Dev Environment Bootstrapper

How It Works

This recipe creates a deterministic local dev bootstrap: pinned tool versions, repeatable

dependency installs, and a minimal smoke test that mirrors CI.

Triggers

• Dev setup differs per person ("everyone has their own way")
• New hires spend days installing prerequisites
• Local works but CI fails (or vice versa)

Steps

1. Define the canonical toolchain versions (runtime, package manager, build tool).
2. Add a "bootstrap" command (Make/task runner/script) that:

• installs deps from lockfiles,
• creates a local config (.env.example),
• starts required services (or uses docker compose).

1. Add a fast smoke test: build + one unit test + one "health" request.
2. Fail loudly if prerequisites are missing; print exact fix commands.
3. Run bootstrap in CI nightly to catch drift early.

Expected Outcome

• Fresh machines can run the project consistently.
• Setup failures become actionable (missing dependency, wrong version, bad env var).

Example Inputs

• "Turn our README setup into a single `make dev` flow."
• "We need Docker-based setup for macOS + Linux parity."
• "Make CI and local use the same build command and test flags."

Tips

• Prefer version pinning over "install latest."
• Make the smoke test fast enough to run on every change.