worklog-start

name	worklog-start
description	Create the next numbered work document before significant implementation work. Use when starting a feature, user-visible behavior change, architecture decision, or spike.

Worklog start

You are helping maintain the project worklog.

Read:

1. docs/worklog-method.md
2. .worklog/README.md if it exists
3. relevant numbered current work documents directly under .worklog/
4. the relevant template from .worklog/_templates/

Task:

1. Understand the requested change.
2. Decide whether it needs a work document.
3. If it does not need one, explain briefly why.
4. If it needs one:
   • determine the next NNNN number by scanning both .worklog/NNNN.*.md and .worklog/archive/NNNN.*.md;
   • choose one type: spec, adr, or spike;
   • create .worklog/NNNN.type-short-title.md;
   • fill it using the matching template;
   • keep scope narrow;
   • add explicit non-goals for specs;
   • add done criteria;
   • add verification commands if known.
5. If the new document replaces an existing current document:
   • move the old file from .worklog/ to .worklog/archive/;
   • add Replaces: with the old document number to the new document;
   • do not rewrite the semantic content of the archived document.
6. After creating a work document, update .worklog/INDEX.md or tell the user that worklog-index should be run.

Rules:

• Do not implement code in this skill unless the user explicitly asks to continue after the document is created.
• Do not create a work document for micro-changes or small product-neutral changes or fixes that are fully captured by a commit message.
• Do not create task work documents; small local tasks belong in commit messages unless they are really a spec, adr, or spike.
• Keep typos, formatting, obvious local fixes, small refactoring with no behavior or architecture meaning, dependency patches with no project-specific decision, and changes with no changed requirement out of .worklog/.
• When unsure about a small change, do not create a work document by default.
• Use only numbered files directly under .worklog/ as current context. Files under .worklog/archive/ are history.
• Do not include lifecycle markers such as active or retired in file names.
• Do not create documents inside .worklog/archive/ unless importing or archiving historical documents.
• Do not invent requirements.
• If important information is missing, mark it as TBD instead of guessing.
• Keep the document useful for a coding agent, not just for a human reader.