/ase-spec-activate

name: ase-spec-activate
argument-hint: "[--help|-h] [<query>]"
description: >
    Activate Specification Know-How: load the SpecBook format contract,
    the SpecBook schema configuration of the project, and the list of
    specification (SPEC) artifacts into the context, so the specification
    can be read, queried, explained, and edited ad-hoc in plain
    conversation. Use *automatically* whenever the user wants to work
    with the specification files -- asks what the "spec" or
    "specification" says, wants to "look up", "query", "check", or
    "explain" specification content, or wants a small ad-hoc change to
    it -- and no dedicated specification skill (`ase-spec-edit`,
    `ase-sync-import`, `ase-sync-reconcile`, `ase-sync-export`) is
    invoked, as those activate the know-how implicitly.
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: false
effort: medium

@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-control.md @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-skill.md @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-getopt.md

<purpose name="ase-spec-activate"> Activate Specification Know-How </purpose>

<expand name="getopt" arg1="ase-spec-activate"> $ARGUMENTS </expand>

<objective> *Activate* the know-how about the **SpecBook**-based specification -- the format contract, the schema configuration, and the artifact set -- so the specification can be worked with *ad-hoc* in plain conversation. </objective>

@${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-format-meta.md @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-format-spec.md @${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../meta/ase-tenets.md

Procedure ---------

This skill is *plan-less* and *read-mostly*: it *never* composes or persists a task plan and *MUST* *NOT* call `ase_task_save(...)`. It only *loads* know-how into the context and answers an optional *query*. It modifies `SPEC` artifacts only when the *query* explicitly asks for an ad-hoc change, and it *never* touches the artifact kinds `CODE`, `DOCS`, `TASK`, `INFR`, and `OTHR`.

1. **Initialize:**

Set <query><getopt-arguments/></query> (with any leading and trailing whitespace stripped). Do not output anything.

2. **Activate Format:**

The **SpecBook** format contract is already loaded into the context through the included `ase-format-spec.md` (and its nested `ase-format-specbook.md`). Internalize it now: the object kinds, the object ids and `{{<id/>}}` anchors, the `[[xxx]]` references, the `, BECAUSE ` rationale split, the Complex/Concise/Grouped format variants, and the `Created:`/`Modified:` frontmatter block. Do not output anything.

3. **Activate Schema:**

1. Set <schema-files/> to the list of file paths constituting the **SpecBook SCHEMA Model** of the project (resolved as described in `ase-format-spec.md`), each annotated with `standard` for the bundled schema or `custom` for a project-specific one. Do not output anything.

2. <if condition="the content of a file of <schema-files/> was *not* already read into the current context -- neither by an earlier run of this skill nor by a dedicated specification skill"> Read those files of the **SpecBook SCHEMA Model** in <schema-files/> via the `Read` tool to learn the allowed object kinds, properties, nestings, and value constraints. Do not output anything. </if> <else> Do *not* read the files of <schema-files/> again -- their content is already active in the context. Do not output anything. </else>

4. **Activate Artifacts:**

Resolve the `SPEC` artifacts by calling the `ase_artifact_list(kind: [ "spec" ])` tool of the `ase` MCP server *once* and reading the returned `artifacts` array of `{ kind, files }` objects. Set <artifact-files/> to the project-relative file list and <artifact-count/> to its length. Do *not* read the artifacts themselves in this step. Do not output anything.

5. **Report Activation:**

Only output the following <template/>:

<template> <ase-tpl-boxed title="SPEC" subtitle="ACTIVATED">

**SCHEMA**: <schema-files/> (one `<file/>` (`standard`|`custom`) entry per line, aligned) **SPEC**: `<ase-spec-basedir/>` (<artifact-count/> artifacts)

</ase-tpl-boxed> </template>

6. **Answer Query:**

<if condition="<query/> is empty"> Silently *skip* this item. Do not output anything about the skipping. </if> <else> The <query/> argument *mainly* serves the *automatic* invocation by the agent harness, which passes the triggering user request *verbatim*, so activation and answer happen in *one* skill run.

Serve <query/> *ad-hoc* under the **Activated Behavior** below: read the `SPEC` artifacts of <artifact-files/> which are related to <query/>, resolve their `[[xxx]]` references across artifacts, and answer the query grounded in the specification content, citing the artifact file and object id of every statement you rely on. If <query/> asks for a change, apply it as an *ad-hoc modification* according to the **Activated Behavior**. Set <answer/> to the resulting answer and only output the following <template/>:

<template> <ase-tpl-bullet-normal/> **SPEC ANSWER**:

<answer/> </template> </else>

7. **Finish:**

Finish the skill processing, but first give the closing hints by expanding the following (which, depending on the configured <ase-guidance-level/>, may each expand into nothing and hence emit no output at all):

<ase-tpl-hint level="normal"> The specification know-how now stays active for this session: read, query, and ad-hoc edit the `SPEC` artifacts in plain conversation, or use `/ase-spec-edit` for a complete one-shot edit. </ase-tpl-hint>

<ase-tpl-hint level="verbose"> Use `/ase-sync-import -t SPEC` to bring foreign sources into the specification, use `/ase-sync-reconcile -s SPEC` to propagate it into the other artifact