Workflows
Workflows Reference
Section titled “Workflows Reference”SKF has 12 workflows. You trigger them by typing commands to Ferris, the AI agent that runs everything. Each workflow handles a specific part of the skill lifecycle — from analyzing source code to packaging for distribution. If any terms are unfamiliar, see the Concepts page for definitions.
Core Workflows
Section titled “Core Workflows”Setup Forge (SF)
Section titled “Setup Forge (SF)”Command: @Ferris SF
Purpose: Initialize forge environment, detect tools (ast-grep, ccc, gh, qmd), set capability tier, index project in CCC (Forge+), verify QMD collection health (Deep).
When to Use: First time using SKF in a project. Run once per project.
Key Steps: Detect tools + Determine tier → CCC index check (Forge+) → Write forge-tier.yaml → QMD + CCC registry hygiene (Deep/Forge+) → Status report
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Brief Skill (BS)
Section titled “Brief Skill (BS)”Command: @Ferris BS
Purpose: Scope and design a skill through guided discovery.
When to Use: Before Create Skill when you want maximum control over what gets compiled.
Key Steps: Gather intent → Analyze target → Define scope → Confirm brief → Write skill-brief.yaml
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Create Skill (CS)
Section titled “Create Skill (CS)”Command: @Ferris CS
Purpose: Compile a skill from a brief. Supports --batch for multiple briefs.
When to Use: After Brief Skill, or with an existing skill-brief.yaml.
Key Steps: Load brief → Ecosystem check → Extract (AST + scripts/assets) → QMD enrich (Deep) → Compile → Validate → Generate
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Update Skill (US)
Section titled “Update Skill (US)”Command: @Ferris US
Purpose: Smart regeneration preserving [MANUAL] sections. Detects individual vs stack internally.
When to Use: After source code changes when an existing skill needs updating.
Key Steps: Load existing → Detect changes (incl. scripts/assets) → Re-extract → Merge (preserve MANUAL) → Validate → Write → Report
Agent: Ferris (Surgeon mode)
Feature Workflows
Section titled “Feature Workflows”Quick Skill (QS)
Section titled “Quick Skill (QS)”Command: @Ferris QS <package-or-url>
Purpose: Brief-less fast skill with package-to-repo resolution.
When to Use: When you need a skill quickly — no brief needed. Accepts package names or GitHub URLs.
Key Steps: Resolve target → Ecosystem check → Quick extract → Compile → Validate → Write
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Stack Skill (SS)
Section titled “Stack Skill (SS)”Command: @Ferris SS
Purpose: Consolidated project stack skill with integration patterns. Supports two modes: code-mode (analyzes a codebase) and compose-mode (synthesizes from existing skills + architecture document, no codebase required).
When to Use: When you want your agent to understand your entire project stack — not just individual libraries. Use code-mode for existing projects; compose-mode activates automatically after the VS → RA verification path when skills exist but no codebase is present.
Key Steps (code-mode): Detect manifests → Rank dependencies → Scope confirmation → Parallel extract → Detect integrations → Compile stack → Generate references
Key Steps (compose-mode): Load existing skills → Confirm scope → Detect integrations from architecture doc → Compile stack → Generate references
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Analyze Source (AN)
Section titled “Analyze Source (AN)”Command: @Ferris AN
Purpose: Decomposition engine — discover what to skill, recommend stack skill.
When to Use: Brownfield onboarding of large repos or multi-service projects.
Key Steps: Init → Scan project → Identify units → Map exports & detect integrations → Recommend → Generate briefs
Note: Supports resume — if the session is interrupted mid-analysis, re-run @Ferris AN and Ferris will resume from where it left off.
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Audit Skill (AS)
Section titled “Audit Skill (AS)”Command: @Ferris AS
Purpose: Drift detection between skill and current source.
When to Use: To check if a skill has fallen out of date with its source code.
Key Steps: Load skill → Re-index source → Structural diff (incl. script/asset drift) → Semantic diff (Deep) → Classify severity → Report
Agent: Ferris (Audit mode)
Test Skill (TS)
Section titled “Test Skill (TS)”Command: @Ferris TS
Purpose: Cognitive completeness verification. Naive and contextual modes. Quality gate before export.
When to Use: After creating or updating a skill, before exporting.
Key Steps: Load skill → Detect mode → Coverage check → Coherence check → External validation (skill-check, tessl) → Score → Gap report
Agent: Ferris (Audit mode)
Architecture Verification Workflows
Section titled “Architecture Verification Workflows”Verify Stack (VS)
Section titled “Verify Stack (VS)”Command: @Ferris VS
Purpose: Pre-code stack feasibility verification. Cross-references generated skills against architecture and PRD documents with three passes: coverage, integration compatibility, and requirements.
When to Use: After generating individual skills with CS/QS, before building a stack skill — to verify the tech stack can support the architecture.
Key Steps: Load skills + docs → Coverage analysis → Integration verification → Requirements check → Synthesize verdict → Present report
Agent: Ferris (Audit mode)
Refine Architecture (RA)
Section titled “Refine Architecture (RA)”Command: @Ferris RA
Purpose: Evidence-backed architecture improvement. Takes the original architecture doc + generated skills + optional VS report, fills gaps, flags contradictions, and suggests improvements — all citing specific APIs.
When to Use: After VS confirms feasibility, before running SS in compose-mode. Produces a refined architecture ready for stack skill composition.
Key Steps: Load inputs → Gap analysis → Issue detection → Improvement detection → Compile refined doc → Present report
Agent: Ferris (Architect mode)
Utility Workflows
Section titled “Utility Workflows”Export Skill (EX)
Section titled “Export Skill (EX)”Command: @Ferris EX
Purpose: Validate package structure, generate context snippets, and inject managed sections into CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md/.cursorrules.
When to Use: When a skill is ready for CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md integration. Also provides distribution instructions for npx skills publish.
Key Steps: Load skill → Validate package → Generate snippet → Update context file (CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md/.cursorrules) → Token report → Summary
Agent: Ferris (Delivery mode)
Workflow Connections
Section titled “Workflow Connections”Standard path (code-mode):
flowchart TD
SF[Setup Forge — one-time] --> AN[Analyze Source]
SF --> QS[Quick Skill]
SF --> SS_code[Stack Skill — code-mode]
AN --> BS[Brief Skill]
BS --> CS[Create Skill]
AN -->|direct| CS
CS --> TS[Test Skill — quality gate]
QS --> TS
SS_code --> TS
TS --> EX[Export Skill]
TS --> AS[Audit Skill]
AS --> US[Update Skill]
US --> TS
Pre-code verification path (compose-mode):
flowchart TD
GEN["Create Skill | Quick Skill ×N<br/>(per library)"] --> VS[Verify Stack — feasibility report]
VS --> RA[Refine Architecture — refined doc]
RA --> SS_compose[Stack Skill — compose-mode]
SS_compose --> TS[Test Skill]
TS --> EX[Export Skill]
Workflow Categories
Section titled “Workflow Categories”| Category | Workflows | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Core | SF, BS, CS, US | Setup, brief, create, and update skills |
| Feature | QS, SS, AN | Quick skill, stack skill, and analyze source |
| Quality | AS, TS | Audit skill completeness and test skill accuracy |
| Architecture Verification | VS, RA | Pre-code architecture feasibility and refinement |
| Utility | EX | Package and export for consumption |
| In-Agent | WS, KI | WS: show lifecycle position, active briefs, and forge tier; KI: list knowledge fragments (both in-agent, no file-based workflow) |