Rails 8.1+ Project Setup Skill

This skill creates fully configured Rails 8.1+ applications with modern tooling and comprehensive Claude Code integration.

Quick Start

The setup script can be run directly:

./scripts/setup.sh my_app_name

Or interactively (will prompt for app name):

./scripts/setup.sh

What Gets Installed

Core Stack

Component	Technology
Ruby	3.3.x or 3.4.x
Rails	8.1+
Database	PostgreSQL
Testing	Minitest
Frontend	Hotwire (Turbo + Stimulus), Tailwind CSS, Importmaps
Background Jobs	Solid Queue
Caching	Solid Cache
WebSockets	Solid Cable
Deployment	Kamal

MCP Servers (Project-level)

Server	Purpose	Requirement
Tidewave	Runtime Rails integration	Rails server running
Hotwire Club	Hotwire/Turbo/Stimulus knowledge	Always available

MCP Servers (Plugin-level)

Server	Purpose
Chrome DevTools	Browser automation and debugging
Context7	Documentation lookup

Browser Automation Guidelines

When working with Rails applications that have Tidewave running:

Use Tidewave for:

• Running Ruby code (project_eval)
• Database queries (execute_sql_query)
• Checking logs (get_logs)
• Finding source locations (get_source_location)
• Getting documentation (get_docs)

Use Chrome DevTools for:

• Taking screenshots
• Performance profiling
• Console error checking
• Network request analysis
• Visual UI testing
• Core Web Vitals analysis

Do NOT use Chrome DevTools for tasks that Tidewave can accomplish directly.

Prerequisites

1. Ruby 3.3+ installed via rbenv, rvm, or asdf
2. Rails 8.1+: gem install rails
3. PostgreSQL installed and running
4. Claude Code with this plugin installed

Files Created

my_app/
├── .claude/
│   ├── settings.json       # Shared settings (commit this)
│   └── settings.local.json # Local overrides (gitignored)
├── .mcp.json               # MCP server configuration
├── CLAUDE_TOOLS.md         # Comprehensive documentation
└── ... (standard Rails 8.1+ app)

Post-Setup Workflow

1. Start the Rails server:

   cd my_app && bin/rails server
   

2. Open Claude Code in another terminal:

   cd my_app && claude
   

3. Start building with natural language:

   • "What models does this app have?"
   • "Show me the routes"
   • "Create a User model with email and name"

Notes

• Tidewave MCP only works when the Rails server is running on port 3000
• Hotwire Club MCP works independently with its built-in SQLite database
• Chrome DevTools is provided by the plugin (not project-level)
• The setup auto-configures permissions for fast development (no prompts)