codebase-status

name	codebase-status
description	Report what a repository is, what recent conversation history says about it, current application status, and outstanding work
type	analysis
version	v0.12
argument-hint	[optional repo path, focus, or --no-history]

Codebase Status

Invoke as $codebase-status.

Use this skill when the user asks what a repo or application is, where work was left, what is outstanding, whether it is ready/stable, or wants a detailed status report that combines codebase evidence with local Claude/Codex conversation history.

This is read-only status synthesis. It does not replace $roadmap: roadmap maintains the task pipeline and priority queue; codebase-status explains the actual current state of the repo and relevant prior conversations.

Process

1. Resolve target repo:
   • Default to the current working directory.
   • If the user provides a path, use that repo.
   • Confirm it is a git worktree when possible; if not, continue with filesystem evidence and report that git evidence is unavailable.
2. Read project orientation:
   • README.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, .agents/project.json, package/workspace files, app entrypoints, and high-signal docs.
   • Identify project type, main apps/packages, runtime, tests, and likely user-facing or developer-facing purpose.
3. Read planning and status docs when present:
   • tasks/roadmap.md, tasks/todo.md, tasks/manual-todo.md, tasks/record-todo.md, tasks/recurring-todo.md, tasks/history.md, tasks/lessons.md, tasks/phases/, specs/, spec.md, and research/.
   • Distinguish checked-off work, active work, manual blockers, advisory work, stale docs, and missing docs.
4. Read routing evidence for product, research, or spec repos:
   • When research/, specs/, spec.md, product docs, or prototype artifacts exist, read docs/pack-workflow-matrix.md and docs/skill-next-step-contracts.md if present.
   • Identify the last completed relevant research/product skill from artifacts, task history, or conversation history. Before recommending another research/product skill, consult that skill's active SKILL.md ## Next Steps contract and any ## Next Steps section in its output artifact.
   • Treat those route contracts as stronger evidence than a generic status impression. If docs disagree, report the contradiction and prefer the newest active skill contract or route matrix with file evidence.
   • For pack-local recommendations, check .agents/project.json enabled_packs first. If the target skill's pack is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install <pack-name> from the project shell, before the skill.
5. Inspect git evidence:
   • git status --short
   • current branch and upstream status
   • last 20 commits
   • unpushed commits when an upstream exists
   • changed files in the working tree
6. Inspect codebase health signals:
   • Project structure and primary modules.
   • Test/build/lint scripts from package manifests or equivalent tool files.
   • Obvious TODO/FIXME markers, failing-test notes, disabled tests, and local quality scripts.
   • Do not run expensive commands by default. Run cheap read-only inspections freely; ask or state assumptions before long builds, network installs, destructive commands, or mutation.
7. Find related conversation history unless --no-history is passed:
   • Read full available local prompt history, not a sample:
     • ~/.claude/history.jsonl
     • ~/.codex/history.jsonl
     • ~/.codex/sessions/**/*.jsonl for Codex session metadata only when needed to map session IDs to cwd.
   • Filter to records whose project/cwd matches the target repo or whose text mentions the absolute path, repo directory name, package/app name, or repository URL.
   • Exclude system, developer, tool output, injected skill payloads, and base instruction text from examples.
   • Use line-by-line parsing for scale and deduplicate Codex prompt records when compact and rich histories overlap.
   • Extract recent user goals, repeated requests, unresolved questions, blockers, and prior recommendations.
8. Synthesize status:
   • What this repo/app is.
   • What has happened recently.
   • Current implementation status by major area.
   • Outstanding work, grouped as blocking, next execution, advisory, manual/human-only, and uncertain.
   • Mismatches between conversation history, task docs, git history, and code reality.
   • Confidence level for each major conclusion: high, medium, or low, with evidence.
9. Recommend next route:
   • Use phase-aware routing before naming a command:
     • If tasks/todo.md or active phase docs contain actionable implementation work, recommend the approved task artifact route. Do not route back to research merely because advisory gaps exist.
     • If finished work is dirty, unpushed, unvalidated, or needs packaging/review before handoff, recommend $ship.
     • If user-facing product research/prototype artifacts are missing and no implementation/shipping queue is active, follow the canonical AFPS route from the routing evidence: customer-discovery -> competitive-analysis -> journey-map -> positioning -> user-flow-map -> ux-variations [specific-user-flow] -> ui-interview [specific-ux-variation] -> prototype -> uat --variant-evaluation -> consolidate-prototypes -> research-roadmap --post-prototype -> spec-interview -> research-roadmap --post-spec -> roadmap. Use $ui-interview --requirements-only and $ux-variations --layout-mode only when the user explicitly needs a fixed content/data/action contract and layout-only alternatives.
     • If research/icp.md and research/competitive-analysis.md exist but research/journey-map.md is missing, check customer-lifecycle availability. If it is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install customer-lifecycle from the project shell, before $journey-map; if enabled, recommend $journey-map.
     • Treat value-prop-canvas and lean-canvas as optional risk-driven detours only. Before recommending either, check business-research availability; if it is not enabled, recommend npx skillpacks install business-research from the project shell, before $value-prop-canvas or $lean-canvas. Recommend $value-prop-canvas only for contested solution-fit evidence, and $lean-canvas only for material business-model risk; do not make either a default blocker before journey-map, positioning, user-flow-map, or layout-mode UX variations.
     • If no research, spec, task, implementation, validation, dirty, or unpushed work remains, recommend $brainstorm to discover new AFPS work.
   • Approved task artifact route when the next task is already clear and executable.
   • $roadmap when specs exist but sequencing or task queue health needs updating.
   • $feature-interview when the next idea/direction is not yet represented in specs or tasks.
   • $reconcile-dev-docs audit or $reconcile-dev-docs fix tasks when task docs contradict git/code reality.
   • $spec-drift when specs and code appear out of sync.
   • $guide only for human-only external blockers.
   • $brainstorm when the repo is complete/current and the next step is discovering a new phase.

Output

Produce a structured report with:

• Overview: repo path, project purpose, project type, primary apps/packages, branch, dirty/unpushed status.
• History Signal: number of Claude/Codex prompt records scanned, number matched to this repo, date range, and 3-8 concise real examples.
• Recent Work: last commits and task/history evidence.
• Current Status: major areas and whether each appears complete, in progress, blocked, stale, or unknown.
• Outstanding Work: prioritized list with evidence and recommended owner/skill.
• Risks And Drift: contradictions, stale docs, missing tests, manual blockers, or uncertain claims.
• Recommended Next Step: one concrete next work item and one command.

End with exactly:

**Next work:** <specific task, blocker, discovery task, or "none">
**Recommended next command:** <one command or route>

Constraints

• Read-only by default. Do not modify files, create commits, run installs, or execute long test suites unless the user explicitly asks.
• Do not include private conversation history unrelated to the target repo.
• Quote only short prompt excerpts. Prefer paraphrase plus timestamp/source/project.
• Do not treat tasks/record-todo.md or tasks/recurring-todo.md as execution queues unless an item has clearly become concrete work.
• Do not put agent-executable work in tasks/manual-todo.md or route it to $guide.
• Do not recommend $roadmap if the finding is only "tell me the status"; use $roadmap only when the task pipeline itself needs queue maintenance or roadmap extension.
• When recommending a pack skill, first check .agents/project.json for enabled_packs. If the target skill's pack is not enabled, include npx skillpacks install <pack-name> from the project shell, as a prerequisite in the recommendation.
• Do not create or modify GitHub Actions workflows.

Default Shipping Contract

• Default next-step routing: when reporting completion, include either Recommended next skill: <command> or the two-line pair **Next work:** <specific task or "none"> and **Recommended next command:** <one command or route> so the next caller has a concrete handoff.
• Normally read-only and should not create or modify tracked repository files.
• If the user explicitly asks this skill to create or modify tracked files, follow docs/github-delivery-contract.md and finish with an issue-backed non-primary branch plus ready pull request; do not merge it.
• This contract does not override stricter safety rules about secrets, destructive history changes, release publication/tag confirmation, production deploy confirmation, paid actions, or public visibility changes.