bootstrap · openai — Codex skill: what it does, how to install
Orchestrates setup for repositories linked to Vercel, provisioning Neon databases, setting secrets, and verifying environment keys before running dev commands.
npx skills add openai/plugins --skill bootstrap -a codexWhat bootstrap does
The skill coordinates setup for repositories that rely on Vercel resources. It stops the agent from running database migrations or starting dev servers until project linking and environment key checks succeed. Authentication secrets like AUTH_SECRET are created with node:crypto and sent straight to Vercel without echoing their values into the console.
The workflow handles Neon provisioning via vercel integration and checks template keys against local files with the comm command. For Next.js projects, it adds baseline shadcn UI components. Repositories built with next-forge get dedicated handling, using pnpm migrate and per-app environment files across the monorepo.
You need an authenticated Vercel CLI. Install this skill if you work with Next.js and Vercel integrations, so your agent avoids failing on unconfigured environment variables.
What it helps with
- link the repository to a Vercel team and project
- provision a Neon database integration and pull local variables
- generate
AUTH_SECRETsecurely without logging values - verify missing environment keys against
.env.example - set up initial shadcn UI components for Next.js
Example prompts for the agent
- Link this project to Vercel and set up my local environment.
- Provision Neon Postgres and verify required environment keys.
- Bootstrap this Next.js repository and prepare the database.
How to install bootstrap
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openai/plugins --skill bootstrap -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add openai/plugins --skill bootstrap -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/bootstrap/
Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install openai/plugins bootstrap2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.mdPlatform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/openai/plugins --path plugins/vercel/skills/bootstrapManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Claude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
From the same set201
The whole set →Other versions of bootstrap
Similar
Questions about bootstrap
How to install bootstrap in Codex?
Run npx skills add openai/plugins --skill bootstrap -a codex or save the skill file under .agents/skills/bootstrap/SKILL.md.
What does the bootstrap skill do?
It enforces a safe bootstrapping order, ensuring project linking, secret generation, and environment checks happen before running database migrations or dev servers.
What are the prerequisites for bootstrap?
You need Node.js and an authenticated Vercel CLI so the skill can inspect teams, link projects, and manage environment variables.
Source text
SKILL.md · Apache-2.0
---
name: bootstrap
description: Project bootstrapping orchestrator for repos that depend on Vercel-linked resources (databases, auth, and managed integrations). Use when setting up or repairing a repository so linking, environment provisioning, env pulls, and first-run db/dev commands happen in the correct safe order.
metadata:
priority: 8
docs:
- "https://vercel.com/docs/getting-started-with-vercel"
- "https://nextjs.org/docs/getting-started/installation"
sitemap: "https://vercel.com/sitemap/docs.xml"
pathPatterns:
- '.env.example'
- '.env.sample'
- '.env.template'
- 'README*'
- 'docs/**/setup*'
- 'package.json'
- 'drizzle.config.*'
- 'prisma/schema.prisma'
- 'auth.*'
- 'src/**/auth.*'
bashPatterns:
- '\\bcp\\s+\\.env\\.(?:example|sample|template)\\s+\\.env\\.local\\b'
- '\\b(?:npm|pnpm|bun|yarn)\\s+run\\s+db:(?:push|seed|migrate|generate)\\b'
- '\\b(?:npm|pnpm|bun|yarn)\\s+run\\s+dev\\b'
- '\\bvercel\\s+link\\b'
- '\\bvercel\\s+integration\\s+(?:add|install)\\b'
- '\\bvercel\\s+env\\s+pull\\b'
importPatterns:
- '@neondatabase/serverless'
- 'drizzle-orm'
- '@upstash/redis'
- '@vercel/blob'
- '@vercel/edge-config'
- 'next-auth'
- '@auth/core'
- 'better-auth'
---
# Project Bootstrap Orchestrator
Execute bootstrap in strict order. Do not run migrations or development server until project linking and environment verification are complete.
## Rules
- Do not run `db:push`, `db:migrate`, `db:seed`, or `dev` until Vercel linking is complete and env keys are verified.
- Prefer Vercel-managed provisioning (`vercel integration ...`) for shared resources.
- Use provider CLIs only as fallback when Vercel integration flow is unavailable.
- Never echo secret values in terminal output, logs, or summaries.
## Preflight
1. Confirm Vercel CLI is installed and authenticated.
```bash
vercel --version
vercel whoami
```
2. Confirm repo linkage by checking `.vercel/project.json`.
3. If not linked, inspect available teams/projects before asking the user to choose:
```bash
vercel teams ls
vercel projects ls --scope <team>
vercel link --yes --scope <team> --project <project>
```
4. Find the env template in priority order: `.env.example`, `.env.sample`, `.env.template`.
5. Create local env file if missing:
```bash
cp .env.example .env.local
```
## Resource Setup: Postgres
### Preferred path (Vercel-managed Neon)
1. Read integration setup guidance:
```bash
vercel integration guide neon
```
2. Add Neon integration to the Vercel scope:
```bash
vercel integration add neon --scope <team>
```
3. Verify expected environment variable names exist in Vercel and pull locally:
```bash
vercel env ls
vercel env pull .env.local --yes
```
### Fallback path 1 (Dashboard)
1. Provision Neon through the Vercel dashboard integration UI.
2. Re-run `vercel env pull .env.local --yes`.
### Fallback path 2 (Neon CLI)
Use Neon CLI only when Vercel-managed provisioning is unavailable. After creating resources, add required env vars in Vercel and pull again.
## AUTH_SECRET Generation
Generate a high-entropy secret without printing it, then store it in Vercel and refresh local env:
```bash
AUTH_SECRET="$(node -e "console.log(require('node:crypto').randomBytes(32).toString('base64url'))")"
printf "%s" "$AUTH_SECRET" | vercel env add AUTH_SECRET development preview production
unset AUTH_SECRET
vercel env pull .env.local --yes
```
## Env Verification
Compare required keys from template file against `.env.local` keys (names only, never values):
```bash
template_file=""
for candidate in .env.example .env.sample .env.template; do
if [ -f "$candidate" ]; then
template_file="$candidate"
break
fi
done
comm -23 \
<(grep -E '^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*=' "$template_file" | cut -d '=' -f 1 | sort -u) \
<(grep -E '^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*=' .env.local | cut -d '=' -f 1 | sort -u)
```
Proceed only when missing key list is empty.
## App Setup
After linkage + env verification:
```bash
npm run db:push
npm run db:seed
npm run dev
```
Use the repository package manager (`npm`, `pnpm`, `bun`, or `yarn`) and run only scripts that exist in `package.json`.
## UI Baseline for Next.js + shadcn Projects
After linkage and env verification, establish the UI foundation before feature work:
1. Add a baseline primitive set: `npx shadcn@latest add button card input label textarea select switch tabs dialog alert-dialog sheet dropdown-menu badge separator skeleton table`
2. Apply the Geist font fix in `layout.tsx` and `globals.css`.
3. Confirm the app shell uses `bg-background text-foreground`.
4. Default to dark mode for product, admin, and AI apps unless the repo is clearly marketing-first.
## Bootstrap Verification
Confirm each checkpoint:
- `vercel whoami` succeeds.
- `.vercel/project.json` exists and matches chosen project.
- Postgres integration path completed (Vercel integration, dashboard, or provider CLI fallback).
- `vercel env pull .env.local --yes` succeeds.
- Required env key diff is empty.
- Database command status is recorded (`db:push`, `db:seed`, `db:migrate`, `db:generate` as applicable).
- `dev` command starts without immediate config/auth/env failure.
If verification fails, stop and report exact failing step plus remediation.
## Summary Format
Return a final bootstrap summary in this format:
```md
## Bootstrap Result
- **Linked Project**: <team>/<project>
- **Resource Path**: vercel-integration-neon | dashboard-neon | neon-cli
- **Env Keys**: <count> required, <count> present, <count> missing
- **Secrets**: AUTH_SECRET set in Vercel (value never shown)
- **Migration Status**: not-run | success | failed (<step>)
- **Dev Result**: not-run | started | failed
```
## Bootstrap Next Steps
- If env keys are still missing, add the missing keys in Vercel and re-run `vercel env pull .env.local --yes`.
- If DB commands fail, fix connectivity/schema issues and re-run only the failed db step.
- If `dev` fails, resolve runtime errors, then restart with your package manager's `run dev`.
## next-forge Projects
If the project was scaffolded with `npx next-forge init` (detected by `pnpm-workspace.yaml` + `packages/auth` + `packages/database` + `@repo/*` imports):
1. Env files are per-app (`apps/app/.env.local`, `apps/web/.env.local`, `apps/api/.env.local`) plus `packages/database/.env`.
2. Run `pnpm migrate` (not `db:push`) — it runs `prisma format` + `prisma generate` + `prisma db push`.
3. Minimum env vars: `DATABASE_URL`, `CLERK_SECRET_KEY`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_WEB_URL`, `NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL`.
4. Optional services (Stripe, Resend, PostHog, etc.) can be skipped initially — but remove their `@repo/*` imports from app `env.ts` files to avoid validation errors.
5. Deploy as 3 separate Vercel projects with root directories `apps/app`, `apps/api`, `apps/web`.
=> skill: next-forge — Full next-forge monorepo guide
© Vercel Labs · Apache-2.0 · openai/plugins