tbdflow

name: tbdflow description: Manage Trunk-Based Development workflows using the tbdflow CLI. Use this skill to create short-lived branches, make standardised commits, sync with trunk, merge completed work, and generate changelogs. version: 1.0.0 author: Claes Adamsson tags: - git - trunk-based-development - devops - cli

tbdflow Skill

Overview

This skill enables an AI agent to manage a Trunk-Based Development (TBD) workflow using the tbdflow CLI (v0.18.2).

The skill exists to:

• Enforce short-lived branches
• Standardise commits
• Reduce Git decision-making
• Maintain a fast, safe path back to trunk (main)

tbdflow is the only interface the agent should use for Git workflow actions covered by this skill.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Start work on a task, ticket, or feature
• Commit staged changes
• Sync with trunk or check repository status
• Merge completed work back to main
• See what has changed since the last release
• Log a design decision, failed attempt, or reasoning pivot

Typical trigger phrases include:

• "Start working on…"
• "Commit this"
• "Merge my work"
• "Sync me up"
• "What's new?"
• "Note that…" / "Log this decision"

When Not to Use

Do not use this skill to:

• Create or manage long-lived branches
• Perform manual Git commands outside tbdflow
• Rewrite commit history
• Perform interactive rebases
• Merge without explicit user intent

If an action cannot be performed via tbdflow, explain the limitation instead of falling back to raw Git commands.

Prerequisites

Before invoking any tbdflow command, the agent must verify that the CLI is installed and accessible.

Installation Check

Run the following to confirm availability:

command -v tbdflow && tbdflow --version

If tbdflow is not found, the agent must attempt to install it automatically using one of the strategies below.

Installation Strategies (in order of preference)

1. Cargo Install (requires Rust toolchain)

If cargo is available on the system:

cargo install tbdflow

This downloads the latest release from crates.io and compiles it locally.

2. GitHub Releases (pre-built binary)

If cargo is not available but curl is:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/cladam/tbdflow/releases/latest/download/tbdflow-$(uname -m)-$(uname -s | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]') -o /usr/local/bin/tbdflow
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/tbdflow

Adjust the binary path if /usr/local/bin is not writable (e.g. use ~/.local/bin).

3. Manual Prompt

If neither strategy is viable, inform the user:

tbdflow is not installed. Please install it using one of:

• cargo install tbdflow
• Download a binary from https://github.com/cladam/tbdflow/releases

See the README for details.

Post-Install Verification

After installation, always confirm:

tbdflow --version

If the version is outdated, suggest:

tbdflow update

Instructions

Follow the instructions below exactly. Each capability defines intent, constraints, and decision rules.

1. Standardised Committing

Intent Create a structured, conventional commit on trunk or a short-lived branch.

Staging Behaviour

• tbdflow automatically stages the relevant changes when committing
• The agent must not run git add or any raw Git staging commands
• No explicit staging step is required from the user or the agent

Preconditions

• The working tree contains changes intended for commit
• No unresolved merge conflicts are present

Command

tbdflow commit -t <type> [-s <scope>] -m "<message>" [--issue <issue>] [-b]

Decision Rules

• Allowed commit types:

  • feat, fix, chore, docs, refactor, test, build, ci, perf, revert, style

• Never invent new commit types

• If no type is specified:

  • Default to chore unless behaviour changes

• DoD Checklist: If a .dod.yml file exists in the project root and --no-verify is not passed, an interactive checklist will appear. Unchecked items will result in a TODO: footer being appended to the commit message.

• Use -b / --breaking if the change introduces breaking behaviour

• Use --issue when the user references a ticket ID (JIRA, GitHub, etc.)

Use This When

• The user says “commit”, “save this”, or “check this in”
• The user describes completed work ready to be recorded

2. Creating Short-Lived Branches

Intent Start a new unit of work in a short-lived branch that will be merged back to trunk quickly.

Preconditions

• Working tree is clean or safely stashed
• The task is not exploratory or long-running

Command

tbdflow branch -t <type> -n <name> [--issue <issue>] [-f <from_commit>]

Decision Rules

• Branch naming follows:

  • <type>/<name> or
  • <type>/<issue>-<name>

• If the user provides a task description:

  • Slugify it for the -n parameter

• Use --issue when a ticket ID is available

• Use -f only if the user explicitly asks to branch from a non-HEAD commit

Use This When

• The user says “start working on…”
• A task requires isolation before merging to main

3. Workflow Completion & Integration

Intent Safely merge completed work back into trunk and clean up the branch.

Preconditions

• All intended commits are complete
• The branch is ready to be merged

Command

tbdflow complete -t <type> -n <name>

Decision Rules

• Infer <type> and <name> from:

  1. The current Git branch name
  2. Fallback: the most recent tbdflow branch invocation

• The merge is performed using --no-ff

• Both local and remote branch copies are deleted after merge

Use This When

• The user says “I’m done”, “merge my work”, or “ship this”

4. Syncing & Status

Intent Keep the local workspace aligned with trunk and provide situational awareness.

Commands

tbdflow sync
tbdflow status

Decision Rules

• Use sync to:

  • Pull and rebase from remote
  • Inspect recent history
  • Identify stale branches

• Use status to:

  • Show context-aware Git status, In monorepos, this excludes sub-project directories when at the root.
  • Handle monorepos correctly

Use This When

• The user says "sync", "catch me up", or "what's happening"
• Before committing, merging, or starting new work

5. Radar — Overlap Detection

Intent Proactively detect potential merge conflicts by scanning active remote branches for overlapping work with local changes. The social coding safety net for TBD.

Commands

tbdflow radar

Decision Rules

• Use radar to:

  • Scan all active (unmerged) remote branches
  • Compare their diffs against local uncommitted/staged changes
  • Show who is working on overlapping files (and optionally overlapping lines)
  • Provide actionable social coordination hints

• Radar is also integrated into:

  • tbdflow sync — shows a one-liner warning if overlap is detected
  • tbdflow commit — optionally warns or prompts for confirmation

Detection Levels

Configuration (.tbdflow.yml)

radar:
  enabled: true
  level: file          # file | line
  on_sync: true        # Show warnings during tbdflow sync
  on_commit: warn      # off | warn | confirm
  ignore_patterns: # Files to exclude from overlap detection
    - "*.lock"
    - "*-lock.*"
    - "CHANGELOG.md"

Use This When

• The user says "anyone else working on this?", "check for conflicts", or "radar"
• Before pushing to avoid merge hell
• When collaborating closely with teammates on trunk

6. Undo — The Panic Button

Intent Immediately revert a broken commit on trunk, restoring it to a green state. In TBD, if trunk breaks, you fix it or revert it — there is no middle ground.

Command

tbdflow undo <sha> [--no-push]

Preconditions

• The working tree is clean (no uncommitted changes)
• The commit SHA exists and is on the main branch

Decision Rules

• undo will:

  • Sync with remote (fast-forward only) before reverting
  • Verify the commit exists and is on trunk
  • Create a revert commit using git revert --no-edit
  • Push the revert to the remote (unless --no-push)

• Use --no-push when the user wants to inspect the revert locally before pushing

• The reverted changes remain in Git history and can be re-applied later

• This command only works on commits that are on the main branch

Use This When

• The user says "revert this", "undo that commit", or "trunk is broken"
• A commit on trunk caused a build failure, test regression, or production incident
• The fastest path to green is reverting rather than fixing forward

Pre-Commit Workflow

Always run tbdflow sync before tbdflow commit.

The sync command:

• Pulls and rebases from remote
• Shows current status (wraps git status)
• Ensures the workspace is aligned with trunk

This prevents conflicts and ensures commits are based on the latest trunk state.

Validation & Linting Behaviour

tbdflow enforces workflow correctness using an internal linter. The agent must understand and respect these rules.

Commit Message Rules

Subject Line (-m message)

Commit Body (Optional)

Issue Key (--issue)

Branch Name Rules

Error Handling

If tbdflow rejects input:

1. Read the error message carefully
2. Correct the input based on the rules above
3. Retry with valid parameters
4. Do not fall back to raw Git commands

The agent should prefer generating valid inputs over relying on linter errors.

7. Breadcrumbs — Low-Friction Intent Logging

Intent Capture architectural decisions, failed attempts, or logic pivots during the development process before the final commit.

Breadcrumbs provide a lightweight way to document the why behind code changes — the reasoning that would otherwise be lost between keystrokes.

Command

tbdflow + "<breadcrumb_message>"

Decision Rules

• Use this whenever you pivot your approach (e.g. switching from a Factory to a Trait)
• Use this to document a failed attempt that explains why the final code looks the way it does
• Use this to explain complex logic, patterns, or non-obvious trade-offs
• Do not use this for trivial changes (typos, formatting)
• These notes are automatically appended to the next tbdflow commit body
• Multiple breadcrumbs accumulate and are included in order

Storage & Safety

Breadcrumbs are stored locally in .tbdflow-intent.json at the repository root. This file is never committed — it is consumed and deleted after the next tbdflow commit.

tbdflow automatically ensures .tbdflow-intent.json is listed in .gitignore the first time a breadcrumb is saved. This prevents the git add . staging pattern from accidentally committing raw intent data.

If .gitignore does not exist, it will be created with the entry. If it already contains the entry, no changes are made.

Decision Rules: The Intent Log

Breadcrumbs are not optional decoration — they are the agent's audit trail.

• Log your struggle: if you try an approach and it fails or feels wrong, log it with tbdflow +. This gives the human auditor context on what you didn't do and why.
• Vibe-coding transparency: do not just push a final "perfect" diff. Use breadcrumbs to show the evolution of the logic — the dead ends, the trade-offs, the pivots.
• Minimum expectation: before committing a complex refactor or non-trivial feature, there should be at least 1–2 breadcrumbs explaining the major structural decisions.
• Observability over perfection: a clean diff with zero context is harder to review than a slightly messier one with a clear reasoning trail.

"Velocity is nothing without observability. The trunk is live, the struggle is logged, the audit is parallel."

Agent Behaviour

• Think out loud: use tbdflow + to document your chain of thought during development
• Prefer clarification over assumptions for destructive actions
• Default to the safest operation that preserves trunk integrity
• Treat breadcrumbs as a first-class part of the workflow, not an afterthought

Examples

Use This When

• The agent or user makes a non-trivial design decision mid-flight
• A failed approach informs the final implementation
• The commit message alone would not explain the reasoning

8. Changelog Generation

Intent Summarise changes using structured commit history.

Command

tbdflow changelog [--unreleased] [--from <ref>]

Decision Rules

• Use --unreleased when the user asks "What's new?"
• Use --from <ref> when comparing against a specific tag or version

Use This When

• The user asks for release notes
• The user wants a summary of recent changes

Output Format

• Commands should be executed directly
• Explanations should be concise and factual
• Avoid narrating Git internals unless asked
• Prefer showing the command being run before or alongside results

Examples

Notes

• Treat main (trunk) as sacred
• Prefer safety and clarity over cleverness
• Ask for clarification only when an action could be destructive