sync-protocols

name	sync-protocols
version	1.0.0
description	[Skill Management] Use when shared protocol checklists change and need propagation across skills.

Quick Summary

Goal: Two operations — (A) propagate updated content for existing SYNC: blocks across all skills, or (B) add a new SYNC: block to all skill/agent files that don't have it yet.

Canonical source: .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md

Workflow

Operation A: Update Existing Block Content

Use when a SYNC: block already exists in files and push updated content to all of them.

Step 1: Identify What Changed

If user specifies a tag name (e.g., sync-protocols understand-code-first):

• Sync only that tag

If no tag specified:

• Read sync-inline-versions.md
• Ask user which tag(s) to sync, or "all"

Step 2: Read Canonical Content

For each tag to sync:

1. Read .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md
2. Extract content under ## SYNC:{tag-name} heading (everything between that heading and the next --- or ## SYNC:)

Step 3: Find All Skills with Tag

grep -rl "SYNC:{tag-name}" .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md

Step 4: Replace Content in Each Skill

For each file found:

1. Find <!-- SYNC:{tag-name} --> open tag
2. Find <!-- /SYNC:{tag-name} --> close tag
3. Replace everything between them with the canonical content
4. Do NOT touch :reminder blocks — those are separate, shorter versions

Step 5: Verify

Run these checks after all replacements:

# 1. SYNC tag balance (all opens have matching closes)
# 2. Content matches canonical source
# 3. No content outside SYNC blocks was modified

Report:

• Tags synced
• Files updated (count)
• Any balance issues

Step 6: Reminder Blocks

:reminder blocks (<!-- SYNC:{tag}:reminder -->) are 1-line summaries at the bottom of skills for AI recency attention. These are NOT auto-synced — they are hand-written. Skip them unless user explicitly asks to update reminders too.

---

Operation B: Add a New Block to All Files

Use when a NEW SYNC: block needs to be inserted into all 288 skill/agent files that don't have it yet. This is a bulk-insert operation — not a content-update.

When to use: A new protocol rule is added to hooks (prompt-injections.cjs) and should also appear in all skills/agents as a fallback for hook-less environments.

Step B1: Add block content to canonical source

Edit .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md and add a new section:

## SYNC:{new-block-name}

> **[Rule content here]**

---

Step B2: Add block to sync-hooks-to-skills.py

Edit .claude/scripts/sync-hooks-to-skills.py:

1. Add entry to BLOCKS dict:

BLOCKS = {
    # ... existing blocks ...
    "new-block-name": """\
<!-- SYNC:new-block-name -->

> **[Full block content here — exactly as it should appear in files]**

<!-- /SYNC:new-block-name -->""",
}

2. Add 1-line reminder to REMINDERS dict:

REMINDERS = {
# ... existing reminders ...
"new-block-name": """\

> **[IMPORTANT]** Use `TaskCreate` to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting.

<!-- SYNC:new-block-name:reminder -->
**MUST ATTENTION** [one-line summary of the rule].
<!-- /SYNC:new-block-name:reminder -->""",
}

3. Add the block name to BLOCK_ORDER list (controls insertion order):

BLOCK_ORDER = ["critical-thinking-mindset", "ai-mistake-prevention", "new-block-name"]

Step B3: Run the script (dry-run first)

python .claude/scripts/sync-hooks-to-skills.py --dry-run --verbose
# Verify: expected N updated, 0 errors

python .claude/scripts/sync-hooks-to-skills.py --verbose
# Verify: 288 updated (or close — some may already have it → skip)

Step B4: Verify

# Confirm all target files now contain the new block
grep -rl "SYNC:new-block-name" .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md .claude/agents/*.md | wc -l
# Should equal total file count (288)

Check a representative file manually to confirm correct placement and formatting.

---

Usage Examples

/sync-protocols understand-code-first     # Sync one tag (Operation A)
/sync-protocols all                        # Sync all tags (Operation A)
/sync-protocols                            # Interactive — asks which tags
# Adding new block: use Operation B workflow above (script-driven)

Rules

• ALWAYS edit sync-inline-versions.md FIRST, then run this skill
• NEVER modify content outside <!-- SYNC:tag --> boundaries
• NEVER touch :reminder blocks unless explicitly asked
• If close tag is missing in a target file, SKIP that file and report it as an error
• Use the Grep tool (not shell grep) per project conventions
• Verify tag balance after every sync run
• For bulk-insert (Operation B): use sync-hooks-to-skills.py — NEVER do it manually across 288 files

---

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

Shared Protocol Duplication Policy — Inline protocol content in skills (wrapped in <!-- SYNC:tag -->) is INTENTIONAL duplication. Do NOT extract, deduplicate, or replace with file references. AI compliance drops significantly when protocols are behind file-read indirection. To update: edit .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md first, then grep SYNC:protocol-name and update all occurrences.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION follow duplication policy: inline protocols are INTENTIONAL, never extract to file references

MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.

Closing Reminders

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION edit sync-inline-versions.md FIRST before syncing to skills IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION verify SYNC tag balance after every sync run IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION NEVER modify content outside <!-- SYNC:tag --> boundaries IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION skip files with missing close tags and report as errors

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.