Project Status Dashboard

Overview

Display current project status, roadmap progress, blockers, and intelligent next-action suggestions based on workflow state.

Core principle: Read state → Display dashboard → Route intelligently.

When to Use

Use this skill when user asks:

• "What's the status?" or "Show me progress"
• "Where am I in the workflow?"
• "What should I do next?"
• "What's the current phase?"
• "Are there any blockers?"
• "What have I been working on?" or "Summarize recent work"
• "Update project memory" or "Update CLAUDE.md"

Do NOT use for:

• Creating new projects (use /octo:embrace)
• Modifying state (use octo-state.sh write_state)
• Detailed phase planning (use flow- skills)

The Process

Phase 1: Check Project Initialization

Step 1: Verify .octo/ Directory Exists

bash
# Check if project is initialized
if [[ ! -d ".octo" ]]; then
    echo "No project initialized"
    exit 1
fi

If .octo/ does not exist:

markdown
## Project Status

**Status:** Not initialized

No Claude Octopus project found in this directory.

### Get Started

Run `/octo:embrace [your project description]` to initialize a new project and start the Double Diamond workflow.

**Example:**

/octo:embrace build a user authentication system

This will:
1. Create .octo/ directory structure
2. Initialize STATE.md, PROJECT.md, ROADMAP.md
3. Begin Discover phase (research and exploration)

Stop here - do not proceed to Phase 2.

Phase 2: Read Current State

Step 1: Execute octo-state.sh read_state

bash
# Read current state from STATE.md
./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state

Expected output format:

schema=1.0
last_updated=2026-02-02T10:30:00Z
current_phase=2
current_position=define-requirements
status=in_progress

Step 2: Parse State Variables

Extract key-value pairs:

• current_phase - Phase number (1-4)
• current_position - Specific position within phase
• status - Current workflow status
• last_updated - Last state modification timestamp

Phase 3: Read Roadmap

Step 1: Read ROADMAP.md

bash
# Read roadmap for phase overview
cat .octo/ROADMAP.md

Step 2: Extract Phase Information

Parse ROADMAP.md to identify:

• Phase names (Discover, Define, Develop, Deliver)
• Phase descriptions
• Success criteria for each phase
• Dependencies between phases

Phase 4: Display Dashboard

Step 1: Build Status Dashboard

markdown
## Project Status

**Phase:** Phase {current_phase} - {phase_name}
**Position:** {current_position}
**Status:** {status}
**Last Updated:** {last_updated}

### Roadmap Progress

- [x] Phase 1: Discover - complete
- [ ] Phase 2: Define - in_progress  <-- YOU ARE HERE
- [ ] Phase 3: Develop - not_started
- [ ] Phase 4: Deliver - not_started

### Current Phase Details

**Phase 2: Define (Grasp)**
- **Goal:** Clarify requirements and scope
- **Position:** {current_position}
- **Status:** {status}

### Blockers

{blockers or "None"}

### Suggested Next Action

{intelligent routing based on status}

Step 2: Determine Phase Completion Status

Map current_phase and status to completion markers:

| Phase | Status | Marker | |-------|--------|--------| | 1 | complete | [x] Phase 1: Discover - complete | | 2 | in_progress | [ ] Phase 2: Define - in_progress <-- YOU ARE HERE | | 3 | not_started | [ ] Phase 3: Develop - not_started | | 4 | not_started | [ ] Phase 4: Deliver - not_started |

Phase 5: Intelligent Routing

Step 1: Map Status to Suggestion

Use this routing table:

| Status | Suggestion | |--------|-----------| | ready | "Run /octo:embrace [description] to start the workflow" | | planning | "Continue planning in current phase. Use /octo:define to refine requirements." | | building | "Continue implementation. Use /octo:develop to build features." | | in_progress | "Continue with current phase. Check .octo/phases/phase{N}/ for details." | | blocked | "Review blockers above. Use /octo:issues to track and resolve issues." | | complete | "Phase complete. Proceed to next phase or run /octo:ship to finalize." | | complete_with_gaps | "Phase complete with known gaps. Review .octo/ISSUES.md before proceeding." | | shipped | "Project delivered! Review .octo/LESSONS.md for retrospective." | | paused | "Project paused. Resume with /octo:embrace or check .octo/STATE.md for context." |

Step 2: Phase-Specific Routing

If status=in_progress, provide phase-specific guidance:

Phase 1 (Discover):

Continue research and exploration.
- Use `/octo:research [topic]` for multi-AI research
- Use `/octo:debate [question]` for decision support

Phase 2 (Define):

Continue requirements clarification.
- Use `/octo:prd` to write product requirements
- Use `/octo:define` to refine scope

Phase 3 (Develop):

Continue implementation.
- Use `/octo:develop` to build features
- Use `/octo:tdd` for test-driven development
- Use `/octo:review` for code quality checks

Phase 4 (Deliver):

Continue validation and delivery.
- Use `/octo:deliver` for final review
- Use `/octo:security` for security audit
- Use `/octo:ship` to finalize delivery

Example Outputs

Example 1: Project Not Initialized

markdown
## Project Status

**Status:** Not initialized

No Claude Octopus project found in this directory.

### Get Started

Run `/octo:embrace [your project description]` to initialize a new project and start the Double Diamond workflow.

**Example:**

/octo:embrace build a user authentication system

Example 2: Active Project in Define Phase

markdown
## Project Status

**Phase:** Phase 2 - Define (Grasp)
**Position:** define-requirements
**Status:** in_progress
**Last Updated:** 2026-02-02T10:30:00Z

### Roadmap Progress

- [x] Phase 1: Discover - complete
- [ ] Phase 2: Define - in_progress  <-- YOU ARE HERE
- [ ] Phase 3: Develop - not_started
- [ ] Phase 4: Deliver - not_started

### Current Phase Details

**Phase 2: Define (Grasp)**
- **Goal:** Clarify requirements and scope
- **Position:** define-requirements
- **Status:** in_progress

### Blockers

None

### Suggested Next Action

Continue requirements clarification.
- Use `/octo:prd` to write product requirements
- Use `/octo:define` to refine scope
- Check `.octo/phases/phase2/` for detailed plans

Example 3: Blocked Project

markdown
## Project Status

**Phase:** Phase 3 - Develop (Tangle)
**Position:** implement-auth
**Status:** blocked
**Last Updated:** 2026-02-02T14:15:00Z

### Roadmap Progress

- [x] Phase 1: Discover - complete
- [x] Phase 2: Define - complete
- [ ] Phase 3: Develop - blocked  <-- YOU ARE HERE
- [ ] Phase 4: Deliver - not_started

### Current Phase Details

**Phase 3: Develop (Tangle)**
- **Goal:** Implement features
- **Position:** implement-auth
- **Status:** blocked

### Blockers

- Missing OAuth provider credentials
- Database schema not finalized
- API rate limiting not configured

### Suggested Next Action

Review blockers above. Use `/octo:issues` to track and resolve issues.

**To unblock:**
1. Configure OAuth credentials in .env
2. Finalize database schema with `/octo:define`
3. Set up rate limiting configuration

Phase 6: Recent Activity Summary (Cross-Session)

When the user asks "what have I been working on", "summarize recent work", or "update project memory", generate a cross-session activity summary.

Step 1: Gather Recent Activity

bash
# Recent git commits (last 7 days or last 20 commits)
git log --oneline --since="7 days ago" --no-merges 2>/dev/null | head -20

# Recent tags/releases
git tag --sort=-creatordate | head -5

# Recent branches worked on
git branch --sort=-committerdate | head -5

# Recent orchestration results (if any)
ls -lt ~/.claude-octopus/results/ 2>/dev/null | head -10

Step 2: Summarize Activity

Build a concise summary grouped by theme:

markdown
## Recent Activity (Last 7 Days)

### Commits
- [theme 1]: brief summary of related commits
- [theme 2]: brief summary of related commits

### Releases
- v8.10.0 - Gemini CLI headless fix
- v8.9.0 - Contextual Codex model routing

### Active Branches
- main (current)

### Orchestration Sessions
- [count] workflows executed, [count] synthesis files generated

Step 3: Suggest CLAUDE.md Updates

If the recent activity reveals patterns not captured in CLAUDE.md, suggest specific additions:

markdown
### Suggested CLAUDE.md Updates

Based on recent activity, consider adding:
- [specific suggestion based on new patterns, conventions, or decisions]
- [specific suggestion based on new tooling or workflow changes]

Only suggest updates that reflect durable project knowledge (conventions, architecture decisions, provider configs) — NOT transient status like "currently working on X".

Integration with Other Skills

With flow- skills

User asks "what's next?"
→ skill-status shows current phase
→ User runs /octo:develop to continue

With skill-task-management

User asks "show status"
→ skill-status displays dashboard
→ skill-task-management shows active todos

With /octo:embrace

User asks "status" but no .octo/ exists
→ skill-status suggests /octo:embrace
→ User initializes new project

Best Practices

1. Always Check for .octo/ First

Good:

bash
if [[ ! -d ".octo" ]]; then
    echo "Not initialized"
    exit 1
fi

Poor:

bash
# Assume .octo/ exists and fail later
cat .octo/STATE.md

2. Use octo-state.sh for State Reading

Good:

bash
./scripts/octo-state.sh read_state

Poor:

bash
# Parse STATE.md manually
grep "Current Phase" .octo/STATE.md

3. Provide Actionable Next Steps

Good:

Continue with `/octo:develop` to implement features.
Check `.octo/phases/phase3/` for implementation plan.

Poor:

You're in phase 3.

Red Flags - Don't Do This

| Action | Why It's Wrong | |--------|----------------| | Modify STATE.md directly | Use octo-state.sh write_state instead | | Skip .octo/ existence check | Will fail with confusing errors | | Show status without next action | User doesn't know what to do | | Hardcode phase names | Read from ROADMAP.md for accuracy | | Ignore blockers | User needs to know what's blocking progress |

Quick Reference

| User Input | Action Required | |------------|-----------------| | "status" | Check .octo/ → Read state → Display dashboard | | "what's next" | Read state → Route based on status/phase | | "where am I" | Display current phase and position | | "show progress" | Display roadmap with completion markers | | "any blockers" | Extract and display blockers from STATE.md | | "what have I been working on" | Git log + results → Cross-session activity summary | | "update project memory" | Activity summary → Suggest CLAUDE.md additions |

The Bottom Line

Status check → Read state + roadmap → Display dashboard + intelligent routing
Otherwise → User doesn't know where they are or what to do next

Check initialization. Read state. Display clearly. Route intelligently.