/debt-ops:add — register a tech-debt entry
Call register.py via Bash. The helper writes the entry under the repo's detected registry dir (default docs/debt/), assigns a short batch letter (A, B, C…), and prints exactly one line: +1 entry: <slug> (<letter>). That stdout IS the user-facing announcement — add no commentary before or after.
The call
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/add/scripts/register.py \
--slug <slug> \
--principal <effort, e.g. 2d, 1w, unknown> \
--interest <ongoing cost, e.g. "+30min/incident", unknown> \
--hotspot <path or module, e.g. pricing/engine.ts, unknown> \
--business-capability <e.g. checkout, billing, unknown> \
--payoff-trigger <concrete trigger, or "unknown"> \
--quadrant <reckless-inadvertent|reckless-deliberate|prudent-inadvertent|prudent-deliberate> \
--category <migration|documentation|testing|code_quality|dead_code|code_rot|expertise|release|infrastructure|planning> \
--ai-authored <true|false> <<'EOF'
<body: 2-5 sentences — what the debt is, why it exists, observed symptoms>
EOF
The helper:
- Generates the timestamp
id itself (no date call needed).
- Resolves filename collisions when two registrations land in the same second.
- Tracks the letter mapping in
$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA/cache/<repo-hash>/current-turn.txt so the user can drop by letter.
Slug
1–4 word kebab-case label of what the debt is. Examples: cancelled-promotion-callback, legacy-auth-shim, unfinished-rate-limiter. Keep it short — the body carries the context.
Schema notes
- Quadrant (Fowler):
reckless-inadvertent (didn't know better), reckless-deliberate (knew, did it anyway), prudent-inadvertent (learned afterward), prudent-deliberate (deliberate, with a payoff plan).
- Category (Google / Jaspan-Green): pick the closest match.
- payoff_trigger: unknown is first-class. Don't manufacture a trigger to fill the field —
unknown ages into stale review and that's the point.
- ai_authored: true is the leading behavioral signal — be honest.
Drops
drop A, drop A,C, drop all — the user types this; a UserPromptSubmit hook deletes the matching entries and surfaces a one-line confirmation. You don't act on those.drop it or drop <slug> — you delete it yourself: rm <registry-dir>/<id>-<slug>.md (the registry dir named in Discipline 3; default docs/debt/). Treat dropping as cheap — over-registering is the intended posture.
Don't
- Don't ask the developer for confirmation before writing. Discipline 1 says "no permission prompt; just do it."
- Don't use the
Write tool to create the file directly — letter assignment depends on going through register.py.
- Don't echo or paraphrase the helper's output. The Bash tool result is already visible to the user.
- Don't fill
payoff_trigger with a guess to seem certain.
1---2name: add3description: Register a deferred decision in the debt registry. Trigger by judgment, not a marker scan, whenever a future reader would ask "why this way?": an unmade decision, stub, loosened type, bypassed check, swallowed error, a default picked "for now", or a TODO/FIXME/HACK/XXX marker. Trigger immediately whenever you defer work, or when the user invokes /debt-ops:add. Over-register freely; the developer drops with "drop A", "drop A,C", or "drop all".4---56# /debt-ops:add — register a tech-debt entry78Call `register.py` via Bash. The helper writes the entry under the repo's detected registry dir (default `docs/debt/`), assigns a short batch letter (A, B, C…), and prints exactly one line: `+1 entry: <slug> (<letter>)`. That stdout IS the user-facing announcement — add no commentary before or after.910## The call1112```bash13python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/add/scripts/register.py \14 --slug <slug> \15 --principal <effort, e.g. 2d, 1w, unknown> \16 --interest <ongoing cost, e.g. "+30min/incident", unknown> \17 --hotspot <path or module, e.g. pricing/engine.ts, unknown> \18 --business-capability <e.g. checkout, billing, unknown> \19 --payoff-trigger <concrete trigger, or "unknown"> \20 --quadrant <reckless-inadvertent|reckless-deliberate|prudent-inadvertent|prudent-deliberate> \21 --category <migration|documentation|testing|code_quality|dead_code|code_rot|expertise|release|infrastructure|planning> \22 --ai-authored <true|false> <<'EOF'23<body: 2-5 sentences — what the debt is, why it exists, observed symptoms>24EOF25```2627The helper:28- Generates the timestamp `id` itself (no `date` call needed).29- Resolves filename collisions when two registrations land in the same second.30- Tracks the letter mapping in `$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA/cache/<repo-hash>/current-turn.txt` so the user can drop by letter.3132## Slug33341–4 word kebab-case label of what the debt is. Examples: `cancelled-promotion-callback`, `legacy-auth-shim`, `unfinished-rate-limiter`. Keep it short — the body carries the context.3536## Schema notes3738- **Quadrant** (Fowler): `reckless-inadvertent` (didn't know better), `reckless-deliberate` (knew, did it anyway), `prudent-inadvertent` (learned afterward), `prudent-deliberate` (deliberate, with a payoff plan).39- **Category** (Google / Jaspan-Green): pick the closest match.40- **payoff_trigger: unknown** is first-class. Don't manufacture a trigger to fill the field — `unknown` ages into stale review and that's the point.41- **ai_authored: true** is the leading behavioral signal — be honest.4243## Drops4445- `drop A`, `drop A,C`, `drop all` — the user types this; a UserPromptSubmit hook deletes the matching entries and surfaces a one-line confirmation. You don't act on those.46- `drop it` or `drop <slug>` — you delete it yourself: `rm <registry-dir>/<id>-<slug>.md` (the registry dir named in Discipline 3; default `docs/debt/`). Treat dropping as cheap — over-registering is the intended posture.4748## Don't4950- Don't ask the developer for confirmation before writing. Discipline 1 says "no permission prompt; just do it."51- Don't use the `Write` tool to create the file directly — letter assignment depends on going through `register.py`.52- Don't echo or paraphrase the helper's output. The Bash tool result is already visible to the user.53- Don't fill `payoff_trigger` with a guess to seem certain.
bcanfield