build

Canonify: Build

The Build gate of Canonify - the middle of three lifecycle gates, all routing through CANONIFY.md:

• Plan (/canonify:plan): orient on the whole landscape (breadth, no sub-docs).
• Build (this skill, /canonify:build): task -> match CANONIFY.md summary lines -> load implicated docs -> use the canonical patterns when writing code (depth on the task's slice).
• Commit (/canonify:commit): diff -> match the same summary lines -> audit the code against the docs' rules.

This skill makes the plan-time read explicit and visible. Without it, the routing happens implicitly and silently - CANONIFY.md is just a markdown file someone is "supposed to" read. Running it as a skill makes the routing decision part of the planning conversation.

How to run

1. Read CANONIFY.md at the repo root. Note every one-line summary - those are the routing signals. By convention the manifest is CANONIFY.md and the canon corpus it points to lives under docs/.

2. Read the task. Use the user's stated task description. If unclear, ask for one sentence ("what are we building?") before continuing. Don't guess.

3. Walk every CANONIFY.md summary line and ask whether the task touches that area. For each doc-summary line (including any project-wide rules entry):

   • Read the one-paragraph summary describing what that doc covers.
   • Evaluate against the task: does the task plausibly require work in this area? Consider:
     • Feature areas named in the task (e.g. "add a new <feature>" -> the <feature> canon).
     • Side effects implied by the task (e.g. "send the user a notification when X" -> the relevant integration canon; "show only to admins" -> the access-control canon).
     • The general code surface a change touches (any code change -> the project-wide rules entry, if one exists).
   • If yes -> mark that doc as implicated. If no -> record it as skipped with a one-line reason.

   Output a short routing table:

   Implicated: <doc-a>.md, <doc-b>.md, <project-wide-rules>.md
   Skipped:    <doc-c>.md (one-line reason it doesn't apply)
               <doc-d>.md (one-line reason)
               <doc-e>.md (one-line reason)
   

   The "Skipped" list proves the read covered every doc and consciously dropped it - not that the doc was forgotten.

4. Load the implicated docs in parallel. Read each one in full. Pay attention to:

   • Tables of rules
   • Checklists (multi-step procedures the doc spells out)
   • "Gotchas" sections
   • Any project-wide rules entry
   • Worked examples - when an existing implementation matches the task shape, name it as a reference

5. Summarize the canonical pattern for the task. A few short paragraphs covering:

   • The one or two reference implementations to copy from (file paths + line refs)
   • The non-obvious gotchas relevant to this task (don't paste every gotcha from every doc - only the ones the task will actually hit)
   • Any multi-step checklists or imports/declarations the task will need
   • The order to build in (call out which step has to come first and why)

6. Hand off to coding. Once the routing + canonical pattern is laid out, proceed to writing the plan or implementation. The audit ends when the user has enough context to either commission the work or refine the task.

Don't do

• Don't load every doc. Walk the summaries and skip what doesn't apply. Reading docs that aren't implicated wastes context.
• Don't write code yet. This skill is about loading patterns, not implementing. Coding is the next step, post-routing.
• Don't paraphrase rules when listing them in the summary - quote from the docs directly so the user can verify.
• Don't replace the CANONIFY.md file itself. It's the routing manifest. This skill consults it; it doesn't supersede it.

Output template

## /canonify:build - pattern routing

Task: <one-line restatement of what we're building>

### Routing - CANONIFY.md summary sweep

Implicated:
- <doc-a>.md - <one-line reason: which part of the task pulls this in>
- <doc-b>.md - <one-line reason>

Skipped:
- <doc-c>.md - <one-line reason it doesn't apply>
- <doc-d>.md - ...

### Canonical pattern for this task

**Reference implementations:**
- `path/to/file.ext:NN` - <what it does, why it's a good model>
- `path/to/other.ext:NN` - <what it does>

**Required imports / multi-step checklists:**
- ...

**Gotchas that will hit this task specifically:**
- <Gotcha 1> - <one-line from the doc>
- <Gotcha 2> - <one-line from the doc>

**Build order:**
1. <Step> - <why first>
2. <Step>
3. ...

Ready to write the implementation.