/setup-dev-context — Developer Context Setup

Standalone skill for teams integrating AI Analyst into development workflows. Most users (PMs, execs, DS) never need this — only teams doing codebase integration.

Trigger

Invoked as /setup-dev-context

Purpose

Collects codebase-specific context to help AI Analyst understand your development environment. This enables more accurate SQL generation, schema awareness, and integration with your existing data infrastructure.

Sequence

Run the steps in order: the interview confirms values before anything is written.

Step 0: Check Prerequisites (ALWAYS FIRST)

Before doing anything else, verify basic setup is complete:

# Read setup state file
cat .knowledge/setup-state.yaml

Look for phase_2.status: complete. If missing or status is not "complete":

⚠️  Basic setup not complete. Please run `/setup` first to configure your profile and data connection.

You need to complete the initial setup before configuring development context.

STOP here. Do not proceed to interview.

If setup is complete, continue to Step 1.

Why this matters: Dev context assumes a dataset already exists. Without Phase 1-2 setup, there's no dataset to configure conventions for. Checking prerequisites prevents configuration errors downstream.

Step 1: Run the Interview

Ask all 5 questions even when the user supplied some answers, pre-filling what they said for confirmation — users often give partial or mistaken details (e.g. "Snowflake" meaning a Snowflake schema in Postgres).

Present all 5 questions at once (not one-by-one):

I'll ask a few questions about your development environment to provide better support.

1. **Repository type:** What kind of codebase is this?
   - [ ] Analytics/data warehouse (dbt, SQL files, ETL)
   - [ ] Application backend (API, services)
   - [ ] Full-stack application
   - [ ] Data science / ML project
   - [ ] Other: ___

2. **Data layer:** How is your data organized?
   - Database type: (Postgres, BigQuery, Snowflake, DuckDB, other)
   - Schema naming convention: (e.g., `analytics.`, `public.`, `dbt_prod.`)
   - Key tables location: (path to schema definitions, dbt models, etc.)

3. **SQL conventions:** Does your team follow specific patterns?
   - Naming: snake_case / camelCase / other
   - Date handling: timezone-aware? Default timezone?
   - NULL handling: COALESCE patterns? Default values?
   - Any team-specific SQL style guide? (path or URL)

4. **Integration points:** Where does AI Analyst fit in your workflow?
   - [ ] Ad-hoc analysis only (no integration needed)
   - [ ] Reads from dbt models
   - [ ] Connects to production replica
   - [ ] Uses exported CSV/Parquet files
   - [ ] Accesses data warehouse directly
   - Other: ___

5. **File conventions:** (optional)
   - Where do analysis outputs go? (default: `outputs/`)
   - Any naming conventions for SQL files?
   - Git branch strategy for analysis work?

If user already provided some values in their initial prompt, you can pre-fill your proposed answers in parentheses:

2. **Data layer:** How is your data organized?
   - Database type: (you mentioned Snowflake — is that correct?)
   - Schema naming convention: (you mentioned `analytics_prod.` — confirm?)
   - Key tables location: (path to schema definitions, dbt models, etc.)

Wait for the user's response before proceeding.

Why this matters: When you auto-fill, you risk getting details wrong (e.g., user says "Snowflake" but meant "Snowflake schema in Postgres"). The interview is a confirmation step, not a formality.

Step 2: Create the Configuration File

After collecting responses, create .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml:

# Create directory if needed
mkdir -p .knowledge/user

# Write configuration
cat > .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml <<EOF
schema_version: 1
created: "$(date +%F)"
last_updated: "$(date +%F)"

codebase:
  type: analytics           # User's response from Q1
  data_layer:
    database: snowflake     # User's response from Q2
    schema_prefix: analytics_prod.
    models_path: dbt/models/
  sql_conventions:
    naming: snake_case      # User's response from Q3
    timezone_aware: true
    default_timezone: UTC
    null_handling: null
    style_guide: null
  integration:
    mode: dbt               # User's response from Q4
    details: "Reads from dbt prod models"
  file_conventions:
    output_dir: outputs/    # User's response from Q5 (or default)
    sql_naming: null
    git_strategy: null
EOF

Verify the file was created:

ls -la .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml
cat .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml

Show the user what was written. If file creation failed, report the error and stop.

Why this matters: Claiming to create a file without verifying leaves the user with incomplete setup. The verification step catches filesystem issues early.

Step 3: Update Setup State

Mark dev context as complete:

# Read current state
cat .knowledge/setup-state.yaml

# Update with dev_context status
# (Append if dev_context section doesn't exist, or edit if it does)

If .knowledge/setup-state.yaml doesn't exist, create it:

schema_version: 1
created: "$(date +%F)"

phase_1:
  status: complete
phase_2:
  status: complete
dev_context:
  status: complete
  completed_at: "$(date -u +%FT%TZ)"

Verify:

grep -A2 "dev_context:" .knowledge/setup-state.yaml

Step 4: Completion Message

Show the user a confirmation with the specific values they configured:

✅ Developer context saved.

AI Analyst will now:
- Use your schema prefix (`analytics_prod.`) in all SQL queries
- Follow snake_case naming conventions
- Handle all timestamps in UTC
- Integrate with your dbt models
- Save analysis outputs to `outputs/`

Configuration saved to: .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml

You can update these settings anytime by running `/setup-dev-context` again.

Why this matters: The completion message reassures the user that their specific settings were captured (not just generic defaults).

What NOT to Do

❌ Do NOT create dataset configuration files (.knowledge/datasets/{name}/manifest.yaml, schema.md, quirks.md) — that's a different workflow (use /connect-data for that)

❌ Do NOT create helper scripts (new modules under helpers/) — this skill only captures team conventions, not infrastructure

❌ Do NOT write documentation files (SETUP_SNOWFLAKE.md, integration guides) — keep the output minimal

This skill creates exactly ONE file: .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml. That's it.

Why this matters: When you over-engineer the output (creating helpers, docs, dataset configs), you've misunderstood the purpose of this skill. Dev-context is a lightweight capture of team conventions, not a full dataset integration. Keep it simple.

Reset Command

If user runs /setup-dev-context reset:

rm .knowledge/user/dev-context.yaml
# Remove dev_context section from setup-state.yaml

Inform user: "Developer context cleared. Run /setup-dev-context to reconfigure."

Edge Cases

User runs this before /setup:

• Prerequisite check catches this → direct them to /setup

User has already run dev-context setup:

• Read existing dev-context.yaml and pre-fill interview with current values
• Let them edit and overwrite

User provides conflicting info:

• E.g., says "Postgres" but also mentions "dbt models in Snowflake"
• Ask clarifying question: "I see you mentioned both Postgres and Snowflake — which database should I configure for SQL generation?"

User wants multiple database configs:

• This skill handles ONE primary database configuration
• Suggest: "This tool currently supports one primary database config. Which one should I configure — Postgres or Snowflake?"