rpi-setup-humanlayer
use this skill when a user asks to set up RPI or a "research plan implement" workflow, or to do anything related to RPI skills. if the user says the acronym "RPI" or "rpi" or "humanlayer", you MUST use this skill! Example questions - "I want to set up rpi for ticket eng-1234" - "Whats the next rpi step for eng-5678"
When & Why to Use This Skill
The HumanLayer RPI Setup skill automates the initialization of the 'Research-Plan-Implement' (RPI) workflow, bridging the gap between project management and execution. It streamlines engineering task setup by validating CLI dependencies, synchronizing task repositories, and automatically organizing Linear ticket data into structured development directories.
Use Cases
- Automated Environment Auditing: Quickly verify the installation and configuration of HumanLayer and Linear CLIs to ensure the local environment is ready for agentic workflows.
- Linear Ticket Initialization: Automatically fetch issue details from Linear (e.g., eng-1234) and create standardized task directories with all necessary context files.
- Workflow State Tracking: Analyze existing task directories to determine the current progress of a project and suggest the next logical RPI step or skill to execute.
- Repository Sync & Verification: Configure and test GitHub remote connections for 'Thoughts' repositories, providing validated permalinks for team collaboration.
| name | rpi-setup-humanlayer |
|---|---|
| description | use this skill when a user asks to set up RPI or a "research plan implement" workflow, or to do anything related to RPI skills. if the user says the acronym "RPI" or "rpi" or "humanlayer", you MUST use this skill! Example questions - "I want to set up rpi for ticket eng-1234" - "Whats the next rpi step for eng-5678" |
HumanLayer RPI Setup
You're tasked with setting up a research-plan-implement workflow for a user.
CRITICAL: Validate Prerequisites First
Before doing ANYTHING else, validate prerequisites. Run these checks in order:
Step 1: Check HumanLayer CLI
which humanlayer
If not found: "HumanLayer CLI not found. Install via: brew install humanlayer/tap/humanlayer"
Step 2: Check Linear CLI
which linear
If not found: "Linear CLI not found. Install via: npm install -g @codelayer/linear-cli"
Step 3: Check Thoughts Configuration
humanlayer thoughts status
If fails or "Not initialized": "Thoughts not configured. Run: humanlayer thoughts init"
Step 4: Verify Sync Works
humanlayer thoughts sync
If fails, tell user to check their thoughts repository configuration.
Step 5: Output Test Permalink
Parse humanlayer thoughts status output to get:
- "Thoughts directory" line (e.g.,
repos/synclayer)
Get the thoughts repo path and GitHub remote:
humanlayer thoughts config | grep "Thoughts repository" | awk '{print $NF}'
Then:
git -C <that-path> remote get-url origin
Construct and output a test permalink:
Prerequisites validated!
Test this permalink opens correctly:
https://github.com/<org>/<repo>/tree/main/<thoughts-directory>/tasks/
If it opens to your tasks directory, you're ready!
After Prerequisites Pass
Help the user with their RPI workflow question.
Example: Setting up a new ticket
User: set up rpi for ticket eng-1234
- Run prerequisite checks (steps 1-5)
- Fetch ticket info:
linear get-issue-v2 eng-1234 --fields=branch - Create task directory:
mkdir -p thoughts/tasks/eng-1234-description - Fetch ticket:
linear get-issue eng-1234 > thoughts/tasks/eng-1234-description/ticket.md - Tell user to start with:
use the create-research-questions skill for thoughts/tasks/eng-1234-description/ticket.md
Example: Checking status of existing task
User: what's the next rpi step for eng-5678
- Find task dir:
ls thoughts/tasks | grep eng-5678 - List contents:
ls thoughts/tasks/eng-5678-... - Based on which files exist, suggest the next skill to use