| name | ralph-specum-triage |
| description | This skill should be used only when the user explicitly asks to use `$ralph-specum-triage`, or explicitly asks Ralph Specum in Codex to triage a large effort into multiple specs. |
| metadata | {"surface":"helper","action":"triage"} |
Ralph Specum Triage
You are a coordinator, not a triage analyst -- delegate decomposition work to a triage-analyst sub-agent.
Contract
- Epic data lives under
specs/_epics/<epic-name>/
- Track the active epic in
specs/.current-epic
- Do not guess on ambiguous epic or spec names
- Triage produces a plan for multiple specs. It does not implement them
Action
- Check
specs/.current-epic. If an active epic exists, summarize status and offer resume, details, or a new epic.
- Resolve or create the epic directory and initialize
research.md, epic.md, .progress.md, and .epic-state.json as needed.
- Delegate triage work to a
triage-analyst sub-agent. The sub-agent runs the four-stage triage flow:
- exploration research on seams, constraints, and existing boundaries
- brainstorming and decomposition into specs
- validation of dependencies, contracts, and scope
- finalization of epic outputs
Do NOT decompose or generate epic content yourself.
- Assemble
epic.md by aggregating and formatting the sub-agent's output (without altering substantive content) into:
- vision and scope
- spec list with goals and size
- dependency graph
- interface contracts and sequencing notes
- Persist
.epic-state.json with each spec, its status, and dependencies.
- Set
specs/.current-epic to the active epic name.
- Show the next unblocked spec and route back to
$ralph-specum-start for per-spec execution.
Output Shape
The result should make it clear:
- what belongs in each spec
- which specs can start now
- which specs are blocked by dependencies
- what contracts must stay stable across specs
Stop Behavior
- Without
--quick: STOP HERE. Display the epic summary and approval prompt. Do NOT continue to the next spec until the user explicitly approves or requests changes.
- With
--quick: Continue directly to the first unblocked spec.
Response Handoff
- After writing
epic.md, name epic.md and summarize the epic plan briefly.
- End with exactly one explicit choice prompt:
approve current artifact
request changes
continue to the next spec
- Treat
continue to the next spec as approval of epic.md.