> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://tashfiq.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# init
> Scaffold missing Charter and agent-context files in a repository.
`charter init` bootstraps a repository for Charter. It uses a create-missing-only approach: it only creates files that do not already exist, never overwrites, never deletes, and stays fully offline. Repeated runs become no-ops once all files are present, making it safe to use in scripting and CI.
## Usage
```bash Interactive (default) theme={null}
charter init
```
```bash Preview without writing theme={null}
charter init --dry-run
```
```bash Non-interactive with strict profile theme={null}
charter init --yes --profile strict
```
```bash Request specific agent surfaces theme={null}
charter init --agents claude,cursor
```
## Flags
Target directory to scaffold. Defaults to the repository root when one is found, otherwise the current directory.
Print the planned file actions without writing anything. Use this to preview exactly what `init` would create before committing.
Skip prompts for non-interactive or CI use. Because `init` never overwrites existing files, this flag is effectively a no-op in most runs — it is accepted for scripting compatibility.
Policy profile written into the generated `charter.yaml`. Defaults to `standard`.
Comma-separated agent surfaces to request, such as `claude,cursor`. Controls whether agent-specific config files like `.claude/settings.json` are scaffolded. When omitted, Charter auto-detects the agent surface and falls back to `claude` if nothing is detected. `AGENTS.md` is always created regardless of this flag.
## Files It Creates
The following files are created only when they are absent:
| File | Purpose |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `AGENTS.md` | Agent context file — project summary, commands, and edit boundaries |
| `charter.yaml` | Policy config scaffolded with `profile: standard` |
| `.gitignore` | Agent artifact patterns appended when the file is absent |
| `ARCHITECTURE.md` | Repo overview template |
| `.env.example` | Environment variable references |
| `.claude/settings.json` | Created when Claude is detected or explicitly requested via `--agents` |
## After Init
Open `AGENTS.md` and tailor the project summary, commands section, and edit boundaries to your repo. The scaffolded content is intentionally generic.
```bash theme={null}
charter doctor --threshold 80
```
This gives you your baseline score. A blank repo typically passes 80 immediately after `init`.
Add the scaffolded files to version control so future scans and CI runs see them.
A blank Go repo scores ≥ 80 immediately after `charter init` — measured at 95 in testing. The residual findings are typically [`AE-ENV-001`](/rules/AE-ENV-001) (no toolchain file) and [`AE-CI-002`](/rules/AE-CI-002) (CI not yet configured).
## Exit codes
| Code | Meaning | When |
| ---- | ------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `0` | Pass | Scaffolding completed — files created, or all files already present (a no-op run) |
| `2` | Error | Invalid flags, an unwritable target path, or a malformed `charter.yaml` to scaffold against |
## Related
What `standard` and `strict` change in the generated `charter.yaml`.
Bring Charter into a repo that already has agent context files.
Score the repo after scaffolding to get a baseline.