project-workflow - Claude MCP Skill

# Project Workflow Skill

9 integrated slash commands for complete project lifecycle automation: idea validation → planning → execution → session management → context preservation → release.

**Time savings**: 35-55 minutes per project lifecycle

## Installation

**Marketplace**: `/plugin install project-workflow@jezweb-skills`

**Manual**: Copy `commands/*.md` to `~/.claude/commands/`

## The 9 Commands

### 1. `/explore-idea` - Pre-Planning Exploration

**Use when**: Rough idea that needs tech stack validation, scope management, or research before planning.

**Creates**: PROJECT_BRIEF.md with validated decisions → hands off to /plan-project

**Time savings**: 10-15 min

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### 2. `/plan-project` - Generate Project Planning Docs

**Use when**: Starting new project with clear requirements, or after /explore-idea.

**Creates**: IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md, SESSION.md, DATABASE_SCHEMA.md (if needed), API_ENDPOINTS.md (if needed), ARCHITECTURE.md

**Invokes**: project-planning skill

**Time savings**: 5-7 min

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### 3. `/plan-feature` - Add Features to Existing Projects

**Use when**: Adding feature to existing project with SESSION.md + IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md.

**Does**: Generates new phases via project-planning skill, integrates into IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md with renumbering, updates SESSION.md.

**Time savings**: 7-10 min

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### 4. `/wrap-session` - End-of-Session Checkpoint

**Use when**: Context full (>150k tokens), end of work session, or before task switch.

**Does**: Task agent analyzes session → updates SESSION.md (progress, Next Action, blockers) → git checkpoint commit → formatted handoff summary.

**Time savings**: 2-3 min

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### 5. `/continue-session` - Start-of-Session Context Loading

**Use when**: Starting new session or after /wrap-session checkpoint.

**Does**: Explore agent loads SESSION.md + planning docs → shows git history + session summary (phase, progress, Next Action, blockers) → optionally opens file → asks permission to continue.

**Time savings**: 1-2 min

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### 6. `/workflow` - Interactive Workflow Guide

**Use when**: First time user, unsure which command to use, or need quick reference.

**Does**: Shows all 9 commands → context-aware guidance with decision trees → offers to execute appropriate command.

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### 7. `/release` - Pre-Release Safety Checks

**Use when**: Ready to push to public GitHub or create release.

**8 Phases**:
1. **Critical Safety** (BLOCKERS): Secrets scan (gitleaks), personal artifacts check, git remote verification
2. **Documentation** (REQUIRED): LICENSE, README (>100 words), CONTRIBUTING.md (>500 LOC), CODE_OF_CONDUCT (>1000 LOC)
3. **Configuration**: .gitignore, package.json, git branch warning
4. **Quality** (NON-BLOCKING): Build test, npm audit, large files (>1MB)
5. **Report**: Blockers/warnings/recommendations + safe to release verdict
6-8. **Auto-Fix & Publish**: Fix issues, release prep commit, optional git tag + GitHub release

**Time savings**: 10-15 min

---

### 8. `/brief` - Context Preservation Document

**Use when**: Before clearing context, to preserve key decisions and requirements for future sessions.

**Creates**: `docs/brief-[slug].md` with extracted information from current conversation.

**Does**: Analyzes conversation → extracts what's being built, decisions made, technical details → creates organized markdown file → optionally creates GitHub issue for tracking.

**Time savings**: 3-5 min

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### 9. `/reflect` - Capture Operational Knowledge

**Use when**: Before context compaction, after completing significant work, or when valuable learnings accumulated.

**Does**: Reviews conversation → identifies workflows discovered, patterns learned, tool sequences, corrections made → routes each learning to appropriate destination (rules, CLAUDE.md, skills, docs) → optionally suggests automation (scripts, commands, custom agents).

**Key Feature**: Considers whether processes should become custom agents when they require reasoning/decisions, benefit from parallel execution, or involve research/exploration.

**Time savings**: 5-10 min

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## Workflow Examples

**Full**: /explore-idea → /plan-project → work → /wrap-session → /continue-session → /plan-feature (if needed) → repeat → /reflect → /release

**Quick** (clear requirements): /plan-project → work → /wrap-session → /continue-session → /release

**Context Preservation**: /brief (before clearing context), /reflect (capture learnings)

**Helpers**: /workflow (guidance), /plan-feature (add feature), /release (publish)

---

## Integration

**project-planning**: Invoked by /plan-project and /plan-feature (generates IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md, DATABASE_SCHEMA.md, API_ENDPOINTS.md)

**project-session-management**: SESSION.md protocol for /wrap-session and /continue-session

**Claude Code agents**: /wrap-session (Task agent), /continue-session + /explore-idea (Explore agent)

---

## Command Relationships

```
EXPLORATION PHASE
/explore-idea (optional)
    ↓
    Creates PROJECT_BRIEF.md
    ↓
PLANNING PHASE
/plan-project (reads PROJECT_BRIEF.md if exists)
    ↓
    Creates IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md + SESSION.md
    ↓
EXECUTION PHASE
Work on phases
    ↓
/wrap-session (when context full)
    ↓
    Updates SESSION.md, git checkpoint
    ↓
/continue-session (new session)
    ↓
    Loads SESSION.md, continues work
    ↓
/plan-feature (when need new features)
    ↓
    Adds phases to IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md
    ↓
Continue wrap → resume cycle
    ↓
CONTEXT PRESERVATION
/brief (before clearing context)
    ↓
    Creates docs/brief-[slug].md
    ↓
/reflect (capture learnings)
    ↓
    Routes knowledge to rules, docs, CLAUDE.md
    ↓
RELEASE PHASE
/release (when ready to publish)
    ↓
    Safety checks → GitHub release

HELPER
/workflow (anytime)
    ↓
    Interactive guidance
```

---

## Time Savings Breakdown

| Command | Time Saved | Tasks Automated |
|---------|------------|-----------------|
| `/explore-idea` | 10-15 min | Research, validation, scope management, tech stack evaluation |
| `/plan-project` | 5-7 min | Planning doc generation, git setup, phase structuring |
| `/plan-feature` | 7-10 min | Feature planning, phase integration, doc updates |
| `/wrap-session` | 2-3 min | SESSION.md updates, git checkpoint, handoff summary |
| `/continue-session` | 1-2 min | Context loading, git history review, next action display |
| `/workflow` | Instant | Navigation, decision trees, command selection |
| `/release` | 10-15 min | Secret scanning, doc validation, build testing, release creation |
| `/brief` | 3-5 min | Context extraction, decisions capture, markdown generation |
| `/reflect` | 5-10 min | Learning extraction, knowledge routing, automation suggestions |

**Total per project lifecycle:** 45-70 minutes

---

## Prerequisites

**All**: Claude Code CLI, git repo (recommended)

**/plan-feature**: Existing SESSION.md + IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md

**/wrap-session, /continue-session**: SESSION.md (created by /plan-project)

**/release**: Git repo with commits, package.json (Node.js), remote URL (for publishing)

---

## Troubleshooting

**/plan-project "No project description"**: Use /explore-idea first or discuss project with Claude

**/plan-feature "Prerequisites not met"**: Run /plan-project first (creates SESSION.md + IMPLEMENTATION_PHASES.md)

**/wrap-session "No git repository"**: Run `git init`

**/continue-session "SESSION.md not found"**: Run /plan-project

**/release "Secrets detected"**: Add to .gitignore, remove from git history

---

## Version History

**1.1.0** (2026-01-11)
- Added `/brief` command for context preservation
- Added `/reflect` command for capturing operational knowledge
- `/reflect` now suggests custom agents for processes requiring reasoning
- Total commands: 9

**1.0.0** (2025-11-12)
- Initial release
- 7 integrated slash commands
- Plugin marketplace distribution
- Command bundling via plugin.json

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**Issues**: https://github.com/jezweb/claude-skills/issues | **Author**: Jeremy Dawes (jeremy@jezweb.net) | **License**: MIT