/gsd-thread

name: gsd-thread
description: "Use when work spans sessions and does not belong to any specific phase, or when the user wants to create, list or resume a context thread. Keeps lightweight threads under .planning/threads/."
argument-hint: "[name | description]"
allowed-tools:
  - Read
  - Write
  - Bash

<objective> Create, list, or resume persistent context threads. Threads are lightweight cross-session knowledge stores for work that spans multiple sessions but doesn't belong to any specific phase. </objective>

<process>

**Parse $ARGUMENTS to determine mode:**

<mode_list> **If no arguments or $ARGUMENTS is empty:**

List all threads:

ls .planning/threads/*.md 2>/dev/null

For each thread, read the first few lines to show title and status:

## Active Threads

| Thread | Status | Last Updated |
|--------|--------|-------------|
| fix-deploy-key-auth | OPEN | 2026-03-15 |
| pasta-tcp-timeout | RESOLVED | 2026-03-12 |
| perf-investigation | IN PROGRESS | 2026-03-17 |

If no threads exist, show:

No threads found. Create one with: /gsd-thread <description>

</mode_list>

<mode_resume> **If $ARGUMENTS matches an existing thread name (file exists):**

Resume the thread — load its context into the current session:

cat ".planning/threads/${THREAD_NAME}.md"

Display the thread content and ask what the user wants to work on next. Update the thread's status to `IN PROGRESS` if it was `OPEN`. </mode_resume>

<mode_create> **If $ARGUMENTS is a new description (no matching thread file):**

Create a new thread:

1. Generate slug from description:

   SLUG=$(node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" generate-slug "$ARGUMENTS" --raw)

2. Create the threads directory if needed:

   mkdir -p .planning/threads

3. Write the thread file:

   cat > ".planning/threads/${SLUG}.md" << 'EOF'
   # Thread: {description}

   ## Status: OPEN

   ## Goal

   {description}

   ## Context

   *Created from conversation on {today's date}.*

   ## References

   - *(add links, file paths, or issue numbers)*

   ## Next Steps

   - *(what the next session should do first)*
   EOF

4. If there's relevant context in the current conversation (code snippets, error messages, investigation results), extract and add it to the Context section.

5. Commit:

   node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" commit "docs: create thread — ${ARGUMENTS}" --files ".planning/threads/${SLUG}.md"

6. Report:

   ## 🧵 Thread Created

   Thread: {slug}
   File: .planning/threads/{slug}.md

   Resume anytime with: /gsd-thread {slug}

</mode_create>

</process>

<notes>

• Threads are NOT phase-scoped — they exist independently of the roadmap
• Lighter weight than /gsd-pause-work — no phase state, no plan context
• The value is in Context and Next Steps — a cold-start session can pick up immediately
• Threads can be promoted to phases or backlog items when they mature:

/gsd-add-phase or /gsd-add-backlog with context from the thread

• Thread files live in .planning/threads/ — no collision with phases or other GSD structures

</notes>