| name | para-help |
| description | Display the PARA-Programming quick-reference guide with all 11 skills and the Research→Plan→Review→Execute→Review→Summarize→Archive workflow. |
| model | haiku |
| effort | low |
Display the PARA-Programming quick-reference guide.
Usage
para-help
Implementation
Determine how to render user-facing skill requests before displaying the reference:
- Render a client selector only when the host is explicit in runtime/system context or the user names the client.
- Do not infer the host from ~/.agents/skills or another shared discovery path.
- For an unknown client, OpenCode, or Gemini CLI, use exact-name natural language such as: Use the
para-plan skill to plan <task>.
- Treat the forms below as presentation only. The canonical request remains
para-<skill> [arguments].
- Preserve the exact
para-* identifier on every line. Do not replace identifiers with generic labels such as “the plan review skill” or reorder/expand the Typical Flow.
| Client | User-facing form |
|---|
| OpenAI Codex | $para-<skill> [arguments] |
| Cursor | /para-<skill> [arguments] |
| Pi, skill commands enabled | /skill:para-<skill> [arguments] |
| Pi, skill commands disabled | natural-language — Use the para-<skill> skill <intent-and-arguments>. |
| OpenCode | natural-language — Use the para-<skill> skill <intent-and-arguments>. |
| Gemini CLI | natural-language — Use the para-<skill> skill <intent-and-arguments>. |
| Unknown client | natural-language — Use the para-<skill> skill <intent-and-arguments>. |
Display the reference below. Keep the skill identifiers canonical. In the Typical Flow, render each request using the selected client form; when using natural language, include both the exact skill name and its intent/arguments.
For natural-language clients, render the Typical Flow with this exact request sequence:
Use the `para-research` skill to research "Add user authentication".
Use the `para-plan` skill to plan "Add user authentication".
Use the `para-review` skill with `--plan`.
Use the `para-workflow` skill. Or manually:
Use the `para-execute` skill.
Use the `para-review` skill with `--pr`.
Use the `para-summarize` skill.
Use the `para-archive` skill.
PARA-Programming Quick Reference
Workflow: Research → Plan → Review → Execute → Review → Summarize → Archive
Detailed workflow: Research → Plan → Review Plan → Execute → Review PR → Summarize → Archive
When to Use PARA
Use PARA if the task results in git changes: features, bug fixes, refactoring, config, migrations, tests, documentation edits, or complex debugging.
Skip PARA if the task is read-only or informational: questions, navigation, explanations, or state inspection.
Skills
| Skill | Purpose |
|---|
para-init | Initialize PARA structure in a project |
para-research <task> | Deep codebase research before planning |
para-plan <task> | Create a planning document through collaboration |
para-review --plan|--pr | Staff+ review loop for plans and PRs |
para-execute | Create worktree, extract todos, start execution |
para-workflow | Orchestrate execute → PR → review → summarize → archive |
para-summarize | Generate post-work summary |
para-archive | Archive context and start fresh |
para-status | Check current workflow state |
para-check | Decide whether a request needs PARA |
para-help | Show this reference |
Typical Flow
para-research Add user authentication
para-plan Add user authentication
para-review --plan
para-workflow # or manually:
para-execute # -> Creates worktree, implements with TDD
para-review --pr # -> Staff+ review loop
para-summarize # -> Generate summary
para-archive # -> Clean up worktree
File Structure
context/
├── context.md # Active session context
├── plans/ # YYYY-MM-DD-task-name.md
├── summaries/ # YYYY-MM-DD-task-name-summary.md
├── archives/ # YYYY-MM-DD-context.md
├── data/ # Input/output files, research docs
└── servers/ # MCP tool wrappers
Tips
- Use the
para-status skill to see where you are in the workflow
- Use the
para-check skill if unsure whether a task needs PARA
- Full methodology details are in
../../docs/METHODOLOGY.md
