| name | aidlc-context |
| description | Scan workspace, assess project landscape, and generate context document, blueprints, and platform shim. First phase of the AI-DLC specification workflow. |
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Requires file system access. Auto-detects environment (Kiro, Claude Code). |
| metadata | {"author":"AI-DLC Maintainers","keywords":"specification, context, discovery, assessment, workspace, AI-DLC","supported_platforms":["kiro-ide","kiro-cli","claude-code"]} |
Context Assessment Skill
Base: shared/base.md (full on first load, §Summary on chain). Actions: load per-step from actions/.
You assess the project landscape — existing code, technology stack, architecture patterns — and generate a context document plus blueprints (referenced by a thin platform shim) that inform all subsequent phases.
When active:
- Follow ONLY the process below
- WAIT for user approval before considering the phase complete
- Never narrate your internal process — present only results, questions, and choices
- ALL output in the user's language (read manifest
language field) — no English narration
Activation
✅ aidlc-context active — {platform} detected.
Ready to assess your project and generate context.
Then proceed to initialization.
Quick Start
- Scan workspace → classify greenfield/brownfield → detect stack and patterns
- Generate
context.md with findings and recommendations
- Generate blueprints (product.md, tech.md, structure.md, resources.md) at
.aidlc/blueprints/ + the platform shim
- Create manifest and audit trail
- Present results with recommended workflow diagram → wait for approval
- On approval → hand off to requirements
Reads: Workspace files (source, configs, README)
Writes: context.md, blueprints/* (canonical content), platform shim (.kiro/steering/aidlc.md or .claude/CLAUDE.md), manifest, audit.md
Information Contract
Required Inputs
| Information | Description | Accepted Formats |
|---|
| Feature request | What the user wants to build | Inline chat message |
| Workspace access | Ability to scan project files, configs, source code | Filesystem |
Optional Inputs
| Information | Description | Accepted Formats |
|---|
| Existing architecture docs | README, architecture.md, or similar | Markdown, plain text, any doc |
| Prior context document | Previously generated context.md | Markdown |
| Reverse-engineer analysis | Deep codebase analysis | Files in .aidlc/reverse-engineer/ |
If user provides existing context doc, enrich with workspace scan rather than starting from scratch.
If .aidlc/reverse-engineer/ exists, read overview.md and conventions.md Summary sections.
Outputs
| Artifact | Default Path |
|---|
| context.md | {SPECS_DIR}/{feature}/context.md |
| product.md | {BLUEPRINTS_DIR}/product.md |
| tech.md | {BLUEPRINTS_DIR}/tech.md |
| structure.md | {BLUEPRINTS_DIR}/structure.md |
| resources.md | {BLUEPRINTS_DIR}/resources.md |
| Platform shim (Kiro) | .kiro/steering/aidlc.md (Kiro only) |
| Platform shim (Claude) | {PROJECT_ROOT}/.claude/CLAUDE.md (Claude Code only) |
| aidlc-manifest.yaml | {WORKFLOW_DIR}/{feature}/aidlc-manifest.yaml |
| audit.md | {WORKFLOW_DIR}/{feature}/audit.md |
product/tech/structure/resources are canonical and platform-agnostic in {BLUEPRINTS_DIR} (.aidlc/blueprints/). The platform shim references them (Kiro #[[file:...]], Claude @../). corrections.md is added to blueprints on-demand by the learning loop, not during context.
Initialization
- Detect environment (per shared base)
- Detect language from user's first message (ISO 639-1)
- Get feature name from user
- Check for existing manifest at
{WORKFLOW_DIR}/{feature}/aidlc-manifest.yaml:
- Found → resume scenario. Read manifest, present what exists, ask user.
- Not found → fresh start.
- Create folders:
{SPECS_DIR}/{feature}/, {WORKFLOW_DIR}/{feature}/
- Create skeleton manifest (fresh start only — captures language early for all subsequent steps):
version: "1.0.0"
feature: "{feature}"
language: "{language}"
platform: "{platform}"
created: "{ISO timestamp}"
updated: "{ISO timestamp}"
state:
status: "active"
scope: null
sharedPhases: []
mode: null
foundationSkipped: false
implementationMode: null
quickPath: false
artifacts: {}
implementation:
totalTasks: 0
completedTasks: 0
currentTask: null
currentWave: null
context-summary: {}
decisions: {}
steering: {}
units: []
- Create audit trail:
{WORKFLOW_DIR}/{feature}/audit.md with header # Audit Trail — {feature}
Process
Execute actions sequentially. Load the action file when you reach that step — not before.
| Step | Action | Load |
|---|
| 1 | Assess workspace + generate artifacts | {SKILL_DIR}/actions/assess.md |
| 2 | Edit (if user requests changes) | {SKILL_DIR}/actions/edit.md |
Skill Handoff
Next skill: aidlc-requirements (on user approval of context).
Phase-Specific Rules
- Errors: follow error taxonomy from
shared/base.md (❌ Fatal / ⚠️ Degraded / ℹ️ Info).
- Audit actions: assessment, approval, edit.
Context Recovery
If context is lost mid-phase, follow aidlc/shared/base.md Context Recovery, then:
- Check
artifacts.context.status — if "draft", resume from Step 10 (present results)
- If no context artifact in manifest — restart from Step 1 (workspace scan)
