promote

ADD Promote Command v0.11.0

Assess readiness and promote the project's maturity level. Maturity is the master control for all ADD behavior — promotion is intentional, evidence-based, and deliberate.

• --check (default) — Gap analysis: scan evidence against next level's requirements
• --execute — Gap analysis + promotion interview + apply level change

---

Pre-Flight

1. Read .add/config.json — extract maturity.level, promoted_from, promoted_date, next_promotion_criteria
   • If not found: abort with "No ADD project found. Run /add:init first."
2. Read ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/maturity-matrix.md — load cascade matrix + promotion process (source of truth for level requirements)
3. Read docs/prd.md — project context, maturity references
4. Read CLAUDE.md — check for maturity references

Edge Cases

Already at GA: "Project is at GA — the highest maturity level. No further promotion available. Run /add:verify to check compliance."

--target below current level: Trigger demotion flow (see below).

--target skips a level (e.g., poc → beta): "Cannot skip levels. Progression is sequential: poc → alpha → beta → ga. Next available: {next_level}."

No --target: Default to next level in sequence.

---

Command: /promote --check (default)

Scan project evidence and present readiness report. No file modifications.

Step 1: Determine Target

Current maturity: {CURRENT}
Assessing readiness for: {TARGET}

Step 2: Evidence Scan

Use Glob, Grep, Bash, Read to gather real data across these categories:

#	Category	How to Check
1	Feature specs	Glob specs/*.md, count files, check for acceptance criteria
2	Test coverage	Run test command from config quality.test.unit with coverage flag. If no test command configured, score as MISSING. If command fails, score as PARTIAL and note the error.
3	CI/CD pipeline	Glob .github/workflows/*.yml, .gitlab-ci.yml, Jenkinsfile
4	PR workflow	git log --merges --oneline -20 — check for merge commits
5	Environments	Read config environments — count tiers with non-null URLs
6	Conventional commits	git log --oneline -20 — check feat:/fix:/docs: compliance %
7	TDD evidence	Compare test vs implementation file timestamps
8	Branch protection	Check .github/settings.yml or gh api if available
9	Release tags	git tag -l 'v*' — check for semver tags
10	Quality gates	Check .pre-commit-config.yaml, .husky/, CI check configs
11	Milestones completed	Glob docs/milestones/*.md — count COMPLETE milestones
12	Learnings captured	Read .add/learnings.json — count entries
13	PRD depth	Read docs/prd.md — assess completeness for target level
14	Stability	git log --since="30 days ago" --oneline — check for hotfix-free stability

Step 3: Score Readiness

Map evidence to target level requirements. Each category gets a status:

Status	Icon	Meaning
READY	✅	Meets target requirement
PARTIAL	⚠️	Some evidence, incomplete
MISSING	❌	Required but not found
N/A	—	Not required at target level

Thresholds:

• POC → Alpha: 3+ READY (specs for critical paths, some tests, basic quality gates)
• Alpha → Beta: 6+ READY (specs, 50%+ coverage, CI, PR workflow, conventional commits, TDD)
• Beta → GA: 9+ READY (80%+ coverage, protected branches, release tags, 3+ envs, 30-day stability)

Readiness %: (READY count / required count for target) × 100

Step 4: Present Report

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
  MATURITY READINESS: {CURRENT} → {TARGET}
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Readiness: {PCT}% ({READY}/{REQUIRED} requirements met)

| # | Requirement | Status | Detail |
|---|-------------|--------|--------|
| 1 | Feature specs | ✅ | 8 specs in specs/ |
| 2 | Test coverage ≥ {THR}% | ⚠️ | Current: 47% |
| 3 | CI/CD pipeline | ✅ | GitHub Actions configured |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

═══ CASCADE CHANGES AT {TARGET} ═══

| Dimension | Current ({CURRENT}) | After ({TARGET}) |
|-----------|--------------------|--------------------|
| Specs Required | {current} | {new} |
| TDD Enforced | {current} | {new} |
| Quality Gates | {current} | {new} |
| Parallel Agents | {current} | {new} |
| ... | ... | ... |

═══ RECOMMENDATION ═══

{≥80%: "READY TO PROMOTE — Run /add:promote --execute"}
{50-79%: "ADDRESS GAPS FIRST" + list top gaps + remediation}
{<50%: "NOT READY" + list critical gaps}

---

Command: /promote --execute

Full promotion: gap analysis → gate → interview → apply.

Step 1: Run Gap Analysis

Execute the full --check flow above. Present the report.

Step 2: Gate Decision

≥80% readiness: Proceed to interview.

50-79% readiness:

Readiness: {PCT}% — below recommended threshold (80%).

Gaps: {list}

Options:
  1. Proceed anyway (gaps tracked as tech debt)
  2. Cancel and address gaps first
  3. Create a promotion milestone to close gaps systematically

AskUserQuestion. Option 1 proceeds with override flag. Option 2 exits. Option 3 suggests /add:milestone --create.

<50% readiness: Block promotion.

Readiness: {PCT}% — significant gaps remain.
Address critical items first, then re-run /add:promote --check.

Exit. No override offered — premature promotion cascades strict requirements the project can't meet.

Step 3: Promotion Interview (3 questions)

Q1: "What drove this promotion? What evidence or milestone makes now the right time?" → Rationale for changelog and learnings

Q2: "Any areas to temporarily exempt from the new requirements? (e.g., specific quality checks)" → Default: "No exemptions." If provided, note they should be time-boxed.

Q3 (if not promoting to GA): "What should the criteria be for the NEXT promotion ({next_next_level})?" Q3 (if promoting to GA): "What are your GA stability and SLA commitments?" → Stored as next_promotion_criteria

Step 4: Apply Promotion

4a. Update .add/config.json

{
  "maturity": {
    "level": "{TARGET}",
    "promoted_from": "{CURRENT}",
    "promoted_date": "{YYYY-MM-DD}",
    "next_promotion_criteria": "{Q3 answer}",
    "exemptions": ["{Q2 answers or empty}"]
  }
}

Also update maturity-dependent config:

• planning.wip_limit — per cascade matrix
• planning.parallel_agents — per cascade matrix
• quality.coverage_threshold — if target requires higher
• quality.mode — tighten for beta/ga

4b. Update docs/prd.md

Search for maturity references (grep for current level name), update to new level. Update any "Current Maturity:" lines in Section 6.

4c. Update CLAUDE.md

Grep for current level name in project CLAUDE.md, update references.

4d. Apply Cascade Changes

The cascade is mostly automatic via the maturity-loader rule reading the updated config. But explicitly update config thresholds that aren't purely rule-driven:

Transition	Key Config Changes
POC → Alpha	Enable conventional commits, spec-driven quality
Alpha → Beta	Stricter quality thresholds, TDD enforcement, PR review
Beta → GA	All checks blocking, 2 reviewers, protected branches, release tags

4e. Changelog Entry

Append to CHANGELOG.md under [Unreleased]:

### Changed
- Maturity promoted from {CURRENT} to {TARGET} ({DATE})
  - Readiness: {PCT}%, Rationale: {Q1 summary}

If CHANGELOG.md doesn't exist, create from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/templates/changelog.md.template.

4f. Learning Checkpoint

Write to .add/learnings.json:

{
  "id": "L-{NNN}",
  "date": "{YYYY-MM-DD}",
  "checkpoint_type": "promotion",
  "category": "process",
  "scope": "project",
  "title": "Maturity promoted: {CURRENT} → {TARGET}",
  "body": "Promoted at {PCT}% readiness. Rationale: {Q1}. Exemptions: {Q2}. Next criteria: {Q3}.",
  "tags": ["maturity", "promotion", "{TARGET}"],
  "classified_by": "agent"
}

Regenerate .add/learnings.md from JSON.

Step 5: Present Summary

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
  PROMOTED: {CURRENT} → {TARGET}
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Date: {YYYY-MM-DD} | Readiness: {PCT}%

Files updated:
  ✓ .add/config.json
  ✓ docs/prd.md
  ✓ CLAUDE.md
  ✓ CHANGELOG.md
  ✓ .add/learnings.json

Key behavior changes now active:
  {3-5 most impactful cascade changes}

Next steps:
  1. Run /add:verify to confirm new quality gates pass
  2. Review cascade changes — they take effect immediately
  3. Next promotion: {NEXT_NEXT_LEVEL} — {Q3 criteria}

---

Demotion Flow

Triggered when --target is below current level. Rare but valid — the maturity-lifecycle rule acknowledges demotion for pivots or new uncertainty.

Step 1: Confirm Intent

Requesting maturity DEMOTION: {CURRENT} → {TARGET}

This relaxes quality requirements. Typically used when:
  - Major pivot introduces new uncertainty
  - Project scope changed fundamentally

Are you sure?

Step 2: Brief Interview (2 questions)

Q1: "What changed that requires demotion?" Q2: "Temporary (re-promote after exploration) or permanent reset?"

Step 3: Apply

Same update process as promotion, but:

• Config thresholds RELAXED to match target level
• Changelog says "Demoted" not "Promoted"
• Learning checkpoint uses checkpoint_type: "demotion"
• If temporary: add maturity.demotion_temporary: true

---

Integration

Skill	Relationship
/add:cycle --complete	Has its own promotion check — should reference /add:promote --check for full analysis
/add:retro	Phase 11 does promotion assessment — should reference /add:promote as canonical tool
/add:verify	Recommended post-promotion to validate new gates pass
/add:init	Sets initial maturity. Promote handles all subsequent changes.

End-of-skill epilogue: follow ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/skill-epilogue.md (observation + learning checkpoint + progress tracking). Step 4f already writes the promotion learning entry — do not duplicate it; the epilogue's observation line still applies.