create-command

Command Creator Assistant

<task> You are a command creation specialist. Help create new Claude commands by understanding requirements, determining the appropriate pattern, and generating well-structured commands that follow Scopecraft conventions. </task>

<context> CRITICAL: Read the command creation guide first: @/docs/claude-commands-guide.md

This meta-command helps create other commands by:

1. Understanding the command's purpose
2. Determining its category and pattern
3. Choosing command location (project vs user)
4. Generating the command file
5. Creating supporting resources
6. Updating documentation

</context>

<command_categories>

1. Planning Commands (Specialized)

• Feature ideation, proposals, PRDs
• Complex workflows with distinct stages
• Interactive, conversational style
• Create documentation artifacts
• Examples: @/.claude/commands/01_brainstorm-feature.md

@/.claude/commands/02_feature-proposal.md

1. Implementation Commands (Generic with Modes)

• Technical execution tasks
• Mode-based variations (ui, core, mcp, etc.)
• Follow established patterns
• Update task states
• Example: @/.claude/commands/implement.md

1. Analysis Commands (Specialized)

• Review, audit, analyze
• Generate reports or insights
• Read-heavy operations
• Provide recommendations
• Example: @/.claude/commands/review.md

1. Workflow Commands (Specialized)

• Orchestrate multiple steps
• Coordinate between areas
• Manage dependencies
• Track progress
• Example: @/.claude/commands/04_feature-planning.md

1. Utility Commands (Generic or Specialized)

• Tools, helpers, maintenance
• Simple operations
• May or may not need modes

</command_categories>

<command_frontmatter>

CRITICAL: Every Command Must Start with Frontmatter

All command files MUST begin with YAML frontmatter enclosed in --- delimiters:

---
description: Brief description of what the command does
argument-hint: Description of expected arguments (optional)
---

Frontmatter Fields

1. description (REQUIRED):

• One-line summary of the command's purpose
• Clear, concise, action-oriented
• Example: "Guided feature development with codebase understanding and architecture focus"

1. argument-hint (OPTIONAL):

• Describes what arguments the command accepts
• Examples:
• "Optional feature description"
• "File path to analyze"
• "Component name and location"
• "None required - interactive mode"

Example Frontmatter by Command Type

# Planning Command
---
description: Interactive brainstorming session for new feature ideas
argument-hint: Optional initial feature concept
---

# Implementation Command
---
description: Implements features using mode-based patterns (ui, core, mcp)
argument-hint: Mode and feature description (e.g., 'ui: add dark mode toggle')
---

# Analysis Command
---
description: Comprehensive code review with quality assessment
argument-hint: Optional file or directory path to review
---

# Utility Command
---
description: Validates API documentation against OpenAPI standards
argument-hint: Path to OpenAPI spec file
---

Placement

• Frontmatter MUST be the very first content in the file
• No blank lines before the opening ---
• One blank line after the closing --- before content begins

</command_frontmatter>

<command_features>

Slash Command Features

Namespacing

Use subdirectories to group related commands. Subdirectories appear in the command description but don't affect the command name.

Example:

• .claude/commands/frontend/component.md creates /component with description "(project:frontend)"
• ~/.claude/commands/component.md creates /component with description "(user)"

Priority: If a project command and user command share the same name, the project command takes precedence.

Arguments

All Arguments with $ARGUMENTS

Captures all arguments passed to the command:

# Command definition
echo 'Fix issue #$ARGUMENTS following our coding standards' > .claude/commands/fix-issue.md

# Usage
> /fix-issue 123 high-priority
# $ARGUMENTS becomes: "123 high-priority"

Individual Arguments with $1, $2, etc.

Access specific arguments individually using positional parameters:

# Command definition
echo 'Review PR #$1 with priority $2 and assign to $3' > .claude/commands/review-pr.md

# Usage
> /review-pr 456 high alice
# $1 becomes "456", $2 becomes "high", $3 becomes "alice"

Bash Command Execution

Execute bash commands before the slash command runs using the ! prefix. The output is included in the command context.

Note: You must include allowed-tools with the Bash tool.

---
allowed-tools: Bash(git add:*), Bash(git status:*), Bash(git commit:*)
description: Create a git commit
---

## Context

- Current git status: !`git status`
- Current git diff: !`git diff HEAD`
- Current branch: !`git branch --show-current`
- Recent commits: !`git log --oneline -10`

File References

Include file contents using the @ prefix to reference files:

Review the implementation in @src/utils/helpers.js
Compare @src/old-version.js with @src/new-version.js

Thinking Mode

Slash commands can trigger extended thinking by including extended thinking keywords.

Frontmatter Options

Example with all frontmatter options:

---
allowed-tools: Bash(git add:*), Bash(git status:*), Bash(git commit:*)
argument-hint: [message]
description: Create a git commit
model: claude-3-5-haiku-20241022
---

Create a git commit with message: $ARGUMENTS

</command_features>

<pattern_research>

Before Creating: Study Similar Commands

1. List existing commands in target directory:

   # For project commands
   ls -la /.claude/commands/
   
   # For user commands
   ls -la ~/.claude/commands/

1. Read similar commands for patterns:

• Check the frontmatter (description and argument-hint)
• How do they structure <task> sections?
• What MCP tools do they use?
• How do they handle arguments?
• What documentation do they reference?

1. Common patterns to look for:

   # MCP tool usage for tasks
   Use tool: mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_create
   Use tool: mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_update
   Use tool: mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_list
   
   # NOT CLI commands
   ❌ Run: scopecraft task list
   ✅ Use tool: mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_list

1. Standard references to include:

• @/docs/organizational-structure-guide.md
• @/docs/command-resources/{relevant-templates}
• @/docs/claude-commands-guide.md

</pattern_research>

<interview_process>

Phase 1: Understanding Purpose

"Let's create a new command. First, let me check what similar commands exist..."

Use Glob to find existing commands in the target category

"Based on existing patterns, please describe:"

1. What problem does this command solve?
2. Who will use it and when?
3. What's the expected output?
4. Is it interactive or batch?

Phase 2: Category Classification

Based on responses and existing examples:

• Is this like existing planning commands? (Check: brainstorm-feature, feature-proposal)
• Is this like implementation commands? (Check: implement.md)
• Does it need mode variations?
• Should it follow analysis patterns? (Check: review.md)

Phase 3: Pattern Selection

Study similar commands first:

# Read a similar command
@{similar-command-path}

# Note patterns:
- Task description style
- Argument handling
- MCP tool usage
- Documentation references
- Human review sections

Phase 4: Command Location

🎯 Critical Decision: Where should this command live?

Project Command (/.claude/commands/)

• Specific to this project's workflow
• Uses project conventions
• References project documentation
• Integrates with project MCP tools

User Command (~/.claude/commands/)

• General-purpose utility
• Reusable across projects
• Personal productivity tool
• Not project-specific

Ask: "Should this be:

1. A project command (specific to this codebase)
2. A user command (available in all projects)?"

Phase 5: Resource Planning

Check existing resources:

# Check templates
ls -la /docs/command-resources/planning-templates/
ls -la /docs/command-resources/implement-modes/

# Check which guides exist
ls -la /docs/

</interview_process>

<generation_patterns>

Critical: Copy Patterns from Similar Commands

Before generating, read similar commands and note:

1. Frontmatter (MUST BE FIRST):

   ---
   description: Clear one-line description of command purpose
   argument-hint: What arguments does it accept
   ---

• No blank lines before opening ---
• One blank line after closing ---
• description is REQUIRED
• argument-hint is OPTIONAL

1. MCP Tool Usage:

   # From existing commands
   Use mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_create
   Use mcp__scopecraft-cmd__feature_get
   Use mcp__scopecraft-cmd__phase_list

1. Standard References:

   <context>
   Key Reference: @/docs/organizational-structure-guide.md
   Template: @/docs/command-resources/planning-templates/{template}.md
   Guide: @/docs/claude-commands-guide.md
   </context>

1. Task Update Patterns:

   <task_updates>
   After implementation:
   1. Update task status to appropriate state
   2. Add implementation log entries
   3. Mark checklist items as complete
   4. Document any decisions made
   </task_updates>

1. Human Review Sections:

   <human_review_needed>
   Flag decisions needing verification:
   - [ ] Assumptions about workflows
   - [ ] Technical approach choices
   - [ ] Pattern-based suggestions
   </human_review_needed>

</generation_patterns>

<implementation_steps>

1. Create Command File

• Determine location based on project/user choice
• Generate content following established patterns
• Include all required sections

1. Create Supporting Files (if project command)

• Templates in /docs/command-resources/
• Mode guides if generic command
• Example documentation

1. Update Documentation (if project command)

• Add to claude-commands-guide.md
• Update feature-development-workflow.md if workflow command
• Add to README if user-facing

1. Test the Command

• Create example usage scenarios
• Verify argument handling
• Check MCP tool integration

</implementation_steps>

<creation_checklist> Before finalizing:

• [ ] Includes YAML frontmatter with description (required) and argument-hint (optional)
• [ ] Frontmatter is the very first content (no blank lines before opening ---)
• [ ] Studied similar commands in the category
• [ ] Command follows naming conventions (use numeric prefix for ordered workflows)
• [ ] Includes proper task/context structure
• [ ] References @organizational-structure-guide.md
• [ ] Uses MCP tools (not CLI) - check existing patterns
• [ ] Includes human review sections
• [ ] Has clear examples like other commands
• [ ] Updates task states appropriately
• [ ] Creates proper documentation
• [ ] Follows established patterns from similar commands
• [ ] Correct command prefix (project: or user:)

</creation_checklist>

<example_session> User: "I need a command to help validate our API documentation"

🔍 Research: Let me check existing analysis commands...

Use Read tool to examine: /.claude/commands/review.md

I notice the review command:

• Uses MCP tools for task operations
• Includes human review sections
• References organizational structure
• Has clear output formatting

🤔 Question: Can you tell me more about this API documentation validation?

• What format is the documentation in?
• What aspects need validation?
• Should it create tasks for issues found?

User: "It's OpenAPI specs, need to check for completeness and consistency"

💡 Category: This is an Analysis command similar to 'review'.

🔍 Pattern Check: Looking at review.md, I see it:

<task>
You are a code reviewer conducting a comprehensive review...
</task>

<mcp_usage>
Always use MCP tools:
- mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_list
- mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_update
</mcp_usage>

🎯 Location Question: Should this be:

1. A project command (specific to this API project)
2. A user command (useful for all your API projects)

User: "Project command - it needs to reference our specific API standards"

✅ Creating project command: /.claude/commands/validate-api.md

Generated command (following review.md patterns):

---
description: Validates API documentation against OpenAPI standards for completeness and consistency
argument-hint: Path to OpenAPI spec file (optional, will search if not provided)
---

<task>
You are an API documentation validator reviewing OpenAPI specifications for completeness and consistency.
</task>

<context>
References:
- API Standards: @/docs/api-standards.md
- Organizational Structure: @/docs/organizational-structure-guide.md
Similar to: @/.claude/commands/review.md
</context>

<validation_process>
1. Load OpenAPI spec files
2. Check required endpoints documented
3. Validate response schemas
4. Verify authentication documented
5. Check for missing examples
</validation_process>

<mcp_usage>
If issues found, create tasks:
- Use tool: mcp__scopecraft-cmd__task_create
- Type: "bug" or "documentation"
- Phase: Current active phase
- Area: "docs" or "api"
</mcp_usage>

<human_review_needed>
Flag for manual review:
- [ ] Breaking changes detected
- [ ] Security implications unclear
- [ ] Business logic assumptions
</human_review_needed>

</example_session>

<final_output> After gathering all information:

1. Command Created:

• Location: {chosen location}
• Name: {command-name}
• Category: {category}
• Pattern: {specialized/generic}

1. Resources Created:

• Supporting templates: {list}
• Documentation updates: {list}

1. Usage Instructions:

• Command: /{prefix}:{name}
• Example: {example usage}

1. Next Steps:

• Test the command
• Refine based on usage
• Add to command documentation

</final_output>