A new open-source CLI tool called Claude Toad takes an existing repository, scans its structure, and generates a complete .claude/ configuration directory for Claude Code - the kind of setup that typically takes hours of manual work.
The tool runs three steps: it reads your package.json, tsconfig, Prisma schemas, test configs, CI setup, and directory structure (no AI involved in this scan). Then it sends that project fingerprint to the Claude API via four focused calls to generate config files. Finally, it writes everything to .claude/, each file tagged with a reminder to review before use.
The generated output covers a lot of ground:
- CLAUDE.md - Your project summarized in under 150 lines: stack, architecture, commands, conventions, gotchas
- skills/*.md - Framework-specific knowledge files loaded contextually
- agents/*.md - Code reviewers and PR writers trained on your project standards
- commands/*.md - Custom slash commands for testing, deployment, and other workflows
- settings.json - Permissions and hooks with sensible defaults
- .mcp.json - MCP server configuration for your actual services
It supports 16+ frameworks including Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, FastAPI, Django, Rails, Go, and Rust. You can run it without installing via npx claude-toad init, or install globally with npm. A --dry-run flag lets you preview what it would generate before committing to anything.
Two other commands are worth a look: claude-toad new scaffolds a fresh project with Claude Code pre-configured, and claude-toad package bundles your .claude/ directory into a shareable plugin format for team distribution.
The tool runs locally with no telemetry. Your code never leaves your machine - only the structural fingerprint gets sent to Anthropic's API using your own key. It requires Node.js 18+ and an Anthropic API key. MIT licensed.