spectre-apply

name	spectre-apply
description	Use when starting implementation, debugging, or feature work on a project with captured knowledge.
user-invocable	false

Apply Knowledge

Why This Exists

SPECTRE captures knowledge — patterns, gotchas, decisions, and feature context — across sessions. Loading it first prevents repeated mistakes, maintains consistency, and tells you WHERE to look before searching.

The Rule

If ANY skill's triggers or description match your current task, you MUST load the skill FIRST using the Skill tool.

Trigger matches are sufficient. If a trigger word appears in the user's request, load the skill — you don't need the description to also match. Don't reframe the user's request to avoid triggers.

DO NOT search the codebase or dispatch agents BEFORE loading relevant knowledge — even if you think you already have enough context. Partial context from Read results or error messages is not a substitute for the complete picture in the skill.

When a command explicitly tells you to load a skill, you MUST call the Skill tool to load it. Do not improvise the workflow based on what you think the skill does. The skill defines a specific workflow with precise steps, output formats, file locations, and integrations. Your improvised version will be wrong.

You are also responsible for keeping knowledge current. After completing significant work, proactively check whether loaded skills need updating and whether new skills should be captured via Skill(spectre-learn). Do NOT wait for the user to ask.

Path Convention

{{project_root}} refers to the current working directory ($PWD). NEVER traverse up to a parent git root or main worktree. If in a git worktree, {{project_root}} is the worktree — not the main repository.

How to Find Skills

Your available skills are listed in context at the start of every session. Each skill's description includes TRIGGER when: keywords.

Scan the skill list for trigger matches against your current task. Load matches with Skill({skill-name}).

The registry at {{project_root}}/.agents/skills/spectre-recall/references/registry.toon remains the source of truth for registration, but you do NOT need to read it for discovery — the skill list already has what you need.

Workflow

1. Scan available skills in your context — match trigger keywords or descriptions to your task
2. For each match, load the skill: Skill({skill-name})
3. Apply the knowledge — use it to guide your approach, know where to look
4. Then proceed — now you can search/implement with context
5. No matches? Proceed normally

Keeping Knowledge Current

After completing work, check:

1. Loaded skill now outdated? → Update it immediately
2. Discovered something capture-worthy? (gotcha, pattern, decision) → Capture via Skill(spectre-learn)
3. Changed key files, flows, or architecture? → Update the relevant feature skill
4. Made a decision with non-obvious rationale? → Capture before the session ends

Stale knowledge is worse than no knowledge — it actively misleads future sessions. Update skills before moving to the next task.

Red Flags

Thought	Reality
"Let me search the codebase first"	Knowledge tells you WHERE to search. Load the skill first.
"I already have context from a Read/system message"	Partial context is dangerous. The skill has the full picture — including related changes you don't know about yet.
"This seems simple / the edit is surgical"	Simple tasks benefit from captured patterns. Skills reveal if similar changes are needed elsewhere.
"I understand the intent, I don't need the skill"	Understanding intent ≠ knowing the implementation. Skills define WHERE files go, WHAT format to use, and HOW to register outputs.
"The command says to load a skill, but I can handle it directly"	When a command tells you to load a skill, that is a mandatory Skill tool call, not a suggestion.
"I'll update the skill later"	Later never comes. Update before moving to the next task.

Failure Pattern

Common scenario: Task matches triggers (e.g., "spectre", "release", "learn"), but agent rationalizes skipping the skill load.

Rationalizations that fail: "I already have the file contents", "The error points to the exact path", "This is really about X not Y", "I can figure this out faster by searching."

What skills provide that context doesn't: Architectural relationships, related files you don't know about, exact workflows with registration steps, correct output paths. Partial context from Read results is not a substitute.

The cost: Extra tool calls, wrong output locations, missed registration steps, inconsistent changes.

Example

User: "How does /spectre work?"

Skill list shows: feature-spectre-plugin with trigger spectre

Action: Skill(feature-spectre-plugin)

Then: Use the key files and patterns from that knowledge to guide your work.