swain-help
swain-help
Contextual help for the swain skill ecosystem.
Mode detection
Determine the mode from context:
| Signal | Mode |
|---|---|
| Invoked from swain-init Phase 4, or user says "just set up swain" / "what now after init" | Onboarding |
| User asks a specific question ("how do I...", "what is...", "when should I...") | Question |
| User asks for a reference, cheat sheet, commands, or overview | Reference |
Onboarding mode
Present a concise orientation — help the user understand what they just installed without overwhelming them. Adapt tone to context (first-time dev vs experienced engineer).
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-design
Create, validate, and transition documentation artifacts (Vision, Initiative, Epic, Spec, Spike, ADR, Persona, Runbook, Design, Journey) through lifecycle phases. Handles spec writing, feature planning, epic creation, initiative creation, ADR drafting, research spikes, persona definition, runbook creation, design capture, architecture docs, phase transitions, implementation planning, cross-reference validation, and audits. Also invoke to update frontmatter fields, re-parent an artifact under a different epic or initiative, or set priority on a Vision or Initiative. Chains into swain-do for implementation tracking on SPEC; decomposes EPIC/VISION/INITIATIVE/JOURNEY into children first.
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.
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