express

Express Skill — Lightweight Fast Path

For trivial, documentation-grade changes with no functional breakage risk. Skips PRD / User Stories / Plan / AT / structured review. Preserves Issue-driven governance and CI gate.

Step 1: Input Validation

1. Require an Issue number. If none provided: STOP — output:

   Error: Issue number required. Usage: /atdd-kit:express <issue-number>
   

2. Run gh issue view <N> to validate:
   • not found → STOP: "Issue #N not found."
   • closed → STOP: "Issue #N is already closed."
   • has in-progress label → STOP: "Issue #N is already in-progress in another worktree."

Step 2: Criteria Check and Activation Approval

Applicability Criteria

OK — express applies:

Category	Examples
docs/README edits	Add a section, fix wording, update a link
typo fixes	Spelling errors in docs, comments, string literals (non-logic)
comment updates	Code comment clarity, inline doc corrections
gitignore additions	Add patterns, no logic change
version bump only	Bump a dependency version in a manifest with no behavior change

NG — express does NOT apply:

Category	Examples
New feature	Any new capability or endpoint
Behavior change	Altering logic, output format, or API surface
Dependency addition	New package or tool introduced
CI / hooks change	Modifying workflows, hooks, scripts
Security impact	Auth, permissions, secrets handling

When in doubt: fall back to the full flow via /atdd-kit:defining-requirements <issue-number>.

Activation Approval

Present the Issue title and the matching OK criterion to the user. Ask:

This Issue appears to qualify for express mode (matched criterion: ). Proceed with express? [Y/n]

Do NOT start implementation until the user explicitly approves and states which OK criterion applies. If the user declines, guide to /atdd-kit:defining-requirements <issue-number> instead.

Step 3: Implementation — Shortest Path

Express does NOT create any intermediate artifacts under docs/issues/<NNN>/ (no PRD, no user stories, no plan, no acceptance-tests, no review report).

1. Create branch: git checkout -b express/<N>-<slug>
2. Implement the change (scope: only what qualifies as OK above).
3. Scope overflow check — if the diff touches source files beyond documentation-grade changes (e.g., logic files, CI config, hooks):
   • STOP implementation immediately.
   • Report to the user: "Scope has exceeded express criteria (code file touched: <file>). Aborting express and switching to full flow."
   • Guide to /atdd-kit:defining-requirements <issue-number> to restart properly.
4. Commit with conventional commit format: docs: <message> (#<N>)
5. Push: git push -u origin express/<N>-<slug>

atdd-kit Self-Targeting Rule (AC7)

When the target repository is atdd-kit itself, the following are mandatory in the same PR — they may NOT be skipped:

• .claude-plugin/plugin.json version bump (patch or minor per change type, per DEVELOPMENT.md)
• CHANGELOG.md [Unreleased] Added/Fixed/Changed entry describing the change

Step 4: PR Creation

Create the PR with:

gh pr create \
  --title "<conventional-title> (#<N>)" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary

<one-line description>

## Express Mode

**Applied criterion:** <which OK criterion was matched, with brief rationale>

**Scope confirmation:** Only documentation-grade files were modified. No logic, CI, or dependency changes.

Closes #<N>
EOF
)" \
  --label "express-mode"

• The ## Express Mode section is mandatory and must name the specific OK criterion that justified express (AC6).
• The express-mode label is mandatory (AC5). If the label is not found, run /atdd-kit:setup-github first.

Step 5: CI Gate and Human Merge

Do NOT merge until CI is green. CI bypass (`--admin`, `--merge` before green) is forbidden (AC4).

Merge is performed by a human — this skill does NOT run gh pr merge automatically.

Once CI is green, notify the user: "CI passed. PR # is ready for your review and merge."

Red Flags

Thought	Reality
"I'll start without user approval"	AC1: explicit user approval is mandatory before any implementation
"This one-liner touches logic — I'll finish and note it"	AC9: scope overflow → abort and report immediately
"CI is slow, I'll merge with --admin"	AC4: CI gate is non-negotiable
"I'll create the PR without the express-mode label"	AC5: label is mandatory for traceability
"I'll skip CHANGELOG / version bump for atdd-kit"	AC7: DEVELOPMENT.md rules apply even in express
"The Issue is already in-progress — I'll continue anyway"	AC3: in-progress collision → STOP