Gabe-OS Context Awareness Skill

PURPOSE: Prevent loss of Gabe-OS workflow awareness, especially after context-clearing operations like /compact.

When to Activate

This skill should activate in these situations:

1. At Session Start (High Priority)

If this is the beginning of a conversation:

•Check if @gabe-os/specs/ directory exists
•If yes, remind about checking for active specs
•Suggest running /gabe-os/check-context

2. Before Manual Implementation (Critical)

ALWAYS activate before:

•Creating new feature files
•Writing implementation code
•Making structural changes to codebase
•Starting any development work

Check first:

bash

# Does specs directory exist?
ls @gabe-os/specs/ 2>/dev/null

# Are there active specs?
ls @gabe-os/specs/*/tasks.md 2>/dev/null

If specs exist → STOP and remind about workflows!

3. When User Requests Implementation (Critical)

If user says things like:

•"Implement [feature]"
•"Add [functionality]"
•"Create [component/file]"
•"Build [system]"
•"Write [code]"

Before proceeding:

•Check for existing specs
•Ask: "Should I use /gabe-os/implement-spec or create new spec?"
•Don't implement manually without explicit override

4. Likely Post-Compact Indicators (Medium Priority)

Detect potential context loss when:

•User asks basic questions about project state
•User requests status updates
•Conversation seems to start mid-task
•User mentions being "back" or "continuing"

Reminder Template

When activated, display this reminder:

markdown

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🚨 GABE-OS WORKFLOW CHECK
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⚠️ Before I proceed, let me verify the current state...

[CHECK RESULTS]

✅ Gabe-OS is installed
✅ Found [X] active specs in @gabe-os/specs/

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🎯 RECOMMENDED APPROACH
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Since active specs exist, I should:

✅ Use /gabe-os/continue-spec to resume existing work
✅ Use /gabe-os/implement-spec for spec-based implementation
✅ Let the implementer agent handle actual coding
✅ Let quality gates enforce standards

❌ NOT implement code manually
❌ NOT skip the spec workflow
❌ NOT bypass quality audits

Would you like me to:
[1] Check full context with /gabe-os/check-context
[2] Continue with existing spec using /gabe-os/continue-spec
[3] View all specs with /gabe-os/main-menu
[4] Proceed with manual implementation anyway (override)

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Check Sequence

Perform these checks in order:

Step 1: Check Installation

bash

[ -f "gabe-os/config.yml" ] && [ -d ".claude/agents/gabe-os/" ]

If false → Gabe-OS not installed, no reminder needed.

Step 2: Check for Specs

bash

ls @gabe-os/specs/ 2>/dev/null

If no specs found → Safe to proceed, but still mention workflows.

Step 3: Check Spec Status

bash

# Count specs
spec_count=$(ls -d @gabe-os/specs/*/ 2>/dev/null | wc -l)

# Check for active (non-complete) specs
active_specs=$(grep -l "\[ \]" @gabe-os/specs/*/tasks.md 2>/dev/null | wc -l)

If active_specs > 0 → HIGH PRIORITY REMINDER!

Step 4: Show Context

markdown

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📊 CURRENT STATE
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✅ Gabe-OS: Installed
📁 Specs: [X] total, [Y] active

Active Specs:
  🔄 [Spec 1 name] - [XX]% complete
  🔄 [Spec 2 name] - [XX]% complete

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Use /gabe-os/ commands for these specs!

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Response to Common Scenarios

Scenario A: User Asks to Implement Feature

User: "Add user authentication to the app"

Response:

markdown

Before I start, let me check if there's an existing spec for this...

[Checks @gabe-os/specs/]

I found an existing spec: `@gabe-os/specs/2025-11-04-user-authentication/`

Should I:
[1] Resume this spec with /gabe-os/continue-spec
[2] Create a new spec if this is different
[3] View the existing spec details

(I'll use the Gabe-OS workflow, not manual implementation)

Scenario B: User Says "Continue Implementation"

User: "Continue implementing that feature"

Response:

markdown

🔍 Checking for active specs...

Found [X] in-progress specs. Which one should I continue?

[List specs with status]

Or run /gabe-os/check-context to see full details.

Scenario C: Fresh Session Start

User: [Starts new session]

Response:

markdown

[Silently check for specs]

[IF SPECS EXIST:]
🔍 I see you have [X] active specs. Would you like to:
- /gabe-os/check-context - See current state
- /gabe-os/continue-spec - Resume work
- /gabe-os/main-menu - View dashboard

[IF NO SPECS:]
[Proceed normally, no reminder needed]

Critical Rules

DO:

•✅ Check for specs BEFORE any implementation
•✅ Suggest /gabe-os/check-context when uncertain
•✅ Remind about workflows before manual work
•✅ Show current spec status when available
•✅ Offer to use proper commands

DON'T:

•❌ Implement manually without checking for specs
•❌ Skip workflow reminders to "save time"
•❌ Assume no specs exist without checking
•❌ Proceed without user confirmation when specs exist
•❌ Forget about quality gates and agents

Integration Points

This skill works with:

•/gabe-os/check-context - Full state verification
•/gabe-os/continue-spec - Resume existing work
•/gabe-os/implement-spec - Spec-based implementation
•/gabe-os/main-menu - Visual dashboard
•implementer agent - Actual implementation work
•code-quality-auditor - Quality enforcement

Priority Levels

CRITICAL (Block immediately):

•User requests implementation AND specs exist
•About to write code when specs directory exists
•Manual file creation when implementer should do it

HIGH (Strongly remind):

•Session start with active specs
•User mentions "continuing" work
•Context loss indicators detected

MEDIUM (Gentle reminder):

•Before any new feature work
•When workflow commands haven't been used
•After long periods of inactivity

LOW (Background check):

•Periodic validation during conversation
•Before major operations

Activation Pattern

code

IF (user_requests_implementation OR about_to_write_code OR session_start):
    CHECK for specs in @gabe-os/specs/

    IF specs_exist:
        IF active_specs > 0:
            DISPLAY critical_reminder WITH spec_status
            OFFER workflow_options
            WAIT for user_choice
        ELSE:
            MENTION workflows_available
    ELSE:
        PROCEED normally

Success Metrics

This skill is successful when:

•✅ No manual implementation when specs exist
•✅ All work goes through implementer agent
•✅ Quality gates are never bypassed
•✅ User is always aware of active specs
•✅ Workflows are followed consistently

Failure Indicators

Watch for these anti-patterns:

•❌ Writing code directly in chat
•❌ Creating files without implementer agent
•❌ Skipping quality audits
•❌ Forgetting about existing specs
•❌ Breaking spec → implement → verify flow

When detected, immediately activate this skill!