setup-software-factory - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: setup-software-factory description: Set up .continue/checks and .continue/agents in a project using create-software-factory. Runs the interactive wizard or imports from an existing repo. metadata: author: continuedev version: "1.0.0"

Setup Software Factory

You are setting up AI-powered checks and agents in a project using create-software-factory. This tool scaffolds .continue/checks/ and .continue/agents/ markdown files that define automated PR review checks and event-triggered agents.

Prerequisites

Verify the environment:

Node.js >= 18 is installed (node --version)
The project has a git repository initialized
Determine if the user wants curated templates or to import from an existing repo

Step 1: Run the CLI

Option A: Interactive create (curated templates)

npx create-software-factory

This launches an interactive wizard. Walk the user through selecting:

Categories — Checks (PR automation), Agents (event-triggered), or both
Checks — Code Review, Security, Test Coverage, PR Description
Agents — All Green (merge automation), Fix Issue, Triage Issues

Recommend starting with Code Review and Security checks as a baseline.

Option B: Import from a GitHub repo

If the user has a reference repo with good checks/agents:

npx create-software-factory --from owner/repo

For private repos:

npx create-software-factory --from owner/repo --token ghp_xxxxx

The CLI fetches .continue/checks/ and .continue/agents/ from the repo and lets the user select which files to import.

Step 2: Review generated files

After the CLI runs, check the generated files:

ls .continue/checks/
ls .continue/agents/

Each file is a markdown file with YAML frontmatter containing name and description. Agent files may also have an on: field defining their trigger.

Review the content of each file and ask the user if they want to customize any of the instructions for their specific project context. Common customizations:

Adding project-specific directories to check scopes
Adjusting severity levels
Adding or removing check criteria
Changing agent trigger labels

Step 3: Commit the files

Stage and commit the new .continue/ files:

git add .continue/
git commit -m "feat: add Continue checks and agents"

Step 4: Verify on a PR (optional)

If the user wants to verify the setup works:

Create a test branch with a small change
Open a PR
The checks should run automatically on the PR
Agents with triggers will activate when their conditions are met (e.g., adding the ai-merge label)

Advanced: Custom templates

If the user wants to create custom checks or agents beyond the built-in templates:

Checks go in .continue/checks/ with name and description frontmatter
Agents go in .continue/agents/ with name, description, and optionally on: frontmatter
Point them to continue.dev/walkthrough for the full guide

Troubleshooting

npx fails to find the package — Try npx create-software-factory@latest to force the latest version
GitHub import returns 0 files — The target repo may be private (use --token) or may not have .continue/ files
Permission denied writing files — Check filesystem permissions on the target directory
Overwrite prompt keeps appearing — Files already exist from a previous run. Confirm overwrite or delete them first