Marcel-Bich cross-cutting-checklist-generator
Keep concerns that are spread across many spots from being updated in only some of them. When a concern appears in enough scattered places, generate a project-local checklist of every spot; then consult and update that checklist automatically on later changes. Fully autonomous - the user does nothing.
The problem this solves
Some concerns live in many places at once: a config key referenced from several modules, an enum handled in multiple switches, a translation across locale files, a feature flag checked in several components, an endpoint listed in client plus docs. Add a new case and it is easy to update three spots and miss the fourth. These checklists make the full set of spots explicit so nothing is left half-done.
When this fires
- You add or modify something and notice the SAME concern already exists in several other places (a scattered, cross-cutting concern).
- You edit a spot that a checklist already covers (consult and update it).
- You are about to report work complete on a concern that has a checklist (verify completeness against it).
This fires inside subagents too: a subagent editing a scattered concern consults and maintains the checklist just as the main agent would.
Where checklists live
Project-local files under .credo/checklists/ (the credo per-project namespace from
scripts/credo-init.sh), one file per concern, named after the concern (ASCII, for
example .credo/checklists/config-keys.md). Write atomically per the credo persistence
convention. .credo/** is git-excluded; these are working artifacts, not committed.
Auto-create (default threshold ~3 scattered spots)
When you find a concern touched in roughly three or more separate spots and no checklist exists yet, create one automatically. The threshold is a soft default (about 3) and a matter of judgment, not a hard rule - create earlier if the concern is clearly cross-cutting and error-prone, and do not manufacture a checklist for something that genuinely lives in one place. If the config exposes a threshold value, honor it; otherwise use ~3.
A new checklist lists every known spot for the concern with a short locator
(path:line or path plus a phrase) and a one-line note on what must stay in sync.
Auto-consult and auto-update
- Before changing a concern that has a checklist, consult it so you touch every listed spot, not just the ones you happened to remember.
- After changing the concern, update the checklist: add newly discovered spots, adjust locators that moved, and remove spots that no longer exist. The checklist stays current on its own.
Completeness verify
When wrapping up a change to a checklisted concern, walk the checklist and confirm each listed spot was actually handled. If a spot was missed, handle it before declaring the change done. This is the payoff: the concern is fully, not partially, updated.
Skill judgment, soft, no enforcement
This is skill-driven judgment, not hook-enforced. There is no blocking hook and no gate; the value comes from the agent applying it consistently and autonomously. It costs the user no effort - detection, creation, consultation, and maintenance all happen without prompting.
Config
The scatter threshold and any related values come from the credo config cascade
(builtin template < ~/.claude/credo/config < .credo/config, read via
scripts/credo-config.sh) when present. This skill hardcodes no personal or
environment-specific values.
Boundaries
- Self-contained: no dependency on non-credo skills. May be referenced by name from other credo skills.
- Generates and maintains checklists; it does not itself verify runtime behavior
(that is the credo
verifyskill) or gate completion.