swain-design
Spec Management
Before proceeding with any state-changing operation, check for an active session:
REPO_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)" && bash "$REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/swain-session-check.sh" 2>/dev/null
If the JSON output has "status" other than "active", inform the operator: "No active session — start one with /swain-init?" Proceed if they dismiss.
This skill defines the canonical artifact types, phases, and hierarchy. Detailed definitions and templates live in references/ (relative to this skill's directory). If the host repo has an AGENTS.md, keep its artifact sections in sync with the skill's reference data.
Artifact type definitions
Each artifact type has a definition file (lifecycle phases, conventions, folder structure) and a template (frontmatter fields, document skeleton). Read the definition for the artifact type you are creating or transitioning.
| Type | What it is | Definition | Template |
|---|
More from cristoslc/swain
swain-do
Task tracking and implementation execution for swain projects. Invoke whenever a SPEC needs an implementation plan, the user asks what to work on next, wants to check or update task status, claim or close tasks, manage dependencies, abandon work, bookmark context, or record a decision. Also invoked by swain-design after creating a SPEC that's ready for implementation. Tracks SPECs and SPIKEs — not EPICs, VISIONs, or JOURNEYs directly (those get decomposed into SPECs first). Triggers also on: 'bookmark', 'remember where I am', 'record decision'.
125swain-update
Update swain skills to the latest version. Use when the user says 'update swain', 'upgrade swain', 'pull latest swain', 'reinstall swain', 'refresh skills', or wants to update their swain skills installation. Uses npx to pull the latest swain release from GitHub, with a git-clone fallback, then invokes swain-doctor to reconcile governance and validate project health.
122swain-release
Cut a release — detect versioning context, generate a changelog from conventional commits, bump versions, create a git tag, and optionally squash-merge to a release branch. Use when the user says "release", "cut a release", "tag a release", "bump the version", "create a changelog", "ship a version", "publish", or any variation of shipping/publishing a version. This skill is intentionally generic and works across any repo — it infers context from git history and project structure rather than assuming a specific setup. Supports the trunk+release branch model (ADR-013) when a `release` branch exists.
122swain
Meta-router for swain skills. Invoke when the user explicitly asks swain to do something — not merely when they mention the project by name. Routes to the matching swain-* sub-skill — only load the one that matches. If the user's intent matches multiple rows, pick the most specific match. Sub-skills that are not installed will gracefully no-op.
119swain-search
Trove collection and normalization for swain-design artifacts. Collects sources from the web, local files, and media (video/audio), normalizes them to markdown, and caches them in reusable troves. Use when researching a topic for a spike, ADR, vision, or any artifact that needs structured research. Also use to refresh stale troves or extend existing ones with new sources. Triggers on: 'research X', 'gather sources for', 'compile research on', 'search for sources about', 'refresh the trove', 'find existing research on X', or when swain-design needs research inputs for a spike or ADR.
113swain-init
Project onboarding and session entry point for swain. On first run, performs full onboarding: migrates CLAUDE.md to AGENTS.md, verifies vendored tk, configures pre-commit security hooks, and offers swain governance rules — then writes a .swain/init.json marker. On subsequent runs, detects the marker and runs the per-session fast path (greeting, focus lane, session state). Use as a single entry point — it routes automatically. Triggers also on: 'session', 'session info', 'focus on', 'tab name'.
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