debt-ops-add — register a tech-debt entry
Call the bundled register.py via your shell tool. It lives in this skill's
scripts/ directory — reference it with the relative path below (your agent
resolves it against the skill root). 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 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
~/.cache/debt-ops/cache/<repo-hash>/current-turn.txt
(override the base with DEBT_OPS_CACHE) 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 — on tools with a debt-ops hook adapter this is
handled automatically. Without an adapter (skills-only tool), delete the matching
entry yourself: read ~/.cache/debt-ops/cache/<repo-hash>/current-turn.txt for
the letter → filename mapping, then rm <registry-dir>/<filename>.drop it or drop <slug> — delete it yourself:
rm <registry-dir>/<id>-<slug>.md (default registry dir docs/debt/). Treat
dropping as cheap — over-registering is the intended posture.
Don't
- Don't ask the developer for confirmation before writing. The discipline is "no
permission prompt; just do it."
- Don't write the file directly with an editor tool — letter assignment depends on
going through
register.py.
- Don't echo or paraphrase the helper's output. The shell tool result is already
visible to the user.
- Don't fill
payoff_trigger with a guess to seem certain.
1---2name: debt-ops-add-23description: Register a deferred decision in the tech-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 asks to log/register tech debt. 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 the bundled `register.py` via your shell tool. It lives in this skill's9`scripts/` directory — reference it with the relative path below (your agent10resolves it against the skill root). The helper writes the entry under the repo's11detected registry dir (default `docs/debt/`), assigns a short batch letter12(A, B, C…), and prints exactly one line: `+1 entry: <slug> (<letter>)`. That13stdout IS the user-facing announcement — add no commentary before or after.1415## The call1617```bash18python3 scripts/register.py \19 --slug <slug> \20 --principal <effort, e.g. 2d, 1w, unknown> \21 --interest <ongoing cost, e.g. "+30min/incident", unknown> \22 --hotspot <path or module, e.g. pricing/engine.ts, unknown> \23 --business-capability <e.g. checkout, billing, unknown> \24 --payoff-trigger <concrete trigger, or "unknown"> \25 --quadrant <reckless-inadvertent|reckless-deliberate|prudent-inadvertent|prudent-deliberate> \26 --category <migration|documentation|testing|code_quality|dead_code|code_rot|expertise|release|infrastructure|planning> \27 --ai-authored <true|false> <<'EOF'28<body: 2-5 sentences — what the debt is, why it exists, observed symptoms>29EOF30```3132The helper:33- Generates the timestamp `id` itself (no `date` call needed).34- Resolves filename collisions when two registrations land in the same second.35- Tracks the letter mapping in `~/.cache/debt-ops/cache/<repo-hash>/current-turn.txt`36 (override the base with `DEBT_OPS_CACHE`) so the user can drop by letter.3738## Slug39401–4 word kebab-case label of what the debt is. Examples:41`cancelled-promotion-callback`, `legacy-auth-shim`, `unfinished-rate-limiter`.42Keep it short — the body carries the context.4344## Schema notes4546- **Quadrant** (Fowler): `reckless-inadvertent` (didn't know better),47 `reckless-deliberate` (knew, did it anyway), `prudent-inadvertent` (learned48 afterward), `prudent-deliberate` (deliberate, with a payoff plan).49- **Category** (Google / Jaspan-Green): pick the closest match.50- **payoff_trigger: unknown** is first-class. Don't manufacture a trigger to fill51 the field — `unknown` ages into stale review and that's the point.52- **ai_authored: true** is the leading behavioral signal — be honest.5354## Drops5556- `drop A`, `drop A,C`, `drop all` — on tools with a debt-ops hook adapter this is57 handled automatically. Without an adapter (skills-only tool), delete the matching58 entry yourself: read `~/.cache/debt-ops/cache/<repo-hash>/current-turn.txt` for59 the letter → filename mapping, then `rm <registry-dir>/<filename>`.60- `drop it` or `drop <slug>` — delete it yourself:61 `rm <registry-dir>/<id>-<slug>.md` (default registry dir `docs/debt/`). Treat62 dropping as cheap — over-registering is the intended posture.6364## Don't6566- Don't ask the developer for confirmation before writing. The discipline is "no67 permission prompt; just do it."68- Don't write the file directly with an editor tool — letter assignment depends on69 going through `register.py`.70- Don't echo or paraphrase the helper's output. The shell tool result is already71 visible to the user.72- Don't fill `payoff_trigger` with a guess to seem certain.
bcanfield