Speclan Query

---
name: SPECLAN Query
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "list features", "find requirements", "show approved specs", "get children of a feature", "index specs", "query specs by status", or needs to search, filter, or programmatically query SPECLAN entities by type, status, or parent relationship.
version: 0.1.0
---

# SPECLAN Query

Fast, flexible querying of SPECLAN entities with JSON output. Query by type, filter by status or parent, with optional full metadata extraction.

## Why Use This Skill

- **Fast**: Filename-based parsing without reading files (unless filters require it)
- **Reliable**: Uses `{PREFIX}-{ID}-{slug}` naming pattern as source of truth
- **Flexible**: Query any entity type, filter by status/parent
- **Structured**: Clean JSON output for programmatic consumption
- **zsh-safe**: Avoids reserved word conflicts (uses `entity_status` not `status`)

## Entity Types

| Type | Prefix | Pattern | Location |
|------|--------|---------|----------|
| goal | G- | G-###-*.md | goals/ |
| feature | F- | F-####-*.md | features/ (recursive) |
| requirement | R- | R-####-*.md | features/.../requirements/ |
| change-request | CR- | CR-####-*.md | Anywhere in change-requests/ |

## Usage

### Script Location

```
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/speclan-query/scripts/query.sh
```

### Command Line

```bash
./query.sh [OPTIONS] [speclan-dir]
```

**Options:**
- `-t, --type TYPE` - Entity type to query (required)
- `-s, --filter-status STATUS` - Filter by status (draft|review|approved|in-development|under-test|released|deprecated)
- `-p, --parent ID` - Filter by parent ID (e.g., F-1234)
- `-f, --full` - Include title and status in output (reads frontmatter)
- `-h, --help` - Show usage

**Arguments:**
- `speclan-dir` - Path to speclan directory (default: ./speclan)

**Output:**
- JSON array to stdout
- Errors to stderr
- Exit code: 0 = success, 1 = error

## Examples

### List all features (fast - filename only)

```bash
./query.sh --type feature speclan
```

Output:
```json
[
  {"id":"F-1049","slug":"pet-management","type":"feature","path":"speclan/features/F-1049-pet-management/F-1049-pet-management.md"},
  {"id":"F-2847","slug":"user-auth","type":"feature","path":"speclan/features/F-2847-user-auth/F-2847-user-auth.md"}
]
```

### List features with full details

```bash
./query.sh --type feature --full speclan
```

Output:
```json
[
  {"id":"F-1049","slug":"pet-management","type":"feature","path":"...","title":"Pet Management","status":"draft"},
  {"id":"F-2847","slug":"user-auth","type":"feature","path":"...","title":"User Authentication","status":"approved"}
]
```

### Filter by status

```bash
./query.sh --type feature --filter-status approved speclan
```

### Find requirements for a feature

```bash
./query.sh --type requirement --parent F-1049 speclan
```

### Find change-requests for a requirement

```bash
./query.sh --type change-request --parent R-2046 speclan
```

### Combine filters

```bash
./query.sh --type requirement --parent F-1049 --filter-status approved --full speclan
```

### Query all entity types

```bash
./query.sh --type all speclan
```

## Query Modes

### Fast Mode (Default)

Only parses filenames, no file content read:
- Extracts ID and slug from filename pattern
- Infers type from ID prefix
- Fastest for simple listing

**Activated when:** No `--full`, `--filter-status`, or `--parent` flags

### Full Mode (Frontmatter Read)

Reads YAML frontmatter when needed:
- Extract title, status from frontmatter
- Required for filtering or full output

**Activated when:** `--full`, `--filter-status`, or `--parent` specified

## JSON Output Schema

### Minimal (fast mode)

```json
{
  "id": "F-1049",
  "slug": "pet-management",
  "type": "feature",
  "path": "speclan/features/F-1049-pet-management/F-1049-pet-management.md"
}
```

### Full (with --full flag)

```json
{
  "id": "F-1049",
  "slug": "pet-management",
  "type": "feature",
  "path": "speclan/...",
  "title": "Pet Management",
  "status": "draft"
}
```

## Parent Filtering

The `--parent` flag checks multiple locations:

1. **Structural parent** - ID appears in file path (e.g., `F-1049-slug/requirements/R-2046-slug/`)
2. **Frontmatter fields** - `feature:`, `requirement:`, `parentId:`
3. **Array fields** - Goals array (`- G-123`)

## Integration Examples

### In sync-from-session Command

```bash
# Index existing features
FEATURES_JSON=$("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/speclan-query/scripts/query.sh" --type feature --full speclan)

# Check if feature exists
if echo "$FEATURES_JSON" | grep -q '"id":"F-1049"'; then
  echo "Feature exists"
fi

# Get editable features (not locked)
EDITABLE=$("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/speclan-query/scripts/query.sh" --type feature --filter-status draft speclan)
```

### Extract specific fields with grep

```bash
# Get all feature IDs
./query.sh --type feature speclan | grep -oE '"id":"[^"]+"' | cut -d'"' -f4

# Get all paths
./query.sh --type feature speclan | grep -oE '"path":"[^"]+"' | cut -d'"' -f4

# Count entities
./query.sh --type requirement speclan | grep -c '"id"'
```

### Process each entity

```bash
./query.sh --type feature --full speclan | grep -oE '"id":"[^"]+"' | cut -d'"' -f4 | while read -r fid; do
  echo "Processing feature: $fid"
  req_count=$(./query.sh --type requirement --parent "$fid" speclan | grep -c '"id"' || echo 0)
  echo "  Requirements: $req_count"
done
```

## Status Reference

For the full status lifecycle and editability rules, consult the
`speclan-format` skill. Key point: statuses `draft`, `review`, `approved`
are editable; `in-development`, `under-test`, `released` require Change Requests;
`deprecated` is permanently frozen.

## Error Handling

| Scenario | Behavior |
|----------|----------|
| Missing speclan dir | Error message, exit 1 |
| Invalid entity type | Error message, exit 1 |
| No matches found | Empty JSON array `[]`, exit 0 |
| Malformed filename | Skipped silently |
| Template files | Skipped automatically |
| Archived files | Skipped automatically |

## Performance Notes

- **Fast mode**: ~50ms for 100 features (filename parsing only)
- **Full mode**: ~500ms for 100 features (frontmatter reads)
- No caching between queries
- No depth limits on recursive search
- Files in `/templates/` and `/_archived/` are excluded