mthds-edit

Edit MTHDS bundles

Modify existing MTHDS method bundles.

Mode Selection

How mode is determined

1. Explicit override: If the user states a preference, always honor it:

   • Automatic signals: "just do it", "go ahead", "automatic", "quick", "don't ask"
   • Interactive signals: "walk me through", "help me", "guide me", "step by step", "let me decide"

2. Skill default: Each skill defines its own default based on the nature of the task.

3. Request analysis: If no explicit signal and no strong skill default, assess the request:

   • Detailed, specific requirements → automatic
   • Brief, ambiguous, or subjective → interactive

Mode behavior

Automatic mode:

• State assumptions briefly before proceeding
• Make reasonable decisions at each step
• Present the result when done
• Pause only if a critical ambiguity could lead to wasted work

Interactive mode:

• Ask clarifying questions at the start
• Present options at decision points
• Confirm before proceeding at checkpoints
• Allow the user to steer direction

Mode switching

• If in automatic mode and the user asks a question or gives feedback → switch to interactive for the current phase
• If in interactive mode and the user says "looks good, go ahead" or similar → switch to automatic for remaining phases

Default: Automatic for clear, specific changes. Interactive for ambiguous or multi-step modifications.

Detection heuristics:

• "Rename X to Y" → automatic
• "Update the prompt in pipe Z" with new text provided → automatic
• "Add a step to do X" (open-ended) → interactive
• "Refactor this pipeline" (subjective) → interactive
• Multiple changes requested at once → interactive (confirm the plan)

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Process

Step 0 — Environment Check (mandatory, do this FIRST)

Run this command to check toolchain status:

~/.claude/plugins/marketplaces/mthds-plugins/bin/mthds-env-check "0.3.4" 2>/dev/null || ../mthds-plugins/bin/mthds-env-check "0.3.4" 2>/dev/null || echo "MTHDS_ENV_CHECK_MISSING"

Interpret the output:

• MTHDS_AGENT_MISSING → STOP. Do not proceed. Tell the user:

The mthds-agent CLI is required but not installed. Install it with:

npm install -g mthds

Then re-run this skill.

• MTHDS_AGENT_VERSION_UNKNOWN → STOP. The installed mthds-agent returned an unparseable version. Tell the user:

Could not parse the output of mthds-agent --version. Your installation may be corrupt. Reinstall with:

npm install -g mthds@latest

Then re-run this skill.

• MTHDS_AGENT_OUTDATED <installed> <required> → The installed mthds-agent is too old for this plugin. Do not hard-stop. Instead, tell the user their mthds-agent (v<installed>) is older than the required v<required>, then follow the upgrade flow to offer upgrading mthds-agent via npm install -g mthds@latest. After the upgrade flow completes (whether the user upgraded or declined), proceed to Step 1. The upgrade flow's "Not now" and "Never ask" options let users continue with current versions.

• MTHDS_UPDATE_CHECK_FAILED ... → WARN. The update check command failed. Show the error output to the user. Suggest checking network connectivity and mthds-agent installation. Proceed to Step 1 with current versions.

• UPGRADE_AVAILABLE ... → Read upgrade flow and follow the upgrade prompts before continuing to Step 1.

• JUST_UPGRADED ... → Announce what was upgraded to the user, then continue to Step 1.

• MTHDS_ENV_CHECK_MISSING → WARN. The env-check script was not found at either expected path. Tell the user the environment check could not run, but proceed to Step 1.

• No output or UP_TO_DATE → Proceed to Step 1.

• Any other output → WARN. The preamble produced unexpected output. Show it to the user verbatim. Proceed to Step 1 cautiously.

Do not write .mthds files manually, do not do any other work. The CLI is required for validation, formatting, and execution — without it the output will be broken.

No backend setup needed: This skill works without configuring inference backends or API keys. You can start building/validating methods right away. Backend configuration is only needed to run methods with live inference — use /mthds-runner-setup when you're ready.

1. Read the existing .mthds file — Understand current structure before making changes

2. Understand requested changes:

   • What pipes need to be added, removed, or modified?
   • What concepts need to change?
   • Does the method structure need refactoring?

   Interactive checkpoint: Present a summary of planned changes. Ask "Does this plan look right?" before proceeding to step 3.

   Automatic: Proceed directly to step 3. State planned changes in one line.

3. Apply changes:

   • Maintain proper pipe ordering (controllers before sub-pipes)
   • Keep TOML formatting consistent
   • Preserve cross-references between pipes
   • Keep inputs on a single line
   • Maintain POSIX standard (empty line at end, no trailing whitespace)

4. Validate after editing: If you suspect TOML syntax issues after editing, run mthds-agent plxt lint <file>.mthds for a quick check before the heavier semantic validation. Then validate:

   mthds-agent validate bundle <file>.mthds -L <bundle-dir>/
   

   If errors, see Error Handling Reference for recovery strategies by error domain. Use /mthds-fix skill for automatic error resolution.

5. Regenerate inputs if needed:

   • If inputs changed, run mthds-agent inputs bundle <file>.mthds -L <bundle-dir>/
   • Update existing inputs.json if present

6. Present completion:

   • If inputs were regenerated (step 5 triggered), show the path to the updated file.
   • Provide a concrete CLI example. If inputs.json contains placeholder values, suggest the safe dry-run command first:

     To try the updated method now, use /mthds-run or from the terminal:

     mthds-agent run bundle <bundle-dir>/ --dry-run --mock-inputs
     

     To run with real data, use /mthds-inputs to prepare your inputs (provide your own files, or generate synthetic test data), then:

     mthds-agent run bundle <bundle-dir>/
     

Common Edit Operations

• Add a pipe: Define concept if needed, add pipe in correct order
• Modify a prompt: Update prompt text, check variable references
• Change inputs/outputs: Update type, regenerate inputs
• Add batch processing: Add batch_over (plural list name or dotted path like "result.sources") and batch_as (singular item name) to step — they must be different
• Refactor to sequence: Wrap multiple pipes in PipeSequence

Reference

• Error Handling — read when CLI returns an error to determine recovery
• MTHDS Agent Guide — read for CLI command syntax or output format details
• MTHDS Language Reference — read when writing or modifying .mthds TOML syntax
• Native Content Types — read when using $var.field in prompts or from in construct blocks, to know which attributes each native concept exposes
• Model References — read when setting or changing model references in a pipe. The model field is optional — omit it to use defaults