gstack/ship/SKILL.md

---
name: ship
version: 1.0.0
description: |
  Ship workflow: detect + merge base branch, run tests, review diff, bump VERSION, update CHANGELOG, commit, push, create PR.
allowed-tools:
  - Bash
  - Read
  - Write
  - Edit
  - Grep
  - Glob
  - AskUserQuestion
---
<!-- AUTO-GENERATED from SKILL.md.tmpl — do not edit directly -->
<!-- Regenerate: bun run gen:skill-docs -->

## Preamble (run first)

```bash
_UPD=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-update-check 2>/dev/null || .claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-update-check 2>/dev/null || true)
[ -n "$_UPD" ] && echo "$_UPD" || true
mkdir -p ~/.gstack/sessions
touch ~/.gstack/sessions/"$PPID"
_SESSIONS=$(find ~/.gstack/sessions -mmin -120 -type f 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
find ~/.gstack/sessions -mmin +120 -type f -delete 2>/dev/null || true
_CONTRIB=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get gstack_contributor 2>/dev/null || true)
_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
echo "BRANCH: $_BRANCH"
```

If output shows `UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>`: read `~/.claude/skills/gstack/gstack-upgrade/SKILL.md` and follow the "Inline upgrade flow" (auto-upgrade if configured, otherwise AskUserQuestion with 4 options, write snooze state if declined). If `JUST_UPGRADED <from> <to>`: tell user "Running gstack v{to} (just updated!)" and continue.

## AskUserQuestion Format

**ALWAYS follow this structure for every AskUserQuestion call:**
1. **Re-ground:** State the project, the current branch (use the `_BRANCH` value printed by the preamble — NOT any branch from conversation history or gitStatus), and the current plan/task. (1-2 sentences)
2. **Simplify:** Explain the problem in plain English a smart 16-year-old could follow. No raw function names, no internal jargon, no implementation details. Use concrete examples and analogies. Say what it DOES, not what it's called.
3. **Recommend:** `RECOMMENDATION: Choose [X] because [one-line reason]`
4. **Options:** Lettered options: `A) ... B) ... C) ...`

Assume the user hasn't looked at this window in 20 minutes and doesn't have the code open. If you'd need to read the source to understand your own explanation, it's too complex.

Per-skill instructions may add additional formatting rules on top of this baseline.

## Contributor Mode

If `_CONTRIB` is `true`: you are in **contributor mode**. You're a gstack user who also helps make it better.

**At the end of each major workflow step** (not after every single command), reflect on the gstack tooling you used. Rate your experience 0 to 10. If it wasn't a 10, think about why. If there is an obvious, actionable bug OR an insightful, interesting thing that could have been done better by gstack code or skill markdown — file a field report. Maybe our contributor will help make us better!

**Calibration — this is the bar:** For example, `$B js "await fetch(...)"` used to fail with `SyntaxError: await is only valid in async functions` because gstack didn't wrap expressions in async context. Small, but the input was reasonable and gstack should have handled it — that's the kind of thing worth filing. Things less consequential than this, ignore.

**NOT worth filing:** user's app bugs, network errors to user's URL, auth failures on user's site, user's own JS logic bugs.

**To file:** write `~/.gstack/contributor-logs/{slug}.md` with **all sections below** (do not truncate — include every section through the Date/Version footer):

```
# {Title}

Hey gstack team — ran into this while using /{skill-name}:

**What I was trying to do:** {what the user/agent was attempting}
**What happened instead:** {what actually happened}
**My rating:** {0-10} — {one sentence on why it wasn't a 10}

## Steps to reproduce
1. {step}

## Raw output
```
{paste the actual error or unexpected output here}
```

## What would make this a 10
{one sentence: what gstack should have done differently}

**Date:** {YYYY-MM-DD} | **Version:** {gstack version} | **Skill:** /{skill}
```

Slug: lowercase, hyphens, max 60 chars (e.g. `browse-js-no-await`). Skip if file already exists. Max 3 reports per session. File inline and continue — don't stop the workflow. Tell user: "Filed gstack field report: {title}"

## Completion Status Protocol

When completing a skill workflow, report status using one of:
- **DONE** — All steps completed successfully. Evidence provided for each claim.
- **DONE_WITH_CONCERNS** — Completed, but with issues the user should know about. List each concern.
- **BLOCKED** — Cannot proceed. State what is blocking and what was tried.
- **NEEDS_CONTEXT** — Missing information required to continue. State exactly what you need.

### Escalation

It is always OK to stop and say "this is too hard for me" or "I'm not confident in this result."

Bad work is worse than no work. You will not be penalized for escalating.
- If you have attempted a task 3 times without success, STOP and escalate.
- If you are uncertain about a security-sensitive change, STOP and escalate.
- If the scope of work exceeds what you can verify, STOP and escalate.

Escalation format:
```
STATUS: BLOCKED | NEEDS_CONTEXT
REASON: [1-2 sentences]
ATTEMPTED: [what you tried]
RECOMMENDATION: [what the user should do next]
```

## Step 0: Detect base branch

Determine which branch this PR targets. Use the result as "the base branch" in all subsequent steps.

1. Check if a PR already exists for this branch:
   `gh pr view --json baseRefName -q .baseRefName`
   If this succeeds, use the printed branch name as the base branch.

2. If no PR exists (command fails), detect the repo's default branch:
   `gh repo view --json defaultBranchRef -q .defaultBranchRef.name`

3. If both commands fail, fall back to `main`.

Print the detected base branch name. In every subsequent `git diff`, `git log`,
`git fetch`, `git merge`, and `gh pr create` command, substitute the detected
branch name wherever the instructions say "the base branch."

---

# Ship: Fully Automated Ship Workflow

You are running the `/ship` workflow. This is a **non-interactive, fully automated** workflow. Do NOT ask for confirmation at any step. The user said `/ship` which means DO IT. Run straight through and output the PR URL at the end.

**Only stop for:**
- On the base branch (abort)
- Merge conflicts that can't be auto-resolved (stop, show conflicts)
- Test failures (stop, show failures)
- Pre-landing review finds ASK items that need user judgment
- MINOR or MAJOR version bump needed (ask — see Step 4)
- Greptile review comments that need user decision (complex fixes, false positives)
- TODOS.md missing and user wants to create one (ask — see Step 5.5)
- TODOS.md disorganized and user wants to reorganize (ask — see Step 5.5)

**Never stop for:**
- Uncommitted changes (always include them)
- Version bump choice (auto-pick MICRO or PATCH — see Step 4)
- CHANGELOG content (auto-generate from diff)
- Commit message approval (auto-commit)
- Multi-file changesets (auto-split into bisectable commits)
- TODOS.md completed-item detection (auto-mark)
- Auto-fixable review findings (dead code, N+1, stale comments — fixed automatically)

---

## Step 1: Pre-flight

1. Check the current branch. If on the base branch or the repo's default branch, **abort**: "You're on the base branch. Ship from a feature branch."

2. Run `git status` (never use `-uall`). Uncommitted changes are always included — no need to ask.

3. Run `git diff <base>...HEAD --stat` and `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` to understand what's being shipped.

---

## Step 2: Merge the base branch (BEFORE tests)

Fetch and merge the base branch into the feature branch so tests run against the merged state:

```bash
git fetch origin <base> && git merge origin/<base> --no-edit
```

**If there are merge conflicts:** Try to auto-resolve if they are simple (VERSION, schema.rb, CHANGELOG ordering). If conflicts are complex or ambiguous, **STOP** and show them.

**If already up to date:** Continue silently.

---

## Step 3: Run tests (on merged code)

**Do NOT run `RAILS_ENV=test bin/rails db:migrate`** — `bin/test-lane` already calls
`db:test:prepare` internally, which loads the schema into the correct lane database.
Running bare test migrations without INSTANCE hits an orphan DB and corrupts structure.sql.

Run both test suites in parallel:

```bash
bin/test-lane 2>&1 | tee /tmp/ship_tests.txt &
npm run test 2>&1 | tee /tmp/ship_vitest.txt &
wait
```

After both complete, read the output files and check pass/fail.

**If any test fails:** Show the failures and **STOP**. Do not proceed.

**If all pass:** Continue silently — just note the counts briefly.

---

## Step 3.25: Eval Suites (conditional)

Evals are mandatory when prompt-related files change. Skip this step entirely if no prompt files are in the diff.

**1. Check if the diff touches prompt-related files:**

```bash
git diff origin/<base> --name-only
```

Match against these patterns (from CLAUDE.md):
- `app/services/*_prompt_builder.rb`
- `app/services/*_generation_service.rb`, `*_writer_service.rb`, `*_designer_service.rb`
- `app/services/*_evaluator.rb`, `*_scorer.rb`, `*_classifier_service.rb`, `*_analyzer.rb`
- `app/services/concerns/*voice*.rb`, `*writing*.rb`, `*prompt*.rb`, `*token*.rb`
- `app/services/chat_tools/*.rb`, `app/services/x_thread_tools/*.rb`
- `config/system_prompts/*.txt`
- `test/evals/**/*` (eval infrastructure changes affect all suites)

**If no matches:** Print "No prompt-related files changed — skipping evals." and continue to Step 3.5.

**2. Identify affected eval suites:**

Each eval runner (`test/evals/*_eval_runner.rb`) declares `PROMPT_SOURCE_FILES` listing which source files affect it. Grep these to find which suites match the changed files:

```bash
grep -l "changed_file_basename" test/evals/*_eval_runner.rb
```

Map runner → test file: `post_generation_eval_runner.rb` → `post_generation_eval_test.rb`.

**Special cases:**
- Changes to `test/evals/judges/*.rb`, `test/evals/support/*.rb`, or `test/evals/fixtures/` affect ALL suites that use those judges/support files. Check imports in the eval test files to determine which.
- Changes to `config/system_prompts/*.txt` — grep eval runners for the prompt filename to find affected suites.
- If unsure which suites are affected, run ALL suites that could plausibly be impacted. Over-testing is better than missing a regression.

**3. Run affected suites at `EVAL_JUDGE_TIER=full`:**

`/ship` is a pre-merge gate, so always use full tier (Sonnet structural + Opus persona judges).

```bash
EVAL_JUDGE_TIER=full EVAL_VERBOSE=1 bin/test-lane --eval test/evals/<suite>_eval_test.rb 2>&1 | tee /tmp/ship_evals.txt
```

If multiple suites need to run, run them sequentially (each needs a test lane). If the first suite fails, stop immediately — don't burn API cost on remaining suites.

**4. Check results:**

- **If any eval fails:** Show the failures, the cost dashboard, and **STOP**. Do not proceed.
- **If all pass:** Note pass counts and cost. Continue to Step 3.5.

**5. Save eval output** — include eval results and cost dashboard in the PR body (Step 8).

**Tier reference (for context — /ship always uses `full`):**
| Tier | When | Speed (cached) | Cost |
|------|------|----------------|------|
| `fast` (Haiku) | Dev iteration, smoke tests | ~5s (14x faster) | ~$0.07/run |
| `standard` (Sonnet) | Default dev, `bin/test-lane --eval` | ~17s (4x faster) | ~$0.37/run |
| `full` (Opus persona) | **`/ship` and pre-merge** | ~72s (baseline) | ~$1.27/run |

---

## Step 3.5: Pre-Landing Review

Review the diff for structural issues that tests don't catch.

1. Read `.claude/skills/review/checklist.md`. If the file cannot be read, **STOP** and report the error.

2. Run `git diff origin/<base>` to get the full diff (scoped to feature changes against the freshly-fetched base branch).

3. Apply the review checklist in two passes:
   - **Pass 1 (CRITICAL):** SQL & Data Safety, LLM Output Trust Boundary
   - **Pass 2 (INFORMATIONAL):** All remaining categories

4. **Classify each finding as AUTO-FIX or ASK** per the Fix-First Heuristic in
   checklist.md. Critical findings lean toward ASK; informational lean toward AUTO-FIX.

5. **Auto-fix all AUTO-FIX items.** Apply each fix. Output one line per fix:
   `[AUTO-FIXED] [file:line] Problem → what you did`

6. **If ASK items remain,** present them in ONE AskUserQuestion:
   - List each with number, severity, problem, recommended fix
   - Per-item options: A) Fix  B) Skip
   - Overall RECOMMENDATION
   - If 3 or fewer ASK items, you may use individual AskUserQuestion calls instead

7. **After all fixes (auto + user-approved):**
   - If ANY fixes were applied: commit fixed files by name (`git add <fixed-files> && git commit -m "fix: pre-landing review fixes"`), then **STOP** and tell the user to run `/ship` again to re-test.
   - If no fixes applied (all ASK items skipped, or no issues found): continue to Step 4.

8. Output summary: `Pre-Landing Review: N issues — M auto-fixed, K asked (J fixed, L skipped)`

   If no issues found: `Pre-Landing Review: No issues found.`

Save the review output — it goes into the PR body in Step 8.

---

## Step 3.75: Address Greptile review comments (if PR exists)

Read `.claude/skills/review/greptile-triage.md` and follow the fetch, filter, classify, and **escalation detection** steps.

**If no PR exists, `gh` fails, API returns an error, or there are zero Greptile comments:** Skip this step silently. Continue to Step 4.

**If Greptile comments are found:**

Include a Greptile summary in your output: `+ N Greptile comments (X valid, Y fixed, Z FP)`

Before replying to any comment, run the **Escalation Detection** algorithm from greptile-triage.md to determine whether to use Tier 1 (friendly) or Tier 2 (firm) reply templates.

For each classified comment:

**VALID & ACTIONABLE:** Use AskUserQuestion with:
- The comment (file:line or [top-level] + body summary + permalink URL)
- `RECOMMENDATION: Choose A because [one-line reason]`
- Options: A) Fix now, B) Acknowledge and ship anyway, C) It's a false positive
- If user chooses A: apply the fix, commit the fixed files (`git add <fixed-files> && git commit -m "fix: address Greptile review — <brief description>"`), reply using the **Fix reply template** from greptile-triage.md (include inline diff + explanation), and save to both per-project and global greptile-history (type: fix).
- If user chooses C: reply using the **False Positive reply template** from greptile-triage.md (include evidence + suggested re-rank), save to both per-project and global greptile-history (type: fp).

**VALID BUT ALREADY FIXED:** Reply using the **Already Fixed reply template** from greptile-triage.md — no AskUserQuestion needed:
- Include what was done and the fixing commit SHA
- Save to both per-project and global greptile-history (type: already-fixed)

**FALSE POSITIVE:** Use AskUserQuestion:
- Show the comment and why you think it's wrong (file:line or [top-level] + body summary + permalink URL)
- Options:
  - A) Reply to Greptile explaining the false positive (recommended if clearly wrong)
  - B) Fix it anyway (if trivial)
  - C) Ignore silently
- If user chooses A: reply using the **False Positive reply template** from greptile-triage.md (include evidence + suggested re-rank), save to both per-project and global greptile-history (type: fp)

**SUPPRESSED:** Skip silently — these are known false positives from previous triage.

**After all comments are resolved:** If any fixes were applied, the tests from Step 3 are now stale. **Re-run tests** (Step 3) before continuing to Step 4. If no fixes were applied, continue to Step 4.

---

## Step 4: Version bump (auto-decide)

1. Read the current `VERSION` file (4-digit format: `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.MICRO`)

2. **Auto-decide the bump level based on the diff:**
   - Count lines changed (`git diff origin/<base>...HEAD --stat | tail -1`)
   - **MICRO** (4th digit): < 50 lines changed, trivial tweaks, typos, config
   - **PATCH** (3rd digit): 50+ lines changed, bug fixes, small-medium features
   - **MINOR** (2nd digit): **ASK the user** — only for major features or significant architectural changes
   - **MAJOR** (1st digit): **ASK the user** — only for milestones or breaking changes

3. Compute the new version:
   - Bumping a digit resets all digits to its right to 0
   - Example: `0.19.1.0` + PATCH → `0.19.2.0`

4. Write the new version to the `VERSION` file.

---

## Step 5: CHANGELOG (auto-generate)

1. Read `CHANGELOG.md` header to know the format.

2. Auto-generate the entry from **ALL commits on the branch** (not just recent ones):
   - Use `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` to see every commit being shipped
   - Use `git diff <base>...HEAD` to see the full diff against the base branch
   - The CHANGELOG entry must be comprehensive of ALL changes going into the PR
   - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
   - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
     - `### Added` — new features
     - `### Changed` — changes to existing functionality
     - `### Fixed` — bug fixes
     - `### Removed` — removed features
   - Write concise, descriptive bullet points
   - Insert after the file header (line 5), dated today
   - Format: `## [X.Y.Z.W] - YYYY-MM-DD`

**Do NOT ask the user to describe changes.** Infer from the diff and commit history.

---

## Step 5.5: TODOS.md (auto-update)

Cross-reference the project's TODOS.md against the changes being shipped. Mark completed items automatically; prompt only if the file is missing or disorganized.

Read `.claude/skills/review/TODOS-format.md` for the canonical format reference.

**1. Check if TODOS.md exists** in the repository root.

**If TODOS.md does not exist:** Use AskUserQuestion:
- Message: "GStack recommends maintaining a TODOS.md organized by skill/component, then priority (P0 at top through P4, then Completed at bottom). See TODOS-format.md for the full format. Would you like to create one?"
- Options: A) Create it now, B) Skip for now
- If A: Create `TODOS.md` with a skeleton (# TODOS heading + ## Completed section). Continue to step 3.
- If B: Skip the rest of Step 5.5. Continue to Step 6.

**2. Check structure and organization:**

Read TODOS.md and verify it follows the recommended structure:
- Items grouped under `## <Skill/Component>` headings
- Each item has `**Priority:**` field with P0-P4 value
- A `## Completed` section at the bottom

**If disorganized** (missing priority fields, no component groupings, no Completed section): Use AskUserQuestion:
- Message: "TODOS.md doesn't follow the recommended structure (skill/component groupings, P0-P4 priority, Completed section). Would you like to reorganize it?"
- Options: A) Reorganize now (recommended), B) Leave as-is
- If A: Reorganize in-place following TODOS-format.md. Preserve all content — only restructure, never delete items.
- If B: Continue to step 3 without restructuring.

**3. Detect completed TODOs:**

This step is fully automatic — no user interaction.

Use the diff and commit history already gathered in earlier steps:
- `git diff <base>...HEAD` (full diff against the base branch)
- `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` (all commits being shipped)

For each TODO item, check if the changes in this PR complete it by:
- Matching commit messages against the TODO title and description
- Checking if files referenced in the TODO appear in the diff
- Checking if the TODO's described work matches the functional changes

**Be conservative:** Only mark a TODO as completed if there is clear evidence in the diff. If uncertain, leave it alone.

**4. Move completed items** to the `## Completed` section at the bottom. Append: `**Completed:** vX.Y.Z (YYYY-MM-DD)`

**5. Output summary:**
- `TODOS.md: N items marked complete (item1, item2, ...). M items remaining.`
- Or: `TODOS.md: No completed items detected. M items remaining.`
- Or: `TODOS.md: Created.` / `TODOS.md: Reorganized.`

**6. Defensive:** If TODOS.md cannot be written (permission error, disk full), warn the user and continue. Never stop the ship workflow for a TODOS failure.

Save this summary — it goes into the PR body in Step 8.

---

## Step 6: Commit (bisectable chunks)

**Goal:** Create small, logical commits that work well with `git bisect` and help LLMs understand what changed.

1. Analyze the diff and group changes into logical commits. Each commit should represent **one coherent change** — not one file, but one logical unit.

2. **Commit ordering** (earlier commits first):
   - **Infrastructure:** migrations, config changes, route additions
   - **Models & services:** new models, services, concerns (with their tests)
   - **Controllers & views:** controllers, views, JS/React components (with their tests)
   - **VERSION + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit

3. **Rules for splitting:**
   - A model and its test file go in the same commit
   - A service and its test file go in the same commit
   - A controller, its views, and its test go in the same commit
   - Migrations are their own commit (or grouped with the model they support)
   - Config/route changes can group with the feature they enable
   - If the total diff is small (< 50 lines across < 4 files), a single commit is fine

4. **Each commit must be independently valid** — no broken imports, no references to code that doesn't exist yet. Order commits so dependencies come first.

5. Compose each commit message:
   - First line: `<type>: <summary>` (type = feat/fix/chore/refactor/docs)
   - Body: brief description of what this commit contains
   - Only the **final commit** (VERSION + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag and co-author trailer:

```bash
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
chore: bump version and changelog (vX.Y.Z.W)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
EOF
)"
```

---

## Step 6.5: Verification Gate

**IRON LAW: NO COMPLETION CLAIMS WITHOUT FRESH VERIFICATION EVIDENCE.**

Before pushing, re-verify if code changed during Steps 4-6:

1. **Test verification:** If ANY code changed after Step 3's test run (fixes from review findings, CHANGELOG edits don't count), re-run the test suite. Paste fresh output. Stale output from Step 3 is NOT acceptable.

2. **Build verification:** If the project has a build step, run it. Paste output.

3. **Rationalization prevention:**
   - "Should work now" → RUN IT.
   - "I'm confident" → Confidence is not evidence.
   - "I already tested earlier" → Code changed since then. Test again.
   - "It's a trivial change" → Trivial changes break production.

**If tests fail here:** STOP. Do not push. Fix the issue and return to Step 3.

Claiming work is complete without verification is dishonesty, not efficiency.

---

## Step 7: Push

Push to the remote with upstream tracking:

```bash
git push -u origin <branch-name>
```

---

## Step 8: Create PR

Create a pull request using `gh`:

```bash
gh pr create --base <base> --title "<type>: <summary>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<bullet points from CHANGELOG>

## Pre-Landing Review
<findings from Step 3.5, or "No issues found.">

## Eval Results
<If evals ran: suite names, pass/fail counts, cost dashboard summary. If skipped: "No prompt-related files changed — evals skipped.">

## Greptile Review
<If Greptile comments were found: bullet list with [FIXED] / [FALSE POSITIVE] / [ALREADY FIXED] tag + one-line summary per comment>
<If no Greptile comments found: "No Greptile comments.">
<If no PR existed during Step 3.75: omit this section entirely>

## TODOS
<If items marked complete: bullet list of completed items with version>
<If no items completed: "No TODO items completed in this PR.">
<If TODOS.md created or reorganized: note that>
<If TODOS.md doesn't exist and user skipped: omit this section>

## Test plan
- [x] All Rails tests pass (N runs, 0 failures)
- [x] All Vitest tests pass (N tests)

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
EOF
)"
```

**Output the PR URL** — this should be the final output the user sees.

---

## Important Rules

- **Never skip tests.** If tests fail, stop.
- **Never skip the pre-landing review.** If checklist.md is unreadable, stop.
- **Never force push.** Use regular `git push` only.
- **Never ask for confirmation** except for MINOR/MAJOR version bumps and pre-landing review ASK items (batched into at most one AskUserQuestion).
- **Always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
- **Date format in CHANGELOG:** `YYYY-MM-DD`
- **Split commits for bisectability** — each commit = one logical change.
- **TODOS.md completion detection must be conservative.** Only mark items as completed when the diff clearly shows the work is done.
- **Use Greptile reply templates from greptile-triage.md.** Every reply includes evidence (inline diff, code references, re-rank suggestion). Never post vague replies.
- **Never push without fresh verification evidence.** If code changed after Step 3 tests, re-run before pushing.
- **The goal is: user says `/ship`, next thing they see is the review + PR URL.**