Quick reference for all playbook commands.
For detailed integration guide showing how commands work together, see /docs/integration-guide.md
→ /pb-preamble - Foundational mindset for all collaboration. Read this before any other command. It establishes the assumptions all playbook commands build on.
Command When to Use
/pb-startStarting work on a feature branch /pb-todo-implementStructured implementation of individual todos with checkpoint-based review /pb-cycleEach iteration (develop → review → commit) /pb-commitCrafting atomic, meaningful commits /pb-resumeResuming after a break /pb-pausePausing work, preserving context for later /pb-shipReady to ship: full reviews → PR → merge → release /pb-prCreating a pull request (standalone) /pb-testingTesting philosophy (unit, integration, E2E strategies) /pb-jordan-testingTesting & reliability review (gap detection, edge case coverage, failure mode analysis) /pb-handoffStructured work handoff between contexts (agents, sessions, teammates) /pb-standupDaily async status updates for distributed teams /pb-knowledge-transferPreparing KT session for new developer or team handoff /pb-what-nextContext-aware command recommendations based on git state /pb-debugSystematic debugging methodology (reproduce, isolate, hypothesize, test, fix) /pb-learnCapture reusable patterns from sessions (errors, debugging, workarounds) /pb-design-languageCreate and evolve project-specific design specification (tokens, vocabulary, constraints)
Command When to Use
/pb-patternsOverview & quick reference for all patterns /pb-patterns-coreCore architectural & structural patterns (SOA, Event-Driven, Repository, DTO, Strangler Fig) /pb-patterns-resilienceResilience patterns (Retry, Circuit Breaker, Rate Limiting, Cache-Aside, Bulkhead) /pb-patterns-asyncAsync/concurrent patterns (callbacks, promises, async/await, reactive, workers, job queues) /pb-patterns-dbDatabase patterns (pooling, optimization, replication, sharding) /pb-patterns-distributedDistributed patterns (saga, CQRS, eventual consistency, 2PC) /pb-patterns-securitySecurity patterns for microservices (OAuth, JWT, mTLS, RBAC, ABAC, encryption, audit trails) /pb-patterns-cloudCloud deployment patterns (AWS EC2/RDS, ECS, Lambda; GCP Cloud Run, GKE; Azure App Service, Functions) /pb-patterns-frontendFrontend architecture patterns (mobile-first, theme-aware, component patterns, state management) /pb-patterns-apiAPI design patterns (REST, GraphQL, gRPC, versioning, error handling, pagination) /pb-patterns-deploymentDeployment strategies (blue-green, canary, rolling, feature flags, rollback)
Command When to Use
/pb-planPlanning a new feature/release /pb-adrDocumenting architectural decisions /pb-maya-productProduct & user strategy review (features as expenses, scope discipline) /pb-kai-reachDistribution & reach review (findability, clarity of ask, format fit, shareability) /pb-deprecationPlanning deprecations, breaking changes, migration paths /pb-observabilityPlanning monitoring, observability, and alerting strategy /pb-performancePerformance optimization and profiling strategy
Command When to Use
/pb-releaseRelease orchestrator: readiness gate, version/tag, trigger deployment /pb-deploymentExecute deployment: discovery, pre-flight, execute, verify, rollback /pb-alex-infraInfrastructure & resilience review (systems thinking, failure modes, recovery) /pb-incidentP0/P1 production incidents /pb-maintenanceProduction maintenance patterns - database, backups, health monitoring /pb-sre-practicesToil reduction, error budgets, on-call health, blameless culture /pb-drDisaster recovery planning, RTO/RPO, backup strategies, game days /pb-server-hygienePeriodic server health and hygiene review (drift, bloat, cleanup) /pb-database-opsDatabase migrations, backups, performance, connection pooling
Command When to Use
/pb-securityApplication security review /pb-hardeningServer, container, and network security hardening /pb-secretsSecrets management (SOPS, Vault, rotation, incident response)
Command When to Use
/pb-repo-initInitialize new greenfield project /pb-repo-organizeClean up project root structure /pb-repo-aboutGenerate GitHub About section + tags /pb-repo-readmeWrite or rewrite project README /pb-repo-blogCreate technical blog post /pb-repo-docsiteTransform docs into professional static site /pb-repo-enhanceFull repository polish (combines above) /pb-repo-polishAudit AI discoverability (scorecard + action items) /pb-zero-stackScaffold $0/month app (static + edge proxy + CI)
Command When to Use Frequency
/pb-reviewOrchestrate multi-perspective review Monthly or pre-release /pb-review-codeDedicated code review for reviewers (peer review checklist) Every PR review /pb-linus-agentDirect, unfiltered technical feedback grounded in pragmatism Security-critical code, architecture decisions /pb-review-backendBackend review (Alex infrastructure + Jordan testing) Backend PRs /pb-review-frontendFrontend review (Maya product + Sam documentation) Frontend PRs /pb-review-infrastructureInfrastructure review (Alex resilience + Linus security) Infrastructure PRs /pb-review-hygieneCode quality + operational readiness Before new dev cycle, monthly /pb-review-testsTest suite quality Monthly /pb-review-docsDocumentation accuracy Quarterly /pb-review-productTechnical + product review Monthly /pb-review-microserviceMicroservice architecture design review Before microservice deployment /pb-loggingLogging strategy & standards audit During code review, pre-release /pb-a11yAccessibility deep-dive (semantic HTML, keyboard, ARIA, screen readers) During frontend development, every PR /pb-review-playbookReview playbook commands for quality, consistency, and completeness Every PR, monthly /pb-review-contextAudit CLAUDE.md files against conversation history (violated rules, missing patterns, stale content) Quarterly, before /pb-evolve /pb-voiceDetect and remove AI tells from prose (two-stage: detect → rewrite) After AI-assisted drafting, before publishing
Self-sufficient thinking partner methodology for expert-quality collaboration.
Command When to Use
/pb-thinkComplete thinking toolkit with modes: ideate, synthesize, refine /pb-think mode=ideateDivergent exploration - generate options and possibilities /pb-think mode=synthesizeIntegration - combine multiple inputs into coherent insight /pb-think mode=refineConvergent refinement - polish to expert-quality
Thinking Partner Stack:
/pb-think mode=ideate → Explore options (divergent)
/pb-think mode=synthesize → Combine insights (integration)
/pb-preamble → Challenge assumptions (adversarial)
/pb-plan → Structure approach (convergent)
/pb-adr → Document decision (convergent)
/pb-think mode=refine → Refine output (refinement)
Command Purpose
/pb-guideFull SDLC guide with tiers, gates, checklists /pb-guide-goGo-specific SDLC guide with concurrency patterns and tooling /pb-guide-pythonPython-specific SDLC guide with async/await and testing /pb-templatesTemplates for commits, phases, reviews /pb-standardsCoding standards, quality principles /pb-documentationWriting technical docs at 5 levels /pb-sam-documentationDocumentation & clarity review (reader-centric, assumption surfacing, structural clarity) /pb-design-rules17 classical design principles (Clarity, Simplicity, Resilience, Extensibility) /pb-preamble-asyncAsync/distributed team collaboration patterns /pb-preamble-powerPower dynamics and psychological safety /pb-preamble-decisionsDecision-making and constructive dissent /pb-new-playbookMeta-playbook for creating new playbook commands (classification, scaffold, validation)
Command When to Use
/pb-onboardingStructured team member onboarding /pb-teamTeam dynamics, feedback, and retrospectives /pb-knowledge-transferTeam knowledge sharing and KT sessions
Developer machine health and maintenance.
Command When to Use
/pb-doctorSystem health check (disk, memory, CPU, processes) /pb-storageTiered disk cleanup (caches, packages, Docker) /pb-updateUpdate all package managers and tools /pb-portsFind/kill processes on ports /pb-setupBootstrap new dev machine /pb-ghaInvestigate GitHub Actions failures (flakiness, breaking commits, root cause) /pb-git-hygienePeriodic git repo audit (tracked files, stale branches, large objects, secrets)
Command When to Use
/pb-contextProject onboarding context template /pb-claude-globalGenerate global ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md from playbooks /pb-claude-projectGenerate project .claude/CLAUDE.md by analyzing codebase /pb-claude-orchestrationModel selection, task delegation, and resource efficiency guide /pb-context-reviewAudit and maintain all context layers - quarterly or after releases
Real-world implementations of the playbook in action:
Project Stack Purpose Location
Go Backend API Go 1.22 + PostgreSQL REST API with graceful shutdown, connection pooling examples/go-backend-api/Python Pipeline Python 3.11 + SQLAlchemy Async data pipeline with event aggregation examples/python-data-pipeline/Node.js REST API Node.js 20 + TypeScript + Express Type-safe REST API with request tracing examples/node-api/
See docs/playbook-in-action.md
How to use /pb-start, /pb-cycle, and /pb-pr with real examples
Complete development workflows for each stack
Testing, code quality, and deployment patterns
Common scenarios with step-by-step commands
/pb-plan → Lock scope, define phases
/pb-start → Create branch, set rhythm
/pb-todo-implement → Implement todos with checkpoint-based approval
/pb-cycle → Self-review → Peer review iteration
/pb-pause → End of day: preserve context
/pb-resume → Next day: recover context
/pb-ship → Full reviews → PR → merge → release → verify
/pb-plan → Lock scope, define phases
/pb-start → Create branch, set rhythm
/pb-cycle → Develop → Review → Commit (repeat)
/pb-pause → End of session: preserve context
/pb-resume → Resume: recover context
/pb-ship → Full reviews → PR → merge → release → verify
/pb-repo-init → Plan project structure (generic)
/pb-zero-stack → Scaffold $0/month app (static + edge + CI)
/pb-repo-organize → Clean folder layout
/pb-repo-readme → Write documentation
/pb-repo-about → GitHub presentation
/pb-repo-enhance → Full suite (organize + docs + presentation)
/pb-repo-docsite → Transform existing docs into professional static site
→ Includes CI/CD, GitHub Pages, Mermaid support
/pb-review-* → Various reviews as scheduled
/pb-git-hygiene → Monthly git repo audit (branches, large files, secrets)
/pb-doctor → Diagnose system health
/pb-storage → Clean up disk space
/pb-update → Update tools and packages
/pb-ports → Resolve port conflicts
/pb-setup → Bootstrap dev environment
/pb-doctor → Verify system health
For all commands organized by category, see the command files in /commands/ directory or consult the integration guide for workflow-based command references.