capabilities.md

Capability Matrix

This file explains what the starter includes today, what is optional, and what is outside the scope of this repository.

Use it when you want to answer:

• what is already in the base starter
• what only appears after installing a variant
• what is just an example and needs team-specific wiring
• what this repository intentionally does not try to become

Base starter

Area	Status	Where	Notes
Project memory	Included	CLAUDE.md	Shared repo guidance loaded into Claude Code sessions
Shared settings	Included	.claude/settings.json	Team-reviewed defaults for permissions and hooks
Local settings template	Included	.claude/settings.local.example.json	Example for personal overrides
Base commands	Included	.claude/commands/	Planning, review, release, setup, and diff workflows
Base subagents	Included	.claude/agents/	Shared reviewer, debugger, docs, test, release, and security roles
Base hooks	Included	.claude/hooks/	Sensitive-file protection, shell safety, and session context
Hook recipe library	Included	.claude/hooks/recipes/ and docs/hook-recipes.md	Optional copy-paste recipes for infra, quality, startup context, and merge hygiene
Starter skill examples	Included	.claude/skills/	Small reusable skill patterns, including stack-specific and workflow-specific checklists
Minimal MCP file	Included	.mcp.json	Safe empty project-scoped entrypoint
Install helper	Included	scripts/install.mjs	Copies the base starter and optional variants
Bundle presets	Included	bundles/ and docs/bundles.md	Named install presets for common team shapes, including stack-aware bundle guidance
Setup audit	Included	.claude/scripts/doctor.mjs and /check-setup	Verifies starter presence, gitignore safety, and MCP placeholders
Validation	Included	npm run validate	Checks JSON, scripts, assets, and smoke installs
Public visuals	Included	assets/	README and social preview assets

Variant capabilities

Variant	Status	Adds
backend	Included	API-oriented command and backend-focused CLAUDE.md overlay
consulting	Included	Client update workflow and consulting-oriented overlay
data	Included	Data-review workflow and data-team overlay
frontend	Included	UI review workflow and frontend overlay
release-engineering	Included	Release-readiness workflow and delivery-oriented overlay
security	Included	Threat-model workflow and security-oriented overlay
support-triage	Included	Ticket triage workflow and support-oriented overlay

Example and optional capabilities

These are shipped as examples, not as fully wired production defaults.

Area	Status	Where	Notes
MCP profiles	Example only	mcp/examples/	Starting points for onboarding, security, release, issue triage, and GitHub plus Postgres
Example stacks	Example only	examples/	Short adaptation references that pair with stack-specific or workflow-specific skills and hook recipes
Local-only settings	Optional	.claude/settings.local.json	Personal machine overrides; do not commit
Multi-variant overlays	Optional	scripts/install.mjs --variant ...	Later variants win when they write the same path
Bundle plus extra variant	Optional	scripts/install.mjs --bundle ... --variant ...	Start from a preset, then specialize it with one more overlay
Stack-aware bundle recommendations	Optional	bundle install output and --describe-bundles	Prints matching MCP profiles, example files, skills, and hook recipes for bundle paths
Bundle selector and gallery	Included	docs/bundle-selector.md and docs/examples-gallery.md	Fast path for choosing a bundle and matching MCP profile without reading every manifest

Stable scope

The repo now covers the intended starter baseline:

• base Claude Code team setup
• named variants for common workflow styles
• named bundles for common repo shapes
• scenario-based MCP examples
• stack-specific and workflow-specific reusable layers
• onboarding, install, and rollout docs
• validation and release discipline

Maintenance direction

Future work should stay narrow and additive.

• add narrowly scoped bundles only when a real recurring team shape shows up
• add narrowly scoped MCP examples only when they improve an existing bundle path
• keep docs, examples, and validation aligned as Claude Code evolves

Out of scope

This repository is intentionally not trying to become these things:

• a Claude Code clone
• a terminal runtime or tool-execution engine
• a plugin marketplace
• a managed remote settings system
• a telemetry pipeline
• a team-memory sync service
• a giant workflow framework that hides everything behind automation

Recommended reading order

If you are new to the repo, read in this order:

1. README.md
2. docs/install.md
3. docs/bundle-selector.md
4. docs/examples-gallery.md
5. docs/config-layers.md
6. docs/variants.md
7. mcp/README.md