| name | autoscrum |
| description | Establish, operate, or repair a repository's continuous AI-assisted development workflow and document hierarchy. Use when asked to set up or standardize lightweight Scrum, backlog and sprint docs, changelog and release history, release scope contracts, PRODUCT.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, DESIGN.md, Conventional Commits, pull request templates, CI validation, versioning, release prep, release channels, tags, GitHub Actions releases, platform changelogs, doc hierarchy audits, or an end-to-end idea-to-release development cycle across one or more repositories. |
Autoscrum
Use this skill to make a repo's development loop explicit, traceable, and provable through docs: idea capture, sprint planning, implementation, validation, changelog and release contracts, PR or review, merge, release prep, publish.
Mode Dispatch
Classify the request first, then route:
- Establish: the repo lacks the workflow or doc hierarchy, or the user asks to set up/standardize it. Follow the Planning-First Gate and First Pass below, then install adapted templates.
- Operate: the workflow exists and the user asks to run a step of it (capture an idea, plan a sprint, log work, update the changelog or a release contract, prep a release). Read
references/operations.md and run only that step.
- Repair/Audit: the workflow exists but has drifted (stale docs, missing entries, version mismatches) or the user asks for a health check. Run the drift audit in
references/operations.md and propose fixes before applying them.
Document Hierarchy
The workflow is anchored to a canonical doc hierarchy. Each file has a role and a boundary:
| File | Role | Must not become |
|---|
root README.md | Overview, setup/install, local run, common commands, doc index | — |
root PRODUCT.md | Product constitution: vision, principles, identity, governance; rarely changes | A mirror of current implementation |
root CHANGELOG.md | Shipped release history | A work log |
root AGENTS.md | AI-agent router and repo guidelines | A product/API/UI/database rulebook |
root CLAUDE.md | Thin Claude adapter that routes to AGENTS.md | A duplicate rulebook |
root DESIGN.md | UI/UX source of truth (only if the product has UI) | — |
service/module README.md | Service-specific setup, runtime, env, commands, endpoints, ops notes | — |
docs/releases/ | Per-version scope contracts plus release process and index | A bare milestone list |
docs/sprints/ | Execution layer: backlog, sprint commitments, reviews, history | — |
Read references/doc-hierarchy.md for the full spec, cross-linking rules, and the root README audit checklist. Never overwrite an existing root README, AGENTS.md, or CLAUDE.md wholesale — audit and patch.
Planning-First Gate
Start in a planning-first posture for workflow setup or substantial workflow changes. Inspect the repo, ask release-profile questions that cannot be answered locally, propose the workflow, and wait for explicit user direction before mutating files. If the current environment has a formal plan mode, use it. If not, still behave planning-first in chat.
Ask only questions that affect the workflow design. Cover these choices when they are not discoverable:
- Project visibility: public, private, internal, local-only, or mixed.
- Delivery type: GitHub artifact release, package registry, deployed app/SaaS, platform changelog, blog or social announcement, PR merge only, or custom.
- Release audience: developers, admins/operators, end users, internal team, customers, or mixed.
- Version source: manifest, version file, deployment version, calendar/date release, changelog-only, or none yet.
- Exit artifact: tag, GitHub Release, package publish, deployment, external changelog post, PR merge, or a combination.
First Pass
- Inspect before changing anything:
git rev-parse --show-toplevel
git status --short --branch
- top-level docs, manifests, CI files, PR templates, changelog, release docs, tags, deployment files, and version sources.
- Preserve repo truth:
- Do not overwrite meaningful existing workflow docs or unrelated dirty files.
- Adapt existing conventions before introducing new ones.
- Map existing docs into the hierarchy (e.g. ROADMAP/VISION content belongs in
PRODUCT.md) instead of duplicating them.
- Ask only for preferences that cannot be discovered locally.
- Classify the repo:
- Single package, app, service, monorepo, docs repo, local-only repo, or mixed.
- Public, private, internal, or mixed audience.
- GitHub, other forge, local-only, or deployed platform workflow.
- Existing version source, release channel, release notes channel, and automation.
Read references/repo-adaptation.md when the repo shape is not obvious or when existing process docs conflict.
Standard Workflow
Default to this chain unless the repo already has a stronger convention:
idea -> backlog -> sprint -> implementation -> validation -> changelog + release contract -> PR/review -> merge -> release prep -> tag/release/publish
Use lightweight Scrum with concise artifacts:
docs/sprints/backlog.md for ideas and groomed work.
docs/sprints/YYYY-MM-DD-sprint-N.md for committed work and delivery notes.
docs/releases/vX.Y.Z.md scope contracts for what each version includes, excludes, and requires to launch.
CHANGELOG.md for final release history or internal release notes.
docs/releases/README.md for versioning, release channels, tags, publishing rules, and the contract index.
.github/pull_request_template.md or forge equivalent for PR/review exit checks when the repo uses PRs.
Read references/workflow-model.md before bootstrapping these files or updating the process. Read references/release-models.md before changing versioning, release contracts, tags, changelog movement, release notes, deployment records, or CI release workflows.
Exit Workflow
Prefer a PR-first exit path when the repo uses hosted review:
- Tie non-trivial work to a backlog or sprint item before implementation.
- Record meaningful progress and verification in the sprint work log.
- Update
CHANGELOG.md under Unreleased and the target release contract for release-relevant changes.
- Use Conventional Commits by default:
type(scope): summary.
- Use release prep PRs for version bumps, changelog finalization, contract status flips, deployment notes, and external release copy.
- Publish from the repo's chosen release channel: tag/artifact, package registry, deployment, platform changelog, blog/social announcement, or internal notes.
Applying Templates
Use templates in assets/templates/ as adaptable starting points, not as rigid files:
- Replace placeholders such as
<module-or-package>, <validation-command>, <release-build-command>, <version-source>, <version-read-command>, <tag-format>, <release-branch>, and <artifact-glob>.
- Install
DESIGN.md only when the product has a UI. Install CI workflow templates only for repos hosted where they can run.
- Remove sections that do not apply. Preserve stronger existing repo-specific process. Keep generated docs short and implementation-ready.
Common templates:
assets/templates/PRODUCT.md, assets/templates/DESIGN.md, assets/templates/CLAUDE.md
assets/templates/snippets/AGENTS.md, assets/templates/snippets/CHANGELOG.md, assets/templates/snippets/service-README.md
assets/templates/docs/development-cycle.md
assets/templates/docs/sprints/README.md, .../backlog.md, .../templates/sprint.md
assets/templates/docs/releases/README.md, .../templates/release.md
assets/templates/.github/pull_request_template.md
assets/templates/.github/workflows/validate.yml, .../workflows/release.yml
Validation
After workflow changes:
- Run
git diff --check on changed docs and workflow files.
- Parse YAML workflow files when possible.
- Run the repo's smallest relevant validation command if CI or release commands changed.
- Confirm
git status --short contains only intended changes plus pre-existing user changes.
- Confirm no unresolved
<placeholders> remain in installed files.
When creating or updating this skill itself, run the environment's skill validator if one exists.