Command Reference

Every GSD command, Silver Bullet skill, config option, and planning file — all in one place for quick lookup.

GSD Commands

GSD commands are slash commands that resolve to GSD's installed workflow files. All are invoked via the Skill tool inside the active host coding agent. /gsd:do is GSD's own natural-language router; Silver Bullet uses it when the task is lifecycle-owned by GSD rather than SB-specific orchestration.

CommandPhaseDescription
/gsd:new-project Init Kick off a new project: ecosystem research, requirements scoping, roadmap generation. Produces .planning/PROJECT.md, REQUIREMENTS.md, ROADMAP.md.
/gsd:do Any GSD natural-language router. Use when you want GSD to pick the lifecycle command for status, next step, phase management, or other GSD-owned work.
/gsd:fast Fast path Executes truly trivial edits with lightweight verification. Invoked by /silver:fast Tier 1.
/gsd:quick Fast path Executes bounded medium changes with optional --discuss, --research, --validate, or --full flags. Invoked by /silver:fast Tier 2.
/gsd:map-codebase Orient Maps codebase architecture, patterns, quality concerns, and implementation context for brownfield planning.
/gsd:discuss-phase Discuss Capture implementation decisions and gray areas for the current phase before planning. Produces .planning/{phase}-CONTEXT.md.
/gsd:plan-phase Plan Research → task plan → plan verification. Produces .planning/{phase}-RESEARCH.md and .planning/{phase}-{N}-PLAN.md.
/gsd:execute-phase Execute Wave-based parallel execution with atomic commits per task. Produces .planning/{phase}-{N}-SUMMARY.md and git commits.
/gsd:verify-work Verify Goal-backward verification against requirements + UAT. Produces .planning/{phase}-VERIFICATION.md.
/gsd:add-tests Verify Fills validation or UAT coverage gaps with focused tests after implementation or verification exposes missing coverage.
/gsd:code-review Review Reviews changed source files for bugs, security problems, and quality issues. Produces REVIEW artifacts.
/gsd:code-review-fix Review Applies accepted review fixes from REVIEW artifacts and commits them atomically.
/gsd:secure-phase Secure Verifies threat mitigations and security posture for the implemented phase.
/gsd:validate-phase Validate Audits and fills validation gaps after a phase or when Nyquist-style coverage needs tightening.
/gsd:ship Ship Create PR with auto-generated body: phase summaries, requirement coverage, verification links.
/gsd:pr-branch Ship Creates a clean PR branch when planning commits need to be filtered out of the shipping branch.
/gsd:audit-uat Release Runs cross-phase UAT audit before milestone release.
/gsd:audit-milestone Release Checks milestone completion against original intent and surfaces release blockers or gaps.
/gsd:plan-milestone-gaps Release Creates gap-closure phases for unresolved milestone audit findings.
/gsd:docs-update Docs Updates project documentation and verifies doc claims against the live codebase.
/gsd:milestone-summary Docs Generates milestone narrative and release-note context from completed GSD artifacts.
/gsd:complete-milestone Release Archives the completed milestone and prepares the project for the next version cycle.
/gsd:next Any "Where am I?" — reads current state and advances to the next required step. Use when lost.
/gsd:debug Any Systematic debugging for any bug encountered during execution. Uses scientific method: hypothesize → test → confirm.
/gsd:forensics Any Post-mortem diagnosis for failed GSD workflows. SB uses /silver:forensics for SB/session-level reconstruction and delegates GSD failures here.
/gsd:help Any Displays the complete GSD command reference.

Silver Bullet Skills

Silver Bullet is the Agentic Process Orchestrator layer around GSD. /silver accepts freeform intent, classifies task complexity, composes the right SB/GSD/plugin path, and then enforces that the selected path actually runs. GSD remains the lifecycle and execution authority; SB owns routing, composition, quality gates, risk checks, traceability, and recovery.

Command naming note: public docs use the logical slash-command names. Some host/plugin surfaces may expose generated package names differently, but the source command definitions in this repo use the silver:* namespace.

SkillWhenDescription
/silverAnytimeDynamic workflow composer. Routes natural-language work requests to the smallest safe workflow: fast path, clarify, spec, feature, bugfix, UI, DevOps, research, release, docs, quality gates, tests, or GSD lifecycle work.
/silver:initSetupInitializes or reactivates SB for a project. Creates silver-bullet.md, .silver-bullet.json, workflow docs, documentation scaffold, CI where absent, and reconciles CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md without overwriting user instructions.
/silver:ensure-docsDocsBootstraps, reconciles, and audits the bounded documentation scheme: docs/ARCHITECTURE.md, docs/TESTING.md, docs/doc-scheme.md, monthly knowledge/lessons files, task checklist, and related docs.
/silver:quality-gatesRequiredBefore plan / before ship8 core product/software dimensions: modularity, reusability, scalability, security, reliability, usability, testability, and extensibility. AI/LLM safety is added only when the phase includes AI behavior. Failing dimensions become hard requirements.
/silver:blast-radiusDevOpsRequiredBefore DevOps planMaps scope, dependencies, failure scenarios, rollback plan, change window, and escalation path. Produces LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH/CRITICAL risk classification.
/devops-quality-gatesDevOpsRequiredDevOps pre-plan / pre-ship7 IaC-adapted dimensions: reliability, security, scalability, modularity, testability, observability, and change-safety. Focuses on idempotency, drift prevention, least-privilege IAM, rollback safety, and operational reliability.
/devops-skill-routerDevOpsDevOps enrichmentRoutes to optional IaC/cloud provider skills when installed. It is contextual enrichment, not a substitute for GSD planning or SB gates.
/silver:forensicsOn failureRoot-cause investigation for failed, abandoned, or stalled SB sessions. Routes GSD-workflow failures to /gsd:forensics and handles SB/session-level failures directly.
/silver:create-releaseRequiredMilestone releaseGenerates structured release notes, updates release surfaces, creates the final version tag, and publishes the GitHub Release. Runs last inside /silver:release, after ship and milestone archival.
/verify-testsRequiredFinal deliveryRuns configured verify commands or stack defaults and writes the freshness marker consumed by SB hooks. Required before final delivery/release gates.
/silver:addDeferred workClassifies and files bugs, backlog items, tech debt, and follow-ups to GitHub Issues/project board or local docs/issues/ depending on project config.
/silver:removeDeferred workRemoves or retires a tracked work item by ID.
/silver:remKnowledge captureCaptures project knowledge or portable lessons into monthly files under docs/knowledge/ and docs/lessons/.
/silver:scanRetrospectiveRetrospective session scanning for unaddressed deferred items and knowledge/lesson candidates.
/silver:handoffSession endGenerates a reusable project-level handoff prompt with project state, milestone context, constraints, verification/release status, and open follow-ups.
/silver:updateMaintenanceChecks latest SB release, shows the target version/SHA/changelog, and updates after explicit confirmation.
/silver:migrateUpgrade supportMigrates older SB project state into the current composable-workflow structure and per-instance workflow tracker.

Spec Pipeline Skills

Three skills that form the spec-driven development pipeline. They run before GSD planning begins — SPEC.md is the upstream input that REQUIREMENTS.md, ROADMAP.md, and DESIGN.md must stay aligned with.

SkillWhenDescription
/silver:spec Before planning (spec-first projects) AI-driven spec elicitation. Produces a canonical SPEC.md with structured requirements, acceptance criteria, assumption tracking, and source input cross-references. Use before /gsd:new-project or when a formal spec is required before GSD planning.
/silver:ingest Before spec creation (external sources) Ingests artifacts from JIRA, Figma, and Google Docs via MCP connectors. No custom API code — all external data access delegated to MCP. Produces a structured INGESTION_MANIFEST.md that maps external inputs to spec sections.
/silver:validate After spec creation, before planning Read-only pre-build gap analysis. Reads .planning/SPEC.md and PLAN.md files, maps acceptance criteria to planned work, surfaces assumptions and open questions, emits BLOCK/WARN/INFO findings, and writes .planning/VALIDATION.md. BLOCK findings must be resolved before implementation.
/silver:review-stats Anytime (review health reporting) Generates three summary tables from accumulated review metrics (JSON Lines): pass rates by artifact type, rounds to clean pass, and finding categories by artifact type. Use to track review health over time.

Orchestration Workflows

Named workflows that /silver can compose after intent classification. They orchestrate; implementation remains delegated to GSD, with Superpowers, SB quality/review skills, and optional external research/provider skills used only at explicit helper boundaries where installed.

SkillEntry trigger keywordsTypical composed path
/silver:clarifyidea, concept, fuzzy requirement, no SPEC.mdsilver:clarify/gsd:discuss-phase handoff
/silver:featureadd, build, implement, new feature, enhance, extendtriage → gsd-scan / /gsd:map-codebase → clarify/research if needed → quality gates → GSD plan/execute/verify → review/ship
/silver:bugfixbug, broken, crash, error, regression, failing testtriage path → systematic debugging or forensics → regression test → fix → verify/review
/silver:uiUI, frontend, component, screen, design, layout, responsiveorientation → clarify/research if needed → UI design contract → GSD plan/execute → visual/UI audit → verify/ship
/silver:devopsinfra, CI/CD, deploy, pipeline, terraform, IaC, kubernetes, cloud, opsorientation → blast radius → DevOps skill routing → IaC quality gates → GSD plan/execute without TDD → review/security/verify/ship
/silver:researchhow should we, compare X vs Y, spike, architecture decisionclarify question → configured research path when available → research artifact → handoff to feature/UI/DevOps/GSD or stop
/silver:releaserelease, publish, version, go live, tag v, ship to usersrelease disambiguation → quality gates → UAT/milestone audits → docs/review/fresh tests → gsd:shipgsd:complete-milestone/silver:create-release
/silver:fasttrivial, quick fix, typo, one-liner, config value, bounded small changetier triage → gsd:fast, gsd:quick with flags, or escalation to silver:feature
/silver:specformal spec, acceptance criteria, user stories, write a specSocratic elicitation → SPEC.md / REQUIREMENTS alignment → artifact review
/silver:ingestJIRA, Figma, Google Docs, Confluence, external artifactMCP connector check → artifact extraction → manifest/spec draft → ingestion review
/silver:validatevalidate spec, validate plan, gap analysis, assumption awarenessread SPEC/PLAN artifacts → BLOCK/WARN/INFO gap analysis → VALIDATION.md

Complexity Triage

/silver classifies every request before routing. This prevents over-engineering trivial changes and under-engineering risky ones.

ClassificationSignalsAction
TrivialTypo, rename, small config/copy change, usually ≤3 filesRoute to /silver:fast Tier 1
Bounded mediumSmall logic/dependency change, usually 4–10 files, no cross-cutting impactRoute to /silver:fast Tier 2
SimpleClear scope, single phase, known implementation pathRoute to the matching workflow and skip extra clarification when safe
ComplexCross-cutting, multi-phase, architecture or data-model impactFull workflow with clarify/research/spec gates as needed
FuzzyVague intent, unclear success criteria, missing scopeRun /silver:clarify, then re-classify

Ship Disambiguation

/silver distinguishes phase-level ship from milestone-level release.

SignalRoute
Version number, changelog, release notes, public publish, go live/silver:release
Active phase in progress, no version signal/gsd:ship
No active phase and milestone complete/silver:release

Superpowers Skills Used in Silver Bullet

SkillWhenDescription
/brainstormingSP Before Discuss Explores problem space. After completion, redirect handoff to /gsd:plan-phase — not to writing-plans.
/system-designSPCond Discuss (new service) Architecture decisions for new services or major components. Required when a phase introduces significant new infrastructure.
/design-systemSPCond Discuss (UI work) UI component and design token decisions. Only required for phases with UI work.
/ux-copySPCond Discuss (UI work) User-facing text and messaging decisions. Only required for phases with UI work.
tddSPRequired Execute (before writing code) Red-green-refactor discipline. Invoke before writing any implementation code in /gsd:execute-phase. Write a failing test first, then implement until it passes, then refactor. Required for behavior-changing software implementation plans. DevOps/IaC workflows explicitly skip TDD and instead use plan/validate/policy/security/drift checks.
/requesting-code-reviewSPRequired Code Review Frames the review scope and dispatches superpowers:code-reviewer only when the active SB workflow selects that helper discipline. Does not replace the GSD review artifact.
/gsd:code-reviewGSDRequired Code Review Produces the authoritative REVIEW.md artifact through GSD reviewer agents. Loop until two consecutive clean passes.
/receiving-code-reviewSPRequired Code Review Triage all review feedback. Accept or reject each item with reasoning before fixing.
superpowers:code-reviewer Code Review (via /requesting-code-review) Conditional helper reviewer dispatched by /requesting-code-review when selected by the active SB workflow. Must return Approved on two consecutive passes before proceeding. Self-limiting — loop ends naturally when two clean passes are produced.

DevOps Plugin Skills (Contextual Enrichment)

These skills are optional enrichment — not enforcement gates. They're invoked when a matching DevOps plugin is installed and the IaC toolchain matches.

SkillWhen to use
/devops-skill-routerDetermines which DevOps plugin skill to invoke based on file type and toolchain detected.
terraform-code-generationHashiCorp skill for Terraform best practices. Invoke during Discuss/Plan for .tf files.
deploy-on-awsAWS architecture recommendations. Invoke during Plan for AWS deployments.
kubernetes-operationsKubernetes manifest best practices. Invoke during Discuss/Execute for k8s work.
k8s-troubleshooterPod and cluster diagnostics. Invoke during Verify for k8s deployments.
monitoring-observabilitySLO validation and observability setup. Invoke during Verify for monitoring phases.
gitops-workflowsArgoCD/Flux patterns. Invoke during Plan if the project uses GitOps.
ci-cdPipeline best practices. Invoke during Testing Strategy for pipeline phases.
aws-cost-optimizationFlag wasteful AWS resources. Invoke during Verify for AWS deployments.

Composable Flows & New Artifacts

Silver Bullet uses composable flows architecture. Three new artifacts and reference concepts are introduced.

artifact-review-assessor

Skill name: artifact-review-assessor

Purpose: Triage reviewer findings from any review cycle (plan-checker, code-reviewer, security-auditor, etc.) into three actionable categories:

  • MUST-FIX — finding blocks completion; must be resolved before exit condition is met
  • NICE-TO-HAVE — improvement worth making if time allows; does not block
  • DISMISS — finding is not applicable, already addressed, or out of scope

When it runs: Inside FLOW 9 (REVIEW) after each reviewer pass. Also runs in FLOW 4 (SPECIFY), FLOW 5 (PLAN), and FLOW 11 (VERIFY) after artifact reviewers complete. Produces a triage report that the orchestrator uses to decide whether exit condition is met.

Review cycle pattern: Artifact → reviewer → artifact-review-assessor → fix → 2-pass. Two consecutive clean passes (no MUST-FIX findings) satisfy the exit condition.

Per-instance workflow tracker

Artifact purpose: Real-time composition state tracking. The active record lives at .planning/workflows/<id>.md. It captures what has been decided, what paths have run, what has been inserted dynamically, and what comes next. The retired single-file WORKFLOW.md model is legacy only.

Key fields:

  • path_log — ordered list of paths completed with timestamps and exit conditions met
  • phase_iterations — how many times the per-phase loop (PLAN → EXECUTE → REVIEW → VERIFY) has run
  • dynamic_insertions — paths inserted mid-composition (e.g., FLOW 14 DEBUG on failure, FLOW 6 DESIGN CONTRACT on UI detection)
  • autonomous_decisions — decisions the orchestrator made without user input (logged for transparency)
  • deferred_improvements — NICE-TO-HAVE findings from assessor that were deferred
  • next_path — the path scheduled to run next

Where created: FLOW 0 (BOOTSTRAP) on first run, or via silver:migrate when upgrading from pre-composable-flows versions. Updated by the supervision loop after each path completes.

Path Contracts

Reference: docs/composable-flows-contracts.md — the authoritative contract reference for all 18 flows.

Each path contract defines 7 required fields:

  • Prerequisites — artifacts that MUST exist before the path runs
  • Trigger — context signals that cause /silver to include this path in the composition
  • Steps — ordered skill invocations (mandatory vs. as-needed)
  • Produces — artifacts created or modified by this path
  • Review Cycle — artifact → reviewer → artifact-review-assessor → fix → 2-pass (or "None")
  • GSD Impact — which GSD state fields are read/written
  • Exit Condition — what makes this path "complete"

The 18 flows are: FLOW 0 BOOTSTRAP · FLOW 1 ORIENT · FLOW 2 CLARIFY · FLOW 3 DECIDE · FLOW 4 SPECIFY · FLOW 5 PLAN · FLOW 6 DESIGN CONTRACT · FLOW 7 EXECUTE · FLOW 8 UI QUALITY · FLOW 9 REVIEW · FLOW 10 SECURE · FLOW 11 VERIFY · FLOW 12 QUALITY GATE · FLOW 13 SHIP · FLOW 14 DEBUG · FLOW 15 DESIGN HANDOFF · FLOW 16 DOCUMENT · FLOW 17 RELEASE.

.silver-bullet.json Configuration

Project-level configuration file in the repo root. Created by /silver:init and refreshed idempotently on re-run.

{ "version": "0.35.1", "project": { "name": "my-app", "src_pattern": "/src/", "src_exclude_pattern": "__tests__|\.test\.", "active_workflow": "full-dev-cycle" }, "skills": { "required_planning": ["silver-quality-gates", "gsd-discuss-phase", "gsd-plan-phase"], "required_planning_devops": ["silver-blast-radius", "devops-quality-gates", "gsd-discuss-phase", "gsd-plan-phase"], "required_deploy": [ "silver-quality-gates", "gsd-execute-phase", "gsd-verify-work", "gsd-ship", "gsd-code-review", "gsd-secure-phase", "gsd-validate-phase", "code-review", "requesting-code-review", "receiving-code-review", "finishing-a-development-branch", "silver-create-release", "verification-before-completion", "test-driven-development", "verify-tests" ], "all_tracked": ["silver-quality-gates", "silver-blast-radius", "devops-quality-gates", "verify-tests", "gsd:*", ...] }, "release": { "profile": "generic", "require_plugin_runtime_matrix": false, "require_pre_release_quality_gate": false }, "devops_plugins": { "hashicorp": false, "awslabs": false, "pulumi": false, "devops-skills": false, "wshobson": false }, "state": { "state_file": "~/.claude/.silver-bullet/state", "trivial_file": "~/.claude/.silver-bullet/trivial" } }

Two-tier enforcement is intentional: commits and pushes only require the planning floor, while PR creation, deploys, and releases require the full delivery list. That lets GSD make atomic development commits without weakening final delivery gates.

Session Log Format

A session log is created at the start of every session at docs/sessions/YYYY-MM-DD-{task-slug}.md. The path is written to ~/.claude/.silver-bullet/session-log-path for hooks to access.

# Session: {task-slug} ## Meta Date: YYYY-MM-DD Model: host execution tier Mode: interactive | autonomous ## Pre-answers - Model routing — Planning: host execution tier - Worktree: yes ## Task {one-sentence description} ## Approach {how you approached it} ## Skills flagged at discovery {skills surfaced during skill discovery step} ## Skill gap check (post-plan) {any skills flagged after plan was written} ## Files changed {list of files modified} ## Skills invoked {ordered list of skills actually invoked} ## Agent Teams dispatched {agents dispatched, isolation mode, results} ## Autonomous decisions {decisions made without user input in autonomous mode} ## Outcome {what was achieved} ## Knowledge and lessons additions updated docs/knowledge/YYYY-MM.md or docs/lessons/YYYY-MM.md | no changes ## Runtime/cost note {host runtime, rough usage/cost estimate if available}

Project Root Files

These files live in the project root and are created by /silver:init.

FileOwnerDescription
silver-bullet.mdSilver BulletSilver Bullet enforcement instructions (sections 0-10). Managed by plugin — do not edit manually. Updated by /silver:init.
CLAUDE.mdUserProject-specific instructions. CLAUDE.md in Claude, AGENTS.md in Codex. References silver-bullet.md for enforcement rules. User-owned — Silver Bullet only adds a reference line.
.silver-bullet.jsonSilver BulletProject-level configuration: project name, source pattern, semantic compression, verify commands, workflow paths.

Planning Files (.planning/)

All planning files are managed by GSD. Do not edit them manually unless you know what you're doing.

FileCreated byDescription
.planning/PROJECT.md/gsd:new-projectProject goals, scope, metadata, and team context.
.planning/REQUIREMENTS.md/gsd:new-projectAuthoritative requirements list. Single source of truth. Superpowers must not duplicate this.
.planning/ROADMAP.md/gsd:new-projectPhase breakdown with goals and acceptance criteria per phase.
.planning/{phase}-CONTEXT.md/gsd:discuss-phaseDecisions and clarifications captured during Discuss for this phase.
.planning/{phase}-RESEARCH.md/gsd:plan-phaseImplementation research results — how to build the phase.
.planning/{phase}-{N}-PLAN.md/gsd:plan-phaseTask-level execution plan. N is the iteration number.
.planning/{phase}-{N}-SUMMARY.md/gsd:execute-phaseExecution summary: what was built, commits made, deviations.
.planning/{phase}-VERIFICATION.md/gsd:verify-workGoal-backward verification results.
.planning/{phase}-UAT.md/gsd:verify-workUser acceptance test results (app workflow only).
.planning/.context-cache/semantic-compress.shCached semantic context chunks. Auto-invalidated on file change.

Documentation Files (docs/)

FilePurpose
docs/PRD-Overview.mdHigh-level product requirements overview synced from planning artifacts.
docs/ARCHITECTURE.mdDurable architecture overview, constraints, and design principles.
docs/TESTING.mdTest strategy, coverage goals, stack-specific verification commands, and testing decisions.
docs/internal/CICD.mdCI/CD pipeline and deployment process documentation when the project keeps operational docs internal.
docs/doc-scheme.mdHuman-readable documentation architecture and update contract.
docs/doc-scheme.jsonMachine-readable required-docs/sections contract consumed by SB doc checks.
docs/task-doc-checklist.jsonPer-task documentation coverage checklist.
docs/knowledge/INDEX.mdGateway index for project-scoped knowledge.
docs/knowledge/YYYY-MM.mdMonthly project-specific intelligence: architecture patterns, gotchas, key decisions, recurring patterns, open questions.
docs/lessons/YYYY-MM.mdMonthly portable lessons using the strict domain/stack/practice/devops/design taxonomy.
docs/CHANGELOG.mdNewest-first task/release changelog.
docs/specs/Detailed design specs and source-linked specs.
docs/workflows/Active workflow files such as full-dev-cycle.md and devops-cycle.md.
docs/sessions/Per-session logs created at session start and completed during finalization/handoff.
docs/issues/Local issue/backlog storage when the project is not configured for GitHub issue tracking.

State Files (~/.claude/.silver-bullet/)

These files live in ~/.claude/.silver-bullet/ with restricted permissions (0700). They store session state for hooks.

FilePurpose
~/.claude/.silver-bullet/modeContains interactive or autonomous. Read by hooks throughout the session. Defaults to interactive if missing.
~/.claude/.silver-bullet/session-log-pathPath to the current session log file in docs/sessions/. Used by hooks to write events.
~/.claude/.silver-bullet/trivialLegacy compatibility marker. Codex agents should route trivial work through /silver:fast instead.
~/.claude/.silver-bullet/session-initSentinel file marking that the session init phase (loading context, compacting) has already run.
~/.claude/.silver-bullet/timeoutTimeout sentinel for autonomous mode session duration tracking.

Useful Shortcuts and Patterns

Common Command Sequences

# Let SB compose the right workflow /silver Add audit logging to account settings # Start a new feature phase explicitly /silver:feature Add audit logging to account settings # Continue where you left off /gsd:next # Something broke during execution /gsd:debug # Verify, review, and prepare final delivery /gsd:verify-work → /requesting-code-review → /gsd:code-review → /receiving-code-review → /verify-tests # Route trivial changes through the supported fast path /silver:fast # DevOps task with risk controls /silver:devops Update staging Terraform module # Milestone release /silver:release v0.35.1

Runtime and Model Boundaries

Silver Bullet does not provide a generic automatic model-routing layer over GSD. Configure model behavior in the active host or in GSD's supported configuration, then let Silver Bullet compose and enforce the workflow around that execution.