process-directory-list

name	process-directory-list
description	Batch-process directory-instructions.json to generate CLAUDE.md files in parallel

Process Directory List

Process the directory-instructions.json file and generate CLAUDE.md files for each directory by invoking the /generate-instructions skill.

Purpose

This skill orchestrates the batch generation of CLAUDE.md files for multiple directories in the monorepo. It reads the directory list JSON file and systematically processes each directory item.

Input

Reads from directory-instructions.json in the project root, which has this structure:

{
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "1",
      "directory": "app/controllers",
      "output_file": "CLAUDE.md",
      "status": "pending",
      "analyzed_at": null
    }
  ]
}

Steps

1. Read the Directory List

• Load directory-instructions.json from the current working directory
• Parse the JSON and extract the items array
• Display summary: "Found X directories to process"

2. Spawn Sub-Agents for Each Directory

For each item in the items array where status is "pending":

Create Sub-Agents

Use the Task tool with subagent_type: "general-purpose" for each pending directory.

Each sub-agent receives this prompt:

Process directory "{directory_path}" from directory-instructions.json (ID: {id}):

Steps:
1. Read directory-instructions.json
2. Update item {id} to set status="in_progress"
3. Write the updated JSON back
4. Run: /generate-instructions {directory_path}
5. Read directory-instructions.json again
6. Update item {id} to set status="completed" and analyzed_at="{ISO timestamp}"
7. Write the final JSON back
8. If any errors occur, set status="error" instead

The /generate-instructions skill will analyze the directory and create the CLAUDE.md file.

Launch All Agents in Parallel

CRITICAL: Spawn ALL sub-agents in a single message by making multiple Task tool calls:

Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="Process app/controllers...", description="Generate controllers CLAUDE.md")
Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="Process app/models...", description="Generate models CLAUDE.md")
Task(subagent_type="general-purpose", prompt="Process app/services...", description="Generate services CLAUDE.md")
... (one Task call for each pending directory)

This allows all directories to be processed simultaneously.

3. Monitor and Report Results

After all sub-agents have completed, display a summary:

✓ Completed: 6 directories
✗ Errors: 1 directory
⊘ Skipped: 1 directory (already completed)

Launched 7 sub-agents in parallel

Usage Notes

• Idempotent: Running this skill multiple times will only process pending items
• Resumable: If interrupted, re-run to continue from where it left off
• Parallel Processing: Spawns multiple sub-agents simultaneously, one per directory
• Status tracking: Each sub-agent updates the JSON file for its directory independently
• Efficient: All directories are processed concurrently for maximum speed

Example Workflow

# 1. First create the directory list
/create-directory-list

# 2. Then process all directories
/process-directory-list

# 3. Check results
cat directory-instructions.json

Important

• Use the Task tool to spawn sub-agents for parallel processing
• Each sub-agent should invoke /generate-instructions skill directly - do NOT reimplement its logic
• Each directory gets its own dedicated sub-agent for independent processing
• Sub-agents must update the JSON file after their directory completes
• Preserve the JSON structure and formatting when updating the file. Do not add entries.
• Launch ALL sub-agents in a SINGLE message with multiple Task tool calls for true parallelism