Gauntlet Setup and Configuration

VerifiedSafe

Scans the project structure (monorepo, split, or single) and tooling to automatically configure entry points, checks, and reviews for agent-gauntlet. Generates or updates `.gauntlet/config.yml` and associated check/review files based on discovered tools. Use this when initially setting up agent-gauntlet or reconfiguring after adding new tools or changing project layout.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
806/2/2026
Claude Code
#gauntlet#project-setup#check-configuration#tooling-detection

Recommended for

Our review

Scans a project to detect tooling and automatically configure checks and reviews for agent-gauntlet.

Strengths

  • Automates initial check and review configuration.
  • Detects monorepo, split, or single project structures.
  • Handles adding checks without overwriting existing configuration.
  • Backs up existing config files before reconfiguration.

Limitations

  • Requires agent-gauntlet initialization to have been run first.
  • Relies on file detection heuristics (may miss uncommon tooling).
  • Does not cover all possible tools, only the most common ones.
When to use it

Use this skill when setting up agent-gauntlet for the first time in a project or to add new checks to an existing configuration.

When not to use it

Avoid using it if you prefer a fully manual configuration or if your project uses rare or custom tooling that the scan cannot detect.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score92/100

The skill performs file reads/writes within a .gauntlet/ directory for configuration setup, with no destructive commands, no exfiltration, and no execution of arbitrary code from external sources. It uses standard allowed tools for a setup wizard.

No concerns found

Examples

Fresh setup
Set up agent-gauntlet checks for my project.
Add checks to existing config
I have an existing gauntlet config, scan my project and add any missing checks.
Reconfigure from scratch
Reconfigure my gauntlet setup from scratch, backing up the old configuration.

name: gauntlet-setup description: Scan project and configure checks and reviews allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Glob, Grep, Write, Edit

/gauntlet-setup

Scan the project to discover tooling and configure checks and reviews for agent-gauntlet.

Before starting, read references/check-catalog.md for check category details, YAML schemas, and example configurations.

Step 1: Check config exists

Read .gauntlet/config.yml. If the file does not exist, tell the user to run agent-gauntlet init first and STOP — do not proceed with any further steps.

Step 2: Check existing config

Read the entry_points field from .gauntlet/config.yml.

If entry_points is empty ([]): This is a fresh setup. Proceed to Step 3 (detect project structure).

If entry_points is populated: Show the user a summary of the current configuration:

  • List each entry point with its path, checks, and reviews

  • Then ask the user which action to take:

    1. Add checks — Scan for tools not already configured. Proceed to Step 3, but filter out any checks that already appear in entry_points.
    2. Add custom — User describes what they want to add. Skip to Step 7.
    3. Reconfigure — Start fresh. Back up existing files first:
      • Rename each .gauntlet/checks/*.yml file to .yml.bak (overwrite any previous .bak files)
      • Rename each custom .gauntlet/reviews/*.md file to .md.bak (overwrite any previous .bak files)
      • Do NOT rename .gauntlet/reviews/*.yml files (these are built-in review configs)
      • Clear entry_points to [] in config.yml
      • Proceed to Step 3

Step 3: Detect project structure

Scan for signals to classify the project as monorepo, split project, or single project.

Monorepo signals

  • package.json with a workspaces field
  • pnpm-workspace.yaml
  • lerna.json, nx.json, turbo.json
  • Cargo.toml with a [workspace] section
  • Multiple subdirectories under packages/, apps/, or services/ each containing their own project manifest (package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pyproject.toml)

Split project signals

  • frontend/ + backend/ (or client/ + server/, web/ + api/) directories each containing source code and/or their own project manifest
  • Multiple apps or libraries of the same language under a common parent directory (e.g., apps/web/, apps/api/, apps/worker/ each with their own source and config) — suggests a wildcard entry point like apps/*

Single project signals

  • src/ or lib/ as sole source directory, or source files at project root
  • No monorepo or split project signals found

If monorepo or split project: Read references/project-structure.md for detailed multi-project entry point guidance, then follow it for Steps 4 through 8. The rest of this file covers the single-project flow.

If single project: Tell the user what you detected and continue below.

Step 4: Determine entry point path

Infer the source directory:

  • If src/ exists and contains source code, suggest src
  • If lib/ exists and contains source code, suggest lib
  • Otherwise suggest . (project root — safer default since it captures all changes)

Skip this step if adding checks to an existing entry point that already has a path.

Step 5: Scan for tooling

Scan the project for tooling signals across the 6 check categories listed in references/check-catalog.md.

For the "add checks" path: Filter out checks already configured in entry_points.

If no tools discovered: Offer the custom flow (skip to Step 7). Still include code-quality review.

Step 6: Present findings and confirm

Show a table of discovered checks:

Category        | Tool            | Command                              | Confidence
----------------|-----------------|--------------------------------------|-----------
Build           | npm             | npm run build                        | High
Lint            | ESLint          | npx eslint .                         | High
Typecheck       | TypeScript      | npx tsc --noEmit                     | High
Test            | Jest            | npx jest                             | High
Security (deps) | npm audit       | npm audit --audit-level=moderate     | Medium
Security (code) | Semgrep         | semgrep scan --config auto --error . | Medium

Confidence levels:

  • High — Tool config file found AND/OR explicit script in package.json/Makefile
  • Medium — Tool found in devDependencies or inferred from CI workflow but no dedicated config
  • Low — Only indirect evidence (e.g., test directory exists but no runner config found)

If a category has no discovered tool, show (not found) with for command and confidence.

Ask the user:

  1. Which checks to enable (default: all)
  2. Whether any commands need adjustment

If the user declines ALL checks, still include code-quality review and offer the custom flow (Step 7).

After confirmation, proceed to Step 8 (create files).

Step 7: Add custom

Ask the user: check (shell command) or review (AI code review)?

For checks: Ask for command, name, and optional settings (timeout, parallel, run_in_ci, run_locally).

For reviews: Built-in (code-quality) or custom prompt? Ask for name and write the review content.

Step 8: Create files and update config

Checks — Create .gauntlet/checks/<name>.yml with command, parallel: true, run_in_ci: true, run_locally: true. Add optional fields only when specified. See references/check-catalog.md for schema.

Custom reviews — Create .gauntlet/reviews/<name>.md with YAML frontmatter (num_reviews: 1) and review prompt.

Built-in reviews — Create .gauntlet/reviews/<name>.yml with builtin: code-quality and num_reviews: 1.

Update entry_points in .gauntlet/config.yml:

entry_points:
  - path: "<source_dir>"
    checks:
      - <check-name-1>
      - <check-name-2>
    reviews:
      - code-quality

Always include code-quality in reviews for fresh setups. For "add checks" / "add custom": append to the appropriate entry point's lists, or add a new entry point if needed.

Step 9: "Add something else?"

Ask the user. If yes, loop to Step 7. If no, proceed.

Step 10: Validate

Run agent-gauntlet validate. If it fails, apply one corrective attempt and re-validate. If it still fails, STOP and ask the user.

Step 11: Suggest next steps

Tell the user: configuration is complete. Run /gauntlet-run to execute, or /gauntlet-setup again to add more.

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