---
name: join
description: 'Claude Code: Set up an already-onboarded paqad project on your own machine. Builds your local RAG index if the team uses one, and changes no tracked files. Use when you cloned a repo that already has a committed .paqad/ and you are not the lead.'
compatibility: 'Claude Code with a project folder open (needs a shell)'
disable-model-invocation: true
---

# Join an onboarded paqad project

If there is no shell and no project folder open, reply in one sentence that this works in Claude Code with a project folder open, and stop. Otherwise follow the steps and do not mention this check.

The project is already onboarded (it has a committed `.paqad/`). This sets up only your machine.

1. Run:

   ```
   paqad-ai join
   ```

2. If the team uses RAG, this builds your local index. It stays on your machine and is never committed. In a terminal it may confirm first; for a scripted run add `--non-interactive` to build without a prompt (or `--no-rag` to skip it).

3. It writes no tracked files. When it reports it is ready, your machine is set up.

Do not run `onboard` to join an existing project; that is the lead's command and it rewrites the team configuration.

If `paqad-ai` is not found, use `npx paqad-ai` instead.