Setup Artist

Scaffold a complete artist workspace so agents can start working immediately.

Prerequisites

• The sandbox has already been set up (see setup-sandbox skill)

• An artist folder exists at orgs/{org}/artists/{artist-slug}/ with a RECOUP.md marker file

• The RECOUP.md file contains the artist's name, slug, and Recoup ID (created by setup-sandbox)

Folder Structure

{artist-slug}/

├── RECOUP.md

├── README.md

├── .env.example

├── .env

├── context/

│   ├── artist.md

│   ├── audience.md

│   ├── era.json

│   ├── tasks.md

│   └── images/

│       └── README.md

├── memory/

│   ├── README.md

│   └── MEMORY.md

├── songs/

│   └── README.md

├── releases/

│   └── README.md

├── content/

│   ├── README.md

│   ├── images/

│   └── videos/

├── config/

│   ├── README.md

│   └── SERVICES.md

├── library/

│   └── README.md

└── apps/

    └── README.md

Steps

Step 1: Read RECOUP.md and create the directory structure

• Navigate to the artist folder and read RECOUP.md to get the artist's name, slug, and ID:

cd orgs/{org}/artists/{artist-slug}

cat RECOUP.md

• Create the directory structure:

mkdir -p {context/images,memory,songs,releases,content/images,content/videos,config,library,apps}

Step 2: Update RECOUP.md

Update the status field from not-setup to active and replace the body with a brief description:

---

artistName: {Artist Name}

artistSlug: {artist-slug}

artistId: {uuid-from-recoupable}

status: active

---

# {Artist Name}

Connects this workspace to the Recoupable platform. See `README.md` for the full directory guide and setup checklist.

Step 3: Create context files

Create each file from the templates in references/context-files.md. The essential files:

File

What to do

context/artist.md

Fill with artist identity, brand, visual world, voice, tone. Ask the user for details or research the artist.

context/audience.md

Fill with audience insights. Focus on WHY they listen, what they relate to, how they talk.

context/era.json

Set the current release, songs, phase, and career stage.

context/tasks.md

Leave blank — the user will add tasks as they come up.

context/images/README.md

Create with a note explaining this holds visual references like face guides.

Step 4: Create memory system

Create two files:

• memory/README.md — Full instructions for agents on how to use the memory system, including the scope concept. See references/memory-system.md.

• memory/MEMORY.md — Nearly empty starting point with frontmatter and guidelines comment (including scope rules).

The memory system uses three scopes to prevent knowledge bloat:

• permanent — true regardless of era (goes in MEMORY.md)

• era — true for the current release cycle (goes in MEMORY.md, tagged with era)

• session — about a specific piece of content or task (goes in log/ only, never MEMORY.md)

Agents should ask the user about scope before saving feedback to long-term memory.

Step 5: Create services and environment files

Services are tracked in config/, not pre-filled at setup. Create:

File

What to do

config/SERVICES.md

Instructions for agents on how to add services as they're discovered. See references/services-guide.md.

.env.example

Reference list of common env var names (all commented out). See references/env-template.md.

.env

Empty file with a header comment. Agents add credentials here as services are connected.

Do NOT pre-fill service entries. Services are added when the agent has real information — a handle, an API key, a confirmed account. The old approach of creating a massive JSON file with every possible service set to not-setup creates noise, not value.

Step 6: Create README files for remaining directories

Each directory needs a README.md explaining its purpose. See references/directory-readmes.md for templates.

Directory

README explains...

songs/

Song folder format, naming conventions, what files to add

releases/

Release folder format, RELEASE.md as source of truth

content/

Generated content output — images and videos

config/

Per-artist config, services, and shared automation tools

library/

Deep-dive reference docs, research, reports

apps/

Artist-specific applications (not shared tools)

Step 7: Create root README

Create README.md at the artist root with:

• Artist name as heading

• Directory structure table

• Context files table

• Config & services table

• Setup checklist

See references/root-readme.md for the template.

Step 8: Fill in what you can

If you have information about the artist (from the user, from research, or from the Recoup platform):

• Fill context/artist.md with as much identity/brand info as possible

• Fill context/audience.md with audience insights

• Set context/era.json with the current release phase

Don't fabricate information. Leave placeholders for anything you don't know.

Step 9: Commit

git add -A

git commit -m "setup: create {artist-name} artist workspace"

git push origin main

Naming Conventions

• Directories and slugs: lowercase-kebab-case (e.g. gatsby-grace, a-thing-called-love)

• Audio files: Match the folder slug (e.g. songs/a-thing-called-love/a-thing-called-love.mp3)

• Context files: Use the names exactly as specified — agents and shared tools expect them

Principles

• Start lean. Only create what's needed. Agents and pipelines will create additional files (like content/videos/shortform/) as they run.

• Placeholders over empty. Use {placeholder} syntax for unknown values — it's better than blank fields.

• Don't pre-fill what you don't know. A file full of not-setup and null isn't a placeholder — it's clutter. Services, accounts, and configs should be added when they're real.

• README everything. Every directory gets a README so agents know what belongs there.

• Don't duplicate. Songs live in songs/, releases reference them by slug. Content goes in content/, not copied elsewhere.

• Scope your memories. Not all knowledge lasts forever. Tag era-specific memories, keep session feedback in logs, and ask before promoting to long-term memory.