Project Setup

Set up a project once so every later session starts with the conventions it needs: an AGENTS.md, a kb/ layout, and style files when the author has samples.

First, Load One Environment Walkthrough

Ask the author where they work, or infer it from the session, then read exactly one of these and follow its setup and walkthrough:

• resources/meridian-cli.md, meridian-cli, with the package installed by mars add.
• resources/claude-code.md, Claude Code with this plugin.
• resources/claude-desktop.md, claude.ai, Claude Desktop, or Cowork.
• resources/other-harnesses.md, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, or Grok.

Do not load the others. Meridian Flow, the writing app, has no setup path yet: it will import packages once its importer ships, so use the environment you are in.

Learn About the Project

Ask about:

• What kind of project: novel, short story collection, serial?
• How far along: starting fresh, or existing chapters and worldbuilding?
• Single POV or multiple? Linear or non-linear timeline? How much worldbuilding?
• Where they keep their writing? What is the existing layout?

Writing Samples and Style

Writing samples are the foundation for style analysis:

• Do they have sample chapters or scenes already written?
• Do they have writing from other projects that captures the voice they want?
• Are there published works they want to draw style inspiration from?
• Voice goals: close third, omniscient, first person? Formal, colloquial?

Collect whatever they have and save it to kb/samples/. If there is enough material, offer to analyze it with /creative-writing-skills:creative-writing-craft: read the samples, identify the voice dimensions, and write initial style files to kb/styles/. Style files are the most impactful thing to get right early; every writing agent depends on them.

If they are starting fresh, capture their voice goals in AGENTS.md so style files can be created from the first drafts.

Propose and Iterate