Your First Project

Initialize an existing project

Navigate to your project and run:

cd your-project
ginko init

This creates:

• .ginko/ — Session data, config, and event logs
• CLAUDE.md — AI instructions tailored to your project
• docs/ — Directory for epics, sprints, and ADRs

Options

ginko init --model claude     # Optimize for Claude Code
ginko init --model gpt        # Optimize for GPT-based tools
ginko init --model generic    # Generic AI instructions

Upgrade existing installation

If you already have ginko and want to update AI instructions:

ginko init --upgrade

Create a new project

Start a brand new project with ginko pre-configured:

ginko create my-app

Templates

ginko create my-app --template basic      # Minimal setup
ginko create my-app --template react      # React starter
ginko create my-app --template node       # Node.js starter
ginko create my-app --template library    # Library/package starter

Non-interactive mode

For CI/automation:

ginko create my-app --template node --description "My API service" --non-interactive

Project charter

After initialization, ginko can guide you through creating a project charter — a structured document that captures your project’s goals, scope, and success criteria:

ginko charter

The charter helps your AI collaborator understand the bigger picture. It’s conversational — ginko asks questions and generates the charter from your answers.

ginko charter --view    # View existing charter
ginko charter --edit    # Edit charter conversationally

Connect to cloud

If you’ve authenticated, initialize the knowledge graph:

ginko graph init

This connects your project to the cloud knowledge graph for semantic search and team features.