> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily-aleix-evals-docs.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# init

> Make a project agent-ready by writing the Pipecat coding-agent guide

Write the Pipecat coding-agent guide into a project so an AI coding assistant (Claude Code, Codex, …) follows Pipecat conventions automatically — then has it scaffold the app for you with [`pipecat create`](/api-reference/cli/create).

`pipecat init` writes three files:

* **`AGENTS.md`** — the agent-facing guide (how to build Pipecat apps: scaffold first, check APIs against live sources instead of stale training data, verify with the eval harness). Picked up automatically by coding agents.
* **`CLAUDE.md`** — a one-line import of `AGENTS.md` so Claude Code loads the guide.
* **`GETTING_STARTED.md`** — developer-facing guidance: how to set up the [Pipecat Context Hub](/pipecat/get-started/ai-tools), write an effective first prompt, and what to expect from a coding session.

<Note>
  `pipecat init` does **not** scaffold a project — it makes a project
  agent-ready. To scaffold a runnable bot, use [`pipecat
      create`](/api-reference/cli/create) (the recommended flow is to run `pipecat
      init`, then let your coding agent drive `pipecat create`).
</Note>

**Usage:**

```shell theme={null}
pipecat init [TARGET_DIR] [OPTIONS]
```

**Arguments:**

<ParamField path="TARGET_DIR" type="string">
  Directory to make agent-ready. `pipecat init my-bot` targets `./my-bot`;
  `pipecat init .` targets the current directory. With no argument, the CLI
  prompts for a directory.
</ParamField>

**Options:**

<ParamField path="--force" type="boolean" default="false">
  Overwrite an existing `CLAUDE.md`. By default `CLAUDE.md` is written only when
  absent, so a developer's own file is never clobbered.
</ParamField>

## Behavior

* **`AGENTS.md` and `GETTING_STARTED.md` are always (re)written**, so re-running `pipecat init` refreshes the guide after a Pipecat upgrade.
* **`CLAUDE.md` is preserved if it already exists** — pass `--force` to overwrite it.
* The written `AGENTS.md` ends with a provenance footer naming the `pipecat-ai` version that wrote it, so a stale guide is detectable and refreshable.
* Passing scaffolder flags (e.g. `--name`, `--bot-type`) prints a message redirecting you to [`pipecat create`](/api-reference/cli/create) and exits non-zero.

## Examples

### Prompt for a directory

```shell theme={null}
pipecat init
```

### Make a specific directory agent-ready

```shell theme={null}
pipecat init my-bot
```

### Make the current directory agent-ready

```shell theme={null}
pipecat init .
```

### Refresh the guide, overwriting CLAUDE.md

```shell theme={null}
pipecat init my-bot --force
```

## Next Steps

Open the project in your coding tool and let the agent take it from here — it reads `AGENTS.md` and scaffolds the app with `pipecat create`.

<Card title="pipecat create" icon="wand-magic-sparkles" href="/api-reference/cli/create">
  Scaffold a runnable bot — services, pipeline, and deploy path wired up
</Card>