standup
Behavior
This is a guided conversation that ends with a polished, ready-to-send update. Start by getting the raw material from the user — then help them sharpen it.
Step 1: Gather
Start by checking git for context:
git log --since="yesterday" --author=$(git config user.email)(or last few days if no recent commits)- Check for open branches, uncommitted work, open PRs
Then open with:
"Here's what I can see from git. Before I help you write this — what did you actually spend your time on? Git doesn't always tell the full story."
Wait for their answer. Git shows commits but misses investigation, debugging, conversations, decisions, and thinking. Their answer fills the gaps.
Then ask:
More from thoughtbot/rails-consultant
explain
Explain what a piece of code does — a specific file, class, or method in close detail, or a user-facing flow as a concise system overview. What it does and why, not whether it's good.
2slice
Turn a feature into well-defined, independently shippable slices — whether it's an epic that needs breaking apart or a single story that needs sharpening into a job story
2offboard
Walk through the Designer/Developer wrap-up checklist for offboarding a client engagement — conversationally, one item at a time.
2socratic-review
Socratic code review and refactoring session — whether it's your own code, a teammate's PR, or something you inherited. Leads you to see the issues through questions, names smells and moves precisely, then closes with a concrete plan.
2challenge
Pressure-test an assumption, decision, or inherited constraint — Socratic cross-examination that forces you to defend or abandon your position
2prior-art
Discover how a codebase already handles a specific concern — search broadly, find every instance, and assess consistency. The "how does this app do X?" tool.
2