Claude Code ships with a built-in /init. The two are complementary, not competitors.
Claude Code ships with a built-in /init command. /slashforge:setup does not
replace it — they solve different problems.
Side by side
Section titled “Side by side”/init (built-in) |
/slashforge:setup |
|
|---|---|---|
| Creates | CLAUDE.md only (or + skills/hooks with CLAUDE_CODE_NEW_INIT=1) |
Full .claude/ — rules, skills, agents, commands, hooks, plus CLAUDE.md |
| Approach | Discovers and suggests — opinion-light | Opinionated — enforces multi-agent layout, 200-line cap, global vs specialist split |
| Agents | None | Mandatory developer, code-reviewer, git, plus specialists |
| Workflow | None | /slashforge:setup, /slashforge:code (with -quick mode), /slashforge:investigate |
| Monorepo | Single-repo focused | Root + per-app CLAUDE.md |
| Existing setup | Suggests CLAUDE.md improvements |
Full Update flow — reads all of .claude/ and fills gaps |
Which to use
Section titled “Which to use”Use /init for a lightweight starter CLAUDE.md on a personal project. It
is fast, unopinionated, and built in — nothing to install.
Use /slashforge:setup when the repo needs a disciplined .claude/ layout,
specialist agents, or a defined team workflow. The opinionation is the point:
it produces the same structure every time, which is what makes it reviewable
across a team.
Using both
Section titled “Using both”They compose. Run /init first for a starter CLAUDE.md, then /slashforge:setup
in Update mode to enrich it — the Update flow reads what is already there and
fills gaps rather than overwriting.
Files /slashforge:setup did not generate carry no generated_by marker, so they
are treated as yours: edited to fill gaps, never overwritten. See
/slashforge:setup for how the markers work.