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Decision 001: Workflow-Stage Taxonomy For Skills

Date: 2026-01-31 Status: Accepted Amended by: ADR 016 (Mechanics stage removed, 2026-03-28)

Context

The repo needs a stable way to organize skills so users/agents can select the right next skill quickly.

Grouping by “code vs system vs operational” describes scope, but creates a misleading navigation experience because:

  • Some skills are “choosers” (contain many patterns) rather than “pattern lists”.
  • Many skills span multiple concerns (e.g., a style guide touches boundaries, tests, and implementation).

Decision

Organize the repo’s skill list by workflow stage:

  1. Define
  2. Standardize
  3. Harden
  4. Verify
  5. Mechanics

Keep “code/system/operational” as terminology, not the primary navigation structure.

Consequences

  • Clearer default sequencing for enterprise web apps (lower decision friction).
  • Skills become easier to compose in prompts (“what do we do next?”).
  • We still need to keep scope terminology consistent inside skill bodies to avoid conceptual drift.