Initialize Book Project

Initialize Book Project

Set up a new book project by creating a comprehensive Book Requirements Document (BRD).

Book Concept

The user wants to write: $ARGUMENTS

Workflow

This command delegates to the brd-creator agent to guide the user through BRD creation via structured questions.

Step 1: Check Prerequisites

First, verify that SurrealDB is running and accessible:

# Check if SurrealDB container is running
if docker ps | grep -q bookstrap-db; then
  echo "SurrealDB is running"
else
  echo "SurrealDB_NOT_RUNNING"
fi

If SurrealDB is not running, start it:

# Start SurrealDB via docker-compose
docker-compose up -d

Wait a few seconds for the database to be ready:

sleep 3

Step 2: Initialize Schema

Run the schema initialization script:

./​scripts/​init-schema.sh

This creates all necessary tables, fields, and indexes in SurrealDB.

Step 3: Delegate to BRD Creator

The brd-creator agent will guide the user through creating the BRD by asking structured questions about:

1. Core Details: Title, genre, word count target, audience
2. Thesis/​Premise: One-sentence summary, core argument, reader takeaway
3. Structure: Format, POV, tense, timeline approach
4. Voice: Tone, comparable titles, sample passage
5. Characters/​Concepts: Key figures with descriptions and relationships
6. Research Sources: Primary sources, secondary sources, URLs for ingestion
7. Constraints: Must include, must avoid, sensitivity considerations

The agent will:

• Ask one question at a time
• Wait for user responses
• Generate a comprehensive BRD.md file
• Store the BRD content in the SurrealDB brd table

Step 4: Create Project Structure

After the BRD is created, set up the initial project structure:

# Create directories
mkdir -p manuscript
mkdir -p research
mkdir -p logs
mkdir -p data

# Create .gitignore if it doesn't exist
if [ ! -f .gitignore ]; then
  cat > .gitignore << 'EOF'
# Environment
.env

# Database
data/

# Logs
logs/

# OS
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db

# Editor
.vscode/
.idea/
EOF
fi

Step 5: Create Configuration

If bookstrap.config.json doesn't exist, copy from template:

if [ ! -f bookstrap.config.json ]; then
  cp templates/​bookstrap.config.json bookstrap.config.json
fi

Step 6: Verify Environment

Check that required environment variables are set:

# Check for embedding provider API key
if [ -f .env ]; then
  source .env
  if [ -z "$GEMINI_API_KEY" ] && [ -z "$OPENAI_API_KEY" ]; then
    echo "WARNING: No embedding API key found. Set GEMINI_API_KEY or OPENAI_API_KEY in .env"
  fi
else
  echo "NOTE: Create a .env file and add your API keys (see .env.example)"
fi

After Initialization

Return a summary including:

• BRD location and version
• Database status (running, schema initialized)
• Project directories created
• Configuration file status
• Next steps: /​bookstrap-ingest to load research materials

Notes

• The BRD can be edited later and re-ingested into the database
• The initial book concept can be as simple or detailed as desired
• The agent will ask clarifying questions to fill in any gaps
• All answers can be refined during the question process