git:20261011.d9ac641 to git:20261014.955d843

1 added, 1 removed. Audit A to A.

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name: trailhead

description: "Start and drive a large project (more than one agent session can hold) as a map of decision tickets on GitHub Issues, resolving one at a time until the way to the destination is clear. Self-contained (zero external-plugin dependencies: trailhead ships its own `trailhead-*` engine agents and needs only an authenticated gh CLI): map-based onboarding and a discuss→plan→execute→verify engine with atomic commits, with everything (map, discussion, plan, verification) living on the Issues. Invoke only when the user explicitly runs `/trailhead` (or a `/trailhead:<verb>` command) or asks to chart, adopt, or work a trailhead map, and do not auto-invoke for generic planning, project, or task-tracking requests."

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`trailhead` charts a large project as a **shared map on GitHub Issues**, then works its **tickets** one at a time until the way to the destination is clear. This skill is the **entry point**: bare `/trailhead` runs **smart entry** (detect the repo state and propose the next move); a verb runs that verb's engine. Everything lives on the Issues; the repo holds code only.

## Load first, in order

- Before doing anything, read `../_shared/load-first.md` and follow it: the shared-core load contract (the six core files, in order, then the effective config). `_shared/` is a **sibling** of this cluster's own directory (at `../_shared/`), never a child of it; its absence from a listing of the cluster dir is expected, not a missing core.

+ Before doing anything, load `<skill base>/../_shared/load-first.md` and follow it: the shared-core load contract (the six core files, in order, then the effective config). `<skill base>` is this skill's **base directory** (Claude Code prints it as `Base directory for this skill:` when the skill loads; on another host, the directory holding this `SKILL.md`): resolve the path to an **absolute path** and open it with the **Read tool** on that absolute path. Never `cd` into a skills directory and never read a relative path from the shell (a `cd` compound followed by a read is denied by the search guard). The same rule covers every later `../_shared/...` or `references/...` path in this skill: resolve it against the base directory to an absolute path before reading. `_shared/` is a **sibling** of this cluster's own directory (at `../_shared/`), never a child of it; its absence from a listing of the cluster dir is expected, not a missing core.

## Routing: verb to engine

The **first word** of the arguments is the verb; the rest is the text or a ticket number. `/trailhead <verb>` and `/trailhead:<verb>` are equivalent.

- **No verb** to **smart entry** (below): this skill handles it directly.

- **A verb** to hand off to the skill that owns it, passing the whole argument string. **The skill-split migration ([map #53](https://github.com/ToRvaLDz/trailhead/issues/53)) lands the cluster skills one at a time.** The **chart cluster is built (#59)**: `new`, `adopt`, `ticket`, `inbox`, and `grill` route to the **`trailhead-chart`** skill (call the Skill tool with skill name `trailhead-chart` and arguments `<verb> <rest>`). The **work cluster is built (#60)**: `work`, `quick`, `pause`, `resume`, `split`, and `auto` route to the **`trailhead-work`** skill (call the Skill tool with skill name `trailhead-work` and arguments `<verb> <rest>`). The **view cluster is built (#61)**: `map`, `dashboard`, and `whiteboard` route to the **`trailhead-view`** skill (call the Skill tool with skill name `trailhead-view` and arguments `<verb> <rest>`). The **capture cluster is built (#62)**: `bug`, `todo`, `idea`, `seed`, and `note` route to the **`trailhead-capture`** skill (call the Skill tool with skill name `trailhead-capture` and arguments `<verb> <rest>`). The **manage cluster is built (#63)**: `config`, `update`, `prune`, and `audit` route to the **`trailhead-manage`** skill (call the Skill tool with skill name `trailhead-manage` and arguments `<verb> <rest>`). The **`panel`** verb routes to no skill: it is answered by the trailhead mod on Claude Code 2.1.287+ (`/trailhead:panel` opens or closes the live map panel), and where no mod answers, say in one line that the panel is not available in this session. Then carry out the target skill's instructions.

- **Unrecognised verb** to treat the whole string as `idea` (route to `trailhead-capture` as `idea <text>`).

The namespaced `/trailhead:<verb>` commands reach their target skill directly through their own command wrapper; this routing table only covers the bare `/trailhead <verb>` form.

## Smart entry (bare `/trailhead`)

With no verb, detect the repo state and **propose**, do not dead-end:

- **No map** to offer *chart* (`/trailhead:new`) or *adopt* (`/trailhead:adopt`); or point at `/trailhead:whiteboard` if the repo has loose `trailhead:whiteboard` tickets but no map.

- **Map present with a workable frontier** to route to *work*. Bare `/trailhead:work` takes one ticket to act on, but present the frontier as a **set to choose from** when its tickets are mutually independent, never a crowned first-listed (see **Frontier order carries no priority** in `../_shared/substrate.md`).

- **Map present but its frontier is empty** (everything left is gated or still fog, or the map is complete-except-gated) to lay out the sensible moves as a short list, and **always include `/trailhead:quick "<text>"` right after `/trailhead:map`** as the way to open and do a *new* discrete piece of work off the map now (an existing loose ticket is worked anchored on `/trailhead:work <n>`, with `/trailhead:quick <n>` as the lighter alternative), alongside `/trailhead:map` for the full view, `/trailhead:whiteboard` when loose work waits, `/trailhead:new` to chart the next map, the captures (`todo` / `idea` / `bug` / `seed`) for new work, and graduating a fog line into a ticket when it is sharp enough.

**Self-heal the pinned dashboard** before proposing: ensure the repo's `trailhead:dashboard` index exists and is pinned. Ensure the label, then **create + pin only if missing, re-pin if the pin was dropped, and never rewrite the body on this render** (the dashboard model is in `../_shared/substrate.md`; the exact `gh` commands live in the substrate cookbook, at `../_shared/substrate-commands.md`). So a repo that adopted trailhead before the dashboard existed gets one on the next bare `/trailhead`.

**First-time config offer (once per project).** When a project has a map but **no `.trailhead/config.json` yet**, put an **explicit two-way choice** to the user and wait for their pick: **(a) accept as-is** (continue on the current or proposed values, which writes an empty `{}`), or **(b) run `/trailhead:config`** to configure everything through the guided menu (models / design / TDD / ...). **Always name both paths and let the user choose; never silently take one.** You may show the values you would default to, but frame the close as this binary: **do not** pre-fill the config keys and ask for an open-ended inline edit, and **do not** interview the user key-by-key inline (that is `/trailhead:config`'s job). Ask this **only once**: running config writes the file, and *accept as-is* writes an empty `{}`, so once `.trailhead/config.json` exists it is never offered again (a `{}` file means "reviewed, using defaults"). The same offer is made at the end of chart / adopt. It fires on the bare `/trailhead` and when setting a project up, never in the middle of working a ticket.

Every verb is also a **namespaced command** (`/trailhead:new`, `/trailhead:work`, `/trailhead:bug`, ...) so typing `/trailhead` lists them all in the picker; they delegate to their owning skill.