# Debt Ops Add

> 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".

- Skill: `bcanfield/debt-ops-add-2` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add bcanfield/debt-ops-add-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/bcanfield/debt-ops-add-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: bcanfield (https://skillmd.com/u/bcanfield)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/bcanfield/debt-ops-add-2

---


# 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

```bash
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.