Tend

---
name: tend
description: This skill performs periodic hygiene on the .lore/ directory through four modes: status (verify/update document status), tags (unify tags, find connections), filenames (convention consistency, rename suggestions), directories (structure optimization). Use when documents have accumulated, status fields are stale, or organization needs attention. Triggers include "tend the lore", "check document status", "lore hygiene", "what's stale", "review lore health", "tag audit", "organize lore".
---

# Tend

Maintain hygiene across `.lore/` documents through four sequential modes.

## Modes

| Mode | Purpose | Produces |
|------|---------|----------|
| `status` | Verify and update document status fields | Accuracy: documents reflect reality |
| `tags` | Unify variants, find connections, identify clusters | Semantics: tags are consistent and meaningful |
| `filenames` | Check conventions, suggest renames based on content | Findability: names match content |
| `directories` | Suggest subdivision, archive candidates, detect orphans | Navigation: structure serves scale |

**Dependency chain**: status → tags → filenames → directories

Each mode builds on prior work. Status must be accurate before tag analysis is meaningful. Tags inform filename suggestions. Tag clusters inform directory suggestions.

## Invocation

```
/tend                    # Run all modes sequentially (pause between each)
/tend status             # Run only status mode
/tend tags               # Run only tags mode
/tend filenames          # Run only filenames mode
/tend directories        # Run only directories mode
```

## Common Pattern

All modes follow dry-run → confirm → apply:

1. **Scan**: Gather information without changing anything
2. **Report**: Present findings in categorized format
3. **Confirm**: Wait for user decisions on proposed changes
4. **Apply**: Make confirmed changes and report final state

Never skip confirmation for changes to existing content.

## Running a Mode

Load the appropriate reference file for detailed guidance:

| Mode | Reference |
|------|-----------|
| status | `references/status.md` |
| tags | `references/tags.md` |
| filenames | `references/filenames.md` |
| directories | `references/directories.md` |

Each reference defines: checks to perform, output report format, how to apply changes.

## Sequential Execution

When running `/tend` without arguments, execute modes in order with pauses:

1. Run status mode to completion
2. Ask: "Status complete. Continue to tags?"
3. On confirmation, run tags mode
4. Ask: "Tags complete. Continue to filenames?"
5. On confirmation, run filenames mode
6. Ask: "Filenames complete. Continue to directories?"
7. On confirmation, run directories mode
8. Present final summary

User can stop after any mode. The pause allows them to absorb findings before proceeding.

**Re-scan between modes**: After filenames or directories mode makes changes, paths may have changed. Re-scan `.lore/` before the next mode to pick up new state.

## Task Tracking

Use `TaskCreate` to make tending visible and structured:

```
TaskCreate: "Scan .lore/ for [mode-specific findings]"
TaskCreate: "Present [mode] findings"
TaskCreate: "Get user decisions"
TaskCreate: "Apply confirmed updates"
```

Mark tasks `in_progress` before starting, `completed` when done. Task boundaries force deliberate pacing through each phase.

**Why this matters**:
- Rushing through phases causes missed documents
- Each mode requires different analysis; collapsing them loses thoroughness
- A task marked complete is a claim that the work was done properly

## When to Use

- Documents have accumulated and status is unclear
- Before starting new work, to understand what's active
- Periodically, to keep lore healthy
- When something feels "off" about the project state
- After completing a feature cycle (good time to archive)
- When search isn't finding documents you know exist (tag/naming issues)