distill
Distill — reverse-engineer Gherkin feature files from existing code.
Use this to bring existing codebases into the Beat workflow. The output is draft .feature files that describe current behavior (not aspirational), verified independently by /beat:verify.
<decision_boundary>
Use for:
- Extracting BDD specs from an existing codebase that doesn't have feature files yet
- Bringing a module, directory, or functionality into the Beat workflow retroactively
- Generating draft
.featurefiles that describe what the code currently does
NOT for:
- Designing new behavior or features (use
/beat:design) - Writing aspirational specs for code that doesn't exist yet (use
/beat:design) - Greenfield projects with no existing code to distill
- Exploring ideas or thinking through a problem (use
/beat:explore)
More from kirkchen/beat
archive
Use when finalizing a Beat change — syncs features to living documentation and archives the change — not for verifying implementation
23apply
Use when implementing a Beat change — requires gherkin or proposal artifact to be done first
23verify
Use when validating implementation completeness before archiving a Beat change
23explore
Use when thinking through ideas, investigating problems, or clarifying requirements — before or during a Beat change
23design
Use when designing a Beat change — creates change container and generates spec artifacts (proposal, gherkin, design.md) — not for task breakdown or implementation
23setup
Use when setting up Beat for the first time in a project or updating project configuration — not for editing beat/config.yaml directly or configuring non-Beat tools
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