Dev tool for the NONoise maintainer — audits the default `.nonoise/sdlc-flow.md` template against the actually-bundled skills and reports drift. Use when you add or remove a skill in `packages/skills/` or change `MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE` in `packages/create-nonoise/src/scaffold.ts`, to decide if the flow template needs a new phase, a deleted phase, or a renamed `skill` field. Also use when the user says "check sdlc-flow", "audit polly flow", "sync flow template", or after syncing a vendored pack via `node scripts/sync-vendor.mjs`. Scoped to THIS monorepo only — never invoke in a scaffolded project. Proposes a diff against the template; human applies it.
Dev tool for the NONoise maintainer — audits the default `.nonoise/sdlc-flow.md` template against the actually-bundled skills and reports drift. Use when you add or remove a skill in `packages/skills/` or change `MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE` in `packages/create-nonoise/src/scaffold.ts`, to decide if the flow template needs a new phase, a deleted phase, or a renamed `skill` field. Also use when the user says "check sdlc-flow", "audit polly flow", "sync flow template", or after syncing a vendored pack via `node scripts/sync-vendor.mjs`. Scoped to THIS monorepo only — never invoke in a scaffolded project. Proposes a diff against the template; human applies it.
sdlc-flow-maintainer — keep the default flow template honest
When the NONoise maintainer adds a skill to packages/skills/, bumps the vendored packs, or changes MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE, the default .nonoise/sdlc-flow.md template in packages/templates/*/_always/.nonoise/ can drift — a new skill without a phase, or a phase pointing at a skill that has been removed. This skill performs the audit and proposes a diff. It never auto-applies.
When to use
Right after you add, rename, or delete a native skill in packages/skills/.
Right after MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE in packages/create-nonoise/src/scaffold.ts is changed.
Right after node scripts/sync-vendor.mjs brings in new vendored skills that are mentioned in the flow (e.g. superpowers:brainstorming, superpowers:writing-plans).
Before a release if you are unsure whether the template and the bundle are in sync.
When the user says "check sdlc-flow", "audit polly flow", "sync flow template", "verify sdlc-flow".
When NOT to use
Inside a scaffolded project — the target file (.nonoise/sdlc-flow.md in scaffolded projects) is user-editable and may legitimately diverge from the default template. This skill audits the source template, not any project-local copy.
As a replacement for reading the spec. Design decisions about which skill belongs in which phase live in docs/polly.md / the spec at docs/superpowers/specs/2026-04-22-polly-advisor-redesign-design.md.
What it checks
Three dimensions of drift:
Bundle → flow: every skill in MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE + every vendored skill referenced by name in the default flow should map to exactly one phase — unless the skill is explicitly "utility / orthogonal" (no SDLC phase). Anything installed but not referenced and not orthogonal is a candidate new phase, or at least an acknowledged gap.
Flow → bundle: every skill: field in the default template's frontmatter must resolve to a skill that actually exists either in packages/skills/ or in a vendored pack under packages/skills/vendor/. A phase pointing at a skill that no longer exists ships broken defaults to every new scaffold.
Fingerprint sanity: every fingerprint: glob should be anchored under a directory that the current scaffold conventions produce (docs/requirements/, docs/architecture/, docs/sprints/, docs/atr/, docs/superpowers/). Globs pointing at legacy or renamed trees are stale.
Inputs (read-only)
packages/templates/single-project/_always/.nonoise/sdlc-flow.md — the canonical default flow. Parse the YAML frontmatter to get the phases: list.
packages/templates/multi-repo/_always/.nonoise/sdlc-flow.md — same shape, verify the two files are structurally equivalent (multi-repo has one extra pre-phase multi-repo-setup).
packages/skills/polly/references/sdlc-flow.default.md — the embedded fallback. Must match the single-project template body byte-for-byte after the HTML comment banner. Verify.
packages/create-nonoise/src/scaffold.ts — MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE constant (array literal around line 23). Parse it.
packages/skills/ — list directories (filter: ignore vendor). Each directory that contains SKILL.md is a native skill.
packages/skills/vendor/superpowers/skills/ — list directories. Each is a superpowers:<name> skill.
packages/skills/vendor/impeccable/ — list directories containing SKILL.md. Each is an impeccable:<name> skill.
Process
Load the default flow's phases
Open both template files and the embedded fallback. Confirm the two template variants differ only by the multi-repo-setup pre-phase. Confirm the fallback equals the single-project template after stripping the HTML comment banner.
Enumerate what ships
Read MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE. Enumerate packages/skills/ excluding vendor/. Enumerate the superpowers + impeccable sub-dirs. Call the union the shipped set (native bundled + vendored).
Enumerate what the flow references
For each phase in the default flow, extract the skill: field. Normalise: a bare name like arch-decision refers to a native skill; a superpowers:<name> or impeccable:<name> string refers to a vendored one. A null skill means a conversational phase (no skill).
Three-way diff
Flow-without-skill: every skill: the flow references that is not in the shipped set → report as a broken default.
Shipped-without-flow: every item in MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE that no phase references → report as a potential missing phase. Propose the phase (id, label IT/EN, fingerprint guess, mode guess) based on the skill's name and frontmatter description, but do not apply.
Vendored-without-flow: note if any vendored skill not referenced in the flow is obviously SDLC-shaped (name matches brainstorm*, writing-plans, executing-plans, etc.). Report for human review. Most vendored skills are orthogonal; only a few should be in the flow.
Fingerprint check
For each phase with a non-null fingerprint, match the glob's directory prefix against the canonical docs trees:
A fingerprint that starts with anything else is stale — flag it.
Emit the report
Produce a single Markdown report in the chat (do NOT write it to a file unless the user asks). Shape:
# sdlc-flow-maintainer audit — <YYYY-MM-DD>
## Summary
- <N> phases in default flow.
- <N> native skills bundled, <N> vendored skills available, <N> referenced in flow.
- Drift items: <N>.
## Broken defaults (flow → bundle)
<list, or "none">
## Missing phases (bundle → flow)
<list, with proposed phase YAML + rationale>
## Vendored-SDLC candidates
<list of vendored skills that look SDLC-shaped but aren't in the flow>
## Stale fingerprints
<list of phases whose fingerprint prefix is not in the canonical tree>
## Proposed diff
<unified diff against packages/templates/single-project/_always/.nonoise/sdlc-flow.md and, if needed, the multi-repo variant and the embedded fallback. IF drift is zero, state "No diff needed — template is in sync."
Include per-item rationale. Be conservative: if a skill is ambiguous between "should be a phase" and "orthogonal", default to marking it orthogonal and flagging for human review.
Stop
Do not write any file. Do not run tests. Do not commit. Human decides whether to apply the proposed diff — typically by copying the suggested phase into the template and running pnpm --filter create-nonoise run build && pnpm --filter create-nonoise exec vitest run -u.
Known invariants
The single-project template and the multi-repo template share the same phases list except the multi-repo prepends multi-repo-setup (conversational, fingerprint repos/**/.git). All other phases must match.
The embedded fallback (packages/skills/polly/references/sdlc-flow.default.md) mirrors the single-project template byte-for-byte, after stripping the leading <!-- … --> HTML comment and the blank line that follows.
Skills in MVP_SKILL_BUNDLE that are orthogonal and deliberately absent from the flow (as of 2026-04-22): playwright-cli, frontend-design, skill-finder, docs-md-generator, design-md-generator, vscode-config-generator, bmad-agent-architect, bmad-agent-tech-writer, bmad-agent-ux-designer, bmad-advanced-elicitation, quint-fpf, reverse-engineering, spec-to-workitem, ops-skill-builder, observability-debug, polly (itself), c4-doc-writer. If this list needs to grow, update it here with a one-line rationale.
Scope and safety
Read-only. Never writes files, never runs builds, never commits.
Always operates against the monorepo root. If invoked in a scaffolded project (i.e. no packages/templates/ present), fail fast with a friendly message: "This skill only runs in the NONoise monorepo. In a scaffolded project, edit .nonoise/sdlc-flow.md directly."
The "propose diff" output is advisory. The maintainer reviews it, edits the template by hand (or instructs an assistant to), runs the usual build + snapshot flow, and commits.
