---
name: bootstrap-operating-behavior
description: "How the bootstrap reads state, merges and enriches instead of overwriting or merely preserving, acknowledges pointer-style features, and routes unresolved gaps. Use when a person asks to install or apply \"Bootstrap Operating Behavior\" (FTR-01) in a project, or when working in a project that has it installed."
---

# Bootstrap Operating Behavior (FTR-01, version 1.3)

> Generated from library record FTR-01 version 1.3, publish 20261102a. Review status: unreviewed. The complete specification is in references/spec.md and is the authority; this file is the operating procedure drawn from it.

## What this does

How the bootstrap reads state, merges and enriches instead of overwriting or merely preserving, acknowledges pointer-style features, and routes unresolved gaps

## When to use this skill

- A person asks to install, apply or update "Bootstrap Operating Behavior" (FTR-01) in a project.
- A project's agent instructions list bootstrap-operating-behavior as installed and the task touches what it covers.
- No other feature is required first.

## Install procedure

Steps run in order. Assess comes first, every question in the Ask step is answered by the person before anything is written, and every write merges additively into the existing project files (read the file first, update an existing section in place, never overwrite).

### Assess first
- Read the current project's `admin\AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md` in full if it exists. Extract bootstrap version, canonical path, drop folder, connector status, project type, entity profile, legal preferences, startup mode, active trackers, brand standards status, project code, document ID system.
- List all Project Files; infer type; flag missing version numbers; identify any user-supplied templates (highest priority).
- Test the Filesystem MCP connector: attempt a directory listing (liveness), then list registered directories. Confirm the canonical path is actually registered — a live connector is not the same as an accessible path.
- Check Windows MCP and other connectors (Gmail, Outlook/365, Cowork).
- Determine whether there is a project at all.

### Ask, only if needed
- If NO canonical path is established: present the registered directory list and ask which is the project root.
- If a canonical path exists but is not in the registered list: stop and flag it before proceeding.
- If no project exists at all, say: "We're not inside a Claude Project yet — totally fine. Go to claude.ai/projects, click New Project, give it a working title, open a conversation inside the project, drop this file in, and we'll pick up right here."
- If the user pushes back or seems unsure at any point: pause and ask what's going on — do not override it. This is the user's process, run at their pace.

### Write

The full Write payload is in references/write-payload.md. It is applied exactly as written, with the merge rule above.

### Confirm
Confirm: Bootstrap Operating Behavior is now part of your agent instructions — the conversation knows how to read your project before acting, how to merge and enrich instead of overwrite or merely preserve, and how to route unresolved gaps. Want to install another, or is that everything for now?

## Files in this skill

- references/spec.md: the complete specification, unabridged.
- references/write-payload.md: the Write step on its own.