Repo Doctor
Scores a repository against the agentic-quality doctrine — the cross-repo standard
in rules/agentic-quality.md for code, comments,
docs, and structure that a cold agent session can navigate. The rule says what good
looks like; this skill measures a repo against it and maps each gap to its fix.
Read-only. The scorer never writes; remediation is always a separate, deliberate step.
Quick start
python scripts/repo-doctor.py # audit cwd, human panel
python scripts/repo-doctor.py --repo X:/path/to/repo # audit another repo
python scripts/repo-doctor.py --json | jq .data.grade # machine-readable
python scripts/repo-doctor.py --strict # CI gate: exit 10 below B
Six dimensions, 0–5 each, weighted into a letter grade:
| Dimension |
Measures |
Weight |
entry_docs |
AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md present · Landmines section · length budget (~250 lines) · freshness in commits-since-touched |
2.0 |
docs_health |
README · docs/ index when >6 files · ghost links in the index |
1.5 |
comments |
contract blocks on the largest source files · section markers in files >400 lines |
2.0 |
structure |
monster files (>800 warn, >1500 crit; generated exempt) · repo-root junk |
2.0 |
enforcement |
tests · CI · single check entry point · invariant gate scripts |
1.5 |
doc_pairing |
fraction of recent feat/fix commits touching a *.md in the same commit |
1.0 |
Full rubric — what each check means, thresholds, and the fix for every finding:
references/scoring-rubric.md.
Audit workflow
- Run the scorer on the target repo. On cp1252/plain terminals it degrades to
ASCII automatically; nothing is written.
- Read findings top-down — they're sorted crit → warn → info. Facts (monster-file
list, pairing ratio, entry-doc age) ride in
--json under .data.facts.
- Verify before acting. The scorer is heuristic: a flagged 900-line file may be a
justified single-writer module (then it needs the guard comment + section map + gate,
not a split); a "stale" AGENTS.md may describe code that genuinely didn't change.
Confirm each finding against the repo before proposing work.
- Remediate via the owning skill (below) — repo-doctor diagnoses, it does not
operate. Batch fixes into small commits: entry-doc fixes first (highest leverage),
then indexes, then guard comments, then splits.
- Re-run to confirm the grade moved. For fleets, loop the scorer over repo roots
with
--json and tabulate grades.
Remediation map — who owns each fix
| Finding |
Owner |
| Missing/weak AGENTS.md, multi-platform doc mess |
doc-scanner (generate/consolidate), template: assets/AGENTS-template.md |
| Missing docs index |
Write from assets/docs-index-template.md |
| Monster file needs splitting |
refactor-ops (extract-module patterns, circular-dep cautions) |
| Monster file is justified |
Guard comment + section map + a scripts/check-* invariant gate (pattern in references/comment-doctrine.md) |
| Missing/weak comments |
references/comment-doctrine.md — contract blocks, WHY-only, guard comments, citations |
| Decisions undocumented |
adr-ops |
| Stale PLAN/roadmap |
project-planner |
| Code-level debt (duplication, dead code, security) |
techdebt — deliberately NOT scored here |
| New repo from scratch |
scaffold + the two templates in assets/ |
Boundary: repo-doctor audits repo-level conventions; techdebt scans code-level
debt; review/code-review judge diffs. Don't blur the three.
Interpreting the two entry-doc questions
AGENTS.md vs CLAUDE.md — AGENTS.md is the single source of truth (open standard,
read by all agent tooling). CLAUDE.md is legitimate only as a pointer or as
Claude-specific deltas maintained in lockstep. The scorer flags apparent duplication;
the decision tree and the one known-good dual-file pattern are in
references/entry-docs.md.
Nested entry docs — nest only where a subsystem has its own contract (design-system
package, determinism-bound engine, per-tool CLI); root file carries an ownership table
linking each. Anatomy, length budgets, Landmines guidance, freshness discipline: same
reference.
Monorepos
For large multi-subsystem repos the audit shifts: the root entry doc is judged as a
router (invariants + ownership table), each contracted package needs its own entry
doc and check, and cross-package invariants need mechanical gates, not prose. The
full playbook — boundaries, navigation aids, extraction signals, parallel-agent
(worktree) interplay, and the split-the-repo decision — is
references/monorepo-structure.md. Run the scorer
per-package as well as at root; a healthy root with a failing core package is the
common monorepo blind spot.
Resources
| Resource |
What it owns |
| scripts/repo-doctor.py |
The scorer: six dimensions, findings, grade; --json envelope claude-mods.repo-doctor/v1; --strict CI gate |
| references/scoring-rubric.md |
Every check: what it measures, threshold, why, and the fix |
| references/comment-doctrine.md |
Contract blocks, WHY-only inline, guard comments, section markers, format-at-site, citations — with good/bad examples |
| references/entry-docs.md |
AGENTS.md anatomy + Landmines, AGENTS-vs-CLAUDE decision, nesting policy, freshness discipline |
| references/monorepo-structure.md |
Structuring very large monorepos for agentic development |
| assets/AGENTS-template.md |
Entry-doc skeleton with mandatory Landmines section |
| assets/docs-index-template.md |
docs/00_INDEX.md skeleton with the two anti-rot rules baked in |
1---2name: repo-doctor3description: Audit any repo against the agentic-quality doctrine — score entry docs, structure, and enforcement gates, then map each finding to its fix. Triggers on: repo doctor, repo audit, agentic quality, is this repo agent-friendly, doc drift, stale AGENTS.md, monorepo structure, nested CLAUDE.md.4license: MIT5---67# Repo Doctor89Scores a repository against the **agentic-quality doctrine** — the cross-repo standard10in [rules/agentic-quality.md](../../rules/agentic-quality.md) for code, comments,11docs, and structure that a cold agent session can navigate. The rule says *what good12looks like*; this skill measures a repo against it and maps each gap to its fix.1314Read-only. The scorer never writes; remediation is always a separate, deliberate step.1516## Quick start1718```bash19python scripts/repo-doctor.py # audit cwd, human panel20python scripts/repo-doctor.py --repo X:/path/to/repo # audit another repo21python scripts/repo-doctor.py --json | jq .data.grade # machine-readable22python scripts/repo-doctor.py --strict # CI gate: exit 10 below B23```2425Six dimensions, 0–5 each, weighted into a letter grade:2627| Dimension | Measures | Weight |28|---|---|---|29| `entry_docs` | AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md present · Landmines section · length budget (~250 lines) · freshness in **commits-since-touched** | 2.0 |30| `docs_health` | README · docs/ index when >6 files · ghost links in the index | 1.5 |31| `comments` | contract blocks on the largest source files · section markers in files >400 lines | 2.0 |32| `structure` | monster files (>800 warn, >1500 crit; generated exempt) · repo-root junk | 2.0 |33| `enforcement` | tests · CI · single `check` entry point · invariant gate scripts | 1.5 |34| `doc_pairing` | fraction of recent feat/fix commits touching a `*.md` in the same commit | 1.0 |3536Full rubric — what each check means, thresholds, and the fix for every finding:37[references/scoring-rubric.md](references/scoring-rubric.md).3839## Audit workflow40411. **Run the scorer** on the target repo. On cp1252/plain terminals it degrades to42 ASCII automatically; nothing is written.432. **Read findings top-down** — they're sorted crit → warn → info. Facts (monster-file44 list, pairing ratio, entry-doc age) ride in `--json` under `.data.facts`.453. **Verify before acting.** The scorer is heuristic: a flagged 900-line file may be a46 justified single-writer module (then it needs the guard comment + section map + gate,47 not a split); a "stale" AGENTS.md may describe code that genuinely didn't change.48 Confirm each finding against the repo before proposing work.494. **Remediate via the owning skill** (below) — repo-doctor diagnoses, it does not50 operate. Batch fixes into small commits: entry-doc fixes first (highest leverage),51 then indexes, then guard comments, then splits.525. **Re-run to confirm** the grade moved. For fleets, loop the scorer over repo roots53 with `--json` and tabulate grades.5455## Remediation map — who owns each fix5657| Finding | Owner |58|---|---|59| Missing/weak AGENTS.md, multi-platform doc mess | `doc-scanner` (generate/consolidate), template: [assets/AGENTS-template.md](assets/AGENTS-template.md) |60| Missing docs index | Write from [assets/docs-index-template.md](assets/docs-index-template.md) |61| Monster file needs splitting | `refactor-ops` (extract-module patterns, circular-dep cautions) |62| Monster file is *justified* | Guard comment + section map + a `scripts/check-*` invariant gate (pattern in [references/comment-doctrine.md](references/comment-doctrine.md)) |63| Missing/weak comments | [references/comment-doctrine.md](references/comment-doctrine.md) — contract blocks, WHY-only, guard comments, citations |64| Decisions undocumented | `adr-ops` |65| Stale PLAN/roadmap | `project-planner` |66| Code-level debt (duplication, dead code, security) | `techdebt` — deliberately NOT scored here |67| New repo from scratch | `scaffold` + the two templates in assets/ |6869Boundary: repo-doctor audits **repo-level conventions**; `techdebt` scans **code-level70debt**; `review`/code-review judge **diffs**. Don't blur the three.7172## Interpreting the two entry-doc questions7374**AGENTS.md vs CLAUDE.md** — AGENTS.md is the single source of truth (open standard,75read by all agent tooling). CLAUDE.md is legitimate only as a pointer or as76Claude-specific *deltas* maintained in lockstep. The scorer flags apparent duplication;77the decision tree and the one known-good dual-file pattern are in78[references/entry-docs.md](references/entry-docs.md).7980**Nested entry docs** — nest only where a subsystem has its own contract (design-system81package, determinism-bound engine, per-tool CLI); root file carries an ownership table82linking each. Anatomy, length budgets, Landmines guidance, freshness discipline: same83reference.8485## Monorepos8687For large multi-subsystem repos the audit shifts: the root entry doc is judged as a88*router* (invariants + ownership table), each contracted package needs its own entry89doc and `check`, and cross-package invariants need mechanical gates, not prose. The90full playbook — boundaries, navigation aids, extraction signals, parallel-agent91(worktree) interplay, and the split-the-repo decision — is92[references/monorepo-structure.md](references/monorepo-structure.md). Run the scorer93per-package as well as at root; a healthy root with a failing core package is the94common monorepo blind spot.9596## Resources9798| Resource | What it owns |99|---|---|100| [scripts/repo-doctor.py](scripts/repo-doctor.py) | The scorer: six dimensions, findings, grade; `--json` envelope `claude-mods.repo-doctor/v1`; `--strict` CI gate |101| [references/scoring-rubric.md](references/scoring-rubric.md) | Every check: what it measures, threshold, why, and the fix |102| [references/comment-doctrine.md](references/comment-doctrine.md) | Contract blocks, WHY-only inline, guard comments, section markers, format-at-site, citations — with good/bad examples |103| [references/entry-docs.md](references/entry-docs.md) | AGENTS.md anatomy + Landmines, AGENTS-vs-CLAUDE decision, nesting policy, freshness discipline |104| [references/monorepo-structure.md](references/monorepo-structure.md) | Structuring very large monorepos for agentic development |105| [assets/AGENTS-template.md](assets/AGENTS-template.md) | Entry-doc skeleton with mandatory Landmines section |106| [assets/docs-index-template.md](assets/docs-index-template.md) | `docs/00_INDEX.md` skeleton with the two anti-rot rules baked in |