Use when finishing spec.md before writing test-definitions.md, or when the review gate asks for a spec review — self-reviews the just-authored spec inline and earns its Tier 1 review stamp. Your own inline pass; do not spawn a sub-agent.
Safeword semver commitment and release discipline. Use when bumping versions, cutting releases, deciding what goes in a patch vs minor vs major, or reviewing changelog entries. Also use when auto-upgrade logic needs to know what's safe to apply silently.
Run comprehensive code audit for architecture, dead code, and test quality. Use when reviewing overall codebase health, checking for architectural violations, or before marking a feature complete.
Behavior-first feature development — use when building new capabilities, continuing feature work, or when work introduces new state or multiple user flows. Discovers desired behavior through examples and scenarios before implementation. Do NOT use for bug fixes, typos, or small isolated changes.
Use when the user wants to explore options, weigh approaches, or think through uncertainty before committing to a direction. Collaborative brainstorming and rubber ducking — divergence-first thinking partner.
Kill zombie dev servers and test processes. Use when ports are blocked, processes are hanging, or test runners won't start.
Root cause debugging before fixes. Use when investigating bugs, diagnosing test failures, troubleshooting unexpected behavior, or when previous fix attempts failed. Enforces investigate-first discipline.
Extract tacit knowledge through non-obvious microquestions — things only the user knows that can't be found in code, docs, or research. Use when you're about to guess at intent, context, or constraints during SAFEWORD's understanding flow. Also use when user says 'ask me', 'what do you need to know', or when another skill (bdd, brainstorm, debug) needs user context before proceeding. Do NOT use for questions answerable by reading the codebase or searching the web.