coding-assistant

name	coding-assistant
description	Use this skill for ALL coding work. Enforces task tracking, memory usage, and proper workflow using Cortex MCP tools. MUST be used when implementing features, fixing bugs, or any development work.
user-invocable	false

Cortex Coding Assistant

You MUST use Cortex MCP tools (mcp__cortex__*) for all operations. Prefer MCP tools over Bash commands.

Current Project Status

!cx status 2>/dev/null || echo "Run: cx init"

Active Tasks

!cx ls -s progress 2>/dev/null

MANDATORY RULES - MCP-First Approach

CRITICAL: Always prefer Cortex MCP tools over Bash commands and generic Claude tools.

1. Task Management - Use MCP tools

Task	Use This (MCP)	NOT This (Bash)
Create task	mcp__cortex__task(action="create")	cx add
Start task	mcp__cortex__task(action="update", status="progress")	cx start
Complete task	mcp__cortex__task(action="update", status="done")	cx done
Move task	mcp__cortex__task(action="update", status="...")	cx mv
List tasks	mcp__cortex__task(action="list")	cx ls
Get task	mcp__cortex__task(action="get")	cx show

Example - Task workflow:

# ✅ CORRECT: Use MCP
mcp__cortex__task(action="create", title="Add new feature", type="feature")
mcp__cortex__task(action="update", id="CX-69", status="progress")
# ... do work ...
mcp__cortex__task(action="update", id="CX-69", status="done")

# ❌ WRONG: Bash commands
Bash("cx add 'Add new feature'")
Bash("cx start CX-69")
Bash("cx done CX-69")

Task MCP Tools Reference

Tool	Parameters	Purpose
task(action="create")	title, type?, description?	Create new task
task(action="update")	id, status?, title?, description?	Update task
task(action="get")	id	Get task details
task(action="list")	status?, level?	List tasks

2. Memory System - Use MCP tools

Task	Use This (MCP)	NOT This (Bash)
List memories	mcp__cortex__memory(action="list")	cx memory ls
Save memory	mcp__cortex__memory(action="save")	cx memory diary
Search memories	mcp__cortex__memory(action="list", search="...")	cx memory search

Example - Memory workflow:

# ✅ CORRECT: Use MCP
mcp__cortex__memory(action="list", search="authentication")
mcp__cortex__memory(action="save", content="Learned that...", task_id="CX-69")

# ❌ WRONG: Bash commands
Bash("cx memory search 'authentication'")
Bash("cx memory diary --task CX-69")

3. Code Operations - Use LSP tools

Task	Use This (MCP)	NOT This
Find functions/classes	lsp(action="symbols")	Grep for "func "
Find symbol definition	lsp(action="definition")	Grep + Read
Find all usages	lsp(action="references")	Grep for symbol name
Get type/docs info	lsp(action="hover")	Read + guess
Rewrite function	lsp_edit(action="replace")	Edit with old/new
Rename symbol	lsp_edit(action="rename")	Multiple Edit calls
Search workspace	lsp(action="workspace_search")	Grep

Example - Code workflow:

# ✅ CORRECT: Use LSP
mcp__cortex__lsp(action="symbols", file="internal/mcp/server.go")
mcp__cortex__lsp(action="hover", file="...", line=10, column=5)
mcp__cortex__lsp_edit(action="replace", file="...", symbol_name="NewServer", new_body="...")

# ❌ WRONG: Generic tools
Grep(pattern="func NewServer")
Read(file_path="...", offset=100, limit=20)
Edit(file_path="...", old_string="...", new_string="...")

LSP Tools Reference

Tool	Purpose
lsp(action="symbols")	List all symbols in a file
lsp(action="workspace_search")	Global symbol search
lsp(action="definition")	Go to definition
lsp(action="references")	Find all references
lsp(action="hover")	Get type info and docs
lsp_edit(action="replace")	Replace entire symbol body
lsp_edit(action="rename")	Rename symbol across project

4. Thinking Tools - Pause and Reflect

IMPORTANT: Use thinking tools to pause and reflect at key moments. These help prevent mistakes and keep you focused.

Tool	When to Call
think(action="collected_information")	After gathering info (searching, reading symbols)
think(action="task_adherence")	Before making significant code changes
think(action="whether_done")	When you believe the task is complete

Example - Using thinking tools:

# After exploring codebase
mcp__cortex__lsp(action="symbols", file="...")
mcp__cortex__lsp(action="references", ...)
mcp__cortex__think(action="collected_information")  # ← Pause to reflect

# Before editing
mcp__cortex__think(action="task_adherence")  # ← Verify alignment
mcp__cortex__lsp_edit(action="replace", ...)

# When finishing
mcp__cortex__think(action="whether_done")  # ← Verify completion
mcp__cortex__task(action="update", id="CX-N", status="done")

When to use each thinking tool

think(action="collected_information") - Call after:

• Multiple lsp(action="symbols") or lsp(action="references") calls
• Exploring unfamiliar parts of the codebase
• Before starting implementation

think(action="task_adherence") - Call before:

• Making significant code changes
• In long conversations with many back-and-forths
• When scope seems to be expanding

think(action="whether_done") - Call when:

• You believe the task is complete
• Before marking task as done
• After implementing a feature

5. When to use Bash/Generic tools (fallback only)

Use Bash with cx commands only when:

• MCP server is not available
• Need interactive prompts (cx ui, cx memory reflect)
• Running git commands
• Running build/test commands

Use generic tools (Edit, Read, Grep) only when:

• File doesn't have LSP support (markdown, yaml, json, etc.)
• Need to search across ALL files (use Grep, then LSP for editing)
• LSP server not available (check with lsp_status)
• Editing non-code content (comments, strings, config)

6. Workflow Summary

Action	MCP Tool	When
Create task	task(action="create", title="...")	Before starting new work
Start task	task(action="update", id="CX-N", status="progress")	When beginning implementation
Complete task	task(action="update", id="CX-N", status="done")	When task is finished
List tasks	task(action="list", status="progress")	Check current work
Search memories	memory(action="list", search="...")	Before implementing
Save learning	memory(action="save", content="...")	At session end
Find symbols	lsp(action="symbols", file="...")	When exploring code
Edit function	lsp_edit(action="replace", ...)	When modifying code
Rename symbol	lsp_edit(action="rename", ...)	When refactoring

NEVER DO THIS

• Never use Bash("cx add ...") when task(action="create") works
• Never use Bash("cx start/done ...") when task(action="update") works
• Never use Bash("cx memory ...") when memory(action="list/save") works
• Never use Edit for function changes when lsp_edit(action="replace") works
• Never use Grep for finding functions when lsp(action="symbols") works
• Never rename manually when lsp_edit(action="rename") works
• Never use markdown TODOs instead of task_create
• Never forget to set task to progress before working
• Never forget to set task to done after completing