Governance

Ensure the host project's agent context file contains the swain governance rules. This skill is idempotent — run it every session; it only writes on first use.

Session-start check

Detect the agent platform and locate the context file:

Platform Context file Detection

Claude Code CLAUDE.md (project root) Default — use if no other platform detected

Cursor .cursor/rules/swain-governance.mdc

.cursor/ directory exists

Check whether governance rules are already present:

grep -l "swain governance" CLAUDE.md .cursor/rules/swain-governance.mdc 2>/dev/null

If any file matches, governance is already installed. Proceed to Legacy cleanup, then stop.

If no match, run Legacy cleanup, then proceed to First-use setup.

Legacy cleanup

Remove pre-rename skill directories that are superseded by the current swain-* names. Check for each of these in .claude/skills/ and delete any that exist:

rm -rf .claude/skills/governance .claude/skills/spec-management .claude/skills/execution-tracking .claude/skills/release 2>/dev/null

Only delete a legacy directory if its swain-* replacement is already present — if somehow only the old names exist, leave them alone (the update likely didn't complete).

Next, check whether the governance block in the context file references old skill names (spec-management , execution-tracking ). If it does, delete the entire block between <!-- swain governance --> and <!-- end swain governance --> (inclusive) and re-inject via First-use setup so the block picks up the current names. This is safe because the block is machine-managed — user customizations live outside the markers.

First-use setup

When governance rules are not found, inject them into the appropriate context file.

Claude Code

Append the following block to CLAUDE.md in the project root. If CLAUDE.md does not exist, create it.

<!-- swain governance — do not edit this block manually -->

Skill routing

When the user wants to create, plan, write, update, transition, or review any documentation artifact (Vision, Journey, Epic, Story, Agent Spec, Spike, ADR, Persona, Runbook, Bug) or their supporting docs (architecture overviews, competitive analyses, journey maps), always invoke the swain-design skill. This includes requests like "write a spec", "let's plan the next feature", "create an ADR for this decision", "move the spike to Active", "add a user story", "create a runbook", "file a bug", or "update the architecture overview." The skill contains the artifact types, lifecycle phases, folder structure conventions, relationship rules, and validation procedures — do not improvise artifact creation outside the skill.

For all task tracking and execution progress, use the swain-do skill instead of any built-in todo or task system. This applies whether tasks originate from swain-design (implementation plans) or from standalone work. The swain-do skill bootstraps and operates the external task backend — it will install the CLI if missing, manage fallback if installation fails, and translate abstract operations (create plan, add task, set dependency) into concrete commands. Do not use built-in agent todos when this skill is available.

Pre-implementation protocol (MANDATORY)

Implementation of any SPEC artifact (Epic, Story, Agent Spec, Spike) requires a swain-do plan before writing code. Invoke the swain-design skill — it enforces the full workflow.

Issue Tracking

This project uses bd (beads) for all issue tracking. Do NOT use markdown TODOs or task lists. Invoke the swain-do skill for all bd operations — it provides the full command reference and workflow.

<!-- end swain governance -->

Cursor

Write the governance rules to .cursor/rules/swain-governance.mdc . Create the directory if needed.

description: "swain governance — skill routing, pre-implementation protocol, issue tracking" globs: alwaysApply: true

<!-- swain governance — do not edit this block manually -->

Skill routing

When the user wants to create, plan, write, update, transition, or review any documentation artifact (Vision, Journey, Epic, Story, Agent Spec, Spike, ADR, Persona, Runbook, Bug) or their supporting docs (architecture overviews, competitive analyses, journey maps), always invoke the swain-design skill. This includes requests like "write a spec", "let's plan the next feature", "create an ADR for this decision", "move the spike to Active", "add a user story", "create a runbook", "file a bug", or "update the architecture overview." The skill contains the artifact types, lifecycle phases, folder structure conventions, relationship rules, and validation procedures — do not improvise artifact creation outside the skill.

For all task tracking and execution progress, use the swain-do skill instead of any built-in todo or task system. This applies whether tasks originate from swain-design (implementation plans) or from standalone work. The swain-do skill bootstraps and operates the external task backend — it will install the CLI if missing, manage fallback if installation fails, and translate abstract operations (create plan, add task, set dependency) into concrete commands. Do not use built-in agent todos when this skill is available.

Pre-implementation protocol (MANDATORY)

Implementation of any SPEC artifact (Epic, Story, Agent Spec, Spike) requires a swain-do plan before writing code. Invoke the swain-design skill — it enforces the full workflow.

Issue Tracking

This project uses bd (beads) for all issue tracking. Do NOT use markdown TODOs or task lists. Invoke the swain-do skill for all bd operations — it provides the full command reference and workflow.

<!-- end swain governance -->

After injection

Tell the user:

Governance rules installed in <file> . These rules ensure swain-design, swain-do, and swain-release skills are routable. You can customize the rules — just keep the <!-- swain governance --> markers so this skill can detect them on future sessions.

Governance content reference

The canonical governance rules are embedded in the First-use setup section above. If the upstream rules change in a future swain release, update the embedded blocks and bump the skill version. Consumers who want the updated rules can delete the <!-- swain governance --> block from their context file and re-run this skill.