retro

name	retro
description	Run a session retrospective analyzing what went well, what took longer than expected, and what to do differently next time. Use when the user says "/retro", "retrospective", "what went wrong", "session review", or wants to reflect on process and effectiveness after a session. Produces RETRO.md with honest assessment and actionable improvements.

Retro

Session retrospective — honest reflection on process, not just outcomes. Compose the body in conversation; sk write-artifact writes durably, appends the ledger, and mirrors to cwd/.stoobz/RETRO.md.

Process

1. Rolling history — read the previous archive first. If ~/.stoobz/sessions/<project>/<sid>-active/RETRO.md exists, preserve its prior content under a ## Previous Retros heading; new entry goes on top with a fresh timestamp.

2. Analyze the session across these dimensions:

   • Time well spent — what activities moved the needle?
   • Time wasted — what rabbit holes, false starts, or unnecessary detours happened?
   • Approach effectiveness — was the strategy right? Would a different order have worked better?
   • Tool / skill usage — which skills helped? Which were missing?
   • Communication — were instructions clear? Did misunderstandings cause rework?

3. Identify patterns — if previous retros exist, look for recurring themes. That's where real improvement lives.

4. Compose RETRO_BODY in the Output Format below, then a single bash invocation:

   sk write-artifact --skill retro --artifact RETRO.md --content-stdin <<< "$RETRO_BODY"
   

Output Format

# Retro

**Date:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Session:** {branch or topic}
**Duration:** {approximate — short/medium/long}

---

## What Went Well

- {Specific thing that was effective — with why}
- {Approach or decision that saved time}

## What Took Longer Than Expected

- {Activity}: {why it took longer} — {how to avoid next time}

## What I'd Do Differently

- {Concrete change for next time — not vague aspirations}

## Tool & Skill Notes

- {Skill that was useful}: {what it helped with}
- {Skill that was missing}: {what it would have helped with}
- {Process improvement}: {workflow change to try}

## Recurring Patterns

{Only if previous retros exist — themes that keep showing up}

---

_Generated by /retro — improving the process, not just the output._

Exit Codes

sk write-artifact returns:

Code	Meaning	Caller behavior
0	Durable write + mirror both succeeded	Done
1	Durability failure	Surface error; do not claim success
2	Durable write succeeded; cwd mirror failed	Mention the warning; archive is authoritative
3	Usage error	Fix invocation

Rules

• Honest over polite — if the session was unproductive, say so. If the user's prompt was vague, note it.
• Specific over generic — "Spent 20 minutes on X before realizing Y" beats "could have been more efficient."
• Actionable items only — every "do differently" must be something concrete you can actually do.
• Credit the wins — don't only focus on problems. Note what worked so it can be repeated.
• Pattern recognition — when previous retros exist, flag recurring issues.
• The canonical write location is <active-archive>/RETRO.md; cwd/.stoobz/RETRO.md is the best-effort mirror.
• The ledger entry's name is RETRO.md.

See also

• checkin/SKILL.md, write-artifact-protocol.md
• sk write-artifact --help