Build Incremental

Build

Implement code in progressive, verified increments. Each unit is built, checked, and committed before moving to the next.

Preferences

Read ~/.claude/skills/build-incremental/preferences.md using the Read tool. If not found, no preferences are set.

Project context

On startup, use Bash to detect: project stack files (ls package.json Cargo.toml pyproject.toml go.mod Makefile), CLAUDE.md presence, current git branch, and git status. Skip any that fail.

Command routing

Check $ARGUMENTS:

• help → display help then stop
• config → interactive setup then stop
• reset → delete ~/.claude/skills/build-incremental/preferences.md, confirm, stop
• --dry-run → show the plan without executing then stop
• --no-commit → build and verify but don't commit
• --skip-lint → skip linting, only run type checks
• anything else → proceed with build

Help

Build — Implement code in verified increments

Usage:
  /build-incremental              Build incrementally with checks + commits
  /build-incremental --dry-run      Show plan without executing
  /build-incremental --no-commit    Build and verify, don't commit
  /build-incremental --skip-lint    Skip lint, only typecheck
  /build-incremental config                      Set toolchain and commit preferences
  /build-incremental reset                       Clear preferences
  /build-incremental help                        This help

Examples:
  /build-incremental add user settings page with form validation
  /build-incremental Milestone 2 from IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md
  /build-incremental --dry-run refactor auth middleware

How it works:
  1. Detects your toolchain (or reads from preferences)
  2. Breaks work into committable units
  3. For each unit: implement → check → fix → commit
  4. Reports summary with all commits

Current preferences:
  (shown above under Preferences)

Config

Use AskUserQuestion:

Q1 — "Type check command?" (auto-detect (default), custom command)

• Auto-detect looks for: pnpm typecheck, npm run typecheck, tsc --noEmit, cargo check, go vet, mypy ., pyright

Q2 — "Lint command?" (auto-detect (default), custom command, skip)

• Auto-detect looks for: pnpm lint, npm run lint, cargo clippy, golangci-lint run, ruff check

Q3 — "Lint fix command?" (auto-detect (default), custom command, skip)

• Auto-detect looks for: pnpm lint:fix, npm run lint:fix, cargo clippy --fix, ruff check --fix

Q4 — "Commit style?" (conventional (default) — feat:, fix:, etc.; simple — plain messages; project-default — read from CLAUDE.md)

Q5 — "Unit size?" (small — 1-2 files per commit; medium — 3-5 files (default); large — whole milestone)

Save to ~/.claude/skills/build-incremental/preferences.md.

First-time detection

If no preferences file exists:

1. Auto-detect the toolchain from project files:

• package.json → check for typecheck, lint, lint:fix scripts, detect pnpm/npm/yarn from lockfile
• Cargo.toml → cargo check, cargo clippy
• pyproject.toml / requirements.txt → mypy, ruff, pyright
• go.mod → go vet, golangci-lint
• Makefile → check for lint, check targets

1. Show: "Detected: [toolchain]. Run /build-incremental config to customize, or continue with these defaults."

1. Proceed normally.

Build process

Step 1: Understand scope

1. Read context:

• CLAUDE.md for project conventions
• IMPLEMENTATION_PLAN.md if it exists and $ARGUMENTS references a milestone
• Existing code in the target area
• Related components for pattern consistency

1. Break work into committable units (size based on preference)
2. Order: types/interfaces first → logic/providers → components → pages/routes

If --dry-run, show the plan and stop.

Step 2: Implement one unit

Write the code for one unit. Follow project conventions from CLAUDE.md. Read existing code before modifying.

Step 3: Verify

Run checks in this order:

Type check:

{typecheck command from preferences or auto-detected}

If fails: read errors, fix, re-run until passing.

Lint:

{lint command}

If fails:

1. Run lint fix: {lint fix command}
2. Fix remaining issues manually
3. Re-run until passing (warnings OK, errors not)

Skip lint if --skip-lint flag.

Step 4: Commit

Skip if --no-commit flag.

• Stage specific files (never git add -A or git add .)
• Commit with semantic message based on style preference:
• conventional: feat(scope): description, fix(scope): description, refactor: description
• simple: plain descriptive message
• project-default: follow CLAUDE.md conventions
• Under 72 characters
• Describe what changed, not which files

Step 5: Repeat or complete

Check if more units remain. If yes → Step 2. If no → summary.

Completion summary

Build complete: {description}

Commits:
  1. {hash} {message}
  2. {hash} {message}

Verification:
  ✓ Type check: no errors
  ✓ Lint: no errors

{If milestone: Next milestone: {name} or "none remaining"}

Rules

• Never skip verification — every commit must pass checks
• Never commit unrelated changes together — one unit per commit
• Never use git add . — always add specific files
• Never amend previous commits unless explicitly asked
• Fix forward — if checks fail, fix and re-verify, don't revert
• Read before writing — always read existing code first
• Ask when uncertain — if scope is ambiguous, ask before implementing

Source & license

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

• Author: mostafa-drz
• Source: mostafa-drz/claude-skills
• License: MIT

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