Context Layer Dashboard Backfill

Context Layer Dashboard Backfill

Custom skill created by Maggie Lerman.

Use this skill to update an existing repo to the modern generated Context Layer project dashboard without rerunning the full scaffold.

When To Use

Use this skill when:

• the repo already has a docs root such as DOCS/, docs/, or documentation/
• project docs already live under PROJECTS/active/, PROJECTS/in-review/, PROJECTS/blocked/, PROJECTS/completed/, PROJECTS/backlog/, or PROJECTS/stale/
• the user wants the current sidebar-based dashboard.html in existing repos
• the user asks to backfill, refresh, upgrade, or standardize project dashboards across existing context-layer repos

Do not use this skill for greenfield docs setup. If the repo does not already have a PROJECTS/ lifecycle tree, use $context-layer-scaffold or $product-operating-system-scaffold first.

Dashboard Contract

The generated dashboard must keep the existing Context Layer data contract:

• Portfolio Snapshot
• Attention Queue
• MAGGIE TODO
• Program Tracks
• Recently Updated
• Status Drift
• All Projects
• optional Content Calendar

Do not invent new source sections, new project metrics, cloud collaboration features, or external workflow assumptions.

The source of truth remains the Markdown project docs. PROJECTS/dashboard.html is generated output.

Read references/dashboard-contract.md only when changing the dashboard extraction or output contract.

Backfill Workflow

1. Inspect the target repo.

   • Confirm the docs root and PROJECTS/ lifecycle folders.
   • Check git status --short before writing.
   • If multiple docs roots exist and the right one is ambiguous, ask before installing.

2. Run the bundled installer.

python3 "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/install_docs_project_dashboard.py" \
  --repo /absolute/path/to/repo \
  --docs-root DOCS

If the repo already has a generated dashboard and the user explicitly wants to replace it, use:

python3 "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/install_docs_project_dashboard.py" \
  --repo /absolute/path/to/repo \
  --docs-root DOCS \
  --force-dashboard

If the repo also needs starter content-calendar files, add --with-content-calendar.

3. Verify the generated dashboard.

   • Confirm DOCS/PROJECTS/dashboard.html exists.
   • Confirm the sidebar views are present.
   • Confirm the All Projects table searches and filters.
   • Confirm All Projects uses an internal scroll container instead of endless page scroll.
   • Confirm project doc links are relative and open the underlying Markdown files.
   • Confirm blocked, in-review, active, MAGGIE TODO, program tracks, status drift, and optional content calendar sections render from existing data.

4. Run repo-local docs checks when available.

   • npm run docs:projects-dashboard
   • npm run docs:manifest
   • npm run docs:links
   • git diff --check

Skip missing scripts; report what was unavailable.

Safety

• Do not rewrite project docs to make the dashboard prettier.
• Do not change lifecycle folder placement unless the user explicitly asks.
• Do not overwrite a non-generated PROJECTS/dashboard.html without explicit permission.
• Preserve unrelated dirty worktree changes.
• Treat content calendar starter files as optional; do not install them unless requested.

Resources

• Installer: scripts/install_docs_project_dashboard.py
• Dashboard generator asset: assets/repo/scripts/docs/projects-dashboard.mjs
• Optional content calendar templates: assets/repo/docs/content/content-calendar.{json,md}
• Dashboard contract: references/dashboard-contract.md