ghost init: naked skeleton default — grammar, unanswered dials, median floor

.changeset/adapting-a-starter.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@design-intelligence/ghost": minor
+---
+
+The skill bundle gains the `adapting-a-starter` recipe: the seven-step transplant procedure for turning an installed starter — a body like vessel-light or the naked skeleton — into your own brand's fingerprint, plus guidance for consuming an unadapted starter honestly.

.changeset/body-install.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@design-intelligence/ghost": minor
+---
+
+`ghost init` gains `--body vessel-light`: install a full inhabited fingerprint package — answered signature dials, a materials tree with tokens and embedded fonts, annotated reference compositions, and its own checks. Init template payloads now ship as packed files in dist, so bodies can carry binary materials.

.changeset/median-headings-vessel-docs.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@design-intelligence/ghost": patch
+---
+
+Reframe the median as Ghost-stamped model truth and align Vessel's median check with heading anchors.

.changeset/median-one-home.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@design-intelligence/ghost": minor
+---
+
+The median floor gets one authored home: `anti-goal.median` rules become markdown headings with per-rule check references, so `ghost validate` warns on every flag orphaned by pruning. All init templates (`skeleton`, `minimal`, `composition`) now stamp the median node; `ghost checks init` copies the paired check from the packaged payload and skips it when the node is absent.

.changeset/review-locator-matching.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@design-intelligence/ghost": patch
+---
+
+`ghost review` now resolves package-relative `materials/…` locators to their repo-relative form before matching diff paths, so packages living below the repo root offer their value checks correctly.

.changeset/skeleton-default-template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"@design-intelligence/ghost": minor
+---
+
+`ghost init` now scaffolds the skeleton starter: value-free grammar nodes, unanswered signature dials, and the `anti-goal.median` floor — replacing the Morrow Ledger demo content. `ghost checks init` scaffolds a live median-tells check alongside the example. `steering` remains as an alias for the new `skeleton` template.

apps/docs/src/content/docs/cli-reference.mdx

@@ -51,12 +51,29 @@ a finding (exit `1`).
 
 ### Initialize: `init`
 
-Scaffold a `.ghost/` package with the steering starter: a manifest, a starter `glossary.md`, a core `index.md` node, and demo nodes for stance, composition, anti-goals, patterns, exemplars, materials, and decisions. The demo content is there for inspiration and guidance. Replace it with real product truth before using it to steer generation. Use `--template minimal` when you only want the small manifest/glossary/index starter. Add truths by adding files (`principle.density.md`). Use
+Scaffold a `.ghost/` package. Every template and body includes `anti-goal.median`; the skeleton starter also includes a manifest, a `glossary.md` declaring the grammar/signature/register/anti-goal kinds, a core `index.md`, six grammar nodes of value-free decision logic, and four signature nodes as unanswered dials awaiting your brand's values. The median node is Ghost's measured knowledge of unsteered model behavior — model truth, not brand truth — stamped at init and owned (pruned, adapted) by you thereafter. Nothing in the skeleton is fiction: grammar and the median floor are safe to consume verbatim; the dials tell the agent to ask or flag, never freehand. Use `--template minimal` when you only want the small manifest/glossary/index starter. Add truths by adding files (`principle.density.md`). Use
 `--package <dir>` for an exact directory, or set `GHOST_PACKAGE_DIR` when a host
 wrapper stores Ghost files outside the default `.ghost`. Core `init` scaffolds
 the fingerprint only; pass `--with checks` to also add the checks directory in
 one move.
 
+Templates are shapes of emptiness — structures awaiting your truths. A
+**body** is the same anatomy inhabited: answered signature dials, a
+`materials/` tree (tokens, fonts, worked reference compositions), and its own
+`checks/`. Install one with `--body`:
+
+```bash
+ghost init --body vessel-light
+```
+
+`vessel-light` installs Vessel's design language at full strength — the
+fork-axis corpus, `materials/tokens.css` owning every literal value, embedded
+fonts, six annotated refs, and five checks, included automatically (no
+`--with checks` needed; combining them is an error). The manifest id stays
+`vessel-light` until you adapt the starter: renaming it is deliberately the
+first step of making the brand yours. `--body` and `--template` are mutually
+exclusive.
+
 <CliHelp tool="ghost" command="init" hideDescription />
 
 ```bash

apps/docs/src/content/docs/getting-started.mdx

@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ assembles advisory review packets after, but never grades output itself. You
 work through a short loop:
 
 ```bash
-ghost init        # scaffold .ghost/ with the steering starter
+ghost init        # scaffold .ghost/ with the skeleton starter
 ghost validate    # artifact shape + node validity + kind-prefix check
 ghost gather <ask> # emit the menu for this task; your agent selects the truths it needs
 ghost pull <ids>   # read the selected truths' full bodies
@@ -80,13 +80,25 @@ by decision. One high-confidence truth beats an empty catalog.
 
 The CLI handles the deterministic package work. Your agent handles the authoring:
 interviewing you, working with the material you show it, drafting node prose,
-and asking you to curate the claims. `ghost init` scaffolds the steering starter: `manifest.yml`, a starter `glossary.md`, a core `index.md` node, and demo nodes for stance, composition, anti-goals, patterns, exemplars, materials, and decisions. The demo content is there for inspiration and guidance. Replace its claims, paths, examples, and decisions with your real product truth before using it to steer generation. Use `ghost init --template minimal` when you only want the small manifest/glossary/index starter.
+and asking you to curate the claims. `ghost init` stamps `anti-goal.median` into every template and body; the median node is Ghost's measured knowledge of unsteered model behavior — model truth, not brand truth — owned (pruned, adapted) by you after init. The skeleton starter also includes `manifest.yml`, a `glossary.md` declaring the grammar/signature/register/anti-goal kinds, a core `index.md`, six grammar nodes of value-free decision logic, and four signature nodes as unanswered dials. Nothing in the skeleton is fiction: grammar and the median floor hold for any brand, and each dial tells the agent to ask you or flag the gap rather than freehand a value. Answering the dials is how the skeleton becomes your brand. Use `ghost init --template minimal` when you only want the small manifest/glossary/index starter.
 
 ```bash
 ghost init
 ghost validate
 ```
 
+Prefer starting from a working brand instead of an empty anatomy? Install a
+**body** — the same skeleton with a real brand's values plugged in: answered
+dials, a `materials/` tree with tokens and fonts, worked reference
+compositions, and its own checks:
+
+```bash
+ghost init --body vessel-light
+```
+
+The body's manifest keeps its own id (`vessel-light`) until you adapt it —
+renaming the id is deliberately the first step of making the brand yours.
+
 Each node's prose records a durable brand truth. While drafting, ask three
 questions of every truth: **why** (the stance — what this brand is, who it
 serves, what must remain true), **with what** (the materials — building blocks,

apps/docs/src/generated/cli-manifest.json

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "generatedAt": "2026-07-07T16:48:56.039Z",
+  "generatedAt": "2026-07-09T11:06:22.019Z",
   "tools": [
     {
       "tool": "ghost",
@@ -53,7 +53,15 @@
             {
               "rawName": "--template <name>",
               "name": "template",
-              "description": "Init template to scaffold (default: steering)",
+              "description": "Init template to scaffold (default: skeleton)",
+              "default": null,
+              "takesValue": true,
+              "negated": false
+            },
+            {
+              "rawName": "--body <name>",
+              "name": "body",
+              "description": "Init body to install: a full inhabited package (e.g. vessel-light)",
               "default": null,
               "takesValue": true,
               "negated": false

install/manifest.json

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
   },
   "files": [
     "SKILL.md",
+    "references/adapting-a-starter.md",
     "references/authoring-scenarios.md",
     "references/blocks.md",
     "references/brief.md",

packages/ghost/package.json

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
     "provenance": true
   },
   "scripts": {
-    "build": "rm -rf dist tsconfig.tsbuildinfo && tsc --build --force && chmod +x dist/bin.js && node ../../scripts/link-package-bin.mjs && cp -r src/skill-bundle dist/skill-bundle",
+    "build": "rm -rf dist tsconfig.tsbuildinfo && tsc --build --force && chmod +x dist/bin.js && node ../../scripts/link-package-bin.mjs && cp -r src/skill-bundle dist/skill-bundle && node ../../scripts/sync-init-payloads.mjs",
     "prepublishOnly": "pnpm build"
   },
   "dependencies": {

packages/ghost/src/commands/checks-command.ts

@@ -35,7 +35,11 @@ export function registerChecksCommand(cli: CAC): void {
         if (opts.format === "json") {
           process.stdout.write(
             `${JSON.stringify(
-              { dir: result.dir, written: result.written },
+              {
+                dir: result.dir,
+                written: result.written,
+                skipped: result.skipped,
+              },
               null,
               2,
             )}\n`,
@@ -45,6 +49,9 @@ export function registerChecksCommand(cli: CAC): void {
           for (const file of result.written) {
             process.stdout.write(`  ${file}\n`);
           }
+          for (const file of result.skipped) {
+            process.stdout.write(`  skipped ${file}\n`);
+          }
         }
         process.exit(0);
       } catch (err) {

packages/ghost/src/commands/init-command.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { UsageError } from "#ghost-core";
 import { initFingerprintPackage } from "../fingerprint.js";
 import { addChecksDir } from "../scan/check-scaffold.js";
 import { resolveGhostDirDefault } from "../scan/index.js";
+import { getInitBody } from "../scan/templates.js";
 import { failFromError } from "./errors.js";
 
 export function registerInitCommand(cli: CAC): void {
@@ -14,7 +15,11 @@ export function registerInitCommand(cli: CAC): void {
     )
     .option(
       "--template <name>",
-      "Init template to scaffold (default: steering)",
+      "Init template to scaffold (default: skeleton)",
+    )
+    .option(
+      "--body <name>",
+      "Init body to install: a full inhabited package (e.g. vessel-light)",
     )
     .option(
       "--with <capabilities>",
@@ -35,25 +40,33 @@ export function registerInitCommand(cli: CAC): void {
           typeof opts.package === "string" ? opts.package : undefined;
         const ghostDir =
           exactPackage === undefined ? ghostDirFromEnv() : undefined;
+        const withIds = parseWithCapabilities(opts.with);
+        for (const id of withIds) {
+          if (id !== "checks") {
+            throw new UsageError(
+              `Unknown --with capability '${id}'. Available: checks.`,
+            );
+          }
+        }
+        const body =
+          typeof opts.body === "string" ? getInitBody(opts.body) : undefined;
+        if (body?.includesChecks && withIds.includes("checks")) {
+          throw new UsageError(
+            `--with checks is redundant with --body ${body.name} — this body already includes its own checks/.`,
+          );
+        }
+
         const result = await initFingerprintPackage(
           exactPackage ?? ghostDir,
           process.cwd(),
           {
             ...(typeof opts.template === "string"
               ? { template: opts.template }
               : {}),
+            ...(typeof opts.body === "string" ? { body: opts.body } : {}),
             force: Boolean(opts.force),
           },
         );
-
-        const withIds = parseWithCapabilities(opts.with);
-        for (const id of withIds) {
-          if (id !== "checks") {
-            throw new UsageError(
-              `Unknown --with capability '${id}'. Available: checks.`,
-            );
-          }
-        }
         const addedChecks = withIds.includes("checks")
           ? await addChecksDir(result.paths.packageDir)
           : undefined;
@@ -65,7 +78,12 @@ export function registerInitCommand(cli: CAC): void {
                 dir: result.paths.dir,
                 written: result.written,
                 ...(addedChecks !== undefined
-                  ? { checks: { written: addedChecks.written } }
+                  ? {
+                      checks: {
+                        written: addedChecks.written,
+                        skipped: addedChecks.skipped,
+                      },
+                    }
                   : {}),
               },
               null,
@@ -84,6 +102,9 @@ export function registerInitCommand(cli: CAC): void {
             for (const file of addedChecks.written) {
               process.stdout.write(`  checks/${file}\n`);
             }
+            for (const file of addedChecks.skipped) {
+              process.stdout.write(`  skipped checks/${file}\n`);
+            }
           }
         }
         process.exit(0);

packages/ghost/src/commands/review-command.ts

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ export function registerReviewCommand(cli: CAC): void {
           diff: opts.diff,
         });
         const packet = await buildReviewPacket(fingerprint, diffText, {
+          packageDir: paths.packageDir,
           runProbes: opts.probes !== false,
           cwd: process.cwd(),
         });

packages/ghost/src/init-payloads/median/anti-goal.median.md

@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+---
+description: "The model's median defaults this fingerprint refuses — gather for any greenfield visual surface or first-draft copy. Each rule is reject→replace; delete lines your brand legitimately violates."
+---
+
+This is the model's median, not your brand. Each rule is reject→replace.
+Delete every line your brand legitimately violates — `ghost validate` will
+warn on any check reference the deletion orphans — delete the paired flag too.
+
+These are not aesthetic opinions. Where a count is given, it is the measured
+convergence of 300 unsteered generations across three frontier models (the
+antimedian experiment): the defaults a model reaches for when nobody hands it
+a brand. An output showing several of these tells reads as generated,
+whatever else it does right. A deterministic floor rides alongside these
+rules in the paired check — mechanical tells like gradient-filled text,
+emoji as interface icons, em-dash pileups, and aphoristic cadence —
+verified at review, never steered in prose.
+
+### Hover-lift
+Reject hover-lift (`translateY` + growing shadow) as the default interaction
+→ confirm with color and background change at the fingerprint's fast
+duration. (measured: 341)
+
+### Indigo accent
+Reject the indigo/blue/purple default accent (`#4f46e5`, `#2563eb`,
+`#8b5cf6` family; purple/violet hue 260–310) → the fingerprint's declared
+palette; absent one, monochrome plus a single functional accent.
+
+### Dark theme
+Reject unprompted dark theme → the fingerprint's declared surface.
+Dark-to-look-cool and light-to-be-safe are the same retreat from a decision.
+(measured: 271)
+
+### Gradients
+Reject gradient page and section backgrounds and gradient-filled CTAs → flat
+surfaces in semantic roles.
+
+### Side-stripe
+Reject side-stripe borders (a thick colored border on one side of a rounded
+card) — the single most recognizable tell of AI-generated UI → a full
+hairline border, a 4–8% surface tint, or a leading glyph.
+
+### Cream surface
+Reject the cream/sand/beige default surface (warm off-white; token names
+like `--cream`, `--sand`, `--parchment` are the tell) → a true off-white,
+the brand's own hue, or a committed color; warmth via accent and type, not
+the ground.
+
+### Glassmorphism
+Reject glassmorphism (decorative backdrop blur) → flat surfaces with real
+borders and the fingerprint's elevation tiers.
+
+### Chat bubbles
+Reject chat bubbles with initials-circle avatars for assistant turns →
+assistant text plain on the page surface; user turns marked compactly.
+
+### Stock copy
+Reject stock template copy ("Simple, transparent pricing") → headings that
+state what this product specifically does.
+
+### Celebration
+Reject celebration copy and UI (exclamation success, confetti language) →
+quiet factual confirmation.
+
+### Nested cards
+Reject nested cards and everything-in-cards → one surface level per region;
+interior hierarchy from spacing and type; spacing and alignment group
+without card overhead.
+
+### Hero metric
+Reject the hero-metric template (big number + small label + supporting stats
+as default proof) → evidence specific to the product, or nothing. A
+prominent metric showing real user data is fine.
+
+### Every button primary
+Reject every button a primary button → one primary per view; the rest step
+down the fingerprint's emphasis ladder.
+
+### Eyebrow kicker
+Reject an eyebrow kicker on every section → at most one, where the register
+sanctions it; one named kicker is voice, every-section is AI grammar.
+
+### Decorative motion
+Reject decorative looping animation (pulse/float/shimmer) and uniform
+fade-and-rise on every scrolled section → motion as evidence of state
+change; loops only for genuine loading; decoration never compensates for
+weak structure — fix spacing, copy, and hierarchy first.