niko
Niko Memory Bank System - Niko Phase - Initialization & Entry Point
Skill by Texarkanine
Chalk Labs
Need help deploying niko?
Chalk Labs sets up agents like this inside real teams: connected to your tools, tested on your data, with a human in the loop where it matters.
Install
Works with Claude Code, Claude apps, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, VS Code, OpenCode, Goose, Windsurf. Read the repository before you give any tool access to your data.
npx agentmarket install skill/texarkanine-niko
Asks which of your tools to add it to (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, Claude Desktop) and shows the change first. See https://agentmart.dev/cli.
Get the weekly diff
The weekly diff: one email a week with new agent tools, notable updates and grade changes, plus security alerts for tools you follow. Double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe.
About
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. Installed it? Reviews come from verified installers only. How reviews work
Permissions: not checked yet.
What's inside
- Skill name
niko- Description
- Niko Memory Bank System - Niko Phase - Initialization & Entry Point
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Instructions
- 206 lines in SKILL.md · view on GitHub
Files (25)
- SKILL.md
- complexity-analysis.md · references/core/
- intent-clarification.md · references/core/
- memory-bank-init.md · references/core/
- reconcile-persistent.md · references/core/
- level1-build.md · references/level1/
- level1-workflow.md · references/level1/
- level2-archive.md · references/level2/
- level2-build.md · references/level2/
- level2-plan.md · references/level2/
- level2-reflect.md · references/level2/
- level2-workflow.md · references/level2/
- level3-archive.md · references/level3/
- level3-build.md · references/level3/
- level3-plan.md · references/level3/
- level3-reflect.md · references/level3/
- level3-workflow.md · references/level3/
- level4-archive.md · references/level4/
- level4-plan.md · references/level4/
- level4-workflow.md · references/level4/
- creative-phase-algorithm.md · references/phases/creative/
- creative-phase-architecture.md · references/phases/creative/
- creative-phase-generic.md · references/phases/creative/
- creative-phase-template.md · references/phases/creative/
- creative-phase-uiux.md · references/phases/creative/
SKILL.md (first lines)
# Niko Phase - Initialization & Entry Point
`/niko` is the single entry point for the Niko system. It initializes the memory bank, detects current state, and routes to the appropriate workflow.
## Step 0: Ensure Memory Bank
Before entering the state machine, ensure the memory bank exists.
```
Load: .cursor/rules/shared/niko/core/memory-bank-paths.mdc
```
If any persistent file (`productContext.md`, `systemPatterns.md`, `techContext.md`) does not exist, initialize immediately by loading `.cursor/skills/shared/niko/references/core/memory-bank-init.md` and following its instructions.
If the user's only input was to initialize the memory bank, you are done — exit and do nothing else. Otherwise, read the following files:
- `memory-bank/productContext.md`
- `memory-bank/systemPatterns.md`
- `memory-bank/techContext.md`
Then, proceed to the state machine.
## State Machine
```mermaid
flowchart TD
S0(("Step 0:<br>Ensure Memory Bank"))
S1{"Step 1:<br>Detect Active<br>State"}
S4{"Step 4:<br>Check for<br>User Input"}
S0 --> S1
S1 -->|"L4"| S2
S1 -->|"Standalone"| S3
S1 -->|"Fresh"| S4
subgraph L4["L4 Re-entry"]
S2{"Step 2:<br>Assess L4<br>Sub-run"}
S2a["Step 2a:<br>Advance L4<br>Milestone"]
S2 -->|"Complete"| S2a
end
subgraph Standalone["Standalone Re-entry"]
S3{"Step 3:<br>Assess Standalone<br>Task"}
S3a{"Step 3a:<br>Determine<br>Disposition"}
S3b["Step 3b:<br>Clear Stale<br>State"]
S3c{"Step 3c:<br>Check for<br>Conflicting Input"}
S3 -->|"Incomplete"| S3c
S3 -->|"Complete"| S3a
S3a -.->|"Rework"| S3b
end
S2a -.->|"All done"| Archive
S3a -.->|"Archive"| Archive
S2 -->|"Not started"| Classify
S2a -->|"Milestones remain"| Classify
S3b --> Classify
S4 -->|"Has input"| S5
S5["Step 5:<br>Clarify Intent"] --> Classify
S2 -->|"In-progress"| Resume
S3c -->|"No input"| Resume
S3c -->|"Has input"| Warn
S4 -->|"No input"| Done
subgraph "End States"
Archive[/"🧑💻 /niko-archive"/]
Warn("⚠️ STOP:<br>Work in-progress")
Resume("Step 6:<br>Resume Workflow")
Classify("Step 7:<br>Classify Complexity")
Done("Done")
end
```
> Legend:
> - Solid edge = Transition does not require operator input
> - Dashed edge = Transition requires operator input
## How to Navigate
The flowchart above and the step definitions below form a single contract. The flowchart is the **authoritative routing map** — it shows every legal path through the state machine. The step definitions explain **how to evaluate conditions and execute procedures** at each node.
To execute `/niko`:
1. Begin at **Step 1**, whose definition is below.
2. **Decision node**: the definition describes what to evaluate and what each outcome means. Your evaluation result maps to one of the labeled edges leaving that node. Follow it to the next step.
3. **Action node**: the definition describes a procedure to execute. When complete, follow the outgoing edge to the next step.
4. Repeat from (2).
5. **Terminal nodes** (`Done`, `⚠️ STOP`, `🧑💻 /niko-archive`) mean stop — do not continue.
Lettered sub-steps (2a, 3a, 3b, 3c) belong to their parent step's subgraph. While inside a subgraph, your next step is either another sub-step in the same group or a top-level step — the edges make this explicit.
---
## Step 1: Detect Active State
List the files in `memory-bank/active/`. Exactly one of three states applies:
1. `milestones.md` exists → **L4** → Step 2
2. All four core ephemeral files exist (`projectbrief.md`, `activeContext.md`, `tasks.md`, `progress.md`) but no `milestones.md` → **Standalone** → Step 3
3. Neither condition is met → **Fresh** → Step 4
## Step 2: Assess L4 Sub-run
Read
- `memory-bank/active/milestones.md`
- `memory-bank/active/activeContext.md`
- `memory-bank/active/progress.md` (if present)From Texarkanine/open-plugins-surface-test, AGPL-3.0.
More from Texarkanine/open-plugins-surface-test
Signals
- Stars
- 0
- Forks
- 0
- Open issues
- 0
- Last commit (this folder)
- Sep 2, 2026 (2 months ago)
From GitHub (fetched Oct 24, 2026).
Details
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- First seen
- Oct 24, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 24, 2026
- Source
- GitHubgithub-graphql
Same skill elsewhere
Copies of this SKILL.md published by others; search shows only one of them.
More from Texarkanine
- 0.524score
illustrate-complexity
Texarkanine
Decide whether an explanation needs a diagram, pick the right Mermaid type, and write it so it renders.
SkillBFreshness: BClaude Code +9 - 0.523score
niko-preflight
Texarkanine
Niko Memory Bank System - Preflight Phase - Pre-Build Plan Validation
SkillBFreshness: BClaude Code +9 - 0.523score
niko
Texarkanine
Niko Memory Bank System - Niko Phase - Initialization & Entry Point
SkillBFreshness: BClaude Code +9 - 0.521score
nk-refresh
Texarkanine
General-purpose guidance for taking a step back and getting un-stuck from a problem that you've tried to solve multiple times unsuccessfully.
SkillBFreshness: BClaude Code +9 - 0.521score
conformance-run
Texarkanine
Operator-driven open-plugins conformance attended run — setup, stepped probes, and capability summary.
SkillBFreshness: BClaude Code +9 - 0.519score
build-stamp
Texarkanine
Stamp the build by writing a short build-stamp note.
SkillBFreshness: BClaude Code +9
Done for you
Rather not set it up yourself?
Chalk Labs scopes, builds and runs agents for your team: the task audit, the eval harness, the integrations and the weekly ops report. Fixed scope, priced before we start.
See how we build AI agents →Read the case studies
Chalk Labs is a two-founder AI and growth studio. We build AI agents, CRMs and MVPs for Web3 and AI companies, and have shipped 50+ product and token launches.
- launches shipped
- 50+
- launches shipped
- media placements
- 500+
- media placements
- founders on every account
- 2
- founders on every account
Press we've placed: Forbes · CoinDesk · Decrypt · Cointelegraph · The Block
Rahil Jain, Co-founder, Chalk Labs. Ex-Goldman Sachs engineer. You talk to the person who builds it.
Get niko running in your business
Tell us what you want to automate. A founder replies within one working day with a plan, not a pitch deck.
Cite this page
niko skill. Agent Mart. https://agentmart.dev/skills/texarkanine-niko (last updated 2026-10-24)