canon

Chains implement → verify → review → ship after a feature plan is approved. Reads the plan the caller names, the plan a named task points at, or the plan for the current branch when none is named, runs the full pipeline in one session, and stops on any failure or non-minor review finding. Use when asked to "autoship", "ship this feature end to end", or "run the chain". Do NOT auto-trigger. Requires an approved plan file.

Generates non-interactive Bash scripts for automation, CI, and agent-run tasks. Lean functional style with structured logging, strict error handling, and a clean stdout, no interactive UI. Use when asked for "a non-interactive shell script", an automation script, a CI or cron script, or a pipeline helper. Do NOT use for a human-facing interactive tool with prompts or a visual timeline UI, that is `bash-script`.

Generates production Bash scripts with a visual timeline UI, state-based interactive prompts, and strict error handling. Use when asked for "a human-facing shell tool", an interactive bash script, or a DevOps tool with framed terminal output. Do NOT use for a non-interactive automation, CI, or pipeline script, that is `bash-cli-script`.

Reference for what a canon verb does before you run it. Run `canon docs agents` for the full command catalog, `canon docs` for any other reference doc, and read this skill's own table for what a sync or install command overwrites, merges, or leaves untouched in a target project. Use when asked "which canon command do I run", "is there a doc for X", "will this overwrite my changes", or before running `canon tooling`, `canon standards`, `canon claude sync`, or `canon init`. Do NOT use to execute a sync, an install, or a docs lookup, only to know which command answers the question.

Format a report about something broken, missing, or off in canon and open it as a GitHub issue on the toolkit repo via `canon feedback --github`, where the toolkit's triage reads it. Use when asked to "send this to the toolkit", "report this to canon", "file toolkit feedback", or "give the toolkit feedback about X". Do NOT use for general complaints about other tooling, IDE issues, or in-project bugs that do not implicate canon surfaces.

Triage open GitHub issues labeled `feedback` in the toolkit repo. List them, pick one, classify it as a direct fix or plan-worthy work, route to the right skill, and link the issue for close-out. Use when asked to "triage toolkit feedback", "work through the feedback issues", "process feedback issues", or "what feedback is open". Do NOT use to file new feedback (that is `canon-feedback`), or for general GitHub issue triage unrelated to toolkit feedback.

Front door to the toolkit in a target project. Orients on the toolkit's own docs and live `canon` catalogs, then runs or routes any toolkit operation from a plain-language intent. Use when you want one entry point instead of picking a specific setup or sync skill, or when asked to "use the toolkit", "what can the toolkit do", "sync my standards", "install rules", or "help me set up this project". User-invoked only. Defers first-time scaffold to setup and seed drift to seed-sync.

Takes one toolkit change out to every consuming project and brings each to a mergeable pull request. Carries an orchestrator role that enumerates the targets, dispatches a worker into each, reviews every pull request, and routes what each review posts, and a worker role that builds inside one target and answers its review. Use when asked to "roll this out to the targets", "take this change to every project", "run a rollout wave", "update the consuming projects", or when a session was dispatched into a target by a wave. Do NOT use for this repository's own board, which is `role-orchestrator`, and merge nothing.

Generates GitHub Actions CI workflow files with parallel jobs, emoji job names, and gated deploy stages. Use when asked to "write a CI workflow", add GitHub Actions, set up a CI pipeline, or create a `.github/workflows` file.

Carries the rules that decide where a new file goes, when a folder splits, and when a file moves from its one consumer to shared code, so a plan places each new path by role and feature with a one-clause reason rather than beside its nearest neighbor. Use when a plan names a file or folder that does not exist yet, when `plan-feature` reaches its placement step, or when asked "where should this file go", "this folder is flat", "restructure this folder", or "should this be its own folder". Do NOT use to choose which layer a test belongs at, which is `test-craft`, or to shape a module's interface and seams.

Scaffolds a project-specific governance rule into `.claude/rules/project/<subdir>/<n>-<slug>.md` with correct frontmatter and a non-colliding number. Use when asked to "add a rule", "create a governance rule", "write a project rule", or when a project needs a coding rule the toolkit does not ship. Do NOT use to edit toolkit source rules under `governance/rules/`.

Creates a new `SKILL.md` in `.claude/skills/`. Use when asked to "create a skill", add a skill, or make a new skill.

Creates a new snippet file in `snippets/` or `.claude/snippets/`. Use when asked to "create a snippet", add a snippet, write a reusable prompt, or make a new snippet. Do NOT use to edit an existing snippet.

Creates a new standard file in `standards/`. Use when asked to "create a standard", add a standard, or write a new authoring convention. Do NOT use to edit an existing standard.

Collects every open decision whose answer turns on the operator's preference, since only they know what they need, puts them as one batch of questions each carrying options and a recommended default, then waits. Use when asked to "escalate this", "ask me the open questions", "batch the open decisions", "what do you need from me", or "stop and ask before you pick". Do NOT use for a judgment call the session can settle, which is a pick with the tradeoff stated in one sentence.

Sets up a Cloudflare Pages deploy for the current project by creating the Pages project, fetching the account ID, and stopping twice for the operator to issue the API token and attach the custom domain. Calls `wrangler` and `gh` rather than reimplementing them. Use when asked to "set up Cloudflare deploy", "deploy this to Cloudflare Pages", "set up the Pages project", or "connect this repo to Cloudflare". Do NOT use to run an already-configured deploy, which the seeded workflow does on push, or to reconfigure an existing Pages project's build settings.

Drafts `canon/DESIGN.md` from a project's existing prose and shell UI surfaces, or proposes token values from `REQUIREMENTS.md` and a `## Personality` section when no UI code exists yet. Use when asked to "extract the design system", "draft DESIGN.md", "bootstrap design tokens", "capture the visual system", "propose a design system", "bootstrap DESIGN.md from scratch", "draft tokens for a greenfield project", or "replace Claude Design onboarding". Do NOT use to mutate an existing `canon/DESIGN.md`.

Carries the layer model that decides which design decision settles first, the rules that keep a surface coherent across sections, and the catalog of defaults a model reaches for when nothing states a direction. Use when drafting or judging an interface, a page, or any rendered surface, when output reads generic or templated, when redesigning something that already exists, or when asked to "make this look designed", "why does this look like AI made it", "give it taste", "what layer is this decision at", or "grey-box this first". Do NOT use for accessibility, forms, or state coverage, which the `ui` governance rules carry, for the shape of the project's design document, which `design.md` governs, to run the candidate loop, which is `draft-and-pick`, or to trace a reference's values, which is `sketch-design`.

Updates `.claude/` planning docs to reflect decisions made during the session, marks outcomes the diff shipped `[x]`, and archives the plans those tasks cite. Use when asked to "sync the .claude docs", when design or requirements changed mid-cycle, after discussing a pivot, or before shipping. Do NOT use to create a task file or move one out of the live folder. That is `task-board`.

Rewrites stale `README.md` and `docs/*.md` sections based on changes since main. Use before staging, or when asked to "sync the public docs", "update the docs in docs/", or "update the README". Do NOT use for the `.claude/` planning surface, which `docs-fold` owns, or for changelog and `CLAUDE.md` updates.

Reports which of a project's documents have rotted, one section per document, across length, placement, and staleness. Reads each axis through the verb that owns it and marks the evidence class each answer carries. Use when asked to "check document health", "which docs have gone stale", "audit the docs for rot", "are these documents still accurate", "which docs are too long", or after a target check reports the structural side. Do NOT use to repair a finding, which the owning command or skill does, and do NOT use to check whether a document exists or holds the right sections, which is `target-check`.

Drafts several candidates for a decision judged by looking, renders them side by side on one page, hands the operator the addresses, takes the pick through the structured question surface, and loops on the pick until they stop. Use when asked to "draft some options", "show me a few versions", "try a few variations", "mock up alternatives", "give me candidates for X", or when a choice is taste rather than correctness. Do NOT use when the request already names the answer and asks for it to be built, which is `plan-feature`. Do NOT use to read source for roughness, which is `ux-audit`, to measure what a running interface costs to paint, which is `ux-measure`, to write what to look at on a change already made, which is `ui-checklist`, to script a recording, which is `draft-screencast`, or to inspect a running app across many findings, which is `ux-walkthrough`.

Drafts a brand-new `canon/context/<domain>.md` entry against the context standard, checks the catalog for a name-or-topic collision, decides flat-file placement, confirms with the user, then writes. Use when asked to "write a context entry for X", "document the X domain", "add a context entry for X", or "create a canon/context page for X" where no existing entry covers the domain. Do NOT use to refresh an existing entry against a diff, which is `docs-fold`.

Writes per-kind Mermaid diagram entries into `.canon/diagrams/`, covering system context, components, request flow, data pipeline, and deployment. Reads `canon/ARCHITECTURE.md` and `REQUIREMENTS.md` when present, falls back to a code-structure scan. Use when asked to "draw the architecture", "diagram the system", "show the components", "give me a flow chart", "refresh the deploy diagram", or "visualize the project". Do NOT use for design tokens (use `design-extract`) or UI audits (use `ux-audit`).

Drafts a brand-new `docs/*.md` page against the docs standard, decides its placement in the existing catalog, confirms with the user, then writes. Use when asked to "add a docs page for X", "write a new doc for X", "document X under docs/", or "create a docs page for X" where no existing page covers the topic. Do NOT use to rewrite or sync an existing `docs/*.md` section against a diff, which is `docs-sync`.

Drafts one hand-drawn figure for a document, deciding whether the subject is Mermaid-shaped or needs freehand SVG, then draws it. Renders the Mermaid path through Mermaid's own hand-drawn look, reads the render back, and fixes what it exposes. Wraps either path in the figure standard's caption, color, and accessibility rules. Use when asked to "draw a figure", "add a hand-drawn diagram", "draft a figure for this doc", or "draw this relationship as a figure". Do NOT use for the toolkit's own `.canon/diagrams/` architecture surface, which is `draft-diagram`, or for a UI wireframe, which is `draft-wireframes`.

Drafts a project's logo mark through draft-and-pick's render-and-pick loop, then composes the picked mark into an icon sequence and a 1200x630 social card. Use when asked to "make a logo", "design a logo mark", "create a favicon", "build the icon set", "generate a social card", "make an og:image", or "draft the logo and social card together". Do NOT use to mutate an existing logo file directly, which is a plain edit, or to record the mark's construction rules in DESIGN.md, which is out of scope.

Drafts a project's README.md against the readme standard, detecting project type and badge candidates, and confirming with the user before write. Use when asked to "write a README", "draft a README for this project", "add a README", or "create a README.md" where none exists yet or the existing one is unedited scaffold output. Do NOT use to rewrite or resync an existing authored README against a diff, which is `docs-sync`.

Writes a ready folder for finished files, its `00-overview.md`, the thin plan that points at it, and the task with a board row placed, reported to an orchestrator, or left to the operator, in one invocation. Use when asked to "write a ready folder", "hand these files to a worker", "package these finished files for a worker", "make a ready handoff", or when a session already holds the exact text of a skill, rule, or doc and a worker should copy it rather than author it. Do NOT use to plan a change nobody has written yet, which is `plan-feature`, to copy a folder into a worktree and ship it, which is `role-worker`, or to file a task with no finished files behind it, which is `task-board`.

Drafts a screencast script with pre-seeded beats, defaults, and decisions to `.canon/tmp/screencast/<slug>.md`. Reads project context, asks four discovery questions with proposed defaults, then writes a shippable draft. Use when asked to "draft a screencast", "write a recording script", "plan a demo video", or "scaffold a screencast for X". Do NOT re-invoke to refine an existing draft. Re-running overwrites. Edit the draft file directly.

Drafts a `.claude/SLIDES.md` source from a topic, picks a layout per slide, then renders it to PowerPoint via `canon slides render`. Use when asked to "draft slides", "make a deck", "build a presentation", "turn this into slides", or "render a SLIDES.md". Holds the deck design rules. Do NOT reimplement render logic. The CLI owns layout and styling. Assumes the `canon` CLI is on PATH.

Drafts a brand-new wiki reference page for a subject owned outside this repository, against the wiki standard. Checks the two placement tests and the catalog for a collision, sources the subject from its owner rather than from training knowledge, confirms with the user, then writes. Use when asked to "write a wiki page for X", "add a wiki reference for X", "document X in the wiki", or "create a reference page for X" where no page covers the subject yet. Do NOT use to edit or refresh a page that already exists, which is a plain edit against the same standard. Do NOT use for a subject this repository owns, which is `draft-docs` or `draft-context`.

Drafts a brand-new `canon/wireframes/<surface>.md` file against the wireframes standard, walks the tree for a name collision, detects an existing higher visual-design tier without building one, confirms with the user, then writes. Use when asked to "draft a wireframe for X", "write the wireframe for this surface", "add a canon/wireframes entry for X", or "wireframe this screen" where no surface file covers it yet. Do NOT use to fix a stale TODO stub or report wireframe drift against a diff, which is `docs-fold`'s wireframe-sweep step.

Generates and validates conventional branch names. Use for any branch naming or renaming, such as when asked to "name this branch".

Generates one conventional commit message from the staged changes and commits them exactly as staged, so a hunk-level selection survives. Use when asked to "commit this" or "commit the staged changes" and the staged set covers one concern, or whenever the selection was staged hunk by hand. Do NOT use when the staged changes span several concerns and need separate commits. That is `git-stage`.

Ships a small self-review edit on the current PR branch by staging, committing, pushing, and syncing the open PR, replying on the PR when it carries review comments. Use when asked to "ship a followup", "push the PR fix", "followup", or "commit and push this small change". Do NOT use when there is no open PR for the branch (use git-ship instead).

Format a bug or task from the current session into a GitHub issue and file it on the current repo via `gh issue create`. Use when asked to "file an issue", "open an issue", "log this bug", "raise an issue", or "track this as an issue". Do NOT use to report a toolkit defect from a target project (that is `canon-feedback`), or to open a pull request (that is `git-pr`).

Generates pull request titles and descriptions from git diffs. Use for any PR creation or update, such as when asked to "open a pull request".

Runs the full post-feature workflow by syncing docs, staging commits, renaming the branch, and opening a PR. Use after implementing a feature, or when asked to "ship", "ship this", or "ship it". Do NOT auto-trigger. Shipping is a decision the user takes.

Splits a mixed-commit branch into focused branches off main using cherry-pick. Use when a branch has unrelated commits, asking "split this branch", or needing to separate concerns into reviewable PRs.

Groups staged files by concern and generates one conventional commit per group. Use when asked to "group these changes into commits", or when staged changes span multiple concerns and need to ship as separate commits. Do NOT use on a single-concern staged set. That is `git-commit`, which also preserves a hunk-level selection this skill's unstage and restage over whole files would widen.

Lists linked worktrees with PR state and cleans up merged ones. Use when asked to "list worktrees", "clean up worktrees", or after shipping a PR to reclaim slots. Do NOT use to enter a worktree from scratch (use `session-worktree`).

Answers a topic search over every tracked index.md catalog in the project by running `canon indexes list --json` and matching the topic against each entry's title, description, and path, then reports the hits or names why there are none. Names the gitignored task, memory, and diagram catalogs and the groundwork and intake record folders as pointers outside its walked corpus, so it never claims a topic is undocumented when the topic only sits there. Use when asked "where is X documented", "is there a page about X", "search the docs for X", "find the index entry for X", or "what covers X". Do NOT use to grep source code, browse a file whose path is already known, or regenerate an index, which is `canon indexes regen`.

Reviews a named markdown surface against a named concern, drafts a per-file proposal under `.canon/proposals/<nn>-<slug>/` carrying a diff and a reason for each change, and stops without editing a source file. Takes the concern and the surface as inputs, such as a claim stated stronger than the record, a fact gone stale, two files disagreeing, or a passage duplicated without derivation. A later invocation applies what the operator answered. Use when asked to "propose a change to CLAUDE.md", "draft a rewrite of this standard", "propose fixes to this doc", "draft alternatives for this passage", or "apply the answered proposals". Do NOT use to report without drafting a replacement (`standards-audit` or `canon markdown audit`), to review a diff already made (`review-branch`), or to file a raw brain dump as findings (`plan-intake`).

Extracts durable patterns from the current session, routes a domain fact to the context entry that owns it, and writes the residue to `.canon/memory/` as feedback, project, user, or reference files. Use when asked to "capture memory", "capture lessons", "wrap up the session", "end of session memory", or as a step in autoship. Do NOT use to curate existing memory. Use `memory-review` for that.

Reviews `.canon/memory/` and proposes per-entry actions (promote to an always-loaded rule, move into a skill body, route to a context entry, hand off to governance, or retire as stale). Also runs the discuss, challenge, apply, and cleanup phases on an existing review file. Use when asked to "review memory", "discuss memory questions", "challenge the promotes", "apply memory decisions", "cleanup memory review", "promote memory", or "consolidate memories". Do NOT auto-apply. Output a grouped proposal and wait for block-by-block approval.

Plans a feature by reading the project's Claude setup and scanning relevant source files. Outputs which files to touch, risks, and ambiguities, then stops. Use before implementing anything, or when asked to "implement X", "add X", "build X", or "I want to add X". Do NOT implement. Plan only.

Opens and runs a numbered groundwork folder under `.canon/groundwork/<nn>-<slug>/` for a topic that has to be measured before it can be planned. Detects open, resume, and close from the folder itself. Use when asked to "research X", "dig into X", "work out what we should do about X", "measure this before we commit", or "open a groundwork folder". Do NOT use to write a feature plan or to implement. That is `plan-feature`.

Files a raw brain dump into a numbered intake folder under `.canon/intake/<nn>-<slug>/`, one item per finding carrying a measured problem, a proposed fix, and a verdict. Use when asked to "file this dump", "triage my notes", "work through this list", "sort out this brain dump", or "run an intake pass". Do NOT use for one question that has to be measured before anyone can plan it. That is `plan-groundwork`.

Walks an intake folder's unread items and puts them as batched questions in chat, writing each selection back onto the item it answers. Use when asked to "answer the intake", "work through the open items", "answer my intake questions", "go through the dump", or "let me answer these from here". Do NOT use to file a dump or write new items, which is `plan-intake`.