narrate

name	narrate
description	Reframe the current work session as a short narrative for a human, fitting a classic story arc (hero's journey, man in a hole, three-act, Vonnegut shapes, story circle). Use for a recap, retro, demo, or changelog where a memorable story beats a status list. The arc shapes emphasis; the facts stay real; keep it brief.
user_invocable	true
arguments	[{"name":"arc","description":"Story arc (optional; auto-fit to the session if omitted). e.g. heros-journey, man-in-a-hole, three-act, quest, tragedy, rags-to-riches.","required":false},{"name":"tone","description":"Optional voice — epic, fable, noir, dry-technical, children's-book. Default: warm, literary, grounded.","required":false}]

Narrate

Turn the session into a short story a human will remember. The human-facing complement to /handoff: handoff is the map the next session reads; narrate is the story a person reads.

When to use

A standup, retro, demo, Slack recap, or changelog where a narrative lands better than bullets — or to close out a long session.

Procedure

1. Find the spine. From the session context, pull the real beats: goal, the setback(s), the turning point, the resolution. Name actual artifacts (files, PRs, bugs) — they become the story's objects.
2. Pick the arc ($ARGUMENTS.arc, else auto-fit to the session's real shape):
   • Man in a hole — fine → broke → fixed. The default for a bug/incident.
   • Hero's journey / story circle — set out, faced trials, returned changed. For an ambitious build.
   • Three-act — setup → confrontation → resolution. General-purpose default.
   • Quest — one target, escalating obstacles. For a focused hunt.
   • Tragedy / Icarus — rise then fall. Use it honestly when a session ended worse than it began. State the arc and a one-line reason it fits.
3. Tell it, short. Map the beats to the arc and write it in the requested tone (default: warm, grounded). Let real artifacts carry the imagery — the failing test is the dragon, the source-of-truth file the talisman.
4. Close with a true moral — one line that is genuinely a lesson of this session.

Key constraints

• Succinct and digestible. Default to ~120–200 words: a tight opening, two or three beats, a one-line moral. Shorter than the work it describes. Expand only if asked.
• Faithful to events. The arc shapes emphasis and order, never facts. No invented drama or triumph that didn't happen.
• Honest endings. If it ended unresolved, use an arc that fits (cliffhanger, still in the hole). No fake happy ending.
• No-arc is valid. A typo fix gets one sentence, not a hero's journey.
• It's framing, not the record. Point to the decision log / handoff for what literally happened.