copyroom

name	copyroom
description	Entry point for all CopyRoom work — scaffolding a repo from a template, template drift and updates, and adopting an existing repo. Routes to the copyroom-adopt and copyroom-template-edit sub-skills for the deep arcs.
auto_trigger	{"keywords":["scaffold a repo","template drift","template update","adopt a repo","templatize","copyroom new","copyroom update","copyroom template-checkout","copyroom inspect","copyroom doctor","agent-files","copyroom layer","personal layer","my-ai"]}

CopyRoom — the coordinator

CopyRoom is a mode-aware CLI wrapper around Copier. It creates projects from templates (new), updates them (update, a three-way merge), edits a template from inside a project (template-checkout/template-test/template-preview), runs a template author's workshop (render/golden/update-test), and adopts existing repos (adopt/templatize). A repo can be managed by several templates at once — layers (layer add, update --layer). Full surface: the CLI reference.

The law

• Run everything in devenv shell. Never invoke bare uv/python/pytest/ copier/git; the shell pins Python and the pinned tools.
• Mode awareness. CopyRoom detects project vs. workshop from markers; bootstrap commands (new, adopt, templatize) and doctor/agent-files run anywhere. Don't assume a command belongs to the current directory's mode.
• Never hand-edit an answers file (.copier-answers.yml or a layer's .copier-answers.<name>.yml). Copier regenerates it on every update; manual edits corrupt the merge base.
• Layers are independent. update converges one layer. The default is base; --layer NAME selects another. Never make one layer manage another's files. Run copyroom layer list to find which template owns a file.
• The template-edit loop is preview-only. template-preview never applies anything to the project — apply later with copyroom update <ref>.
• Clean worktree before update. Commit or stash first; the clean tree is the undo button (git checkout .).
• Exit codes: 0 ok · 1 finding · 2 infra/config · 3 usage.

Route

Ask	Go to
Bring an existing repo under template management (adopt/templatize)	the copyroom-adopt skill
Edit the template from inside a generated project	the copyroom-template-edit skill
Add or converge a second template on a repo (e.g. the personal layer)	copyroom layer add / copyroom update --layer → docs/user/layers.md
Everything else (new/update/inspect/status/workshop)	the CLI reference + copyroom --help in the shell

Detail lives in docs/user/ — read it before improvising; the docs own the facts.

For when to scaffold vs. adopt vs. update across a repo's lifecycle, see the repoman skill.