Context as Code

How to Kick Off a New Venture Repo With Pack 01

William Warne

Software Engineer | Fractional CTO | Founder

Introduction

New ventures do not have to start from a blank slate and "we'll organize it later." You can start with one venture baseline pack, then scaffold services into a repo that already has shared context, documentation structure, and operating guidance. This post shows the intended default path: install Pack 01, create services, then compile context.

What You Get After Install

Once you install Pack 01 with the full flavour, you have:

  • Venture baseline knowledge - shared central context, documentation methodology, repo baseline, and project-management guidance.
  • Documentation baseline - docs/01-concept-of-operations/ through docs/12-marketing-specifications/ plus docs/local/ with scratch/, notes/, ai-drafts/, and research/.
  • AI that knows the baseline - after you run ctx compile, Cursor and Claude have the rules, skills, and compiled context needed to work with the repo consistently.

Step 1: Install Pack 01

Download the pack ZIP or install through the context CLI, then install Pack 01 into the repo.

ctx pack install pack-01-venture-start --zip <path>

Use the default full flavour for a new venture so you get both the venture baseline and the documentation baseline.

Step 2: Scaffold Services

Create the services you need under /services.

ctx service create nextjs customer-portal
ctx service create fastapi account-api

You can start with one service or several. The important part is that the repo baseline already exists before implementation grows.

Step 3: Run ctx compile

From the repo root, run:

ctx compile

That builds the shared AI context so repo-level assets reflect both the venture baseline and the services you just scaffolded.

Step 4: Add Selective Packs Only When You Need Them

Once the baseline is in place, add focused packs only when you want deeper guidance in a specific area:

  • Pack 02 for documentation-only injection
  • Pack 03 before SyRS when refining solution design from business and user inputs
  • Pack 04 after SyRS when formalizing system architecture
  • Pack 05 or Pack 06 when you want frontend or API standards injected separately

Conclusion

The intended default path is simple: install Pack 01, scaffold services, compile context. That gives a new venture enough structure to start cleanly without needing a stack of separate packs before real implementation begins.