standup

name	standup
description	USE WHEN: returning to a project after time away (1 day to 30 days), needing project status briefing, understanding where work left off, determining next steps. DO NOT USE WHEN: actively working on a known task, not in a git repository, or when specific file/code questions are asked.
license	MIT

This skill orients you to a project's current state regardless of how long you've been away. Whether it's the next morning or a month later, it answers: What is this project? Where did we leave off? What should I work on next?

Standup Thinking

Before generating the briefing, determine the context:

• Time gap detection: Check when the last commit was. If recent (< 3 days), focus on continuation. If stale (> 7 days), provide more project context and recap.
• Project understanding: What does this codebase do? Read package.json, README, or main entry points to summarize purpose.
• Current state: What branch are we on? Any uncommitted work? What was the last meaningful change?
• Objectives: What are the open issues, TODOs, or documented next steps? What was the trajectory before the pause?

CRITICAL: Adapt depth to the gap. After 1 day: brief status update. After 30 days: re-orient to the project itself, then status. Always end with clear next steps.

Information Gathering

Step 1: Determine Time Gap and Project Context

# When was the last commit? This determines briefing depth
git log -1 --format="%cr (%ci)"

# Project identity - what is this?
cat package.json 2>/dev/null | head -20 || cat Cargo.toml 2>/dev/null | head -15 || cat setup.py 2>/dev/null | head -15 || cat go.mod 2>/dev/null | head -10 || ls -la

# README snippet for project purpose
head -50 README.md 2>/dev/null || head -50 readme.md 2>/dev/null

Step 2: Recent History (adaptive depth)

# Last 20 commits with dates - scan for activity patterns
git log --oneline --all -20 --format="%h %cr - %s"

# What branches exist and when were they touched?
git for-each-ref --sort=-committerdate --count=8 refs/heads/ --format='%(refname:short) (%(committerdate:relative)) - %(subject)'

# Current branch status
git status -sb

# Any uncommitted work?
git diff --stat
git diff --cached --stat

# Stashed work waiting to be resumed?
git stash list

Step 3: Project Objectives and Next Steps

# Open issues (if GitHub)
gh issue list --state open --limit 8 2>/dev/null

# Open PRs
gh pr list --state open --limit 5 2>/dev/null

# Look for TODO tracking files
cat TODO.md 2>/dev/null | head -30 || cat ROADMAP.md 2>/dev/null | head -30

Also scan for:

• docs/handoffs/ - session handoff documents
• CHANGELOG.md - recent version changes
• TODO/FIXME comments in recently modified files

Step 4: Codebase Structure (for longer gaps)

If last commit > 7 days ago, also provide:

# High-level structure
find . -type f -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.py" -o -name "*.go" -o -name "*.rs" 2>/dev/null | head -30 | xargs dirname | sort -u | head -15

# Key entry points
ls -la src/ 2>/dev/null || ls -la lib/ 2>/dev/null || ls -la app/ 2>/dev/null

Synthesis Guidelines

Focus on:

• Orientation first: Before diving into status, ensure the user knows what this project IS and DOES. Don't assume context.
• Trajectory over history: What direction was the project heading? Feature development? Bug fixes? Refactoring? This informs next steps.
• Incomplete work priority: Uncommitted changes, WIP branches, and draft PRs are the highest priority to surface—this is interrupted work.
• Actionable next step: Always conclude with ONE clear recommendation for what to do first.

NEVER assume the user remembers project context after a long gap, dump raw commit logs without synthesis, skip the "what should I do next" recommendation, bury blockers or broken state below routine updates, or provide a briefing longer than 2 screens of content.

Output Format

Adapt structure based on time gap:

For Short Gaps (< 3 days since last commit)

## Quick Status: [Project Name]
*Last activity: [X ago]*

### Where We Left Off
[Brief: what was the last work session focused on?]

### Current State
- Branch: `[branch]` [ahead/behind remote status]
- Uncommitted: [Y/N - brief description if yes]
- Open PRs: [count and status]

### Next Up
**[Recommended action]**: [Why and how to start]

### Also Pending
- [ ] [Other open item]
- [ ] [Other open item]

For Longer Gaps (> 7 days since last commit)

## Project Briefing: [Project Name]
*Last activity: [X ago] | Re-orienting you to this codebase*

### What This Project Is
[2-3 sentences: purpose, tech stack, current state of development]

### Recent History
[Summary of last 3-5 meaningful changes/work items, not individual commits]
- **[Work item]**: [What was done]
- **[Work item]**: [What was done]

### Current State
- Active branch: `[branch]`
- Uncommitted work: [Description if any]
- Open PRs: [List with status]
- Open issues: [Top 3-5 by priority]

### Where This Was Heading
[What was the development trajectory? What feature/goal was in progress?]

### Recommended Next Step
**[Single action]**: [Why this is the priority and specific first action to take]

### Quick Reference
- Entry point: `[main file]`
- Run locally: `[command]`
- Run tests: `[command]`

Interaction Pattern

After presenting the briefing, offer:

Ready to dive in? I can:
- Show the diff for uncommitted changes
- Explain what [specific recent change] was about
- Help pick up where [incomplete work] left off
- Give a deeper tour of [area of codebase]