Spine Recall

Spine Recall — On-Demand Deep Pull

Load all docs for a feature area from the Spine vault into your current context. Use when you need deep knowledge on a specific topic beyond what the auto-loaded index provides.

Vault Path Resolution

Resolve the vault path using this config chain:

1. $SPINE_VAULT_PATH environment variable
2. ~/.spine/config.json → read the vaultPath field
3. Default: ~/Documents/SpineVault/

If the vault doesn't exist, tell the user to run /spine-init first.

Detect Current Repo

basename "$(git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null)" .git

Fall back to the current directory name if no git remote. If {vault}/{repo}/ doesn't exist, tell the user this repo isn't tracked by Spine yet — suggest /spine-init or /spine-capture.

Mode Selection

If $ARGUMENTS is provided (not empty and not whitespace-only): → Targeted Mode — proceed to "Targeted Recall" below

If $ARGUMENTS is empty or not provided: → Browse Mode — proceed to "Browse Recall" below

---

Targeted Recall (/spine-recall )

Step 1: Resolve Feature

Match $ARGUMENTS against content in {vault}/{repo}/ using this precedence (first match wins):

1. Exact feature folder name (case-insensitive)
2. Exact spine note filename (case-insensitive, with or without .md)
3. Substring match on spine note title (from title frontmatter field)
4. Substring match on any doc title in the repo vault

Rules:

• Case-insensitive throughout
• If exactly one match → auto-select
• If multiple matches → show a numbered pick list
• If no match → "No matching feature found for '{name}'. Available features:" then list all feature folders

Step 2: Load All Docs

Once the feature is resolved, read ALL .md files in that feature folder:

1. Read the spine note (hub) first — the file tagged type/spine
2. Read each child doc referenced via [[wikilinks]] in the spine note
3. Read any remaining .md files in the folder not yet loaded

Present each doc with a clear separator:

━━━ {filename} ━━━
{full doc content}

Step 3: Summary

After loading all docs, provide a one-paragraph summary:

Loaded {N} docs for {feature} ({repo}):
- {spine note title} (hub)
- {child doc 1 title}
- {child doc 2 title}
...

You now have full context on this feature. Refer to these docs as you work.

Step 4: Output Contract

spine_recall_result:
  status: success | no_match | skipped | error
  summary: "Loaded 5 docs for Authentication (my-repo)"
  feature: "authentication"
  docs_loaded:
    - { file: "Authentication.md", type: "spine" }
    - { file: "Fix - Cookie Expiry.md", type: "fix" }
  vault_path: "{vault}/{repo}/{feature}/"

---

Browse Mode (/spine-recall no args)

Step 1: List All Features

List all feature folders in {vault}/{repo}/:

Spine vault for {repo} — {N} features documented:

[1] {Feature A} — {M} docs
[2] {Feature B} — {M} docs
[3] {Feature C} — {M} docs

Pick a number to load, or (s)kip:

Step 2: User Picks

If the user picks a number → enter Targeted Recall, Step 2 (Load All Docs).

If the user skips → emit output contract with status: skipped.

Step 3: No Features Found

Spine: No features documented for {repo} yet. Use /spine-capture to create the first one.

Emit output contract with status: no_match.

Source & license

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

• Author: Nodewarrior
• Source: Nodewarrior/spine
• License: MIT

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