Five-minute quickstart
Inspect, preview, initialize, and validate an ordinary folder without moving its files.
This workflow turns an existing folder into a Folderbase. Inspection and dry-run steps are read-only.
1. Inspect the folder
npx @folderbase/cli inspect /path/to/project --jsonInspection reports boundaries and metadata without changing the target.
2. Preview initialization
npx @folderbase/cli init /path/to/project --dry-run --jsonReview the proposed additions. Initialization is additive: existing files remain in place.
3. Initialize
npx @folderbase/cli init /path/to/projectFolderbase adds a manifest, ignore policy, and agent-facing entry points.
4. Validate
npx @folderbase/cli validate /path/to/project --jsonValidation checks the Folderbase protocol surface and returns machine-readable diagnostics.
5. See what agents can access
npx @folderbase/cli workspace list /path/to/project --jsonThe workspace view includes ordinary files while excluding protocol state, repository internals, and reconstructable dependency trees from agent context.
When the folder is disorganized
Do not manually initialize multiple accidental boundaries. Use the migration workflow to analyze the folder and produce a reviewable structure plan.