sync-template

name	sync-template
description	Sync template infrastructure files from this GitHub template repo to a child project. Triggers: "sync template," "update child project," "push template changes," "sync infra to child," "propagate template."

Sync Template to Child Project

Propagate template infrastructure changes to a child project created from this GitHub template. Uses template-manifest.json (co-located in this skill folder) to know which files are template files (pure vs wiring).

Step 0 — Identify the child project

Check Claude memory for a saved child project path. If none exists, ask:

What is the absolute local path to the child project?

Validate the path exists and contains a package.json with workspaces (confirming it derives from this template). Save the path to Claude memory for future syncs.

Step 1 — Read the manifest

Read .claude/skills/sync-template/template-manifest.json. It has four sections:

• files.pure — safe to overwrite directly
• files.wiring — contain feature-specific lines, need manual merge
• skills — .claude/ files to sync
• never_sync — glob patterns for files that must never be copied

Step 2 — Detect what changed (optional)

If the user wants an incremental sync, check Claude memory for a last-sync commit hash and run:

git diff --name-only <last-sync-commit>..HEAD

Cross-reference the output with the manifest to build a smaller sync list. If no last-sync commit exists, sync everything.

Step 3 — Sync pure files

For each file in files.pure:

1. Read the file from the template repo
2. Write it to the same relative path in the child project (create directories as needed)
3. Log each file as synced

Safety rules — never sync these regardless of manifest:

• .env and .env.example files (child projects manage their own env config)
• package.json (root and app-level — child projects manage their own dependencies)
• docker-compose.yml (child projects customize their own Docker setup)
• CLAUDE.md (child projects maintain their own project instructions)
• apps/backend/src/database/migrations/*
• apps/backend/src/features/*
• apps/frontend/src/features/*
• apps/backend/tests/features/*
• node_modules/, dist/, pnpm-lock.yaml

Step 4 — Handle wiring files

For each file in files.wiring:

1. Read the template version
2. Read the child version
3. Present both to the user, highlighting:
   • Template portion — infrastructure boilerplate
   • Child-added lines — feature imports, route registrations, schema exports, nav items the child has added
4. Ask the user to choose:
   • Skip — keep child version as-is
   • Merge — update template boilerplate, preserve child's feature lines
   • Overwrite — replace with template version (child must re-add feature lines)

Wiring file patterns

Use these to identify template vs child-added lines:

File	Template portion	Child-added
apps/backend/src/app.ts	Middleware chain, /live endpoint, error handlers, type export	.route('/api', ...) calls + their feature imports (beyond todoRoute)
apps/backend/src/database/schemas.ts	File structure	export { ... } lines beyond template's todos export
apps/frontend/src/routes.tsx	createBrowserRouter, AppLayout wrapper, index route	Route objects in children beyond template's todos routes + their page imports
apps/frontend/src/nav-items.ts	NavItem type, Dashboard entry	Array entries beyond Dashboard and template's Todos

Step 5 — Sync skills and Claude config

Copy every file listed in skills from the template to the child project. Note: CLAUDE.md is NOT synced — child projects maintain their own version.

Step 6 — Post-sync checklist

Present to the user:

• Run pnpm install in child project (deps may have changed)
• Run pnpm exec tsc --noEmit -p apps/backend/tsconfig.app.json to verify backend
• Run pnpm exec tsc --noEmit -p apps/frontend/tsconfig.app.json to verify frontend
• If docker-compose.yml changed, review and restart containers
• If DB infra changed, run pnpm --filter @node-monorepo/backend database:generate + database:migrate
• Run pnpm lint:format to fix any formatting differences

Step 7 — Save sync checkpoint

Save the template repo's current HEAD commit hash to Claude memory so the next sync can diff incrementally. Print a summary:

• Pure files synced: N
• Wiring files updated/skipped: N
• Skills synced: N
• Files that failed or were skipped