Guidelines for when and how to call ashlr__genome_propose to keep the project genome accurate. Covers post-architectural-decision proposals, correct summary format, and what NOT to propose.

/ashlr-genome-author is an opt-in discipline skill that governs when the model calls ashlr__genome_propose. It keeps the genome signal-rich by preventing both under-documentation and noise.

Quick start

/ashlr-genome-author on       # enable
/ashlr-genome-author off      # disable
/ashlr-genome-author status   # show whether the skill is active

What it does

When active, the skill enforces a proposal policy: ashlr__genome_propose is called only after genuinely architectural events, once per logical change, at the end (not mid-task).

When to propose

Change type	Example
New module	New file(s) introducing a concept, service, or subsystem not previously in the genome
Schema change	Database table added/dropped/migrated, or a core TypeScript interface redefined
Auth or security change	New middleware, permission model, token strategy, or RLS policy
Routing change	New API endpoint, route group, or server registered
Architectural decision	A pattern, library, or data model that future contributors need to understand

When NOT to propose

Routine bug fixes, typo corrections, or test updates
Edits to files already well-described in the genome with no structural change
Mid-task (wait until the change is complete and stable)
More than once per logical change

Summary format

Each proposal should be a 2–5 sentence past-tense summary covering:

What was changed or added
Why (intent or problem it solves)
Where — the relevant file paths at the end

Example:

"Added hooks/stop-accounting.ts to finalize session stats on the Stop event. This complements the existing SessionEnd GC path with an idempotency guard so duplicate entries are never written. Files: hooks/stop-accounting.ts, hooks/hooks.json."

Persistence

The active state persists across sessions in ~/.ashlr/genome-author.json:

{ "enabled": true }

ashlr__genome_propose — the MCP tool this skill governs
/ashlr-genome-init — bootstrap a genome for the first time
/ashlr-genome-loop — re-run the auto-genome scribe loop
Genome — how the genome index is structured and used

/ashlr-genome-author