| name | swain-doctor |
| description | Auto-invoked at session start when swain-preflight detects issues. Also user-invocable for on-demand health checks. Validates project health: governance rules, tool availability, memory directory, settings files, script permissions, .agents directory, and .tickets/ validation. Auto-migrates stale .beads/ directories to .tickets/ and removes them. Remediates issues across all swain skills. Idempotent — safe to run any time. |
| user-invocable | true |
| license | MIT |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob |
| metadata | {"short-description":"Session-start health checks and repair","version":"3.0.0","author":"cristos","source":"swain"} |
Doctor
Session-start health checks for swain projects. The consolidated script is authoritative for all detection. This skill file defines how to run the script and how to remediate each check.
Running the script
REPO_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)"
bash "$REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/swain-doctor.sh"
The script outputs structured JSON with { checks: [...], summary: {...} }. Each check has name, status, message, and optional detail. Parse it and present the summary table to the operator. Then use the remediation sections below only for checks that reported warning or advisory status — do not re-run detection.
To auto-fix flat-file artifacts: bash "$REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/swain-doctor.sh" --fix-flat-artifacts
If the script is unavailable (e.g., .agents/bin/ symlinks not yet bootstrapped), fall back to running checks from the script source at skills/swain-doctor/scripts/swain-doctor.sh. Run checks sequentially (one Bash call at a time), never in parallel — parallel tool calls cascade-cancel on first error.
Preflight integration
A lightweight shell script ($REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/swain-preflight.sh) performs quick checks before invoking the full doctor. If preflight exits 0, swain-doctor is skipped for the session. If it exits 1, swain-doctor runs normally.
When invoked directly by the user (not via auto-invoke), swain-doctor always runs regardless of preflight status.
Governance content reference
The canonical governance rules live in references/AGENTS.content.md. Both swain-doctor and swain-init read from this single source of truth. If the upstream rules change in a future swain release, update that file and bump the skill version.
Remediation by check name
Each section below corresponds to a check name emitted by the script. Only consult the relevant section when the check status is warning or advisory.
governance
Injection (missing): Read references/governance-injection.md for Claude Code and Cursor injection procedures. Source: references/AGENTS.content.md.
Replacement (stale): The script auto-repairs stale governance blocks when both markers (<!-- swain governance --> and <!-- end swain governance -->) are present. If auto-repair fails (markers missing), read references/governance-injection.md § Stale governance replacement for manual replacement.
legacy_skills
Clean up renamed and retired skill directories using fingerprint checks. Read references/legacy-cleanup.md for the full procedure. Data source: references/legacy-skills.json.
agents_directory
Create .agents/ with mkdir -p .agents. This directory is used by swain-do for configuration and by swain-design scripts for logs.
tickets
Validates .tickets/ health — YAML frontmatter, stale locks. Read references/tickets-validation.md for repair procedures.
beads_migration
Auto-migrates .beads/ → .tickets/ if present. Read references/beads-migration.md for the migration procedure.
tools
Required tools: git, jq. Optional: tk, uv, gh, tmux, fswatch. Never install automatically. Read references/tool-availability.md for degradation notes and install instructions.
settings
If swain.settings.json is missing, create it with default content. If it contains invalid JSON, fix the syntax. User settings live at ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/swain/settings.json.
script_permissions
The script auto-repairs missing execute permissions on .sh and .py files in the skill tree. No manual remediation needed — advisory status means it already fixed them.
memory_directory
The script auto-creates the memory directory if missing. If creation fails, manually create:
mkdir -p "$HOME/.claude/projects/$(echo "$REPO_ROOT" | tr '/' '-')/memory"
superpowers
When status is warning (missing or partial), ask the operator:
Superpowers (obra/superpowers) is not installed [or: partially installed]. It provides TDD, brainstorming, plan writing, and verification skills that swain chains into.
Install superpowers now? (yes/no)
If yes: npx skills add obra/superpowers. If no, note "Superpowers: skipped" and continue.
epics_initiative
Non-blocking advisory. Report the count and suggest:
N Epic(s) have parent-vision but no parent-initiative. Adding parent-initiative links is optional but recommended. To run the guided migration, ask: "run the initiative migration."
Read references/initiative-migration.md for the full 6-step guided migration workflow.
readme
Report: README.md missing — swain alignment loop has no public intent anchor. Run swain-init to seed one.
artifact_indexes
The script auto-repairs stale indexes via rebuild-index.sh. If the rebuild script is unavailable or a rebuild fails, check that .agents/bin/rebuild-index.sh exists and is executable. Re-run swain-doctor after fixing the symlink.
evidence_pools
If docs/evidence-pools/ exists, run the trove migration:
bash "$REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/migrate-to-troves.sh" --dry-run
bash "$REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/migrate-to-troves.sh"
worktrees
Stale worktrees (branch already merged into HEAD) can be pruned: git worktree remove <path>. Orphaned worktrees (directory missing) can be pruned: git worktree prune. Stale lockfiles and unclaimed worktrees are reported in the detail field. Read references/worktree-detection.md for classification rules.
worktree_context
Validates the current session's worktree, not all linked worktrees (that's worktrees). All four sub-checks auto-fix deterministically — warnings mean auto-fix failed, advisory means auto-fix succeeded.
Location outside .worktrees/ (auto-move): ADR-034 mandates .worktrees/ as the canonical location. The script auto-moves the worktree via git worktree move <path> <main_root>/.worktrees/<branch>. Failure (warning) means the target path already exists or git worktree move failed — resolve manually.
Missing lockfile (auto-create): The script auto-creates a lockfile at .agents/worktrees/<branch>.lock using swain-lockfile.sh claim, or falls back to writing the lockfile directly. On collision (existing lockfile for same branch), a PID-suffixed lockfile is created. Advisory = auto-created; warning = creation failed.
Branch name violates ADR-025 (auto-rename): The script auto-renames the branch and moves the worktree folder to match ADR-025 naming. It uses swain-worktree-name.sh when a purpose is available, or falls back to session-<timestamp>. The lockfile is also renamed. Advisory = renamed; warning = rename failed.
Folder name != branch name (auto-move): The script auto-moves the worktree folder so basename matches the branch name via git worktree move. Advisory = moved; warning = move failed (target already exists).
lifecycle_dirs
Old phase directories from before ADR-003's three-track normalization. Read references/lifecycle-migration.md for detection commands, remediation steps, and the migration script.
tk_health
If vendored tk is not found or not executable, try: /swain update to reinstall skills. The expected path is <skills-root>/swain-do/bin/tk.
operator_bin_symlinks
The script auto-repairs missing or stale bin/ symlinks. Conflicts (real file exists at bin/<name>) require manual resolution — rename or remove the conflicting file, then re-run doctor.
commit_signing
The script auto-enables commit signing when a signing key is detected at ~/.ssh/swain_signing. If no key exists, run /swain-keys to provision one.
ssh_readiness
Runs scripts/ssh-readiness.sh --check. Issues are reported in the detail field. Common fixes: verify ~/.ssh/config.d/ includes the project-specific SSH alias, check key permissions (chmod 600), ensure the key is added to the remote host.
crash_debris
The script auto-removes stale .git/index.lock files. Other crash debris (orphaned temp files, partial merges) is reported for manual cleanup. Review the detail field for specific file paths and remove them if safe.
agents_bin_symlinks
The script auto-repairs missing and stale .agents/bin/ symlinks. Broken symlinks are removed. Conflicts (real files) are reported for manual resolution.
flat_artifacts
Flat-file artifacts sit directly in phase directories instead of their own folders. Run with --fix-flat-artifacts to auto-migrate: bash "$REPO_ROOT/.agents/bin/swain-doctor.sh" --fix-flat-artifacts. Each artifact gets a folder named (<ID>)-<Title>/.
swain_symlink
If bin/swain symlink is missing but the script exists at <skills-root>/swain/scripts/swain, create it:
ln -sf "$(python3 -c "import os,sys; print(os.path.relpath(sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]))" "$SKILLS_ROOT/swain/scripts/swain" "$REPO_ROOT/bin")" "$REPO_ROOT/bin/swain"
If the symlink is broken (target missing), the swain skill may need reinstalling: /swain update.
branch_model
Advisory — swain recommends a trunk+release branch model (ADR-013). trunk is the development branch; release is the distribution branch updated via squash-merge at release time. To adopt it, run .agents/bin/migrate-to-trunk-release.sh (or --dry-run to preview). This is optional — swain works with any branch model, but sync and release features assume trunk+release when configured.
platform_dotfolders
Remove dotfolder stubs for uninstalled agent platforms. Read references/platform-cleanup.md for the detection and cleanup procedure. Requires jq. The script reports which dotfolders are orphaned — verify they contain only installer symlinks before removing.
skill_gitignore
Vendored swain skill folders should be gitignored in consumer projects. Read references/gitignore-skill-folders.md for the remediation procedure. Append these entries to .gitignore:
.claude/skills/swain/
.claude/skills/swain-*/
.agents/skills/swain/
.agents/skills/swain-*/
Skipped automatically when running in the swain source repo.
Summary report
After all checks complete, output a concise summary table:
swain-doctor summary:
Governance ......... ok
Legacy cleanup ..... ok (nothing to clean)
Platform dotfolders ok (nothing to clean)
.agents directory .. ok
.tickets/ .......... ok
Stale .beads/ ...... ok (not present)
Tools .............. ok (1 optional missing: fswatch)
Settings ........... ok
Script perms ....... ok
Memory directory ... ok
Superpowers ........ ok (6/6 skills detected)
Epics w/o initiative advisory (3 epics — see note below)
README ............. ok
Artifact indexes ... ok
Evidence pools ..... ok
Worktrees .......... ok
Worktree context ... ok
Lifecycle dirs ..... ok
tk health .......... ok
Operator bin/ ...... ok
Commit signing ..... ok
SSH readiness ...... ok
Crash debris ....... ok
.agents/bin/ ....... ok
Flat artifacts ..... ok
swain symlink ...... ok
Branch model ....... ok
Skill gitignore .... ok
3 checks performed repairs. 0 issues remain.
Use these status values:
- ok — nothing to do.
- advisory — auto-repaired or informational (give specifics).
- warning — issue found, user action recommended (give specifics).
- skipped — check could not run (e.g., jq missing for JSON validation).
If any checks have warnings, list them below the table with remediation steps from the sections above.
