--- name: ascent-standup description: >- Generates a brief, time-scoped standup summary for <>: recent activity (last 24 hours of git history + working-memory decisions), current focus, plan for next actions, and blockers. The standup reads the same project state as ascent-delivery-status but produces a concise output a developer reads in 30 seconds. version: <> allowed-tools: - Read - Grep - Glob - Bash --- # ascent-standup Generates a brief standup summary for <>: what happened recently, what's the current focus, what's planned next, and what's blocking. The standup reads the same project state as [ascent-delivery-status](../ascent-delivery-status/SKILL.md) (`.ascent-meta.json`, session artifacts, git log) but produces a concise, time-scoped output — not a comprehensive status report. A developer reads it in 30 seconds. ## When this skill engages - Daily standup — "give me a quick summary" - Start of a working session — "what was I doing?" - When explicitly asked for a standup, summary, or brief update - When preparing a status message for a teammate or stakeholder - NOT for comprehensive project status (use ascent-delivery-status instead) - NOT for feature scoping or planning (use ascent-feature-intake instead) ## Inputs - **`git log`** — last 24 hours of commit history (the default standup window) - **`docs/delivery/session-state.md`** — transient working state per §15 (four-state classified) - **`docs/delivery/working-memory.md`** — accumulating decisions per §15 (four-state classified) - **`.ascent-meta.json`** — current phase and project identity - **`docs/delivery/PHASE-PLAN.md`** (optional) — exit criteria for context on what matters ## Outputs Framework-canonical standup format with four sections: ```markdown ## Standup — <> (YYYY-MM-DD) ### Recent activity (last 24 hours) - [git-derived activity summary] - [decisions from working-memory.md made in the last 24 hours] ### Current focus [from session-state.md if FRESH; from .ascent-meta.json current_focus otherwise] ### Plan [from session-state.md next actions if FRESH; from PHASE-PLAN pending criteria otherwise] ### Blockers [from session-state.md blockers if FRESH; "none identified" otherwise] ``` ## Operational logic The skill executes these steps in order. Step numbers are local to this skill. The standup window is **24 hours** — activity older than 24 hours is excluded from "Recent activity" (irregular-cadence support deferred to v0.4.x). ### Step 1 — Read project identity **Condition:** `.ascent-meta.json` exists with `phase` and `project_slug`. **Action on PASS:** Extract phase and slug for the standup header. **Action on FAIL:** Use "<>" as the header. Proceed without phase context. ### Step 2 — Gather recent git activity (24-hour window) **Condition:** Git repository exists. **Action:** Run `git log --oneline --since="24 hours ago"`. Count commits. Extract the commit messages. **Action on commits found:** Summarize: "N commits in the last 24 hours" with a 1-line summary per commit (max 5; truncate with "and N more" if >5). **Action on no commits:** Report "No commits in the last 24 hours." **Action on no git:** Report "Not a git repository — skipping git activity." ### Step 3 — Read session-state.md per §15 four-state protocol **Condition:** Check `docs/delivery/session-state.md` for existence, content, and freshness. **Action on FRESH:** Extract current focus, next actions, and blockers. These become the "Current focus," "Plan," and "Blockers" sections of the standup. **Action on STALE:** Extract the same fields but prefix with "Last recorded [date]:" to signal the information may be outdated. Recommend running `make session-snapshot` to refresh. **Action on EMPTY or MISSING:** Fall back to `.ascent-meta.json` `current_focus` field (if present) for "Current focus." Use PHASE-PLAN.md pending criteria for "Plan." Report "Blockers: none identified (no session state available)." ### Step 4 — Read recent working-memory.md decisions **Condition:** `docs/delivery/working-memory.md` exists and has entries. **Action:** Extract entries from `## Decisions` dated within the last 24 hours. Include in "Recent activity" alongside git commits. **Action on no recent entries:** Omit working-memory decisions from "Recent activity." The git log carries the activity signal. **Action on EMPTY or MISSING:** Omit entirely. ### Step 5 — Read PHASE-PLAN.md for context **Condition:** `docs/delivery/PHASE-PLAN.md` exists with exit criteria. **Action:** Count DONE vs PENDING criteria. If session-state.md was EMPTY or MISSING (Step 3 fallback), use the top pending criterion as the "Plan" section. **Action on MISSING:** Omit phase-plan context. Report "Plan: define exit criteria via ascent-feature-intake." ### Step 6 — Compose the standup **Action:** Assemble the four-section standup: 1. **Recent activity (last 24 hours):** Git commits (from Step 2) + working-memory decisions (from Step 4). Interleaved chronologically if both sources have entries. 2. **Current focus:** From session-state.md (Step 3) if FRESH. From `.ascent-meta.json` current_focus if session state unavailable. "Not recorded — run `make session-snapshot`" if neither source has focus data. 3. **Plan:** From session-state.md next actions (Step 3) if FRESH. From PHASE-PLAN.md top pending criterion (Step 5) if session state unavailable. "Define exit criteria via ascent-feature-intake" if no plan source exists. 4. **Blockers:** From session-state.md blockers (Step 3) if FRESH. "None identified" if session state is EMPTY/MISSING and no stalled criteria are detected. ### Step 7 — Output **Action:** Print the standup in the canonical format. The output is complete — no follow-up questions, no interactive prompts. The standup is a read-and-go artifact. ## Examples ### Example 1 — Active development day with fresh session state **Input state:** 5 commits in the last 24 hours. session-state.md FRESH (updated 3 hours ago). 1 working-memory decision from today. Phase 2 with 4/8 criteria met. **Skill output:** ``` ## Standup — <> (2026-05-18) ### Recent activity (last 24 hours) - 5 commits: feat(template): backend skeleton, feat(template): frontend skeleton, 3 more - Decision: chose Vitest over Jest for test runner (from working-memory.md) ### Current focus Implementing the frontend skeleton with Vite + React shell (from session-state.md) ### Plan 1. Complete frontend Dockerfile with three-stage build 2. Run smoke test on hello-world scaffold 3. Write CHANGELOG entry for v0.3.0 ### Blockers None ``` ### Example 2 — Quiet day, no session state **Input state:** 0 commits in the last 24 hours. session-state.md MISSING. Phase 1 with 6/8 criteria met. PHASE-PLAN.md has 2 pending criteria. **Skill output:** ``` ## Standup — <> (2026-05-18) ### Recent activity (last 24 hours) No commits in the last 24 hours. ### Current focus Not recorded — run `make session-snapshot` to capture focus. ### Plan Next pending criterion: "Skill answers 'what role handles X?' correctly" (from PHASE-PLAN.md) ### Blockers None identified (no session state available) ``` ### Example 3 — Stale session state with active git **Input state:** 3 commits in the last 24 hours. session-state.md STALE (last modified 10 days ago). working-memory.md has no recent entries. **Skill output:** ``` ## Standup — <> (2026-05-18) ### Recent activity (last 24 hours) - 3 commits: fix(template): backend Dockerfile dev stage, chore: update deps, docs: README ### Current focus Last recorded 2026-05-08: implementing backend healthcheck differentiation (from session-state.md, STALE) → Session state may be outdated. Run `make session-snapshot` to refresh. ### Plan Last recorded 2026-05-08: complete healthcheck implementation, then run smoke test → Recommend refreshing plan via `make session-snapshot`. ### Blockers Last recorded 2026-05-08: better-sqlite3 Node 26 compatibility → This blocker may be resolved. Verify current state. ``` ### Example 4 — Empty project (freshly scaffolded) **Input state:** 1 commit (initial scaffold). No session state. No PHASE-PLAN. No working memory. **Skill output:** ``` ## Standup — <> (2026-05-18) ### Recent activity (last 24 hours) - 1 commit: initial scaffold from ASCENT v0.3.1 ### Current focus Not recorded — run `make session-snapshot` to capture focus. ### Plan Define exit criteria via ascent-feature-intake (no PHASE-PLAN.md found). ### Blockers None identified ``` ## Anti-patterns ### Anti-pattern 1 — Using standup as a comprehensive status report The standup is time-scoped (24 hours) and brief. For comprehensive project state, use [ascent-delivery-status](../ascent-delivery-status/SKILL.md). **Why it's tempting:** standup shows enough to feel like a full picture. **What to do instead:** standup for daily check-ins; delivery-status for phase reviews and stakeholder updates. ### Anti-pattern 2 — Ignoring the "run make session-snapshot" recommendation When session state is STALE or MISSING, the standup recommends refreshing. Ignoring this means the next standup will have the same gap. **Why it's tempting:** the standup is useful even without session state. **What to do instead:** end each working session with `make session-snapshot` so the next standup has fresh data. ### Anti-pattern 3 — Treating the standup as a commitment The "Plan" section shows what's next based on available state. It's a suggestion, not a promise. **Why it's tempting:** teams read "Plan: X" as "the developer commits to X today." **What to do instead:** the plan is derived from project state; the developer decides what to work on. The standup informs the decision, doesn't make it. ### Anti-pattern 4 — Running standup without reading the blockers Blockers from session-state.md may be resolved but not cleared. The standup surfaces them honestly (including STALE blockers). **Why it's tempting:** "I know there are no blockers; I don't need to read that section." **What to do instead:** read the blockers section. If a blocker is resolved, update session-state.md (via `make session-snapshot`) so it doesn't appear in the next standup.