# Skill Budget

> Grant budget spreadsheet generation with forcing questions. Invoke for budget tasks.

- Skill: `benbrastmckie/skill-budget-2` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add benbrastmckie/skill-budget-2`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/benbrastmckie/skill-budget-2/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Data & Analytics
- Author: benbrastmckie (https://skillmd.com/u/benbrastmckie)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/benbrastmckie/skill-budget-2

---


# Budget Skill

Thin wrapper that routes grant budget spreadsheet requests to the `budget-agent`.

**IMPORTANT**: This skill implements the skill-internal postflight pattern. After the subagent returns,
this skill handles all postflight operations (status update, artifact linking, git commit) before returning.

## Context References

Reference (do not load eagerly):
- Path: `.claude/context/formats/return-metadata-file.md` - Metadata file schema
- Path: `.claude/context/patterns/postflight-control.md` - Marker file protocol
- Path: `.claude/context/patterns/file-metadata-exchange.md` - File I/O helpers
- Path: `.claude/context/patterns/jq-escaping-workarounds.md` - jq escaping patterns (Issue #1132)

Note: This skill is a thin wrapper with internal postflight. Context is loaded by the delegated agent.

## Trigger Conditions

This skill activates when:

### Direct Invocation
- User explicitly runs `/budget` command with task number
- User runs `/research` on a task with language "present" and task_type "budget"

### Implicit Invocation (during task implementation)

When an implementing agent encounters any of these patterns:

**Plan step language patterns**:
- "Create grant budget spreadsheet"
- "Build budget with F&A calculation"
- "Generate NIH/NSF budget"
- "Grant budget with salary cap"

**Target mentions**:
- "grant budget"
- "NIH budget"
- "NSF budget"
- "F&A calculation"
- "indirect cost budget"

### When NOT to trigger

Do not invoke for:
- Budget narrative/justification text (use skill-grant with --budget)
- General cost breakdowns (use skill-spreadsheet from founder)
- Market sizing or revenue projections

---

## Execution Flow

### Stage 1: Input Validation

Validate required inputs:
- `task_number` - Must be provided and exist in state.json
- `mode` - Optional, one of: MODULAR, DETAILED, NSF, FOUNDATION, SBIR

```bash
# Lookup task
task_data=$(jq -r --argjson num "$task_number" \
  '.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == $num)' \
  specs/state.json)

# Validate exists
if [ -z "$task_data" ]; then
  return error "Task $task_number not found"
fi

# Extract fields
task_type=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.task_type // "present"')
status=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.status')
project_name=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.project_name')
description=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.description // ""')

# Extract pre-gathered forcing_data (if present)
forcing_data=$(echo "$task_data" | jq -r '.forcing_data // null')
pre_gathered_mode=$(echo "$forcing_data" | jq -r '.mode // null' 2>/dev/null)

# Validate mode if provided
if [ -n "$mode" ]; then
  case "$mode" in
    MODULAR|DETAILED|NSF|FOUNDATION|SBIR) ;;
    *) return error "Invalid mode: $mode. Must be MODULAR, DETAILED, NSF, FOUNDATION, or SBIR" ;;
  esac
fi
```

---

### Stage 2 + Stage 3: Preflight Status Update and Postflight Marker

Source `skill-base.sh` once, then follow `@.claude/context/patterns/skill-preflight-flow.md` in
full for Stage 2 (preflight status update) and Stage 3 (marker creation):

```bash
source .claude/scripts/skill-base.sh
padded_num=$(printf "%03d" "$task_number")
skill_name="skill-budget"
operation="research"
```

---

### Stage 4: Prepare Delegation Context

Include pre-gathered forcing_data when available:

```json
{
  "task_context": {
    "task_number": N,
    "project_name": "{project_name}",
    "description": "{description}",
    "task_type": "present",
    "task_type": "budget"
  },
  "forcing_data": {
    "mode": "{pre_gathered_mode}",
    "project_period": "{pre_gathered_period}",
    "direct_cost_cap": "{pre_gathered_cap}",
    "gathered_at": "{timestamp}"
  },
  "mode": "MODULAR|DETAILED|NSF|FOUNDATION|SBIR or use forcing_data.mode",
  "metadata_file_path": "specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/.return-meta.json",
  "metadata": {
    "session_id": "sess_{timestamp}_{random}",
    "delegation_depth": 1,
    "delegation_path": ["orchestrator", "budget", "skill-budget"]
  }
}
```

**Note**: If `forcing_data` is present from STAGE 0 of /budget command, pass it to the agent.
The agent will use pre-gathered data and only ask follow-up questions for missing details.

---

### Stage 5: Invoke Agent

**CRITICAL**: You MUST use the **Agent** tool to spawn the agent.

**Required Tool Invocation**:
```
Tool: Agent (NOT Skill, NOT Plan)
Parameters:
  - subagent_type: "budget-agent"
  - prompt: [Include task_context, forcing_data, mode, metadata_file_path, metadata]
  - description: "Grant budget spreadsheet generation"
```

The agent will:
- Use pre-gathered forcing_data if available (skip already-answered questions)
- Present mode selection only if not pre-selected
- Ask follow-up forcing questions for budget details
- Generate multi-year XLSX with native Excel formulas
- Export JSON metrics
- Create research report at specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/reports/
- Write metadata file
- Return brief text summary

---

### Stage 5b: Self-Execution Fallback

**CRITICAL**: If you performed the work above WITHOUT using the Agent tool (i.e., you read files,
wrote artifacts, or updated metadata directly instead of spawning a subagent), you MUST write a
`.return-meta.json` file now before proceeding to postflight. Use the schema from
`return-metadata-file.md` with the appropriate status value for this operation.

If you DID use the Agent tool, skip this stage -- the subagent already wrote the metadata.

---

## Postflight (ALWAYS EXECUTE)

The following stages MUST execute after work is complete, whether the work was done by a
subagent or inline (Stage 5b). Do NOT skip these stages for any reason.

### Stage 6: Parse Subagent Return

```bash
padded_num=$(printf "%03d" "$task_number")
metadata_file="specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.return-meta.json"

if [ -f "$metadata_file" ] && jq empty "$metadata_file" 2>/dev/null; then
    status=$(jq -r '.status' "$metadata_file")
    artifacts=$(jq -r '.artifacts' "$metadata_file")
else
    status="failed"
fi
```

---

### Stage 7: Update Task Status (Postflight)

If status is "researched", update state.json and TODO.md.

**Update state.json**:
```bash
bash .claude/scripts/state-write.sh \
  '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == $num)) |= . + {
    status: $status,
    last_updated: $ts
  }' \
  --session-id "$session_id" \
  --argjson num "$task_number" \
  --arg ts "$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" \
  --arg status "researched"
```

**Update TODO.md**: Use Edit tool to change status marker to `[RESEARCHED]`.

---

### Stage 8: Link Artifacts

Add artifacts to state.json with summaries.

**IMPORTANT**: Use two-step jq pattern to avoid escaping issues.

```bash
# For each artifact type (research, spreadsheet, metrics)
for artifact in $(echo "$artifacts" | jq -c '.[]'); do
    path=$(echo "$artifact" | jq -r '.path')
    type=$(echo "$artifact" | jq -r '.type')
    summary=$(echo "$artifact" | jq -r '.summary')

    # Step 1: Filter out existing artifacts of same type (use "| not" pattern)
    bash .claude/scripts/state-write.sh \
      '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == $num)).artifacts =
        [(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == $num)).artifacts // [] | .[] | select(.type == $type | not)]' \
      --session-id "$session_id" \
      --argjson num "$task_number" \
      --arg type "$type"

    # Step 2: Add new artifact
    bash .claude/scripts/state-write.sh \
      '(.active_projects[] | select(.project_number == $num)).artifacts += [{"path": $path, "type": $type, "summary": $summary}]' \
      --session-id "$session_id" \
      --argjson num "$task_number" \
      --arg path "$path" \
      --arg type "$type" \
      --arg summary "$summary"
done
```

**Update TODO.md**: Link artifact using count-aware format.

Apply the four-case Edit logic from `@.claude/context/patterns/artifact-linking-todo.md`
with `field_name=**Research**`, `next_field=**Plan**`.

---

### Stage 9: Git Commit

Apply the `research` scope from `.claude/context/standards/git-staging-scope.md` — targeted
staging, never a repo-wide add:

```bash
git add \
  "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/reports/" \
  "specs/${padded_num}_${project_name}/.return-meta.json" \
  "specs/TODO.md" \
  "specs/state.json"
git commit -m "task ${task_number}: complete research

Session: ${session_id}
```

---

### Stage 10: Cleanup

Follow `@.claude/context/patterns/skill-postflight-flow.md`'s Stage 9 (cleanup):

```bash
skill_cleanup "$padded_num" "$project_name"
```

---

### Stage 11: Return Brief Summary

```
Grant budget research completed for task {N}:
- Mode: {mode}, {questions_asked} forcing questions completed
- Funder: {funder_type}, {num_years}-year project
- Personnel: {count} ({roles})
- Year 1 direct costs: ${year1_direct}
- Total project cost: ${total}
- Pre-gathered data used: {yes/no}
- Spreadsheet: specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/grant-budget.xlsx
- Research report: specs/{NNN}_{SLUG}/reports/{NN}_{short-slug}.md
- Status updated to [RESEARCHED]
- Changes committed
- Next: Run /plan {N} to create implementation plan
```

---

## MUST NOT (Postflight Boundary)

After the agent returns -- whether with status researched, partial, or failed -- this skill MUST
proceed immediately to postflight (Stage 6). The skill MUST NOT:

1. **Edit source/report files** - All research work is done by agent
2. **Run domain analysis or calculations** - Analysis is agent work
3. **Use MCP or WebSearch tools** - Research tools are for agent use only
4. **Analyze or grep source** - Analysis is agent work
5. **Write reports** - Artifact creation is done by agent

> **PROHIBITION**: If the subagent returned partial or failed status, the lead skill MUST NOT
> attempt to continue, complete, or "fill in" the subagent's work. Report the partial/failed
> status and let the user re-run `/research` to resume.

The postflight phase is LIMITED TO:
- Reading agent metadata file
- Calling `update-task-status.sh` for status updates (state.json + TODO.md)
- Linking artifacts in state.json
- Git commit
- Cleanup of temp/marker files

Reference: @.claude/context/standards/postflight-tool-restrictions.md

---

## Return Format

Brief text summary (NOT JSON).

---

## Error Handling

### Input Validation Errors
Return immediately if task not found.

### Metadata File Missing
Keep status as "researching" for resume.

### User Abandonment
Return partial status with progress made.

### Git Commit Failure
Non-blocking: Log failure but continue.