Scaffold CI CD

CI/CD Scaffold (sub-skill of /deliver-stage)

This skill is the orchestrator for the CI/CD baseline. It does not write workflows itself — it dispatches eight specialized agents that each own one slice of the scaffold work. The orchestrator's job is detection, sequencing, user-input gating, and walking the completion checklist.

Reference Files

Subagent Roster

Each agent lives in its own file under ./agents/. Read the file before dispatching.

The PR template (Phase 3D) is small enough that the orchestrator writes it directly from the templates file — no agent is needed.

Inputs and Preconditions

• Repository exists with at least one app or package directory.
• Clean git working tree on main, OR explicit user OK to proceed dirty.
• gh CLI installed and authenticated (needed for PR + branch protection).
• A package manager (pnpm preferred) installed.

Scenarios

scaffold-discovery reports already_present_scaffold_artifacts; the orchestrator uses that list to decide which Phase 3 sub-blocks to dispatch.

Workflow

Phase 0 — Discovery (parallel)

Dispatch in one batch:

1. scaffold-discovery — package manager, framework, monorepo tooling, existing workflows, DB presence
2. framework-detector — E2E framework choice + target apps

Phase 1 — Clarifying Questions (Plan Mode)

Before any write, switch to Plan Mode and ask up to 5 focused questions:

1. Which app(s) are critical paths for E2E?
2. Should CI run on PR only, or PR + push to main?
3. Which suites are required blockers (@feature, @regression-core, @visual, full)?
4. Are deployments gated on green E2E checks?
5. Any restricted environments/secrets needed in CI?

Always provide a recommended answer in available options.

Wait for answers before continuing.

Phase 2 — Branch Setup

• Create a dedicated branch: chore/scaffold-ci-cd.
• Never scaffold CI directly on main / master.
• Keep this PR minimal: baseline quality + smoke E2E only. No product features.

Phase 3 — Implementation (sub-blocks A–F, sequential)

Each sub-block dispatches its agent, waits for the structured return, and commits before moving to the next.

After each sub-block A–F, run a spec-compliance + code-quality review pass (reuse deliver-stage/agents/spec-reviewer.md and deliver-stage/agents/quality-reviewer.md). Fix findings before moving to the next sub-block. Sub-block G is a deterministic file write and does not need a review pass.

Sub-block G — Append CI/CD operational rules to the project rules file

The orchestrator (no subagent dispatch — this is a small, deterministic write similar to sub-block D's PR template):

1. Locate the project rules file. If plan-phases ran first, the file already exists at CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md per Q12, with a placeholder section labeled "CI/CD Operational Rules — populated by scaffold-ci-cd" written by the rules-assembler agent.
2. If the placeholder is present, replace its body with the contents of references/prd-ci-cd-checklist.md (preserving the [ ] checkbox format verbatim — these are runtime gates the user and every agent walk on every PR, not one-time scaffold checks).
3. If the placeholder is absent (e.g. the project skipped plan-phases and ran /scaffold-ci-cd directly as an escape hatch), append a new section to the project rules file:

   <!-- bytheslice: ci-cd-operational-rules-start -->
   ## CI/CD Operational Rules
   
   These rules govern how master-checklist updates, CI gates, and PR shape interact across every ByTheSlice run. They apply to every agent on every PR — not only to the one-time CI/CD scaffolding.
   
   <!-- contents of references/prd-ci-cd-checklist.md, verbatim -->
   <!-- bytheslice: ci-cd-operational-rules-end -->
   

4. Idempotent re-runs. If the section markers already exist, replace the body in place; never duplicate the section. User-edited content between the markers should be surfaced as a conflict via HITL destructive_operation rather than overwritten silently.
5. If neither CLAUDE.md nor AGENTS.md exists at the project root, create CLAUDE.md with just this section plus a one-line precedence header. Surface to the user that a fuller rules file should ideally be assembled by /plan-phases.

Phase 4 — Local Verification Gates

Dispatch local-gates-runner to run lint, typecheck, design-system check, unit/integration, and all three E2E suites. The first run also generates initial visual baselines.

If any gate fails, fix on the same branch before proceeding. The Husky pre-push hook will enforce these on push automatically.

Phase 5 — PR + CI/CD

1. Push chore/scaffold-ci-cd to remote.
2. Open the PR via git-commit-push-pr / new-branch-and-pr skill if available; otherwise gh pr create. PR description must list every artifact created.
3. Wait for CI to complete. If any required check fails, patch on the same branch and push until green.
4. Once CI is green, merge.

Phase 6 — Closeout

1. After merge, update local main: git checkout main && git pull --ff-only origin main.
2. Delete the local branch: git branch -d chore/scaffold-ci-cd.
3. Delete the remote branch if not auto-deleted: git push origin --delete chore/scaffold-ci-cd.
4. Verify git status is clean on main.
5. Remind the user (once) to run scripts/setup-branch-protection.sh to enable required status checks on main.
6. Walk the Completion Checklist below and confirm every box is [x].

Final Output Format

After Phase 6, report:

1. Files created / updated (grouped: workflows, husky, pr template, scripts, tests, eslint/stylelint, package.json scripts).
2. CI triggers and required status checks.
3. Local verification commands and outcomes.
4. Confirmed presence of all scaffold artifacts (see checklist below).
5. PR URL and merged commit SHA.
6. Recommended next E2E flows to add (handed to deliver-stage).
7. Reminder: run scripts/setup-branch-protection.sh once to enable required status checks on main.

Hard Constraints

• Never scaffold CI directly on main / master. Always use chore/scaffold-ci-cd.
• Never weaken or remove existing workflows. This skill adds; it does not subtract. If existing workflows conflict, surface to the user and stop.
• Completion checklist is mandatory. The scaffold is not "done" until every box is [x].
• Sub-skill contract. When invoked as a type: ci-cd stage by deliver-stage, this skill is the entire stage. After completion, mark the stage Completed in docs/plans/00_master_checklist.md.
• Subagent prompts live in ./agents/*.md. This SKILL.md is workflow only — never inline subagent prompts here.
• No platform-specific rule references. Do not write "cursor rules" or "claude rules" — use "rules file (cursor or claude)" if the distinction matters, or simply "project rules file".

Triggers

Follow this skill whenever the user:

• runs /scaffold-ci-cd (escape hatch)
• says "scaffold ci/cd", "set up CI", "bootstrap quality gates", "set up Playwright + GitHub Actions"
• has deliver-stage reach a type: ci-cd stage in the master checklist (auto-dispatch)

If the repo already has the baseline, stop and recommend /bytheslice:deliver-stage instead.

Completion Checklist

Run this checklist at the end of every run. Do not consider the scaffold "done" until every box is [x].

1. Scaffold Artifacts Present

[ ] .husky/pre-push exists and is executable (includes check:design-system in gate chain). [ ] .github/pull_request_template.md exists with E2E attestation, design-system-compliance, and visual-diff checklist items. [ ] .github/workflows/ci.yml exists (full job order: typecheck → lint → design-system-compliance → unit tests → integration tests → @feature → @regression-core → @visual → db-schema-drift if applicable → build). [ ] .github/workflows/design-system-compliance.yml exists (regex sweep → eslint-plugin-tailwindcss → stylelint). [ ] .github/workflows/e2e.yml exists (@feature + @regression-core + @visual jobs with artifact upload on failure). [ ] .github/workflows/e2e-coverage.yml exists (path-diff job named E2E / coverage-check; blocks on unreviewed visual diffs). [ ] .github/workflows/db-schema-drift.yml exists IF project has DB, is absent if no DB detected. [ ] scripts/setup-branch-protection.sh exists and is executable (includes all new required checks). [ ] .eslintrc.json (or equivalent) has eslint-plugin-tailwindcss config additions. [ ] .stylelintrc.json exists with CSS-file token checks. [ ] .gitignore excludes playwright-report/, test-results/, .playwright/, and Vizzly diff artifacts. [ ] Project rules file (CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md) has a "CI/CD Operational Rules" section populated verbatim from references/prd-ci-cd-checklist.md, delimited by the <!-- bytheslice: ci-cd-operational-rules-{start,end} --> markers, so every later stage skill picks up the runtime guardrails automatically.

2. Test Suites and Scripts Present

[ ] package.json (root) has scripts: test:e2e, test:e2e:feature, test:e2e:regression, test:e2e:visual, check:design-system. [ ] At least one @feature-tagged smoke spec exists. [ ] At least one @regression-core-tagged sentinel spec exists. [ ] Canary @visual tests exist — one per viewport (375 / 768 / 1280 / 1920). [ ] tests/visual/baselines/ directory is committed (may be empty on first scaffold; Vizzly populates on first run). [ ] Playwright (or detected E2E framework) is installed and lockfile updated. [ ] If a monorepo task runner exists (turbo.json / nx.json), the new E2E tasks are wired into it.

3. Local Gates Green

[ ] pnpm lint (or detected equivalent) passes. [ ] pnpm typecheck passes. [ ] pnpm check:design-system passes. [ ] pnpm test (unit/integration) passes. [ ] pnpm test:e2e:feature passes locally. [ ] pnpm test:e2e:regression passes locally. [ ] pnpm test:e2e:visual passes locally (baselines generated or confirmed up-to-date). [ ] Husky pre-push hook fires on push (verify with a dry-run or trial push).

4. PR Created and Submitted

[ ] All work happened on branch chore/scaffold-ci-cd — never on main. [ ] PR opened via git-commit-push-pr / new-branch-and-pr skill or gh pr create. [ ] PR description lists every artifact created. [ ] PR is targeted at main and is not draft.

5. CI/CD Passing on the PR

[ ] All required GitHub Actions checks have completed (no pending / queued). [ ] Every required check is green. No skipped checks counted as passing. [ ] If any check failed: read failing job logs, patch on chore/scaffold-ci-cd, push, repeat until all checks pass. [ ] Final CI run reflects the latest commit on the PR head, not a stale SHA.

6. Branch Cleanup and Return to Main

Only after CI is fully green and the PR is merged.

[ ] PR merged into main. [ ] Local main updated: git checkout main && git pull --ff-only origin main. [ ] Confirm scaffold commits are present on main (git log --oneline | head). [ ] Local chore/scaffold-ci-cd branch deleted: git branch -d chore/scaffold-ci-cd. [ ] Remote chore/scaffold-ci-cd deleted: git push origin --delete chore/scaffold-ci-cd (skip if auto-deleted). [ ] If a worktree was used: git worktree remove <path> and git worktree prune. [ ] Final git status shows clean tree on main. [ ] User reminded once to run scripts/setup-branch-protection.sh. [ ] If invoked as a type: ci-cd stage by deliver-stage, docs/plans/00_master_checklist.md row flipped to Completed.

Done Criteria

The scaffold is delivered only when:

1. All six sections above are fully checked.
2. The orchestrator is back on main with a clean working tree.
3. All scaffold artifacts are present and committed on main.
4. CI passed on the merged PR head SHA.