rhdh

<cli_setup> Locate and set the CLI variable:

The CLI script is at scripts/rhdh relative to this SKILL.md file (not the working directory).

When you read this file, note its path and derive the script location:

• If SKILL.md is at /path/to/skills/rhdh/SKILL.md
• Then the CLI is at /path/to/skills/rhdh/scripts/rhdh

RHDH="/path/to/skills/rhdh/scripts/rhdh"  # Use the actual path

Get oriented (run first):

$RHDH

This shows environment status, discovered repos, and available tools. </cli_setup>

<essential_principles>

Use `$RHDH log` and `$RHDH todo` to maintain context across sessions. Log milestones with tags. Create todos when blocked on external input. This enables resuming work without re-explaining context and builds an audit trail. See the `` section for details. **Before using GitHub CLI**, read the reference file: - **GitHub:** `references/github-reference.md` — PR queries, CI analysis, `/publish` triggers

Contains critical gotchas (jq escaping, assignee format) that prevent common errors.

**Before any RHDH-related work**, consult `references/rhdh-repos.md` for a reference of all RHDH-related repositories, what each one is used for, and how they relate to each other. Use this when navigating between projects or understanding the overall RHDH ecosystem. Use `$RHDH config set` to set the path to the local checkout of the RHDH repositories.

</essential_principles>

<context_scan> Run on invocation to understand current state:

$RHDH

This checks:

• Overlay repo location and status
• rhdh-local availability
• gh CLI authentication
• Container runtime (podman/docker)

If repos not found: Run $RHDH config init to auto-detect or configure paths. </context_scan>

## Step 1: Run CLI

$RHDH

If needs_setup: true: Stop and run $RHDH doctor to fix setup issues.

---

Step 2: Identify Task Type

What would you like to do?

Overlay Repository Tasks

For working with the rhdh-plugin-export-overlays repository

1. Onboard a new plugin — Add upstream plugin to Extensions Catalog
2. Update plugin version — Bump to newer upstream commit/tag
3. Fix build failure — Debug CI/publish issues
4. Triage overlay PRs — Prioritize open PRs by criticality
5. Analyze specific PR — Check assignment, compatibility, merge readiness

Plugin Creation Tasks

For creating new RHDH dynamic plugins from scratch

6. Create plugin — Bootstrap, export, package, or wire a dynamic plugin (backend or frontend)

Local Testing Tasks

For testing plugins in a local RHDH instance using rhdh-local-setup

7. Local testing — Enable/disable/test plugins in local RHDH

Review & Testing Tasks

For testing PR changes on a live RHDH cluster

8. Review operator PR — Deploy PR operator bundle on cluster and get review checklist

Test Plan Tasks

For rhdh test plan review in jira

9. Review Test Plan content — Reviews an RHDH test plan Jira ticket and suggests platform/integration version updates based on support lifecycle pages and RHDH release milestones

Release Management Tasks

For RHDH release tracking, status, announcements

10. Release management — Release dates, status, team breakdown, freeze announcements, blocker bugs, CVEs, release notes

General Tasks

11. Check environment — Run doctor, configure paths
12. View/search activity — Review worklog, todos

Wait for response before proceeding.

### Doctor Route (Priority)

Condition	Action
needs_setup: true in CLI output	Run $RHDH doctor

Always check this first.

Overlay Repository Routes

Response	Skill
1-5, "onboard", "update", "fix", "triage", "PR", "overlay", "plugin", "workspace"	Route to @overlay skill

To route: Read ../overlay/SKILL.md and follow its intake process.

Plugin Creation Routes

Response	Skill
6, "backend plugin", "create backend", "frontend plugin", "create frontend", "export", "package", "OCI", "publish plugin", "wiring", "mount points", "routes", "entity tabs"	Route to @create-plugin skill

To route: Read ../create-plugin/SKILL.md and follow its routing rules (backend, frontend, export, wiring sub-commands).

Local Testing Routes

Response	Skill
7, "local", "test locally", "enable plugin", "disable plugin", "local testing", "rhdh-local-setup"	Route to @rhdh-local skill

To route: Read ../rhdh-local/SKILL.md and follow its intake process.

Review & Testing Routes

Response	Skill
8, "review PR", "code review", "PR review", "test PR", "operator PR", "review this PR", "rhdh-pr-review"	Route to @rhdh-pr-review skill

To route: Read ../rhdh-pr-review/SKILL.md and follow its intake process.

Test Plan Routes

Response	Skill
9, "review test plan", "update test plan", "check platform versions in test plan", "review RHDH test plan"	Route to @rhdh-test-plan-review skill

To route: Read ../rhdh-test-plan-review/SKILL.md and follow its intake process.

Release Management Routes

Response	Skill
10, "release", "release manager", "release dates", "release status", "feature freeze", "code freeze", "blocker bugs", "CVEs", "release notes", "team breakdown", "freeze announcement"	Route to @rhdh-release skill

To route: Read ../rhdh-release/SKILL.md and follow its intake process.

General Routes

Response	Action
11, "doctor", "setup", "config"	Use CLI commands below
12, "log", "todo", "activity"	Use tracking commands below

<cli_commands> Environment status (no args):

$RHDH

Shows overlay repo, rhdh-local, tools status, and next steps.

Full environment check:

$RHDH doctor

Configuration:

$RHDH config init                  # Create config with auto-detection
$RHDH config show                  # Show resolved paths
$RHDH config set overlay /path     # Set rhdh-plugin-export-overlays location
$RHDH config set local /path       # Set rhdh-local location
$RHDH config set rhdh /path        # Set main rhdh repo location
$RHDH config set downstream /path  # Set rhdh-downstream location
$RHDH config set cli /path         # Set rhdh-cli location
$RHDH config set plugins /path     # Set rhdh-plugins location
$RHDH config set operator /path    # Set rhdh-operator location
$RHDH config set chart /path       # Set rhdh-chart location
$RHDH config set catalog /path     # Set rhdh-plugin-catalog location

Workspace operations:

$RHDH workspace list           # List all plugin workspaces
$RHDH workspace status <name>  # Show workspace details

</cli_commands>

<tracking_system>

Activity Tracking (Recommended)

The CLI includes worklog and todo tracking to maintain context across sessions. Use is recommended but not required.

Why Track?

• Cross-session memory — Pick up where you left off without re-explaining context
• Audit trail — "When did we onboard X?" / "What happened with PR #123?"
• Follow-up reminders — Don't lose track of blocked items waiting on external input

Worklog Commands

Append-only activity log stored in .rhdh/worklog.jsonl:

# Log activity with tags for searchability
$RHDH log add "Started onboard: aws-appsync" --tag onboard --tag aws-appsync
$RHDH log add "PR #1234 merged" --tag aws-appsync --tag pr

# View recent entries
$RHDH log show --limit 10

# Search past activity
$RHDH log search "aws-appsync"
$RHDH log search "onboard"

Todo Commands

Section-based markdown todos stored in .rhdh/TODO.md:

# Create todo when blocked
$RHDH todo add "Check license with legal" --context "aws-appsync"
$RHDH todo add "Follow up on stale PR #1234" --context "triage"

# List and manage
$RHDH todo list              # All todos
$RHDH todo list --pending    # Only open items

# Update progress
$RHDH todo note <slug> "Sent email to [email protected]"
$RHDH todo done <slug>

# View raw file
$RHDH todo show

When to Track

Log these milestones:

• Starting/completing a workflow (onboard, update, triage)
• PR actions (opened, published, merged)
• Significant decisions or findings

Create todos for:

• Blocked items waiting on external response (legal, upstream, team)
• Post-merge follow-ups (verify in staging, remove workarounds)
• Items that span multiple sessions

Writing Effective Todos

Todos must be self-contained—a new session should understand the task without re-investigating.

❌ Too vague	✅ Actionable
Fix #1875 version mismatch	Fix #1875 (lightspeed): bump 1.3.0→1.4.0 in workspace.yaml like #1903
Add /ok-to-test to #1921	Add /ok-to-test to #1921 (techdocs) — smoke tests ready, needs external trigger
Review #1906 SonarCloud	Review #1906 (catalog): SonarCloud blocked on coverage — check if test file missing

Include: PR number, plugin name, specific action, and why it's needed.

</tracking_system>

<reference_index> RHDH Repos: references/rhdh-repos.md — repository map, ecosystem relationships, key paths GitHub CLI (PRs, CI, workflows): references/github-reference.md Version Matrix: references/versions.md — RHDH/Backstage version compatibility, create-app versions Slack Notifications: references/slack-notification.md — Slack ping templates, handle mapping, channel routing </reference_index>

<skills_index>

Specialized Skills

Skill	Purpose	Path
overlay	Manage plugins in rhdh-plugin-export-overlays	../overlay/SKILL.md
create-plugin	Create, export, package, and wire RHDH dynamic plugins	../create-plugin/SKILL.md
rhdh-local	Enable/disable/test plugins in local RHDH	../rhdh-local/SKILL.md
rhdh-pr-review	PR code review and live cluster testing	../rhdh-pr-review/SKILL.md
rhdh-test-plan-review	Reviews an RHDH test plan Jira ticket and suggests platform/integration version updates	../rhdh-test-plan-review/SKILL.md
rhdh-release	Release dates, status tracking, team coordination, freeze announcements, blocker bugs, CVEs, release notes	../rhdh-release/SKILL.md

Shared References

Reference	Purpose	Path
rhdh-repos	Repository map, ecosystem relationships, key paths	references/rhdh-repos.md
versions	RHDH/Backstage version compatibility matrix	references/versions.md

</skills_index>