ax Extract Workflow
Overview
Reconstruct the workflow behind a shipped artifact from local ax data. Resolve an anchor, find the relevant sessions, inspect turns, tools, skills, commits, and delegations, then write a compact account of what happened.
This skill assumes ax is installed, session data has been ingested, and the local ax database is reachable.
When to Use
Use this skill when the user asks for:
- How a feature, PR, demo, or artifact was shipped
- What made a past result work
- The workflow around a date, commit, topic, or repository event
- The sessions, tools, skills, or decisions that led to an artifact
- A repeatable recipe based on prior local agent work
Do not use
Do not use this skill for:
- Generic recent activity summaries
- New implementation planning before past evidence is inspected
- Project status reports not tied to a concrete artifact, date, or commit
- Reconstructing work when local ax data is unavailable
Instructions
- Identify the anchor:
- Commit SHA: use it directly.
- Date: use a small window around that date.
- Topic or artifact name: search commits first.
- Current repo, recent work: inspect recent sessions for the repo.
- Resolve candidate sessions:
ax recall "<topic>" --sources=commit --json
ax sessions near <sha> --json
ax sessions around <date> --days=3 --json
ax sessions here --days=14 --json
- Pick up to five sessions. Prefer sessions with high turn counts, matching commits, related files, or relevant tool and skill usage.
- Inspect each selected session:
ax sessions show <id> --json
ax sessions show <id> --by-role
ax sessions show <id> --expand=<subagent-uuid>
- If ax cannot connect to its database, tell the user to start ax services and stop. Do not invent evidence.
- Write the reconstruction from evidence:
- Ordered workflow arc: what happened first, next, and last.
- Skill/tool role: what each important skill or tool contributed.
- Key decisions: user steering points or tradeoffs that changed the work.
- Repeatable recipe: how to run a similar workflow again.
Output
Return Markdown with:
- A one-paragraph summary
- An ordered workflow timeline
- Key evidence with session ids, commits, or commands
- A short reproducible recipe when enough evidence exists
Keep the tone factual. Cite local evidence. Mark unknowns instead of filling gaps.
1---2name: ax-extract-workflow3description: Use when reconstructing how a shipped feature, commit, date, or artifact was produced from local ax session evidence.4---5
6# ax Extract Workflow
7
8## Overview
9
10Reconstruct the workflow behind a shipped artifact from local ax data. Resolve an anchor, find the relevant sessions, inspect turns, tools, skills, commits, and delegations, then write a compact account of what happened.
11
12This skill assumes `ax` is installed, session data has been ingested, and the local ax database is reachable.
13
14## When to Use
15
16Use this skill when the user asks for:
17- How a feature, PR, demo, or artifact was shipped
18- What made a past result work
19- The workflow around a date, commit, topic, or repository event
20- The sessions, tools, skills, or decisions that led to an artifact
21- A repeatable recipe based on prior local agent work
22
23## Do not use
24
25Do not use this skill for:
26- Generic recent activity summaries
27- New implementation planning before past evidence is inspected
28- Project status reports not tied to a concrete artifact, date, or commit
29- Reconstructing work when local ax data is unavailable
30
31## Instructions
32
331. Identify the anchor:
34 - Commit SHA: use it directly.
35 - Date: use a small window around that date.
36 - Topic or artifact name: search commits first.
37 - Current repo, recent work: inspect recent sessions for the repo.
382. Resolve candidate sessions:
39
40```bash
41ax recall "<topic>" --sources=commit --json
42ax sessions near <sha> --json
43ax sessions around <date> --days=3 --json
44ax sessions here --days=14 --json
45```
46
473. Pick up to five sessions. Prefer sessions with high turn counts, matching commits, related files, or relevant tool and skill usage.
484. Inspect each selected session:
49
50```bash
51ax sessions show <id> --json
52ax sessions show <id> --by-role
53ax sessions show <id> --expand=<subagent-uuid>
54```
55
565. If ax cannot connect to its database, tell the user to start ax services and stop. Do not invent evidence.
576. Write the reconstruction from evidence:
58 - Ordered workflow arc: what happened first, next, and last.
59 - Skill/tool role: what each important skill or tool contributed.
60 - Key decisions: user steering points or tradeoffs that changed the work.
61 - Repeatable recipe: how to run a similar workflow again.
62
63## Output
64
65Return Markdown with:
66- A one-paragraph summary
67- An ordered workflow timeline
68- Key evidence with session ids, commits, or commands
69- A short reproducible recipe when enough evidence exists
70
71Keep the tone factual. Cite local evidence. Mark unknowns instead of filling gaps.