - Enhance existing rules with better practices
• Add Framework Support - Create rules for new frameworks or languages
• Improve Documentation - Update README and inline documentation
• Fix Bugs - Report and fix any configuration issues

Rule Template Contributions

• Framework Rules - Add support for new frameworks (Vue, Angular, Svelte, etc.)
• Language Rules - Add support for new languages (Rust, Go, Java, etc.)
• Workflow Rules - Add specialized workflow templates (CI/CD, deployment, etc.)
• Security Rules - Enhance security best practices and guidelines

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📄 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• AI Assistant Teams - For creating excellent documentation and rule systems
• Community Contributors - For feedback and improvements
• Open Source Community - For the tools and frameworks that make this possible

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� Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Permission Errors

# Make script executable
chmod +x setup.sh

# Check write permissions in current directory
ls -la .

Bash Version Issues

# Check your Bash version (requires 4.0+)
bash --version

# On macOS, install newer Bash via Homebrew
brew install bash

Dependency Issues

# Use dry-run to check what would be installed
./setup.sh --dry-run

# Check for missing dependencies
./setup.sh --help  # Shows requirements

Script Debugging

# Run with verbose output
bash -x ./setup.sh

# Check script syntax
bash -n ./setup.sh

# Use dry-run mode to preview changes
./setup.sh --dry-run --assistant cursor

Getting Help

# Show all available options
./setup.sh --help

# Show version and system information
./setup.sh --version

# Preview changes without applying
./setup.sh --dry-run

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�📞 Support

• Issues - Report bugs or request features via GitHub Issues
• Discussions - Join community discussions for questions and ideas
• Documentation - Refer to individual AI assistant documentation for specific features
• Script Help - Use ./setup.sh --help for built-in documentation

Happy Coding with AI! 🚀