| name | compare-against-iwc-exemplar |
| description | Find nearest IWC exemplar(s) and surface a structural diff against the upstream Galaxy design briefs to guide template authoring. |
compare-against-iwc-exemplar
Follow the procedure below and use the artifact/reference sections as the runtime contract.
When To Use
- Find nearest IWC exemplar(s) and surface a structural diff against the upstream Galaxy design briefs to guide template authoring.
Inputs
- Read artifact
nextflow-galaxy-interface. Produced by nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-interface. Galaxy interface brief from nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-interface when running the NEXTFLOW → GALAXY pipeline.
- Read artifact
nextflow-galaxy-data-flow. Produced by nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow. Galaxy data-flow brief from nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow when running the NEXTFLOW → GALAXY pipeline.
- Read artifact
cwl-galaxy-interface. Produced by cwl-summary-to-galaxy-interface. Galaxy interface brief from cwl-summary-to-galaxy-interface when running the CWL → GALAXY pipeline.
- Read artifact
cwl-galaxy-data-flow. Produced by cwl-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow. Galaxy data-flow brief from cwl-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow when running the CWL → GALAXY pipeline.
- Read artifact
freeform-galaxy-interface. Produced by freeform-summary-to-galaxy-interface. Galaxy interface brief from freeform-summary-to-galaxy-interface when running the PAPER → GALAXY or INTERVIEW → GALAXY pipelines.
- Read artifact
freeform-galaxy-data-flow. Produced by freeform-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow. Galaxy data-flow brief from freeform-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow when running the PAPER → GALAXY or INTERVIEW → GALAXY pipelines.
- Read artifact
open-requirements-ledger. Produced by advance-galaxy-draft-step, apply-galaxy-workflow-changeset, compare-against-iwc-exemplar, cwl-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow, cwl-summary-to-galaxy-interface, cwl-summary-to-galaxy-template, freeform-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow, freeform-summary-to-galaxy-interface, freeform-summary-to-galaxy-template, implement-galaxy-tool-step, interview-to-galaxy-workflow-changeset, nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-data-flow, nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-interface, nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-reference-data, nextflow-summary-to-galaxy-template, repair-galaxy-draft-topology. Carried obligations ledger open-requirements-ledger: read prior open entries; this design step appends new unmet needs and marks ones its decisions resolve.
Outputs
- Write artifact
iwc-comparison-notes as iwc-comparison-notes.md. Format: markdown. Structural diff against the nearest IWC exemplar(s); guidance for the downstream *-summary-to-galaxy-template Mold before per-step authoring. Carries an inline, bounded gxformat2 excerpt of the nearest exemplar's relevant subgraph under a labeled section, cross-referencing the iwc-exemplar-gxformat2 sibling file.
- Write artifact
iwc-exemplar-gxformat2 as iwc-exemplar.gxwf.yml. Format: yaml. Cleaned gxformat2 conversion (via convert --to format2 --compact) of the nearest IWC exemplar's relevant subgraph — the concrete idiom the downstream template draft pattern-matches against. Bounded to the relevant subgraph, not the whole workflow. Absent when no nearest exemplar is found.
- Write artifact
open-requirements-ledger as open-requirements.ledger.yml. Format: yaml. Updated obligations ledger: new unmet needs this step surfaces appended; prior entries its decisions close marked resolved.
Required Tools
Load Upfront
references/notes/open-requirements-ledger.md: Research note copied verbatim into the bundle. Carry the open-requirements ledger: read open entries bearing on this step's decisions, mark resolved the ones it closes, and append any new unmet need it surfaces.
Load On Demand
references/cli/convert.json: CLI command reference packaged as a sidecar. Normalize fetched IWC workflows into a consistent representation for structural comparison, and surface the nearest exemplar forward as a cleaned gxformat2 view (sibling file plus inline excerpt) for the downstream template Mold. Use when: after fetching a candidate IWC workflow file and before structural comparison; and again on the nearest exemplar after ranking to emit the iwc-exemplar-gxformat2 view.references/notes/galaxy-data-flow-draft-contract.md: Research note copied verbatim into the bundle. Compare against the design briefs' abstract intent without turning exemplar comparison into tool resolution. Use when: deciding whether to compare abstract data-flow shape, interface structure, or speculative implementation details.references/notes/iwc-shortcuts-anti-patterns.md: Research note copied verbatim into the bundle. Flag proposed shortcuts that are accepted in IWC versus shortcuts that should be treated as smells. Use when: the design briefs propose tests, assertions, labels, or expected-output comparisons.references/notes/iwc-test-data-conventions.md: Research note copied verbatim into the bundle. Compare proposed test-data placement and fixture shapes against IWC conventions. Use when: the design briefs hint at workflow tests or input fixture organization.
Validation
Procedure
Find the nearest IWC exemplar workflow(s) for the upstream Galaxy design briefs and emit a structural diff that guides the downstream *-summary-to-galaxy-template skill before per-step authoring effort is spent.
This skill is the corpus-first check in Galaxy-targeting pipelines. It runs after the source-specific interface and data-flow briefs and before the gxformat2 template skill. Discovery, ranking, and comparison are one action — there is no separate retrieval skill.
Procedure
- Clone or pull and merge the IWC corpus (
https://github.com/galaxyproject/iwc) to ~/.foundry/iwc.
- Normalize candidate workflows with convert as needed for structural comparison.
- Find the closest workflow and rank it.
- Surface the nearest exemplar forward (skip when the result is "no nearest exemplar"): see Nearest exemplar (gxformat2) view.
Feature Hierarchy
- Domain or analysis intent.
- Input collection topology.
- Primary tool families.
- DAG motifs and structural recipes.
- Output types and report shape.
- Test style and fixture topology.
Domain comes first so a structurally similar workflow in the wrong science area does not become a misleading exemplar. Topology comes second because collection shape is one of the most important Galaxy-specific design decisions. Test style is useful after a workflow match, but should not drive initial retrieval. Briefs with no domain signal should not produce a high-confidence exemplar even if they share generic tools.
Confidence Levels
| Level | Meaning |
|---|
| High | Same domain/subdomain, same input topology, same primary tool families, same major DAG motifs, and matching test fixture shape. |
| Medium | Same domain and topology, but partial tool-family or output match. Useful exemplar, not canonical. |
| Low | Cross-domain structural match only. Useful for a pattern comparison, not a nearest domain exemplar. |
| No nearest exemplar | Candidate lacks domain or topology alignment, or only shares generic tools such as MultiQC. |
Routing findings forward
Each finding should name the authoring surface most likely to own the fix:
- Template/data-flow issue: missing node, wrong collection shape, wrong branch, placeholder too vague — surfaced for the downstream
*-summary-to-galaxy-template skill to apply.
- Pattern issue: recurring Galaxy idiom should become or update a pattern page.
- Tool-step issue: exact wrapper or parameterization will be handled later in the per-step loop.
- Test issue: defer to
*-test-to-galaxy-test-plan or implement-galaxy-workflow-test.
Do not block downstream authoring on low-confidence exemplar mismatches. Report them as review guidance for the template skill and the user.
Nearest exemplar (gxformat2) view
The schema tells the template skill what is legal gxformat2; it does not show idiom. A real, domain-adjacent gxformat2 workflow is high-value signal for constructing the draft — input/collection shapes, map-over wiring, output promotion, post-job actions. Agents have seen far more legacy .ga JSON than gxformat2 YAML in training, so surface the converted view rather than leaving it as prose.
Once the nearest exemplar is chosen (High or Medium confidence):
- Convert it with convert (
--to format2 --compact).
- Write the cleaned gxformat2 of the relevant subgraph to the
iwc-exemplar.gxwf.yml sibling artifact — the slice that matches the briefs' structure, not the whole workflow.
- Inline a bounded excerpt (~10–40 lines) of that subgraph under a labeled section in
iwc-comparison-notes.md, and cite the abstract IWC workflow ID (e.g. transcriptomics/rnaseq-pe/rnaseq-pe) plus the step labels it covers. Cross-reference the sibling file for the fuller view.
Keep it size-bounded — a whole large workflow is noise; the relevant subgraph is the signal. When the result is "no nearest exemplar," emit neither the sibling file nor the excerpt. A Low-confidence cross-domain match may surface a short excerpt for pattern comparison but should be labeled as such, not as a domain exemplar.
Non-goals
- No tool discovery. Do not replace discover-shed-tool.
- No automatic rewrite. This skill emits structural diff guidance; the harness or user decides which changes to apply.
- No forced nearest. A no-match result is valid when IWC lacks a close exemplar.
Carry the open-requirements-ledger through this step: read the open entries that bear on the choices you make here, mark resolved any your decisions close, and append any new unmet need you surface — a declared output with no producer, an unpinned parameter, a tool with no corpus exemplar — so a later skill inherits it instead of re-deriving it.
Runtime Notes
- Do not read Foundry source files at runtime; use only files packaged in this skill bundle and user-supplied artifacts.
- Preserve declared artifact filenames unless the user or harness supplies explicit paths.
- Carry unresolved assumptions into the output artifact instead of silently inventing missing source evidence.
