Gabe-OS Context Awareness Skill

PURPOSE: Prevent loss of Gabe-OS workflow awareness, especially after context-clearing operations like /compact.

When to Activate

This skill should activate in these situations:

1. At Session Start (High Priority)

If this is the beginning of a conversation:

• Check if @gabe-os/specs/ directory exists
• If yes, remind about checking for active specs
• Suggest running /gabe-os/check-context

2. Before Manual Implementation (Critical)

ALWAYS activate before:

• Creating new feature files
• Writing implementation code
• Making structural changes to codebase
• Starting any development work

Check first:

# Does specs directory exist?
ls @gabe-os/specs/ 2>/dev/null

# Are there active specs?
ls @gabe-os/specs/*/tasks.md 2>/dev/null

If specs exist → STOP and remind about workflows!

3. When User Requests Implementation (Critical)

If user says things like:

• "Implement [feature]"
• "Add [functionality]"
• "Create [component/file]"
• "Build [system]"
• "Write [code]"

Before proceeding:

1. Check for existing specs
2. Ask: "Should I use /gabe-os/implement-spec or create new spec?"
3. Don't implement manually without explicit override

4. Likely Post-Compact Indicators (Medium Priority)

Detect potential context loss when:

• User asks basic questions about project state
• User requests status updates
• Conversation seems to start mid-task
• User mentions being "back" or "continuing"

Reminder Template

When activated, display this reminder:

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🚨 GABE-OS WORKFLOW CHECK
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⚠️ Before I proceed, let me verify the current state...

[CHECK RESULTS]

✅ Gabe-OS is installed
✅ Found [X] active specs in @gabe-os/specs/

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🎯 RECOMMENDED APPROACH
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Since active specs exist, I should:

✅ Use /gabe-os/continue-spec to resume existing work
✅ Use /gabe-os/implement-spec for spec-based implementation
✅ Let the implementer agent handle actual coding
✅ Let quality gates enforce standards

❌ NOT implement code manually
❌ NOT skip the spec workflow
❌ NOT bypass quality audits

Would you like me to:
[1] Check full context with /gabe-os/check-context
[2] Continue with existing spec using /gabe-os/continue-spec
[3] View all specs with /gabe-os/main-menu
[4] Proceed with manual implementation anyway (override)

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Check Sequence

Perform these checks in order:

Step 1: Check Installation

[ -f "gabe-os/config.yml" ] && [ -d ".claude/agents/gabe-os/" ]

If false → Gabe-OS not installed, no reminder needed.

Step 2: Check for Specs

ls @gabe-os/specs/ 2>/dev/null

If no specs found → Safe to proceed, but still mention workflows.

Step 3: Check Spec Status

# Count specs
spec_count=$(ls -d @gabe-os/specs/*/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l)

# Check for active (non-complete) specs
active_specs=$(grep -l "\[ \]" @gabe-os/specs/*/tasks.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l)

If active_specs > 0 → HIGH PRIORITY REMINDER!

Step 4: Show Context

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📊 CURRENT STATE
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✅ Gabe-OS: Installed
📁 Specs: [X] total, [Y] active

Active Specs:
  🔄 [Spec 1 name] - [XX]% complete
  🔄 [Spec 2 name] - [XX]% complete

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Use /gabe-os/ commands for these specs!

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Response to Common Scenarios

Scenario A: User Asks to Implement Feature

User: "Add user authentication to the app"

Response:

Before I start, let me check if there's an existing spec for this...

[Checks @gabe-os/specs/]

I found an existing spec: `@gabe-os/specs/2025-11-04-user-authentication/`

Should I:
[1] Resume this spec with /gabe-os/continue-spec
[2] Create a new spec if this is different
[3] View the existing spec details

(I'll use the Gabe-OS workflow, not manual implementation)

Scenario B: User Says "Continue Implementation"

User: "Continue implementing that feature"

Response:

🔍 Checking for active specs...

Found [X] in-progress specs. Which one should I continue?

[List specs with status]

Or run /gabe-os/check-context to see full details.

Scenario C: Fresh Session Start

User: [Starts new session]

Response:

[Silently check for specs]

[IF SPECS EXIST:]
🔍 I see you have [X] active specs. Would you like to:
- /gabe-os/check-context - See current state
- /gabe-os/continue-spec - Resume work
- /gabe-os/main-menu - View dashboard

[IF NO SPECS:]
[Proceed normally, no reminder needed]

Critical Rules

DO:

• ✅ Check for specs BEFORE any implementation
• ✅ Suggest /gabe-os/check-context when uncertain
• ✅ Remind about workflows before manual work
• ✅ Show current spec status when available
• ✅ Offer to use proper commands

DON'T:

• ❌ Implement manually without checking for specs
• ❌ Skip workflow reminders to "save time"
• ❌ Assume no specs exist without checking
• ❌ Proceed without user confirmation when specs exist
• ❌ Forget about quality gates and agents

Integration Points

This skill works with:

• /gabe-os/check-context - Full state verification
• /gabe-os/continue-spec - Resume existing work
• /gabe-os/implement-spec - Spec-based implementation
• /gabe-os/main-menu - Visual dashboard
• implementer agent - Actual implementation work
• code-quality-auditor - Quality enforcement

Priority Levels

CRITICAL (Block immediately):

• User requests implementation AND specs exist
• About to write code when specs directory exists
• Manual file creation when implementer should do it

HIGH (Strongly remind):

• Session start with active specs
• User mentions "continuing" work
• Context loss indicators detected

MEDIUM (Gentle reminder):

• Before any new feature work
• When workflow commands haven't been used
• After long periods of inactivity

LOW (Background check):

• Periodic validation during conversation
• Before major operations

Activation Pattern

IF (user_requests_implementation OR about_to_write_code OR session_start):
    CHECK for specs in @gabe-os/specs/

    IF specs_exist:
        IF active_specs > 0:
            DISPLAY critical_reminder WITH spec_status
            OFFER workflow_options
            WAIT for user_choice
        ELSE:
            MENTION workflows_available
    ELSE:
        PROCEED normally

Success Metrics

This skill is successful when:

• ✅ No manual implementation when specs exist
• ✅ All work goes through implementer agent
• ✅ Quality gates are never bypassed
• ✅ User is always aware of active specs
• ✅ Workflows are followed consistently

Failure Indicators

Watch for these anti-patterns:

• ❌ Writing code directly in chat
• ❌ Creating files without implementer agent
• ❌ Skipping quality audits
• ❌ Forgetting about existing specs
• ❌ Breaking spec → implement → verify flow

When detected, immediately activate this skill!