294 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
294 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Core Tools
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description: Reference for all built-in tasks and workflows available in every BMad installation without additional modules.
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sidebar:
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order: 2
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---
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Every BMad installation includes a set of core skills that can be used in conjunction with any anything you are doing — standalone tasks and workflows that work across all projects, all modules, and all phases. These are always available regardless of which optional modules you install.
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:::tip[Quick Path]
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Run any core tool by typing its skill name (e.g., `bmad-help`) in your IDE. No agent session required.
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:::
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## Overview
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| Tool | Type | Purpose |
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| --- | --- | --- |
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| [`bmad-help`](#bmad-help) | Task | Get context-aware guidance on what to do next |
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| [`bmad-brainstorming`](#bmad-brainstorming) | Workflow | Facilitate interactive brainstorming sessions |
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| [`bmad-party-mode`](#bmad-party-mode) | Workflow | Orchestrate multi-agent group discussions |
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| [`bmad-distillator`](#bmad-distillator) | Task | Lossless LLM-optimized compression of documents |
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| [`bmad-advanced-elicitation`](#bmad-advanced-elicitation) | Task | Push LLM output through iterative refinement methods |
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| [`bmad-review-adversarial-general`](#bmad-review-adversarial-general) | Task | Cynical review that finds what's missing and what's wrong |
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| [`bmad-review-edge-case-hunter`](#bmad-review-edge-case-hunter) | Task | Exhaustive branching-path analysis for unhandled edge cases |
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| [`bmad-editorial-review-prose`](#bmad-editorial-review-prose) | Task | Clinical copy-editing for communication clarity |
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| [`bmad-editorial-review-structure`](#bmad-editorial-review-structure) | Task | Structural editing — cuts, merges, and reorganization |
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| [`bmad-shard-doc`](#bmad-shard-doc) | Task | Split large markdown files into organized sections |
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| [`bmad-index-docs`](#bmad-index-docs) | Task | Generate or update an index of all docs in a folder |
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## bmad-help
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**Your intelligent guide to what comes next.** — Inspects your project state, detects what's been done, and recommends the next required or optional step.
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**Use it when:**
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- You finished a workflow and want to know what's next
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- You're new to BMad and need orientation
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- You're stuck and want context-aware advice
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- You installed new modules and want to see what's available
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**How it works:**
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1. Scans your project for existing artifacts (PRD, architecture, stories, etc.)
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2. Detects which modules are installed and their available workflows
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3. Recommends next steps in priority order — required steps first, then optional
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4. Presents each recommendation with the skill command and a brief description
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**Input:** Optional query in natural language (e.g., `bmad-help I have a SaaS idea, where do I start?`)
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**Output:** Prioritized list of recommended next steps with skill commands
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## bmad-brainstorming
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**Generate diverse ideas through interactive creative techniques.** — A facilitated brainstorming session that loads proven ideation methods from a technique library and guides you toward 100+ ideas before organizing.
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**Use it when:**
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- You're starting a new project and need to explore the problem space
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- You're stuck generating ideas and need structured creativity
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- You want to use proven ideation frameworks (SCAMPER, reverse brainstorming, etc.)
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**How it works:**
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1. Sets up a brainstorming session with your topic
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2. Loads creative techniques from a method library
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3. Guides you through technique after technique, generating ideas
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4. Applies anti-bias protocol — shifts creative domain every 10 ideas to prevent clustering
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5. Produces an append-only session document with all ideas organized by technique
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**Input:** Brainstorming topic or problem statement, optional context file
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**Output:** `brainstorming-session-{date}.md` with all generated ideas
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:::note[Quantity Target]
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The magic happens in ideas 50–100. The workflow encourages generating 100+ ideas before organization.
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:::
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## bmad-party-mode
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**Orchestrate multi-agent group discussions.** — Loads all installed BMad agents and facilitates a natural conversation where each agent contributes from their unique expertise and personality.
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**Use it when:**
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- You need multiple expert perspectives on a decision
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- You want agents to challenge each other's assumptions
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- You're exploring a complex topic that spans multiple domains
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**How it works:**
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1. Loads the agent manifest with all installed agent personalities
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2. Analyzes your topic to select 2–3 most relevant agents
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3. Agents take turns contributing, with natural cross-talk and disagreements
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4. Rotates agent participation to ensure diverse perspectives over time
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5. Exit with `goodbye`, `end party`, or `quit`
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**Input:** Discussion topic or question, along with specification of personas you would like to participate (optional)
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**Output:** Real-time multi-agent conversation with maintained agent personalities
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## bmad-distillator
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**Lossless LLM-optimized compression of source documents.** — Produces dense, token-efficient distillates that preserve all information for downstream LLM consumption. Verifiable through round-trip reconstruction.
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**Use it when:**
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- A document is too large for an LLM's context window
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- You need token-efficient versions of research, specs, or planning artifacts
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- You want to verify no information is lost during compression
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- Agents will need to frequently reference and find information in it
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**How it works:**
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1. **Analyze** — Reads source documents, identifies information density and structure
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2. **Compress** — Converts prose to dense bullet-point format, strips decorative formatting
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3. **Verify** — Checks completeness to ensure all original information is preserved
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4. **Validate** (optional) — Round-trip reconstruction test proves lossless compression
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**Input:**
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- `source_documents` (required) — File paths, folder paths, or glob patterns
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- `downstream_consumer` (optional) — What consumes this (e.g., "PRD creation")
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- `token_budget` (optional) — Approximate target size
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- `--validate` (flag) — Run round-trip reconstruction test
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**Output:** Distillate markdown file(s) with compression ratio report (e.g., "3.2:1")
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## bmad-advanced-elicitation
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**Push LLM output through iterative refinement methods.** — Selects from a library of elicitation techniques to systematically improve content through multiple passes.
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**Use it when:**
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- LLM output feels shallow or generic
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- You want to explore a topic from multiple analytical angles
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- You're refining a critical document and want deeper thinking
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**How it works:**
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1. Loads method registry with 5+ elicitation techniques
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2. Selects 5 best-fit methods based on content type and complexity
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3. Presents an interactive menu — pick a method, reshuffle, or list all
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4. Applies the selected method to enhance the content
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5. Re-presents options for iterative improvement until you select "Proceed"
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**Input:** Content section to enhance
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**Output:** Enhanced version of the content with improvements applied
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## bmad-review-adversarial-general
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**Cynical review that assumes problems exist and searches for them.** — Takes a skeptical, jaded reviewer perspective with zero patience for sloppy work. Looks for what's missing, not just what's wrong.
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**Use it when:**
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- You need quality assurance before finalizing a deliverable
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- You want to stress-test a spec, story, or document
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- You want to find gaps in coverage that optimistic reviews miss
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**How it works:**
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1. Reads the content with a cynical, critical perspective
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2. Identifies issues across completeness, correctness, and quality
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3. Searches specifically for what's missing — not just what's present and wrong
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4. Must find a minimum of 10 issues or re-analyzes deeper
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**Input:**
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- `content` (required) — Diff, spec, story, doc, or any artifact
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- `also_consider` (optional) — Additional areas to keep in mind
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**Output:** Markdown list of 10+ findings with descriptions
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## bmad-review-edge-case-hunter
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**Walk every branching path and boundary condition, report only unhandled cases.** — Pure path-tracing methodology that mechanically derives edge classes. Orthogonal to adversarial review — method-driven, not attitude-driven.
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**Use it when:**
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- You want exhaustive edge case coverage for code or logic
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- You need a complement to adversarial review (different methodology, different findings)
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- You're reviewing a diff or function for boundary conditions
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**How it works:**
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1. Enumerates all branching paths in the content
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2. Derives edge classes mechanically: missing else/default, unguarded inputs, off-by-one, arithmetic overflow, implicit type coercion, race conditions, timeout gaps
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3. Tests each path against existing guards
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4. Reports only unhandled paths — silently discards handled ones
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**Input:**
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- `content` (required) — Diff, full file, or function
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- `also_consider` (optional) — Additional areas to keep in mind
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**Output:** JSON array of findings, each with `location`, `trigger_condition`, `guard_snippet`, and `potential_consequence`
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:::note[Complementary Reviews]
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Run both `bmad-review-adversarial-general` and `bmad-review-edge-case-hunter` together for orthogonal coverage. The adversarial review catches quality and completeness issues; the edge case hunter catches unhandled paths.
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:::
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## bmad-editorial-review-prose
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**Clinical copy-editing focused on communication clarity.** — Reviews text for issues that impede comprehension. Applies Microsoft Writing Style Guide baseline. Preserves author voice.
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**Use it when:**
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- You've drafted a document and want to polish the writing
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- You need to ensure clarity for a specific audience
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- You want communication fixes without style opinion changes
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**How it works:**
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1. Reads the content, skipping code blocks and frontmatter
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2. Identifies communication issues (not style preferences)
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3. Deduplicates same issues across multiple locations
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4. Produces a three-column fix table
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**Input:**
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- `content` (required) — Markdown, plain text, or XML
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- `style_guide` (optional) — Project-specific style guide
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- `reader_type` (optional) — `humans` (default) for clarity/flow, or `llm` for precision/consistency
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**Output:** Three-column markdown table: Original Text | Revised Text | Changes
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## bmad-editorial-review-structure
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**Structural editing — proposes cuts, merges, moves, and condensing.** — Reviews document organization and proposes substantive changes to improve clarity and flow before copy editing.
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**Use it when:**
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- A document was produced from multiple subprocesses and needs structural coherence
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- You want to reduce document length while preserving comprehension
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- You need to identify scope violations or buried critical information
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**How it works:**
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1. Analyzes document against 5 structure models (Tutorial, Reference, Explanation, Prompt, Strategic)
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2. Identifies redundancies, scope violations, and buried information
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3. Produces prioritized recommendations: CUT, MERGE, MOVE, CONDENSE, QUESTION, PRESERVE
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4. Estimates total reduction in words and percentage
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**Input:**
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- `content` (required) — Document to review
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- `purpose` (optional) — Intended purpose (e.g., "quickstart tutorial")
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- `target_audience` (optional) — Who reads this
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- `reader_type` (optional) — `humans` or `llm`
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- `length_target` (optional) — Target reduction (e.g., "30% shorter")
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**Output:** Document summary, prioritized recommendation list, and estimated reduction
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## bmad-shard-doc
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**Split large markdown files into organized section files.** — Uses level-2 headers as split points to create a folder of self-contained section files with an index.
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**Use it when:**
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- A markdown document has grown too large to manage effectively (500+ lines)
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- You want to break a monolithic doc into navigable sections
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- You need separate files for parallel editing or LLM context management
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**How it works:**
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1. Validates the source file exists and is markdown
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2. Splits on level-2 (`##`) headers into numbered section files
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3. Creates an `index.md` with section manifest and links
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4. Prompts you to delete, archive, or keep the original
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**Input:** Source markdown file path, optional destination folder
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**Output:** Folder with `index.md` and `01-{section}.md`, `02-{section}.md`, etc.
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## bmad-index-docs
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**Generate or update an index of all documents in a folder.** — Scans a directory, reads each file to understand its purpose, and produces an organized `index.md` with links and descriptions.
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**Use it when:**
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- You need a lightweight index for quick LLM scanning of available docs
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- A documentation folder has grown and needs an organized table of contents
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- You want an auto-generated overview that stays current
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**How it works:**
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1. Scans the target directory for all non-hidden files
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2. Reads each file to understand its actual purpose
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3. Groups files by type, purpose, or subdirectory
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4. Generates concise descriptions (3–10 words each)
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**Input:** Target folder path
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**Output:** `index.md` with organized file listings, relative links, and brief descriptions
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