Using Groundwork

If you think there is even a 1% chance a skill might apply to what you are doing, you ABSOLUTELY MUST invoke the skill.

IF A SKILL APPLIES TO YOUR TASK, YOU DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE. YOU MUST USE IT.

This is not negotiable. This is not optional. You cannot rationalize your way out of this.

How to Access Skills

In Claude Code: Use the Skill tool. When you invoke a skill, its content is loaded and presented to you—follow it directly. Never use the Read tool on skill files.

In other environments: Check your platform's documentation for how skills are loaded.

Using Skills

The Rule

Invoke relevant or requested skills BEFORE any response or action. Even a 1% chance a skill might apply means that you should invoke the skill to check. If an invoked skill turns out to be wrong for the situation, you don't need to use it.

digraph skill_flow {
    "User message received" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Might any skill apply?" [shape=diamond];
    "Invoke Skill tool" [shape=box];
    "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" [shape=box];
    "Has checklist?" [shape=diamond];
    "Create task per checklist item" [shape=box];
    "Follow skill exactly" [shape=box];
    "Respond (including clarifications)" [shape=doublecircle];

    "User message received" -> "Might any skill apply?";
    "Might any skill apply?" -> "Invoke Skill tool" [label="yes, even 1%"];
    "Might any skill apply?" -> "Respond (including clarifications)" [label="definitely not"];
    "Invoke Skill tool" -> "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'";
    "Announce: 'Using [skill] to [purpose]'" -> "Has checklist?";
    "Has checklist?" -> "Create task per checklist item" [label="yes"];
    "Has checklist?" -> "Follow skill exactly" [label="no"];
    "Create task per checklist item" -> "Follow skill exactly";
}

Lifecycle Map — work → skill

Find the work, invoke the skill. Dispatch tier matters:

• (auto) — dual/library skills you invoke directly with the Skill tool, or that other skills call.
• (user runs) — user-only leaves (disable-model-invocation: true). You cannot invoke or dispatch these; they are invisible to you at call time. When one fits, recommend the slash command and let the user run it. They are heavyweight or high-blast-radius (swarms, full PRD generation, autonomous loops, outward-facing deploy) on purpose.

Define / Discover

| Work | Skill | |------|-------| | Generate a PRD/specs from scratch | /groundwork:design-product (user runs) | | Clarify or stress-test a feature request | understanding-feature-requests (auto) | | Design or reverse-engineer UX | /groundwork:ux-design, /groundwork:source-ux-design-from-code (user runs) | | Reverse-engineer specs/architecture from existing code | /groundwork:source-product-specs-from-code, /groundwork:source-architecture-from-code (user runs) | | Build/maintain the domain glossary | domain-modeling (auto) |

Plan / Architect

| Work | Skill | |------|-------| | Translate PRD into architecture | design-architecture (auto) | | Adversarial tech comparison across options | /groundwork:swarm-design-architecture (user runs) | | Design a non-trivial module / interface / API | design-it-twice (auto) | | Record a hard-to-reverse decision | captured in design-architecture (auto) | | Break specs into tasks | /groundwork:create-tasks (user runs) | | Plan a single task | plan-task (auto) | | Verify task list covers the PRD | task-validation-loop (auto) | | Check code ↔ spec alignment | check-specs-alignment (auto) | | Convert single-file spec/arch to directory | split-specs, split-architecture (auto) |

Build

| Work | Skill | |------|-------| | Execute task N / the next task | work-on, work-on-next-task (auto) | | Implement a planned task in isolation | implement-task (auto) | | Build without a task / autonomously | /groundwork:build-unplanned, /groundwork:just-do-it, /groundwork:just-do-it-swarming (user runs) | | Write any feature or bugfix | test-driven-development (auto) | | Ship thin slices behind a flag | vertical-slice (auto) | | Pressure-test a high-stakes/irreversible decision | doubt-driven-development (auto) | | Isolate work in a worktree | use-git-worktree (auto) |

Verify / Review / Debug

| Work | Skill | |------|-------| | Local multi-agent validation + autofix | validate (auto) | | Review a GitHub PR | /groundwork:review-pr (user runs) | | Investigate a bug systematically | debug (auto), /groundwork:swarm-debug (user runs) |

Ship

| Work | Skill | |------|-------| | Orchestrate the ship phase | /groundwork:ship (user runs) | | Add logging/metrics/traces | instrument-observability (auto) | | Roll out behind a flag in stages | staged-rollout (auto) |

Meta / Project

| Work | Skill | |------|-------| | Configure repo / switch project | setup-repo, select-project (auto) | | Hand off work to another session | handoff (auto) | | List skills / health-check the plugin | /groundwork:groundwork-help, /groundwork:groundwork-check (user runs) |

Red Flags

These thoughts mean STOP—you're rationalizing:

| Thought | Reality | |---------|---------| | "This is just a simple question" | Questions are tasks. Check for skills. | | "I need more context first" | Skill check comes BEFORE clarifying questions. | | "Let me explore the codebase first" | Skills tell you HOW to explore. Check first. | | "I can check git/files quickly" | Files lack conversation context. Check for skills. | | "Let me gather information first" | Skills tell you HOW to gather information. | | "This doesn't need a formal skill" | If a skill exists, use it. | | "I remember this skill" | Skills evolve. Read current version. | | "This doesn't count as a task" | Action = task. Check for skills. | | "The skill is overkill" | Simple things become complex. Use it. | | "I'll just do this one thing first" | Check BEFORE doing anything. | | "This feels productive" | Undisciplined action wastes time. Skills prevent this. | | "I know what that means" | Knowing the concept ≠ using the skill. Invoke it. | | "I'll just start working on the task" | Task execution REQUIRES the work-on skill. Invoke it first. | | "Let me implement this task" | Always invoke work-on skill - it handles worktree isolation. |

Skill Priority

When multiple skills could apply, use this order:

1. Process skills first (design-product, design-architecture) - these determine HOW to approach the task
2. Implementation skills second (tasks, test-driven-development) - these guide execution

"Let's build X" -> design-product first, then implementation skills.

Skill Types

Rigid: follow exactly, don't adapt away discipline

Flexible: adapt principles to context.

The skill itself tells you which type it is.

Monorepo Awareness

When working in a monorepo (.groundwork.yml exists):

• Always check project context before reading/writing specs
• If {{project_name}} is empty, prompt the user to select a project
• All {{specs_dir}}/ paths resolve to the selected project's specs directory
• Use /groundwork:select-project to switch between projects
• Use /groundwork:setup-repo to configure the repo structure

User Instructions

Instructions say WHAT, not HOW. "Add X" or "Fix Y" doesn't mean skip workflows.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: etr
• Source: etr/groundwork
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.