retrofit

Establishes keel documentation baselines for existing projects or migrates legacy keel docs to current spec.

Updated Jan 12, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/ab300819/keel-workflow --skill retrofit-ab300819
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: retrofit
Source: https://github.com/ab300819/keel-workflow/tree/main/skills/retrofit
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/ab300819/keel-workflow --skill retrofit-ab300819

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve? When you inherit an existing codebase with no documentation, or have outdated keel docs that no longer match the current specification, you lack a trustworthy project baseline. This Skill investigates the project, verifies claims against actual code, and produces a source-annotated baseline document—or migrates legacy keel documentation to the current numbered spec. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Project Baseline Creation: Investigates README, CHANGELOG, git history, issues, and real build/test runs, then writes docs/devdocs/00-baseline.md with four-tier source annotations (user-confirmed, documented, inferred-pending, unknown). - Legacy Version Migration: Detects non-compliant keel docs, generates a diff checklist, and migrates numbering (F/US/AC/UT/IT/E2E), file renames via git mv, and traceability matrices after user confirmation. - Evidence Verification: Cross-checks every verifiable documentation claim against the code, recording conflicts instead of silently trusting stale docs. - Use Case: You take over a half-finished project with a two-year-old README. Run the Skill to get an honest baseline that marks what is confirmed, what conflicts with the code, and what remains unknown—so the next session knows exactly what not to trust. ## Quick Start Ask the AI to retrofit this existing project into the keel workflow by scanning the repo and establishing a documented baseline.

Frequently Asked Questions about retrofit

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I create documentation for an existing project that has none?

Run the retrofit flow, which investigates README, CHANGELOG, git history, issues, and real build/test results, then writes docs/devdocs/00-baseline.md. Every claim carries a source annotation, and unverifiable items are marked unknown rather than guessed.

How to migrate legacy keel docs to the current specification?

The version migration path runs a compliance check, generates a diff checklist covering numbering, file renames, and traceability matrices, then asks you to choose full migration, selective migration, or report-only before executing with git mv.

What is the difference between retrofit and realign?

Realign handles documents that already have valid frontmatter with a spec_version field, only patching structural gaps. Retrofit handles projects with no keel docs, no frontmatter, or no spec_version, building baselines or performing full version migrations.

Does retrofit generate requirements documents from existing code?

No. The baseline path only produces 00-baseline.md and never reverse-engineers F/US/AC numbering from code. The 01-requirements.md file is created later by the first feature workflow, starting fresh numbering from F-001.

What happens when documentation contradicts the actual code?

The code is treated as authoritative, but the documentation claim is preserved as a conflict entry in the baseline's evidence-conflicts section. Each conflict records what the doc claimed, what the code does, and a safe default action until resolved.