Sync CLI Skill

Sync CLI Skill

Synchronize the skills/base44-cli/ skill with the latest CLI source code from the Base44 CLI repository using git-based change detection.

Usage

When activated, this skill will ask for:

1. CLI source folder path (required) - The local path to the Base44 CLI source code (must be a git repository)

How It Works

This skill uses git to efficiently detect changes:

1. Reads the locally stored version from CLI_VERSION (e.g., v0.0.17)
2. Compares against the CLI source repository to find changed command files
3. Only processes commands that have actually changed

Steps

Step 1: Gather Input

Ask the user for the CLI source folder path using the AskQuestion tool if available, otherwise ask conversationally:

Required:

• CLI source folder path (e.g., ~/projects/base44-cli or /Users/me/base44-cli)

If the user provided this in the initial prompt, use that value.

Step 2: Validate Source Folder and Discover Structure

1. Check that the provided path exists and is a git repository (.git/ directory exists)
2. Check for package.json with CLI-related content
3. Discover the commands directory - look for directories containing command files:
   • Common patterns: src/cli/commands/, src/commands/, commands/, lib/commands/
   • Look for files with .command( or program.command patterns
4. Identify the CLI source root - the parent directory containing both commands and shared code

Store these discovered paths for use in subsequent steps:

• <commands-path>: Path to commands directory (e.g., src/cli/commands)
• <cli-root>: Path to CLI source root (e.g., src/cli)

If validation fails or structure is unclear, ask the user to clarify.

Step 3: Read Local Version and Detect Changes

1. Read the stored version from CLI_VERSION in the skills repository root (e.g., v0.0.17)

2. Get changed command files using git in the CLI source folder:

   # From the CLI source folder, list command files changed since the stored version
   git diff --name-only <stored-version> HEAD -- <commands-path>
   

   If the stored version tag doesn't exist, fall back to:

   # List all command files if tag is missing
   git ls-files <commands-path>
   

3. Get infrastructure changes (CLI source root excluding commands):

   # From the CLI source folder, list infra files changed since the stored version
   git diff --name-only <stored-version> HEAD -- <cli-root> | grep -v "<commands-path>"
   

4. Present findings to the user before proceeding:

   Found X changed command files since vX.X.X:
   - <commands-path>/deploy.ts
   - <commands-path>/entities/push.ts
   - <commands-path>/auth/login.ts
   
   Found Y infrastructure changes (may affect all commands):
   - <cli-root>/utils/api-client.ts
   - <cli-root>/config/defaults.ts
   

5. If no changes detected (neither commands nor infra): Report "No changes since version X" and exit

Step 4: Check Infrastructure Changes

Before processing individual commands, review any infrastructure changes that may affect all commands:

What to Look For

Review each changed non-command file and categorize by impact type:

Note: The actual file structure varies by CLI. Discover the structure by examining the git diff output rather than assuming specific paths.

How to Handle Infra Changes

1. Read each changed infra file to understand what changed
2. Identify cross-cutting impacts:
   • New global options → Update SKILL.md "Global Options" section
   • Changed defaults → Note in affected command references
   • Auth flow changes → Update auth-related references
   • New environment variables → Document in SKILL.md
   • API endpoint changes → May affect multiple commands
3. Flag for SKILL.md update if the change affects:
   • How users configure the CLI
   • Prerequisites or setup steps
   • Error messages users might see
   • Output format

Example Infrastructure Change

Changed file: (some config/defaults file)

Before:
  export const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 30000;
  
After:
  export const DEFAULT_TIMEOUT = 60000;

Impact: All commands now have 60s timeout instead of 30s
Action: Update SKILL.md "Configuration" or "Troubleshooting" section

Step 5: Process Each Changed Command

For each changed command file, perform the following steps:

Step 5a: Route Command to the Correct Skill

Commands are split across skills by concern. Before reading or updating a reference, determine which skill owns the command.

Known command routing:

For new/unknown commands, reason about ownership based on the command's purpose:

If a new command's purpose is ambiguous, read its source code and ask: "Would a developer use this to build/manage the app, or to investigate/debug it?" Route accordingly. When genuinely unclear, ask the user.

Use the target skill's references/ folder for reading and writing reference files, and update that skill's SKILL.md command table accordingly.

Step 5b: Read Existing Skill Reference

Read the corresponding reference file from the target skill's references/ folder:

skills/base44-cli/                      <- project management commands
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    ├── auth-login.md      <- for <commands-path>/auth/login.ts
    ├── auth-logout.md
    ├── auth-whoami.md
    ├── create.md          <- for <commands-path>/create.ts
    ├── deploy.md
    ├── entities-create.md <- for <commands-path>/entities/create.ts
    ├── entities-push.md
    ├── functions-create.md
    ├── functions-deploy.md
    ├── rls-examples.md
    └── site-deploy.md

skills/base44-troubleshooter/           <- troubleshooting commands
├── SKILL.md
└── references/
    └── project-logs.md    <- for <commands-path>/logs.ts (or similar)

Mapping rule: <commands-path>/{parent}/{name}.ts → references/{parent}-{name}.md

If no reference file exists for a new command, note it for creation in the appropriate skill.

Step 5c: Compare Source with Documentation

Compare the CLI source code with the existing skill documentation:

Extract from Source

Parse the command file to extract:

• Command name and aliases
• Description/help text
• Available options and flags (name, alias, description, default, required, type)
• Usage examples (if present)
• Subcommands

Detect Changes

Identify differences:

Command-Level:

1. New commands (source exists, no reference file)
2. Changed command descriptions

Option/Argument-Level (CRITICAL): 3. New options added 4. Removed options 5. Changed option descriptions 6. Changed option defaults 7. Changed option types (e.g., string to boolean) 8. Changed required status 9. Changed option aliases (e.g., -f to -F) 10. Option converted to positional argument (e.g., create -n my-app → create my-app) 11. Positional argument converted to option (e.g., create my-app → create -n my-app)

Detecting Option ↔ Positional Changes:

Look for these patterns in Commander.js:

• Named option: .option('-n, --name <value>', 'description') or .requiredOption(...)
• Positional argument: .argument('<name>', 'description') or in command definition .command('create <name>')

When an option disappears but a positional argument with similar semantics appears (or vice versa), flag this as a breaking change that affects how users invoke the command.

Document the Comparison

Command: deploy (<commands-path>/deploy.ts)

Source options:
  --force (-f): Force deployment [boolean, default: false]
  --env <name>: Target environment [string, required]

Documented options (references/deploy.md):
  --force (-f): Force deploy without confirmation [boolean, default: false]  
  --env <name>: Environment name [string, optional]

Changes detected:
  - --force: description changed
  - --env: required status changed (required vs optional)

Command: create (<commands-path>/create.ts)

Source (current):
  Positional: <name> - The app name [required]
  Options: --template (-t): Template to use [string, optional]

Documented (references/create.md):
  Options:
    -n, --name <name>: The app name [string, required]
    --template (-t): Template to use [string, optional]

Changes detected:
  - BREAKING: --name (-n) option converted to positional argument <name>
    Old syntax: npx base44 create -n my-app
    New syntax: npx base44 create my-app

Step 5d: Update Reference File

Update or create references/{command-name}.md with the following format:

# base44 {command}

{Description from source}

## Syntax

```bash
npx base44 {command} [options]

Options

Examples

{example usage from source}

Notes

{Any important behavioral notes}

### Step 6: Update Main Skill Files (if needed)

After processing all changed commands, update the SKILL.md of each affected skill:

**For `skills/base44-cli/SKILL.md`** (project management commands):
1. Update the **Available Commands** tables if commands were added/removed
2. Update **Quick Start** if workflow changed
3. Update **Common Workflows** sections if relevant

**For `skills/base44-troubleshooter/SKILL.md`** (troubleshooting commands):
1. Update the **Available Commands** table if troubleshooting commands were added/removed
2. Update the **Troubleshooting Flow** if command behavior changed

**General rules:**
- Keep the existing structure and formatting of each skill
- Do NOT change the frontmatter description unless explicitly asked

### Step 6b: Flag base44-sandbox for review

The `skills/base44-sandbox/` skill (the cloud-sandbox flavor) is **hand-authored** and self-contained — it carries its own concise guidelines and links out to `base44-cli`'s references rather than copying them, so this sync does not edit it automatically. If this sync changed the backend-function authoring conventions in `skills/base44-cli/references/functions-create.md` (directory layout, `function.jsonc` shape, entry-point conventions, naming rules), **flag `skills/base44-sandbox/SKILL.md` for manual review** in the summary so its inline guidance can be updated to match.

### Step 7: Update CLI_VERSION and Skill Frontmatter

After successfully updating all changed commands:

1. Get the current version/commit from the CLI source:
   ```bash
   # Get latest tag, or HEAD commit if no tags
   git describe --tags --always

2. Update CLI_VERSION in the skills repository root with the new version (e.g., v0.0.47)

3. Update metadata.sourcePackage in skills/base44-cli/SKILL.md frontmatter. Set name to base44 (the npm package being synced) and version to the new version without the v prefix (e.g., 0.0.47). Example:

   metadata:
     sourcePackage:
       name: base44
       version: 0.0.47
   

   This allows the Base44 CLI to detect when installed skills are out of date.

Step 8: Present Summary

After all updates, present a summary to the user:

## Sync Summary

### Version Updated
- Previous: v0.0.17
- Current: v0.0.20

### Changed Command Files Processed
- <commands-path>/deploy.ts
- <commands-path>/entities/push.ts

### Infrastructure Changes Reviewed
- (list infra files from git diff output)
- Example: config.ts (timeout increased to 60s)
- Example: api-client.ts (no user-facing changes)

### Files Updated
- references/deploy.md (updated options)
- references/entities-push.md (updated description)
- SKILL.md (updated command table, added timeout note)
- CLI_VERSION (v0.0.17 → v0.0.20)
- skills/base44-cli/SKILL.md frontmatter metadata.sourcePackage.version (0.0.17 → 0.0.20)

### Breaking Changes (highlight prominently)
- `create`: `-n, --name` option converted to positional argument
  - Old: `npx base44 create -n my-app`
  - New: `npx base44 create my-app`

### Option Changes
- `deploy --env`: now required (was optional)
- `entities push --dry-run`: default changed from true to false

### New Commands
- (none)

### Removed Commands  
- (none)

### Manual Review Recommended
- [List any changes that need verification]

Important Notes

• Git-based detection: This skill relies on git tags/commits to detect changes. Ensure the CLI source folder is a valid git repository.
• Preserve existing content: Don't remove detailed explanations, examples, or warnings unless they're outdated
• Keep formatting consistent: Match the existing style of SKILL.md and reference files
• Maintain progressive disclosure: Keep detailed docs in references, summaries in SKILL.md
• Flag uncertainties: If source code is unclear, flag it for manual review
• Respect RLS/FLS docs: The entities-create.md and rls-examples.md contain hand-written security documentation - update carefully

Troubleshooting