Tbdflow

tbdflow Skill

Overview

This skill enables an AI agent to manage a Trunk-Based Development (TBD) workflow using the tbdflow CLI (v0.18.2).

The skill exists to:

• Enforce short-lived branches
• Standardise commits
• Reduce Git decision-making
• Maintain a fast, safe path back to trunk (main)

tbdflow is the only interface the agent should use for Git workflow actions covered by this skill.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Start work on a task, ticket, or feature
• Commit staged changes
• Sync with trunk or check repository status
• Merge completed work back to main
• See what has changed since the last release

Typical trigger phrases include:

• “Start working on…”
• “Commit this”
• “Merge my work”
• “Sync me up”
• “What’s new?”

When Not to Use

Do not use this skill to:

• Create or manage long-lived branches
• Perform manual Git commands outside tbdflow
• Rewrite commit history
• Perform interactive rebases
• Merge without explicit user intent

If an action cannot be performed via tbdflow, explain the limitation instead of falling back to raw Git commands.

Instructions

Follow the instructions below exactly. Each capability defines intent, constraints, and decision rules.

1. Standardised Committing

Intent Create a structured, conventional commit on trunk or a short-lived branch.

Staging Behaviour

• tbdflow automatically stages the relevant changes when committing
• The agent must not run git add or any raw Git staging commands
• No explicit staging step is required from the user or the agent

Preconditions

• The working tree contains changes intended for commit
• No unresolved merge conflicts are present

Command

tbdflow commit -t <type> [-s <scope>] -m "<message>" [--issue <issue>] [-b]

Decision Rules

• Allowed commit types:

  • feat, fix, chore, docs, refactor, test, build, ci, perf, revert, style

• Never invent new commit types

• If no type is specified:

  • Default to chore unless behaviour changes

• DoD Checklist: If a .dod.yml file exists in the project root and --no-verify is not passed, an interactive checklist will appear. Unchecked items will result in a TODO: footer being appended to the commit message.

• Use -b / --breaking if the change introduces breaking behaviour

• Use --issue when the user references a ticket ID (JIRA, GitHub, etc.)

Use This When

• The user says “commit”, “save this”, or “check this in”
• The user describes completed work ready to be recorded

2. Creating Short-Lived Branches

Intent Start a new unit of work in a short-lived branch that will be merged back to trunk quickly.

Preconditions

• Working tree is clean or safely stashed
• The task is not exploratory or long-running

Command

tbdflow branch -t <type> -n <name> [--issue <issue>] [-f <from_commit>]

Decision Rules

• Branch naming follows:

  • <type>/<name> or
  • <type>/<issue>-<name>

• If the user provides a task description:

  • Slugify it for the -n parameter

• Use --issue when a ticket ID is available

• Use -f only if the user explicitly asks to branch from a non-HEAD commit

Use This When

• The user says “start working on…”
• A task requires isolation before merging to main

3. Workflow Completion & Integration

Intent Safely merge completed work back into trunk and clean up the branch.

Preconditions

• All intended commits are complete
• The branch is ready to be merged

Command

tbdflow complete -t <type> -n <name>

Decision Rules

• Infer <type> and <name> from:

  1. The current Git branch name
  2. Fallback: the most recent tbdflow branch invocation

• The merge is performed using --no-ff

• Both local and remote branch copies are deleted after merge

Use This When

• The user says “I’m done”, “merge my work”, or “ship this”

4. Syncing & Status

Intent Keep the local workspace aligned with trunk and provide situational awareness.

Commands

tbdflow sync
tbdflow status

Decision Rules

• Use sync to:

  • Pull and rebase from remote
  • Inspect recent history
  • Identify stale branches

• Use status to:

  • Show context-aware Git status, In monorepos, this excludes sub-project directories when at the root.
  • Handle monorepos correctly

Use This When

• The user says "sync", "catch me up", or "what's happening"
• Before committing, merging, or starting new work

Pre-Commit Workflow

Always run tbdflow sync before tbdflow commit.

The sync command:

• Pulls and rebases from remote
• Shows current status (wraps git status)
• Ensures the workspace is aligned with trunk

This prevents conflicts and ensures commits are based on the latest trunk state.

Validation & Linting Behaviour

tbdflow enforces workflow correctness using an internal linter. The agent must understand and respect these rules.

Commit Message Rules

Subject Line (-m message)

Commit Body (Optional)

Issue Key (--issue)

Branch Name Rules

Error Handling

If tbdflow rejects input:

1. Read the error message carefully
2. Correct the input based on the rules above
3. Retry with valid parameters
4. Do not fall back to raw Git commands

The agent should prefer generating valid inputs over relying on linter errors.

5. Changelog Generation

Intent Summarise changes using structured commit history.

Command

tbdflow changelog [--unreleased] [--from <ref>]

Decision Rules

• Use --unreleased when the user asks “What’s new?”
• Use --from <ref> when comparing against a specific tag or version

Use This When

• The user asks for release notes
• The user wants a summary of recent changes

Output Format

• Commands should be executed directly
• Explanations should be concise and factual
• Avoid narrating Git internals unless asked
• Prefer showing the command being run before or alongside results

Examples

Notes

• Treat main (trunk) as sacred
• Prefer safety and clarity over cleverness
• Ask for clarification only when an action could be destructive