| name | gdd-audit |
| description | Run a design audit by spawning design-auditor, design-integration-checker, and (optionally) design-verifier + design-reflector agents, then printing a consolidated 7-pillar score summary. Use when the user wants to score the current design, retroactively verify a completed cycle, or quickly re-check after a fix. Activates for requests involving scoring an existing design, retroactively reviewing quality, or re-checking after a fix. |
| argument-hint | [--retroactive] [--quick] [--no-reflect] |
| tools | Read, Write, Task, Glob, Bash |
{{command_prefix}}audit
Wraps the existing design-auditor, design-verifier, and design-integration-checker agents - no new auditor logic here. Parses flags, spawns the right combination, prints summary.
For the 7-pillar scoring rubric this skill aggregates, see ../../reference/audit-scoring.md. For the shared design-quality pillar set that frames the score categories, see ../../reference/shared-preamble.md.
Modes
Default
Spawn design-auditor (7-pillar scoring 1–4) in parallel with design-integration-checker. After both finish, read .design/DESIGN-AUDIT.md and .design/DESIGN-INTEGRATION.md and print a consolidated summary (scores + top 3 findings each).
After the auditor and integration checker complete, check if .design/learnings/ exists and contains at least one .md file. If so - and unless --no-reflect is passed - spawn design-reflector for the current cycle. Append the reflection proposal count to the audit summary: "Reflection: N proposals → review with {{command_prefix}}apply-reflections".
--retroactive
Spawn design-verifier with cycle-span scope. Verifier reads all tasks completed in the current cycle (from STATE.md <completed_tasks> list for the active cycle: ID) and uses DESIGN-PLAN.md goals as the reference baseline for what "should have been done." Output: .design/DESIGN-VERIFICATION.md with per-task pass/fail.
--quick
Run only design-auditor (skip design-integration-checker). Faster health check when integration isn't the concern.
Steps
- Parse args for
--retroactive, --quick, and --no-reflect.
- Verify
.design/STATE.md exists; abort if not (suggest {{command_prefix}}new-project).
- Spawn the appropriate agents (Task tool). Default and
--retroactive spawn two agents; --quick spawns one.
- Wait for completion, then read each output file and print a summary:
- Auditor scores per pillar
- Integration check pass/fail
- Verifier pass/fail per task (retroactive mode)
- Reflection step (default + retroactive modes only, skipped with
--no-reflect or --quick):
- Check if
.design/learnings/ exists and has ≥1 .md file
- If yes: spawn
design-reflector for the current cycle slug (read from STATE.md)
- After completion: count proposal types and append to summary
- Recommend next action based on findings (e.g., "Score 2/4 on typography - run
{{command_prefix}}discuss typography to gather decisions").
Registered Audit Agents
| Agent | Trigger | Output |
|---|
design-auditor | Default, retroactive | .design/DESIGN-AUDIT.md |
design-integration-checker | Default, retroactive | .design/DESIGN-INTEGRATION.md |
design-verifier | --retroactive only | .design/DESIGN-VERIFICATION.md |
design-reflector | Default + retroactive when learnings exist | .design/reflections/<slug>.md |
Do Not
- Do not modify source files.
- Do not rerun stages; this is a read-only audit.
Step 7 - Update notice (post-closeout surface)
After the consolidated audit summary has been printed (and any reflection-proposal count appended), emit the plugin-update banner if one is present:
[ -f .design/update-available.md ] && cat .design/update-available.md
Written by hooks/update-check.sh; suppressed mid-pipeline and when the latest release is dismissed.
Rationalizations - Thought to Reality
The excuses an agent reaches for to skip or thin out an audit, and the drift each one misses:
| Thought | Reality |
|---|
| "The audit passed last cycle, I can skip it this cycle." | Per-cycle audit catches drift the prior pass couldn't see; a skipped review is exactly where regressions accumulate unnoticed. |
"--quick is fine, integration isn't the concern here." | Dropping the integration-checker hides orphaned decisions - wiring breaks even when the 7-pillar score looks healthy. |
| "I can eyeball the scores instead of spawning the auditor." | The auditor's rubric scores seven pillars consistently; an eyeballed review drifts toward whatever the agent already believes. |
| "Reflection proposals are optional polish, skip the reflector." | The reflector turns this cycle's learnings into next-cycle improvements; skipping it lets the same mistakes repeat. |
| "I'll modify the source while I'm in here fixing findings." | Audit is read-only by contract; editing source mid-audit invalidates the very scores you're producing. |
| "Retroactive mode is overkill for a finished cycle." | Retroactive verification is the only check on tasks that shipped without per-task verify - skipping it leaves a completed cycle unaudited. |
AUDIT COMPLETE