Use Conductor

Scan the conductor/ directory at project root for structured project management files that provide direction, workflows, and task planning context.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Starting work on a project that may have conductor files
• Looking for project context, guidelines, or current tasks
• Needing to understand the project's workflow methodology
• Determining what work is in progress or next in queue

Conductor Directory Structure

The conductor system uses this structure:

conductor/
├── product.md              # Product vision and purpose
├── product-guidelines.md   # Standards and conventions
├── tech-stack.md           # Technology decisions
├── workflow.md             # Task execution methodology
├── tracks.md               # Index of active work tracks
├── setup_state.json        # Setup progress state
├── code_styleguides/       # Language-specific style guides
│   ├── general.md
│   └── python.md
└── tracks/                 # Detailed track plans
    └── <track_name>/
        ├── spec.md         # Track specification
        ├── plan.md         # Task checklist with progress
        └── metadata.json   # Track metadata

File Purposes

File	Purpose
product.md	Product vision, target audience, core features
product-guidelines.md	Naming conventions, quality standards, documentation rules
tech-stack.md	Approved technologies and libraries
workflow.md	TDD methodology, task workflow, commit guidelines
tracks.md	High-level index of all work tracks
tracks/<name>/plan.md	Detailed task checklist with [ ], [~], [x] status
tracks/<name>/spec.md	Goals, scope, and success criteria for the track

How to Scan

1. Check if conductor/ directory exists at project root
2. If present, read core files to understand project context:
   • product.md for vision
   • product-guidelines.md for standards
   • tracks.md for active work
3. For active tracks (marked [~]), read the track's plan.md to find current tasks
4. Follow the workflow methodology defined in workflow.md

Task Status Markers

In plan.md files:

• [ ] - Task not started
• [~] - Task in progress
• [x] - Task completed (may include commit SHA)

Integration with Work

When conductor files are present:

1. Respect the plan - Follow the task order in plan.md
2. Update status - Mark tasks as [~] when starting, [x] when done
3. Follow workflow - Use the TDD methodology if specified
4. Maintain standards - Follow product-guidelines.md and style guides
5. Stay in scope - Check spec.md for what's in/out of scope

Example Usage

Before starting work on a project:

User: "What should I work on next?"

Claude: [Checks for conductor/ directory]
        [Reads tracks.md to find active track]
        [Reads tracks/<active>/plan.md to find next [ ] task]
        "According to the conductor plan, the next task is..."