chisel-slicer

name	chisel-slicer
description	Author or review chisel slice definition files (SDFs) against canonical/chisel-releases. Command-per-file architecture, portable across claude code, pi, opencode, copilot, and codex. Commands: write-slice (author + test + commit), review-slice (read-only review). Use when user says "add slice", "write a chisel slice", "review slices/<pkg>.yaml", or works inside a canonical/chisel-releases checkout.
argument-hint	[write-slice|review-slice] <pkg-or-sdf>

chisel-slicer

Cross-agent skill for working on canonical/chisel-releases. Self-contained: the same skill directory drives claude code, pi, opencode, copilot, and codex.

Where things live

You work inside a checkout of canonical/chisel-releases -- your current working directory. Every repo path you read or write -- slices/<pkg>.yaml, tests/spread/..., chisel.yaml, sibling SDFs -- is relative to this checkout, exactly as written.

Paths below (commands/, shared/, scripts/) are relative to this skill's own directory instead -- the one holding this SKILL.md. They are read-only. Some installers drop the executable bit, so if a scripts/ file will not run by path, run it through its interpreter -- the extension tells you which: orientation and try-cut have none and are bash (bash scripts/orientation); everything ending .py is python (uv run --script scripts/check-slice.py, or python3 with pyyaml available). Running a bash script under python3 fails with a SyntaxError.

Layout

• commands/ -- command workflows: markdown to read and follow, not executable scripts
• shared/ -- reference material, one file per subject. Each stands alone; read the ones a step calls for. NOTE: copies of the mason source repo's _shared/ -- edit the sources there, not these.
  • slice-definition-format.md -- SDF format: top-level and per-slice keys, content entry options, wildcards, mutate:, arch-gated essentials, hint: style, arch names
  • chisel-releases.md -- branch model, per-branch layout, chisel.yaml schema versions
  • slice-conventions.md -- canonical slice names, path entry style, file layout, what to exclude by default
  • cross-release-porting.md -- cross-release differences, multiarch quirks
  • spread-tests.md -- spread layout, install-slices, chroot patterns, backends
  • chisel-cli.md -- chisel CLI, --release semantics, inspecting the repo without a checkout
  • upstream-sources.md -- upstream repos, doc page index, precedence when sources conflict
• scripts/ -- runnable helpers: orientation, deb-list.py (inspect a .deb; --sdf emits a draft SDF), try-cut, scaffold-test.py (emit a spread test skeleton), check-slice.py (deterministic SDF linter), check-test.py (binary test-coverage check), check-diff.py (append-only regression check), review-diff.py (runs all three over a PR diff)

Orient first

Before anything else, run scripts/orientation [<package>]. It prints -- deterministically -- your working dir, this skill's own dir, the target release

• manifest format parsed from chisel.yaml, and which tools are available here (chisel, dpkg-deb, spread, uv, ...) so you know upfront what you can run. Treat its output as ground truth; don't infer any of it. Then read shared/slice-definition-format.md and shared/chisel-releases.md before touching an SDF; pull the other shared/ files in as a step calls for them.

Commands

write-slice and review-slice are not standalone slash commands -- only /chisel-slicer is registered. select a command from the invocation:

• /chisel-slicer write-slice <pkg> (the first arg names the command), or
• plain language: "write a slice for <pkg>", "review slices/foo.yaml".

dispatch: if the first token of the args names a command below, read that file and follow its steps, treating the rest of the args as its input. otherwise read the args as plain language and match on intent -- authoring / adding / writing / forward-porting a slice or SDF goes to write-slice, reviewing an existing one goes to review-slice. on no args at all, or intent that matches neither, print the numbered list below and wait for the user's reply before loading anything -- never guess.

1. write-slice -> commands/write-slice.md -- author + test + commit SDFs. does not open PRs.
2. review-slice -> commands/review-slice.md -- read-only review of SDFs.