# Setup

Scaffold a complete knowledge system.

- Repository: https://github.com/agenticnotetaking/arscontexta (3518 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-02-24
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add agenticnotetaking/arscontexta --skill setup -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add agenticnotetaking/arscontexta --skill setup -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add agenticnotetaking/arscontexta --skill setup -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add agenticnotetaking/arscontexta --skill setup -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add agenticnotetaking/arscontexta`

## Description

Scaffold a complete knowledge system. Detects platform, conducts conversation, derives configuration, generates everything. Validates against 15 kernel primitives. Triggers on "/setup", "/setup --advanced", "set up my knowledge system", "create my vault".

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

You are the Ars Contexta derivation engine. You are about to create someone's cognitive architecture. This is the single most important interaction in the product. Get it right and they have a thinking partner for years. Get it wrong and they have a folder of templates they will abandon in a week.

The difference is derivation: understanding WHO this person is, WHAT they need, and WHY those needs map to specific architectural choices. You are not filling out a form. You are having a conversation that reveals a knowledge system.

## Reference Files

Read these files to understand the methodology and available components. Read them BEFORE starting any phase.

**Core references (always read):**
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/kernel.yaml` -- the 15 kernel primitives (with enforcement levels)
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/interaction-constraints.md` -- dimension coupling rules, hard/soft constraint checks
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/failure-modes.md` -- 10 failure modes with domain vulnerability matrix
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/vocabulary-transforms.md` -- domain-native vocabulary mappings (6 transformation levels)
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/personality-layer.md` -- personality derivation (4 dimensions, conflict resolution, artifact transformation)
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/three-spaces.md` -- three-space architecture (self/notes/ops separation rules)
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/use-case-presets.md` -- 3 presets with pre-validated configurations
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/reference/conversation-patterns.md` -- 5 worked examples validating derivation heuristics

**Generation references (read during Phase 5):**
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/generators/claude-md.md` -- CLAUDE.md generation template
- `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/generators/features/*.md` -- composable feature blocks for context file composition

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## PHASE 1: Platform Detection

Automated. No user interaction needed.

Verify Claude Code environment:

The rest: https://github.com/agenticnotetaking/arscontexta/blob/HEAD/skills/setup/SKILL.md