help

Show all Arc commands with context-aware relevance. Reads the codebase to understand what's present (framework, tests, plans, design docs, etc.) and annotates each command with whether it's relevant right now. Use when asked "what can arc do", "help", "list commands", "what commands are available", or "how does arc work".

16 stars

Best use case

help is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.

Show all Arc commands with context-aware relevance. Reads the codebase to understand what's present (framework, tests, plans, design docs, etc.) and annotates each command with whether it's relevant right now. Use when asked "what can arc do", "help", "list commands", "what commands are available", or "how does arc work".

Teams using help should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.

When to use this skill

  • You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.

When not to use this skill

  • You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
  • You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.

Installation

Claude Code / Cursor / Codex

$curl -o ~/.claude/skills/help/SKILL.md --create-dirs "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/howells/arc/main/skills/help/SKILL.md"

Manual Installation

  1. Download SKILL.md from GitHub
  2. Place it in .claude/skills/help/SKILL.md inside your project
  3. Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill

How help Compares

Feature / AgenthelpStandard Approach
Platform SupportNot specifiedLimited / Varies
Context Awareness High Baseline
Installation ComplexityUnknownN/A

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this skill do?

Show all Arc commands with context-aware relevance. Reads the codebase to understand what's present (framework, tests, plans, design docs, etc.) and annotates each command with whether it's relevant right now. Use when asked "what can arc do", "help", "list commands", "what commands are available", or "how does arc work".

Where can I find the source code?

You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.

SKILL.md Source

<tool_restrictions>
# MANDATORY Tool Restrictions

## BANNED TOOLS — calling these is a skill violation:
- **`EnterPlanMode`** — BANNED. This skill outputs information directly.
- **`ExitPlanMode`** — BANNED. You are never in plan mode.
- **`AskUserQuestion`** — BANNED. This is a read-only info dump, not interactive.
</tool_restrictions>

# /arc:help

Show every Arc command with context-aware relevance annotations.

---

## Step 1: Gather Context (quick, parallel)

Run these checks in parallel. Keep it fast — no deep exploration.

```bash
# What framework/stack?
ls package.json next.config.* vite.config.* nuxt.config.* 2>/dev/null | head -5

# Arc artifacts?
ls docs/vision.md docs/arc/specs/*.md docs/arc/plans/*.md 2>/dev/null | head -10

# Design docs?
ls docs/design-context.md docs/arc/specs/design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -5

# Test setup?
ls vitest.config.* jest.config.* playwright.config.* cypress.config.* 2>/dev/null | head -5

# Has UI? (React/Vue/Svelte components)
ls src/app/**/*.tsx app/**/*.tsx src/components/**/*.tsx components/**/*.tsx 2>/dev/null | head -3

# Has AI features?
grep -rl "from ['\"]ai['\"]" src/ app/ lib/ 2>/dev/null | head -3

# Git state
git log -1 --format=%ci 2>/dev/null
git diff --name-only HEAD~5 2>/dev/null | head -20

# CLAUDE.md or rules?
ls CLAUDE.md .claude/rules/**/*.md rules/**/*.md 2>/dev/null | head -5

# Progress journal?
head -20 docs/arc/progress.md 2>/dev/null
```

From these checks, build a mental model of what's **present** and what's **missing**.

---

## Step 2: Output the Command Guide

Present all commands in a single output. Use the context to annotate relevance.

### Format

For each command group, output:

```markdown
## [Group Name]

| Command | What it does | Relevance |
|---------|-------------|-----------|
| `/arc:command` | One-line description | **Relevant** — [why] |
| `/arc:command` | One-line description | *Low relevance* — [why] |
```

**Relevance rules:**
- **Relevant** — the project has the prerequisites AND there's a reason to use it now
- **Available** — the project has the prerequisites but no urgent reason
- *Low relevance* — project is missing prerequisites (e.g., no UI = no `/arc:design`)
- *Not applicable* — fundamentally doesn't apply (e.g., no codebase at all)

### The Catalog

Output ALL of these in order:

---

**ENTRY POINTS**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:go` | Understands your codebase, asks what you want to do, routes to the right workflow | Starting a session, unsure where to begin |
| `/arc:help` | This command — shows all commands with context | When you want to see what's available |

**FOUNDATION**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:vision` | Define project goals, purpose, and success criteria | New projects, or when goals are unclear |

**DESIGN**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:brand` | Create a visual identity system — palette, typography, tone, and generated assets | New projects, rebranding, before design work |
| `/arc:ideate` | Turn an idea into a validated design through collaborative dialogue | New features that need thinking before building |
| `/arc:design` | Create distinctive, non-generic UI with aesthetic direction and wireframes | When building UI that should be memorable |
| `/arc:naming` | Generate and validate project names with domain/GitHub checks | Naming a new project or product |

**EXECUTE**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:implement` | Scope-aware planning and execution with TDD | Small fixes through substantial features |
| `/arc:ai` | AI SDK guidance — correct patterns, deprecated API warnings | Before implementing any AI feature |

**REVIEW**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:review` | Expert review with parallel specialized agents (security, design, performance, etc.) | Before merging, after implementation |
| `/arc:audit` | Mechanical verification plus comprehensive audit | Quick checks, focused audits, before shipping |

**TEST**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:testing` | Test strategy and execution — unit, integration, E2E with specialist agents | Creating test plans, running suites, fixing failures |
**SHIP**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:letsgo` | Production readiness checklist | Final gate before production deployment |

**CROSS-CUTTING**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:responsive` | Audit and fix mobile responsiveness with visual verification | After building desktop-first UI |
| `/arc:seo` | Deep SEO audit — meta tags, structured data, crawlability | Before launching public-facing pages |
| `/arc:commit` | Smart commit with auto-splitting across domains | When ready to commit changes |
| `/arc:suggest` | What to work on next — analyzes codebase, issues, and debt | Starting a session, unsure what to tackle |
| `/arc:document` | Capture solved problems as searchable documentation | After solving a non-obvious problem |
| `/arc:tidy` | Clean up completed plans in docs/arc/plans/ | When plan files accumulate |
| `/arc:rules` | Apply Arc's coding rules to the project | Setting up a new project with Arc conventions |
| `/arc:deps` | Dependency audit — outdated packages, CVEs, batch upgrades | Periodic maintenance, before shipping |
| `/arc:hooks` | Install Claude Code hooks for auto-formatting, linting, context | Setting up development environment |

**UTILITY**

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---------|-------------|-------------|
| `/arc:prune-agents` | Kill orphaned Claude subagent processes | When agents didn't exit cleanly |

---

## Step 3: Contextual Recommendations

After the catalog, add a short section:

```markdown
## Recommended Right Now

Based on what I found in your project:

1. **[Command]** — [specific reason based on context]
2. **[Command]** — [specific reason based on context]
3. **[Command]** — [specific reason based on context]
```

Pick 2-4 commands that make the most sense given:
- What's **missing** (no vision doc → suggest `/arc:vision`)
- What's **stale** (old plans → suggest `/arc:tidy`)
- What **just changed** (recent UI edits → suggest `/arc:design` or `/arc:audit --harden`)
- What **could be improved** (no tests → suggest `/arc:testing`)

---

## Rules

- **Don't invoke any other skills.** This is information only.
- **Don't ask questions.** Output the catalog and recommendations, then stop.
- **Keep context gathering under 5 seconds.** Quick checks only, no deep exploration.
- **Show ALL commands.** Don't hide irrelevant ones — annotate them so users learn they exist.
- **Be specific about relevance.** "Low relevance — no UI components found" not just "Low relevance."

Related Skills

vision

16
from howells/arc

Create or review a high-level vision document capturing project goals and purpose. Use when asked to "define the vision", "what is this project", "set goals", or when starting a new project that needs clarity on purpose and direction.

using-arc

16
from howells/arc

Use when starting any conversation - establishes Arc's skill routing, instruction priority, and bootstrap rules

tidy

16
from howells/arc

Clean up completed plans in docs/arc/plans/. Archives or deletes finished plans. Use when asked to "clean up plans", "tidy the docs", "archive old plans", or after completing implementation to remove stale planning documents.

testing

16
from howells/arc

Comprehensive testing strategy. Creates test plans covering unit, integration, and E2E. Uses specialist agents for each test type. Supports vitest and Playwright with auth testing guidance for Clerk and WorkOS.

suggest

16
from howells/arc

Opinionated recommendations for what to work on next based on Linear issues, tasks, and codebase. Use when asked "what should I work on", "what's next", "suggest priorities", or when starting a session and unsure where to begin.

seo

16
from howells/arc

Deep SEO audit for web projects. Analyzes codebase for crawlability, indexability, on-page SEO, structured data, social previews, and technical foundations. Optionally runs Lighthouse and PageSpeed against a live URL. Reports findings with severity, offers direct fixes or /arc:detail plans. Use when asked to "audit SEO", "check SEO", "review SEO", or "is my site SEO-ready".

responsive

16
from howells/arc

Audit and fix responsive/mobile issues across every page of a project, using browser screenshots at two breakpoints (375px mobile, 1440px desktop). Design-aware: reads existing design docs to preserve aesthetic intent, not just "make it fit." Use when asked to "make it responsive", "fix mobile", "responsive audit", or after building a desktop-first UI that needs mobile adaptation.

refactor

16
from howells/arc

Discover architectural friction and propose structural refactors with competing interface designs. Focuses on deepening shallow modules, consolidating coupled code, and improving testability. Use when asked to "improve the architecture", "find refactoring opportunities", "deepen modules", "consolidate coupling", "make this more testable", or "find architectural friction".

prune-agents

16
from howells/arc

Kill orphaned Claude subagent processes that didn't exit cleanly. Use when asked to "prune agents", "clean up agents", "kill orphaned processes", or when subagents accumulate from Task tool usage.

progress

16
from howells/arc

Internal skill for progress journal management. Other skills append to docs/arc/progress.md for cross-session context. Not invoked directly by users.

naming

16
from howells/arc

Generate and validate project names. Reads codebase context, produces candidates using tech naming strategies, and checks domain + GitHub availability. Use when naming a new project, renaming, or validating an existing name.

letsgo

16
from howells/arc

Production readiness checklist covering domains, SEO, security, and deployment. Use when asked to "ship it", "deploy to production", "go live", "launch", or when preparing a project for production deployment.