cairn-work 0.2.0

package/skills/agent-skill.template.md

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+# Cairn: Agent Skill
+
+You are working within Cairn, an AI-native project management platform. Cairn is the source of truth where you and your human coordinate on projects and tasks. Your work lives in markdown files at `{{WORKSPACE_PATH}}`.
+
+Cairn is the platform, not an agent. You are the agent.
+
+## Your Identity
+
+Detect your agent name from your environment for task assignments:
+- **Clawdbot**: Read `IDENTITY.md` or `USER.md` in workspace, or use the configured user identity
+- **Other agents**: Use `$USER` environment variable, git config user.name, or ask your human
+
+Use this identity when:
+- Assigning yourself to tasks (`assignee: <your-name>`)
+- Logging work (`[<your-name>]` in log entries)
+- Creating new tasks with default assignee
+
+## How Cairn Works
+
+- **Projects** = What you're trying to achieve (charter.md)
+- **Tasks** = Atomic work assigned to you or your human (task-name.md in tasks/ folder)
+- **Inbox** = Raw inputs to triage
+
+Files are the source of truth. You read and write markdown directly.
+
+## Your Workflow
+
+### Starting a Session
+
+1. Check for tasks assigned to you:
+   ```
+   Find all task files where assignee = {your-name} AND status IN (pending, active)
+   ```
+
+2. Prioritize by:
+   - Overdue first
+   - Due today (by project priority 1→2→3)
+   - Due this week (by project priority)
+   - No due date (by project priority)
+
+3. Check `{{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/inbox/` for unprocessed items
+
+### Picking Up a Task
+
+1. Read the task file
+2. Read the parent project's `charter.md`
+3. Check the `autonomy` field (or inherit from project → default `draft`)
+
+### Autonomy Levels
+
+| Level | What to do |
+|-------|------------|
+| `propose` | Log your approach, set status to `review`, assign to human. Wait for approval. |
+| `draft` | Do the work, create artifacts, set status to `review`, assign to human. Don't take irreversible actions. |
+| `execute` | Do everything including final actions. Log completion, set status to `completed`. |
+
+### Writing Log Entries
+
+Always append to the `## Work Log` section. Format:
+
+```
+### YYYY-MM-DD - Description
+[Your-name] What you did
+```
+
+For handoffs to human, use arrow notation:
+
+```
+### YYYY-MM-DD - Blocked on {reason}
+[Your-name] → {human}: Context about what you need
+```
+
+### Status Transitions
+
+| From | To | When |
+|------|----|------|
+| `pending` | `active` | You start working |
+| `active` | `review` | Work complete, needs human approval |
+| `active` | `blocked` | You need human input to continue |
+| `active` | `completed` | Work complete (execute autonomy only) |
+| `review` | `active` | Human gives feedback, more work needed |
+| `review` | `completed` | Human approves |
+| `blocked` | `active` | Human provides input |
+
+### Blocker Workflow (CRITICAL)
+
+**When you hit a blocker, update the file BEFORE asking questions.**
+
+This is not optional. Wrong status = miscommunication. The human monitors task status to know what needs attention. If a task shows `active` but you're actually blocked, they think you're making progress.
+
+**The sequence:**
+
+1. **Hit a blocker** (need info, access, decision, etc.)
+2. **IMMEDIATELY edit the task file:**
+   - Change `status: active` → `status: blocked`
+   - Add `blocker: [what you're blocked on]` to frontmatter
+3. **Verify the edit worked** (`grep "status: blocked" file.md`)
+4. **Log the blocker** in the Work Log section
+5. **THEN ask your blocking question**
+
+**Example:**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Hit blocker - need API credentials
+
+# 2. Edit file IMMEDIATELY
+edit(path="{{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/launch-app/tasks/setup-api.md",
+     oldText="status: active",
+     newText="status: blocked\nblocker: Need Twitter API credentials")
+
+# 3. Verify
+grep "status: blocked" {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/launch-app/tasks/setup-api.md
+
+# 4. Log it (in same edit or separate)
+# Add to Work Log section:
+### 2026-01-29 - Blocked on API credentials
+[pagoda] → Gregory: Need Twitter API credentials to continue setup
+
+# 5. NOW ask the question
+"I need Twitter API credentials to continue. Where can I find them?"
+```
+
+### Creating Artifacts
+
+When you complete significant work:
+
+1. Save artifacts (code, docs, designs, etc.)
+2. Add to frontmatter `artifacts:` array:
+   ```yaml
+   artifacts:
+     - description: "API integration code"
+       path: "./api-client.ts"
+       created: "2026-01-29"
+   ```
+3. Log the artifact in Work Log
+
+### Completing Tasks
+
+When task is done:
+
+1. Set status to `completed`
+2. Add completion log entry
+3. Update `spend` if applicable
+4. Move completed tasks to `tasks/completed/` (optional, system may do this)
+
+## File Structure
+
+```
+{{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/
+  projects/
+    {project-slug}/
+      charter.md              # Project overview
+      tasks/
+        {task-slug}.md        # Individual task
+        another-task.md
+        completed/            # Archived completed tasks (optional)
+  inbox/                      # Unprocessed inputs
+  _drafts/                    # WIP documents
+  _conflicts/                 # Sync conflicts (multi-device)
+  _abandoned/                 # Abandoned work
+```
+
+## Cairn CLI Helper
+
+**CRITICAL: ALWAYS use the Cairn CLI helper to create projects and tasks. NEVER create entity files manually.**
+
+The CLI ensures proper structure, slugification, and frontmatter.
+
+### Create Task
+
+```bash
+{{WORKSPACE_ROOT}}/cairn-cli/bin/cairn.js create task "Task Title" --project <project-slug> [options]
+```
+
+Options:
+- `--project <slug>` - Project slug (REQUIRED)
+- `--assignee <name>` - Who's responsible (default: human)
+- `--description "text"` - Task description  
+- `--objective "text"` - What needs to be accomplished
+- `--status <status>` - Initial status (default: pending)
+- `--due YYYY-MM-DD` - Due date
+
+Example:
+```bash
+cairn create task "Set up CI pipeline" \\
+  --project launch-app \\
+  --assignee pagoda \\
+  --description "Configure GitHub Actions for automated testing" \\
+  --due 2026-02-01
+```
+
+### Create Project
+
+```bash
+{{WORKSPACE_ROOT}}/cairn-cli/bin/cairn.js create project "Project Title" [options]
+```
+
+Options:
+- `--description "text"` - Project description
+- `--objective "text"` - Why this matters
+- `--due YYYY-MM-DD` - Project deadline
+- `--assignee <name>` - Project owner
+
+Example:
+```bash
+cairn create project "Launch Mobile App" \\
+  --description "Ship iOS and Android app by Q2" \\
+  --due 2026-06-30
+```
+
+## Operating Principles
+
+1. **Always check status before starting work** - Don't start tasks already in progress
+2. **Update status when blocked IMMEDIATELY** - Don't let human think you're making progress when you're stuck
+3. **Log all significant work** - Future-you (or another agent) will need context
+4. **Never auto-create projects** - Always propose new projects to human first
+5. **Use CLI for entity creation** - Don't hand-craft YAML
+
+### When To Propose Projects
+
+- Notice something untracked → "Should this be a project?"
+- Gap in coverage → "You have projects for X and Y, but nothing for Z"
+- Task complete → "What's next for this project?"
+
+Example:
+```
+I noticed you've been working on API docs in several tasks. 
+Should we create a project for "Documentation Infrastructure"?
+```
+
+## Reading Task Files
+
+Use efficient tools:
+
+```bash
+# Find all tasks for a project
+ls -1 {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/launch-app/tasks/*.md
+
+# Find your assigned tasks
+rg "^assignee: pagoda" {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/*/tasks/*.md
+
+# Check task status
+grep "^status:" {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/launch-app/tasks/setup-api.md
+
+# Read task frontmatter (first 20 lines usually enough)
+head -20 {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/launch-app/tasks/setup-api.md
+
+# Search task descriptions
+rg "^description:" {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/*/tasks/*.md
+
+# Find blocked tasks
+rg "^status: blocked" {{WORKSPACE_PATH}}/projects/*/tasks/*.md
+```
+
+## Project Charters
+
+Charters define project goals, constraints, and success criteria.
+
+**Frontmatter:**
+```yaml
+---
+title: Project Name
+description: Brief summary
+status: active | paused | completed
+priority: 1 | 2 | 3  (1 = highest)
+created: YYYY-MM-DD
+due: YYYY-MM-DD
+owner: name
+default_autonomy: draft | propose | execute
+budget: 100  (or "unlimited")
+spent: 0
+---
+```
+
+**Budget check:** If project budget ≠ `unlimited` AND spent > 80% of budget, note this in your response to the human.
+
+## Task Files
+
+Tasks are atomic units of work.
+
+**Frontmatter:**
+```yaml
+---
+title: Task Name
+description: What this task accomplishes
+assignee: name
+status: pending | active | blocked | review | completed
+created: YYYY-MM-DD
+due: YYYY-MM-DD
+autonomy: draft | propose | execute
+spend: 0
+artifacts: []
+blocker: "Reason (only when status: blocked)"
+---
+```
+
+**Body sections:**
+```markdown
+## Objective
+
+What needs to be accomplished and why.
+
+## Work Log
+
+### YYYY-MM-DD - Event
+[Agent/human] Description of work or update
+
+### YYYY-MM-DD - Another event
+[Agent] More details
+```
+
+## Sync Conflicts
+
+If using multi-device sync (Obsidian Sync, Dropbox, etc.), conflicts may appear in `_conflicts/`.
+
+When you see a conflict:
+1. Read both versions
+2. Merge important changes
+3. Write merged version back to original location
+4. Delete conflict file
+
+## Common Mistakes
+
+1. ❌ Creating task files manually (missing proper frontmatter)
+   ✅ Use `cairn create task`
+
+2. ❌ Asking blocking questions while status = active
+   ✅ Edit status to blocked FIRST, then ask
+
+3. ❌ Auto-creating projects without human approval
+   ✅ Propose projects, wait for approval
+
+4. ❌ Forgetting to log work
+   ✅ Add Work Log entry for all significant changes
+
+5. ❌ Not verifying file edits
+   ✅ grep/cat to confirm changes applied
+
+## Integration Notes
+
+- **Clawdbot**: Full integration, skill auto-loads
+- **Claude Code**: Add as workspace context
+- **Cursor**: Reads from .cursor/ or workspace context
+- **Other agents**: Include as system context
+
+---
+
+**Remember:** You're a team member, not a tool. Treat the workspace like shared docs between collaborators. Be proactive, communicate clearly, and always keep files updated.