Workspace

workspace

Overview

A multi-repo workspace coordinator for shared team context. The parent repository holds shared decisions (PDRs, ADRs, CDRs) under .adlc/, created by product-specify, architect-specify, and levelup-specify. Child implementation repositories are discovered at depth 1 and optionally linked as Git submodules so the entire workspace can be cloned with git clone --recursive.

No workspace.yml, no registry file. Pure convention:

• Parent repo = current working directory (must be a Git repo)
• Child repos = depth-1 subdirectories containing .git/
• Shared context = .adlc/ in parent root

When to Use

• First-time setup (--init): Create .adlc/ directory structure, configure .gitignore conventions, and optionally link child repos.
• After product-specify or architect-specify has created shared PDRs/ADRs in the parent repo and you have multiple implementation repos alongside.
• When you've cloned new child repos into the workspace and want to register them as submodules (--link) or ignore them (--ignore-only).
• To audit workspace health: dirty working trees, unpushed commits, SHA drift between parent submodule reference and child HEAD.
• To verify child repos can see the parent .adlc/ shared context.

When NOT to Use --init

• Workspace already initialized: Use /workspace --status to audit instead.
• Only auditing child repo state: Use /workspace (read-only discovery + status).
• Linking additional child repos after init: Use /workspace --link directly.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

Commands

| Command | Purpose | |---|---| | /workspace --init | Initialize: create .adlc/ structure, configure .gitignore, discover child repos | | /workspace | Discover child repos, show summary status (read-only) | | /workspace --link | Convert child repos to Git submodules (requires clean parent tree) | | /workspace --status | Detailed audit: branch, dirty, unpushed, SHA drift, .adlc presence | | /workspace --ignore-only | Add child repos to .gitignore instead of creating submodules | | /workspace --init --link | Initialize + link child repos in one step | | /workspace --init --ignore-only | Initialize + add child repos to .gitignore | | /workspace --dry-run | Preview changes without executing (combine with --init, --link, --ignore-only) | | /workspace --force | Convert repos already tracked by parent index (requires clean tree) |

Execution

Init Mode (--init)

Run the init setup script to create .adlc/ structure, check .gitignore conventions, and discover child repos:

# Bash
scripts/bash/setup-workspace.sh --json

# PowerShell
scripts/powershell/setup-workspace.ps1

Init setup output (JSON):

{
  "REPO_ROOT": "/path/to/parent",
  "ADLC_DIR": "/path/to/parent/.adlc",
  "ADLC_DIRS_CREATED": [".adlc/product", ".adlc/architecture", ".adlc/context"],
  "GITIGNORE_EXISTS": true,
  "GITIGNORE_RULES_MISSING": [".adlc/"],
  "CHILD_REPOS": [
    {"name": "backend-api", "path": "/path/to/parent/backend-api", "remote": "git@github.com:org/backend-api.git", "is_submodule": false, "is_tracked": false}
  ],
  "CHILD_COUNT": 1,
  "BRANCH": "main"
}

Directories created:

.adlc/
├── product/           # PDRs (product-specify, product-init)
├── architecture/      # ADRs (architect-specify, architect-init)
├── context/           # CDRs (levelup-specify, levelup-init)
├── skills/            # Team skills metadata
└── drafts/            # Draft artifacts before clarification
    ├── pdr/
    ├── adr/
    ├── cdr/
    ├── skills/
    └── evals/

After init setup, if --link or --ignore-only is also specified, proceed to the corresponding action mode below.

Audit/Link Mode (default, --link, --status, --ignore-only)

Run the workspace coordinator script:

# Bash
"$(dirname "$0")/../scripts/bash/workspace.sh" --json [--link] [--status] [--dry-run] [--force] $ARGUMENTS

Parse the JSON output and present it to the user.

Output Contract

Init Mode Output

Emitted by setup-workspace.sh --json (see above).

Audit/Link Mode Output

Emitted by workspace.sh --json:

{
  "PARENT_REPO": "/abs/path/to/parent",
  "PARENT_BRANCH": "main",
  "PARENT_HAS_ADLC": true,
  "MODE": "discover|link|status",
  "DRY_RUN": false,
  "DISCOVERED_COUNT": 3,
  "REGISTERED_COUNT": 2,
  "SKIPPED_COUNT": 1,
  "ERROR_COUNT": 0,
  "REPOS": [
    {
      "name": "backend-api",
      "path": "/abs/path/to/parent/backend-api",
      "remote": "git@github.com:org/backend-api.git",
      "branch": "main",
      "dirty": false,
      "unpushed": 0,
      "is_submodule": true,
      "parent_sha": "abc1234",
      "child_sha": "abc1234",
      "sha_drift": false,
      "has_adlc": false
    }
  ],
  "ERRORS": []
}

Init Phases

Phase 1: .adlc/ Structure Creation

The setup script creates the full .adlc/ directory tree if it doesn't exist. This is the shared context directory where other skills write PDRs, ADRs, CDRs, and skill metadata.

Idempotent: already-existing directories are not recreated.

Phase 2: .gitignore Configuration

The setup script checks .gitignore for workspace conventions and reports missing rules.

Excluded (should NOT be committed) — local-only or agent-generated:

.adlc/
.agents/
.opencode/
.claude/
.cursor/
.codex/
.gemini/
.qwen/
.devin/
.tabnine/
skills-lock.json
.skills.json
.mcp.json

Action: If GITIGNORE_RULES_MISSING is non-empty, add the missing rules to .gitignore. Do NOT remove existing rules. If changes were made and not in --dry-run mode, commit with message [workspace] Configure .gitignore for workspace conventions.

Phase 3: Child Repo Discovery

Review discovered child repos from setup output.

Present discovered repos:

## Discovered Child Repos

| # | Repo | Remote | Submodule? | Tracked? |
|---|------|--------|------------|----------|
| 1 | **backend-api** | git@github.com:org/backend-api.git | No | No |
| 2 | **frontend** | git@github.com:org/frontend.git | Yes | N/A |

Reply: Y to proceed with --link/--ignore-only, or adjust.

Phase 4: Child Repo Action (optional)

If --link or --ignore-only is combined with --init, execute the corresponding action after init setup.

--link (Submodule Registration)

Delegates to workspace.sh --link. Safety checks enforced:

• Parent working tree must be clean (no uncommitted changes outside child repos)
• Child repos must have a remote origin URL configured
• Already-registered submodules are skipped (idempotent)
• Repos tracked in parent index require --force

--ignore-only (Ignore Instead of Submodule)

Add each discovered child repo to .gitignore instead of creating submodules.

For each child repo:

1. If tracked in parent index: git rm --cached (remove from index, keep on disk)
2. Add / to .gitignore if not already present
3. Skip repos already in .gitignore (idempotent)

Commit with message [workspace] Add child repos to .gitignore if changes were made.

Use when: Child repos are truly independent projects; team members manage them separately.

Phase 5: Output Summary

## Workspace Init Complete

### .adlc/ Structure
- Created: 8 directories under `.adlc/`

### .gitignore
- Rules added: 5
- Rules verified: 12

### Child Repos
- Discovered: 3
- Registered as submodules: 2
- Ignored: 0
- Skipped (already submodules): 1

### Next Steps
1. Create product decisions: `/product-specify`
2. Create architecture decisions: `/architect-specify`
3. Audit workspace health: `/workspace --status`

Discovery Rules

| Rule | Behavior | |---|---| | Depth | 1 level only (direct subdirectories of parent root) | | Detection | Directory contains .git/ directory or .git file | | Exclusions | node_modules, .venv, venv, dist, build, target, .idea, .vscode, .git, .cache, .specify | | No config file | No workspace.yml — pure auto-discovery |

Shared Team Context (.adlc/)

The parent repo's .adlc/ directory is the single source of truth for team context. It is created by --init and maintained by other skills:

| Artifact | Path | Created By | |---|---|---| | PDRs | .adlc/product/ | product-specify, product-init | | ADRs | .adlc/architecture/ | architect-specify, architect-init | | CDRs | .adlc/context/ | levelup-specify, levelup-init | | Skills | .adlc/skills/ | team-skills | | Directory structure | .adlc/ tree | workspace --init (this skill) |

In audit mode (default), this skill does not create or modify .adlc/ content. It only:

1. Verifies the parent has .adlc/ (warns if missing).
2. Checks whether each child repo has its own .adlc/ (informational).

Safety

• --init is safe: Only creates directories and reports missing .gitignore rules; never overwrites existing content.
• .gitignore changes are additive: Only adds missing rules; never removes existing rules.
• Read-only by default: /workspace and /workspace --status make no changes.
• --link requires clean parent tree: uncommitted changes outside child repos abort the operation.
• --force removes child directories from the parent Git index (git rm --cached) before re-adding as submodules. Requires a clean working tree.
• Idempotent: already-registered submodules, already-ignored repos, and already-created directories are skipped on re-run.
• Child repos without a remote origin are reported as errors and skipped during --link.
• --dry-run previews all changes without executing.

Common Rationalizations

| Rationalization | Why it's wrong | Do this instead | |---|---|---| | "I'll create .adlc/ manually with mkdir" | Misses the full directory tree and .gitignore conventions | Run --init for complete initialization | | "I'll add workspace.yml for explicit repo list" | Adds config overhead; auto-discovery is simpler and sufficient | Use depth-1 discovery; exclude via .gitignore if needed | | "I'll skip the .gitignore setup" | Risks committing local agent state (.agents/, .opencode/) | Let --init configure conventions | | "I'll create .adlc/ in child repos too" | Diverges from single-source-of-truth model | Keep .adlc/ in parent only; children reference parent | | "I'll skip the clean-tree check for --link" | Risks losing uncommitted parent changes | Require clean tree; tell user to commit or stash first | | "I'll use worktrees instead of submodules" | Worktrees are for feature isolation, not multi-repo coordination | Use submodules for tracked multi-repo linking | | "I'll use --ignore-only instead of submodules for everything" | Loses workspace coordination benefits | Use --link for tracked repos; --ignore-only only for independent projects |

Red Flags

• Running --link without checking parent working tree is clean.
• Running --force on a parent with uncommitted changes outside child repos.
• Creating .adlc/ content in child repos (parent is the single source).
• Adding a workspace.yml or registry file (convention-only, no config).
• Excluding .specify from discovery (it may be a legitimate child repo).
• Modifying child repo contents during --link (only parent index changes).
• Skipping .gitignore setup when local agent directories exist.

Verification

• [ ] Parent repo is a Git repository.
• [ ] --init creates .adlc/ with all subdirectories (product/, architecture/, context/, skills/, drafts/).
• [ ] --init reports missing .gitignore rules (additive, never removes).
• [ ] --init is idempotent (second run reports 0 dirs created).
• [ ] Parent .adlc/ exists (warn if missing in audit mode).
• [ ] Child repos discovered at depth 1 (excluding node_modules, .venv, etc.).
• [ ] --link only runs when parent working tree is clean.
• [ ] Already-registered submodules are skipped (idempotent).
• [ ] Child repos without origin remote are reported as errors.
• [ ] --status reports branch, dirty state, unpushed count, SHA drift, .adlc presence per child.
• [ ] --ignore-only adds repos to .gitignore and removes from parent index.
• [ ] --dry-run produces no file changes.
• [ ] JSON output matches the Output Contract schema for both init and audit modes.

Integration with Existing Skills

| Skill | Relationship | |---|---| | product-specify | Creates PDRs in parent .adlc/product/ after --init | | architect-specify | Creates ADRs in parent .adlc/architecture/ after --init | | levelup-specify | Creates CDRs in parent .adlc/context/ after --init | | team-boot | Loads parent .adlc context at session start | | team-setup | Configures agent directories (.agents/, .opencode/) — complement to --init |

12-Factor Alignment

Factor XI (Directives as Code) — establishes a version-controlled multi-repo workspace where shared decisions live in the parent and implementation repos are linked as submodules or ignored by convention.

Source & license

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

• Author: tikalk
• Source: tikalk/adlc-team-skills
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://github.com/tikalk/agentic-sdlc-12-factors

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