# Canopy Prompt Workflow > Compose a canopy prompt by inheriting from a base prompt and emit the rendered result. Use when an agent needs to author, update, or render canopy prompts inside this repo. - Skill: `jayminwest/canopy-prompt-workflow` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jayminwest/canopy-prompt-workflow` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jayminwest/canopy-prompt-workflow/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: jayminwest (https://skillmd.com/u/jayminwest) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jayminwest/canopy-prompt-workflow --- # canopy-prompt-workflow Use this skill when you are an agent working inside the canopy repo and you need to **compose a new prompt by inheritance, then emit the rendered result to disk**. It encodes the canonical prompt-authoring loop documented in `SPEC.md` so an agent can do it from a cold start without re-reading the full design record. ## Pre-flight The repo must already be initialised. Verify: ```bash ls .canopy/ # config.yaml + prompts.jsonl + schemas.jsonl bunx cn doctor # exits 0 when the store is healthy ``` If `.canopy/` is missing, run `bunx cn init` first. If `cn doctor` reports problems, fix them (or escalate) before continuing — never hand-edit `.canopy/prompts.jsonl` to "fix" things; use `cn` commands so locks + atomic writes are honoured. ## Procedure ### 1. Decide the prompt's shape A canopy prompt is a JSONL record with named sections. Before touching the CLI, write down: - The prompt's stable `name` (kebab-case, must be unique in the store). - Its **parent** (the `extends:` target), if it inherits. Pick the most specific base whose sections you want to inherit. - The minimum set of `sections` (`name`, `body`, optional `required`) the new prompt adds or overrides. Inheriting sections is preferred over duplicating them — that is the whole point of canopy. - The `schema` it should validate against, if any (see `.canopy/schemas.jsonl`). ### 2. Inspect existing prompts ```bash bun run src/index.ts list # lists all prompts bun run src/index.ts show # see the parent's sections bun run src/index.ts tree # full inheritance tree ``` If a sibling prompt already does most of what you want, extend it instead of forking — every duplicated section is one more place a future edit will drift. ### 3. Create or update the prompt To **create** a new prompt by inheritance: ```bash bun run src/index.ts create \ --name \ --extends \ --section role:"You are ..." \ --section constraints:"- Never push to canonical branch" ``` To **update** an existing prompt (appends a new version; never overwrites): ```bash bun run src/index.ts update \ --section quality-gates:"Run bun test, bun run lint, bun run typecheck before closing." ``` `cn create` and `cn update` both append to `.canopy/prompts.jsonl` through `src/store.ts` (advisory file lock + atomic write). Two agents in different worktrees can run them concurrently. ### 4. Render and validate Before emitting, confirm the rendered prompt resolves cleanly: ```bash bun run src/index.ts render # human-readable bun run src/index.ts render --json # for inspection bun run src/index.ts validate # against its schema ``` `cn render` resolves the inheritance chain (last-write wins per section name) and prints the merged record. `cn validate` reports any missing required sections or rule-pattern violations. ### 5. Emit to disk ```bash bun run src/index.ts emit # one prompt bun run src/index.ts emit --all # everything ``` `cn emit` resolves each prompt's target directory in this order: 1. Per-prompt `emitDir` override (if set in frontmatter). 2. First target in `.canopy/config.yaml` whose `tags:` match one of the prompt's tags. 3. The target marked `default: true` in `.canopy/config.yaml`. 4. Fallback to `agents/`. By default canopy emits `.md`; if the resolved target's `emitAs` ends in `.ts`, the prompt is rendered as a TypeScript string export instead. **Do not manually edit emitted files** — they are the projection of the JSONL store and will be overwritten on the next `cn emit`. ### 6. Stage and commit ```bash bun run src/index.ts sync # stages .canopy/ + emitted files git diff --cached # review the additions git commit -m "prompts: add (extends )" ``` `cn sync` is preferred over `git add .canopy/` because it also stages the configured emit-target directories so the JSONL truth and the rendered files stay in lockstep. ## Acceptance The skill is complete when **all** of the following hold: - `bun run src/index.ts list` shows ``. - `bun run src/index.ts render ` exits 0 and prints the merged sections. - `bun run src/index.ts validate ` exits 0. - The rendered `.md` (or `.ts`) appears under the resolved target directory. - `git status` is clean after `git commit` lands. - `bun run check:agents` and `bun run gen:docs:check` still exit 0. ## Failure modes | Symptom | Likely cause | Remedy | |---------|--------------|--------| | `cn render` errors "prompt not found" | Misspelled name, or you ran `cn create` from a directory without `.canopy/`. | Re-run from canopy repo root; double-check the name. | | `cn validate` reports missing required section | Schema's `requiredSections` not satisfied by the merged result. | Add the missing section via `cn update`, then re-validate. | | `cn emit` writes to the wrong directory | Target-resolution order picked the wrong target. | Add explicit `tags:` to the prompt or set `emitDir` in frontmatter. | | Concurrent edits collide | Two agents wrote at once and `cn` couldn't acquire the advisory lock. | Re-run the failed command; the lock is short-lived and the write is atomic, so a retry is safe. | ## Further reading - `SPEC.md` — canopy's V1 design record (sections, inheritance, storage, lifecycle). - `README.md` — user-facing pitch and command examples. - `docs/cli-reference.md` — auto-generated reference for every `cn` subcommand. - `docs/architecture.mmd` — flowchart of the prompt-resolution path. - `AGENTS.md` — repo-wide conventions and quality gates.