Write a local development environment setup guide for a service or project — covering prerequisites, repository setup, environment variables, local service dependencies, database seeding, running the service, running tests, common gotchas, IDE recommendations, and first-contribution checklist. Use when asked to write a dev setup guide, create onboarding documentation for engineers, document local environment setup, or write a getting-started guide for a codebase. Produces a complete setup guide that a new engineer can follow from zero to running tests in under 30 minutes, with a troubleshooting section for the most common setup failures.
“Write a dev setup guide.”“Create onboarding documentation for engineers.”“Document local environment setup.”“Write a getting-started guide for a codebase.”
What to give it
▸Service name — and what it does
▸Tech stack — language, framework, database, cache, message queue, and any external services
▸Dependencies — databases, caches, message queues, and external services (mocked or real)
▸Test framework — how tests are run and what the test suite covers
▸CI / CD platform — GitHub Actions, CircleCI, Jenkins, etc. (for context on what "passing CI" means locally)
✅ The bar it holds itself to
Every skill in this library self-verifies — these are this skill's own quality checks, straight from its definition.
✓A new engineer with no prior knowledge of the project can follow this guide from start to finish without asking anyone for help
✓Every command is tested on a clean environment — not written from memory and assumed to work
✓Environment variables table covers every variable in `.env.example` — no undocumented variables
✓The troubleshooting section covers the 5 most common real failures observed during onboarding — not theoretical issues
✓Docker Compose version and Docker Desktop memory requirements are stated explicitly
✓"Expected output" is shown for key commands so engineers know whether a step succeeded
✓Setup time estimate is honest — verified by timing a real onboarding session, not estimated
⚠️ What it refuses to do
Do not write setup steps from memory without testing them on a clean machine — steps that skip implicit knowledge break for new engineers
Do not leave environment variables undocumented — every variable in .env.example must appear in the Variables table with a description and source
Do not write troubleshooting entries for theoretical issues — only include problems that have actually occurred during real onboarding sessions
Do not assume Docker Desktop is configured correctly — memory limits and platform (M1/M2) compatibility must be explicitly called out
Do not omit expected output for key commands — without "expected output", engineers cannot tell whether a step succeeded or silently failed
Install
npx pm-claude-skills add --agent claude # or codex · cursor · gemini · hermes
# or one-line MCP (every skill, any client):
claude mcp add pm-skills -- npx -y -p pm-claude-skills pm-claude-skills-mcp