Discover Skill (Stage 1)

This skill analyzes existing projects and generates Gastown-compatible semantic memory.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Starting migration of an existing project
• Need to understand a codebase's tech stack
• Want to document project constraints and goals
• Preparing for roadmap generation (Stage 2)

Output Structure

project/
├── .gt/
│   └── memory/
│       ├── semantic.json      # Permanent facts (tech stack, constraints)
│       ├── episodic.json      # Decisions with TTL (optional)
│       └── procedural.json    # Learned patterns (optional)
└── [existing project files]

Discovery Procedure

Scan these locations in priority order:

1. Package Files (Tech Stack Detection)

2. Configuration Files (Service Detection)

3. Documentation (Project Understanding)

4. Source Structure (Codebase Understanding)

Tech Stack Extraction

Scan package and config files for dependencies, then map to canonical label names:

• Frameworks: "Next.js", "React", "Vue.js", "Angular", "Express.js", "Fastify", "Django", "Flask", "FastAPI", "Ruby on Rails", "Gin"
• Databases: "PostgreSQL", "MySQL", "MongoDB", "Redis" — include ORM if present ("Prisma", "Drizzle", "TypeORM")
• Auth: "Firebase Auth", "Auth0", "NextAuth.js", "Clerk", "Supabase Auth", "Passport.js"

Use exact names above. If a dependency doesn't match a known canonical name, use the package name as-is.

Output: semantic.json

{
  "$schema": "semantic-memory-v1",
  "project": {
    "name": "my-app",
    "type": "web-application",
    "primary_language": "TypeScript",
    "description": "A task management app for teams"
  },
  "tech_stack": {
    "runtime": "Node.js 20",
    "framework": "Next.js 14",
    "database": "Neon PostgreSQL",
    "auth": "Firebase Auth",
    "deployment": "Vercel",
    "styling": "Tailwind CSS",
    "testing": "Vitest",
    "orm": "Drizzle"
  },
  "personas": [
    {"name": "Team Lead", "needs": ["assign tasks", "track progress"]},
    {"name": "Developer", "needs": ["see my tasks", "update status"]}
  ],
  "constraints": [
    "Must support offline mode",
    "GDPR compliant data handling"
  ],
  "non_goals": [
    "Mobile native app (web-only for MVP)",
    "Enterprise SSO (future phase)"
  ],
  "evidence": {
    "last_scan": "2026-01-27T10:00:00Z",
    "files_analyzed": ["package.json", "README.md", "docs/PRD.md"]
  }
}

Memory Types

Semantic Memory (Required)

Permanent facts that don't change:

• Project name and type
• Primary programming language
• Tech stack components
• Architectural constraints
• Non-goals

Episodic Memory (Optional)

Decisions with time-to-live (~30 days):

• Architecture decisions
• Library choices with rationale
• Trade-offs made

Procedural Memory (Optional)

Learned patterns:

• Code conventions
• Testing patterns
• Deployment procedures

Quality Gates

Validation

python plugins/lisa/hooks/validate.py --stage discover

Error Handling

If unable to detect something:

• Set field to null rather than guessing
• Add to evidence.unresolved list (if pattern exists)
• Document what was searched and why it failed

Next Steps

After discover completes:

• Proceed to Stage 2 (Plan) → skills/plan/SKILL.md
• Or proceed directly to Stage 3 (Structure) if roadmap exists