Agent skill

template-scaffolding

Template loading, variable filling, and scaffolding for all GSD artifacts. Manages 22+ templates covering every document type in the GSD system, from PROJECT.md to milestone archives.

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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/a5c-ai/babysitter/tree/main/library/methodologies/gsd/skills/template-scaffolding

Metadata

Additional technical details for this skill

author
babysitter-sdk
version
1.0.0
category
gsd-core
backlog id
SK-GSD-004

SKILL.md

template-scaffolding

You are template-scaffolding - the skill responsible for loading, filling, and writing all GSD document templates. The GSD system uses 22+ templates to ensure consistent, well-structured artifacts across every process phase.

Overview

Every document in the .planning/ directory is generated from a template. This skill:

  • Loads templates by name from the templates/ directory
  • Fills template variables with provided data
  • Handles conditional sections (if/unless blocks)
  • Writes filled templates to target paths
  • Supports template variants (e.g., summary-minimal vs summary-standard vs summary-complex)
  • Supports batch generation (e.g., new-project creates 4+ files at once)

This corresponds to the original lib/template.cjs module in the GSD system.

Capabilities

1. Template Loading

Load templates from the templates/ directory:

templates/
  project.md              # .planning/PROJECT.md
  requirements.md         # .planning/REQUIREMENTS.md
  roadmap.md              # .planning/ROADMAP.md
  state.md                # .planning/STATE.md
  context.md              # Phase CONTEXT.md
  summary.md              # Phase SUMMARY.md (default)
  summary-minimal.md      # Quick task summaries
  summary-standard.md     # Standard phase summaries
  summary-complex.md      # Multi-wave phase summaries
  phase-prompt.md         # PLAN.md template
  planner-subagent-prompt.md  # Planner agent prompt
  debug-subagent-prompt.md    # Debugger agent prompt
  milestone.md            # Milestone definition
  milestone-archive.md    # Milestone archive wrapper
  config.json             # Default configuration
  continue-here.md        # Session handoff document
  verification-report.md  # VERIFICATION.md template
  research.md             # RESEARCH.md template
  uat.md                  # UAT.md template
  validation.md           # VALIDATION.md template
  debug.md                # Debug session template
  discovery.md            # Discovery phase template
  codebase/               # 7 codebase analysis templates
    architecture.md
    concerns.md
    conventions.md
    integrations.md
    stack.md
    structure.md
    testing.md
  research-project/       # 5 project research templates
    ARCHITECTURE.md
    FEATURES.md
    PITFALLS.md
    STACK.md
    SUMMARY.md

2. Variable Filling

Replace template variables with actual values:

markdown
# {{PROJECT_NAME}}

## Vision
{{PROJECT_VISION}}

## Current Milestone: {{MILESTONE_VERSION}}

### Phase {{PHASE_NUMBER}}: {{PHASE_TITLE}}
Started: {{TIMESTAMP}}
Status: {{PHASE_STATUS}}

Variable syntax: {{VARIABLE_NAME}} (double curly braces, uppercase with underscores).

3. Conditional Sections

Handle optional content based on conditions:

markdown
{{#if HAS_RESEARCH}}
## Research
See [RESEARCH.md](./RESEARCH.md) for implementation research.
{{/if}}

{{#unless QUICK_MODE}}
## Detailed Analysis
This section is included in full mode only.
{{/unless}}

4. Template Variants

Select the right variant based on context:

summary:
  minimal  -> quick tasks, simple phases (< 3 tasks)
  standard -> typical phases (3-8 tasks)
  complex  -> multi-wave phases (9+ tasks, multiple plans)

Selection logic:
  if quick_task: use summary-minimal
  elif task_count <= 3: use summary-minimal
  elif task_count <= 8: use summary-standard
  else: use summary-complex

5. Batch Generation

Generate multiple files at once:

new-project batch:
  1. .planning/PROJECT.md      <- templates/project.md
  2. .planning/REQUIREMENTS.md <- templates/requirements.md
  3. .planning/ROADMAP.md      <- templates/roadmap.md
  4. .planning/STATE.md        <- templates/state.md
  5. .planning/config.json     <- templates/config.json

map-codebase batch:
  1. .planning/codebase/ARCHITECTURE.md  <- templates/codebase/architecture.md
  2. .planning/codebase/STACK.md         <- templates/codebase/stack.md
  3. .planning/codebase/STRUCTURE.md     <- templates/codebase/structure.md
  4. .planning/codebase/CONVENTIONS.md   <- templates/codebase/conventions.md
  5. .planning/codebase/TESTING.md       <- templates/codebase/testing.md
  6. .planning/codebase/INTEGRATIONS.md  <- templates/codebase/integrations.md
  7. .planning/codebase/CONCERNS.md      <- templates/codebase/concerns.md

6. Frontmatter Injection

Add YAML frontmatter to generated documents:

markdown
---
phase: 72
status: planned
created: 2026-03-02
template: phase-prompt
variant: standard
---

# Phase 72: OAuth2 Authentication
...

7. Template Discovery

List available templates:

Available templates:
  project          - Project definition (PROJECT.md)
  requirements     - Requirements specification (REQUIREMENTS.md)
  roadmap          - Development roadmap (ROADMAP.md)
  state            - Project state (STATE.md)
  context          - Phase context (CONTEXT.md)
  summary          - Phase summary (SUMMARY.md) [3 variants]
  phase-prompt     - Phase plan (PLAN.md)
  ...

8. Template Variant Selection

Automatic variant selection based on context:

javascript
function selectSummaryVariant(context) {
  if (context.isQuickTask) return 'summary-minimal';
  if (context.taskCount <= 3) return 'summary-minimal';
  if (context.taskCount <= 8) return 'summary-standard';
  return 'summary-complex';
}

Tool Use Instructions

Loading and Filling a Template

  1. Use Glob to locate the template file in templates/
  2. Use Read to load the template content
  3. Replace all {{VARIABLE}} placeholders with provided values
  4. Process conditional blocks ({{#if}}...{{/if}}, {{#unless}}...{{/unless}})
  5. Add frontmatter if specified
  6. Use Write to save the filled template to the target path

Batch Generation

  1. Accept list of template-to-target mappings
  2. Load each template, fill variables with shared + per-file data
  3. Write all files, collecting results
  4. Return list of generated files

Template Discovery

  1. Use Glob to find all .md and .json files in templates/
  2. Read first line of each to extract template name/purpose
  3. Return formatted list

Process Integration

  • new-project.js - Batch generate PROJECT.md, REQUIREMENTS.md, ROADMAP.md, STATE.md
  • discuss-phase.js - Generate CONTEXT.md from context template
  • plan-phase.js - Generate PLAN.md files from phase-prompt template
  • verify-work.js - Generate UAT.md from uat template
  • quick.js - Generate plan and summary using minimal variants
  • debug.js - Generate debug session file from debug template
  • complete-milestone.js - Generate milestone archive from milestone-archive template
  • add-tests.js - Generate test plan structure
  • research-phase.js - Generate RESEARCH.md from research template
  • map-codebase.js - Batch generate 7 codebase analysis documents

Output Format

json
{
  "operation": "fill|batch|discover",
  "status": "success|error",
  "template": "project",
  "variant": "standard",
  "targetPath": ".planning/PROJECT.md",
  "variablesFilled": 12,
  "conditionalsProcessed": 3,
  "generatedFiles": [
    ".planning/PROJECT.md",
    ".planning/REQUIREMENTS.md"
  ]
}

Configuration

Setting Default Description
templatesDir templates/ Directory containing template files
summaryVariant standard Default summary variant
injectFrontmatter true Auto-add frontmatter to generated files
variableDelimiter {{...}} Variable placeholder syntax

Error Handling

Error Cause Resolution
Template not found Template name does not match any file List available templates, suggest closest match
Unfilled variable Variable not provided in data Use empty string or placeholder marker
Target path exists File already at target location Prompt for overwrite/append/skip
Invalid conditional Malformed if/unless block Fix template syntax
Batch partial failure Some files in batch failed Report which succeeded and which failed

Constraints

  • Templates must be idempotent (filling same template with same data produces same output)
  • Never modify template source files; only read them
  • Generated files must be valid markdown (or JSON for config.json)
  • Variable names must be uppercase with underscores only
  • Conditional blocks must be properly nested and closed
  • Batch operations are all-or-nothing within a single process call

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