Dev Environment Setup Skill

Overview

This is the third skill in Phase 04 (Development Artifacts). It generates comprehensive development environment setup documentation that enables any developer to establish a working local environment from scratch. The output covers prerequisites, dependency installation, local configuration, build commands, IDE setup, and verification steps, conforming to IEEE 1074 (Software Life Cycle Processes).

When to Use

• After tech_stack.md exists in ../project_context/ with toolchain and runtime details.
• Optionally after HLD.md exists in ../output/ to derive infrastructure dependencies (databases, caches, message queues).
• Can run in parallel with 02-coding-guidelines since they address independent concerns.

Quick Reference

Input Files

Output Files

Core Instructions

Follow these seven steps in order. Halt and notify the user if a required input file is missing.

Step 1: Read Context Files

Read tech_stack.md from ../project_context/. Optionally read HLD.md from ../output/ for infrastructure context. Log the absolute path of each file read. If tech_stack.md is missing, halt execution and report the gap.

Step 2: Define Prerequisites

Document all prerequisites the developer must have before starting:

• Operating system requirements (supported OS versions)
• Runtime versions with exact version numbers (e.g., Node.js 20.x, Python 3.12, Java 21)
• Package managers with minimum versions (e.g., npm 10.x, pip 24.x)
• System-level dependencies (e.g., Git, Docker, Docker Compose)

Step 3: Define Dependency Installation Steps

Provide numbered, copy-paste-ready installation commands:

• Platform-specific commands (macOS/Homebrew, Windows/winget, Linux/apt)
• Runtime installation via version managers (nvm, pyenv, sdkman)
• Project dependency installation (npm install, pip install -r, mvn install)
• Infrastructure dependencies (database, cache, message queue via Docker Compose)

Step 4: Define Local Configuration

Document all local configuration required:

• Environment variables with descriptions and example values
• Configuration file templates (.env.example, config.local.yaml)
• Database setup commands (create database, run migrations, seed data)
• SSL/TLS certificates for local development if applicable

Step 5: Define Build and Run Commands

Document the complete build and execution workflow:

• Build commands (compile, transpile, bundle)
• Run commands for development mode with hot-reload
• Run commands for production-like mode
• Database migration commands
• Common task runner commands (lint, format, type-check)

Step 6: Define IDE Setup Recommendations

Provide IDE configuration guidance:

• Recommended IDE or editor with version
• Required extensions or plugins (linter, formatter, debugger)
• Workspace settings (tab size, line endings, encoding)
• Debug configuration templates (launch.json, run configurations)

Step 7: Write Output with Verification Steps

Write the completed document to ../output/Dev_Environment_Setup.md. Include a Verification Checklist section with commands that confirm each component is correctly installed and configured. Include a Troubleshooting section addressing common setup failures. Log the total count of installation steps and verification checks.

Output Format

The generated Dev_Environment_Setup.md shall contain these sections in order: Document Header (project name, date, version, standard), 1. Prerequisites, 2. Installation Steps (numbered, platform-specific), 3. Configuration, 4. Build and Run, 5. IDE Setup, 6. Verification Checklist, 7. Troubleshooting.

Common Pitfalls

Verification Checklist

• Dev_Environment_Setup.md exists in ../output/ with all seven sections populated.
• Prerequisites list exact version numbers for all runtimes and tools.
• Installation steps provide platform-specific commands for at least two operating systems.
• Configuration section documents all environment variables with example values.
• Build and Run section covers development mode, production-like mode, and common tasks.
• Verification Checklist provides runnable commands to confirm correct setup.
• Troubleshooting section addresses at least three common setup failures.

Integration

Standards

• IEEE 1074 -- Software Life Cycle Processes. Governs the documentation of development environment and toolchain requirements.

Resources

• logic.prompt -- Executable prompt containing the step-by-step environment setup generation logic.
• README.md -- Quick-start guide for this skill.