scribe-gc

Scribe GC

Detect and resolve duplicate or overlapping detection modules in the spellbook.

Philosophy

A cluttered spellbook is worse than a small one. Duplicate sigils waste token budget when applied, confuse triage with redundant findings, and make the spellbook harder to maintain. Regular garbage collection keeps the spellbook lean and effective.

Workflow

When this skill is activated, create a todo list from the following steps. Mark each task in_progress before starting it and completed when done.

- [ ] 1. Determine scope
- [ ] 2. Inventory sigils
- [ ] 3. Detect overlaps
- [ ] 4. Propose resolutions
- [ ] 5. Execute approved changes

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1. Determine Scope

Ask the user which scope to review:

• Personal grimoire (~/.grimoire/sigils/) — default for manual GC
• Project-local (grimoire/spells/checks/) — useful mid-engagement
• Both — default when invoked from summon at start-of-audit

If ~/.grimoire/sigils/ is empty, note that the personal grimoire has no sigils yet (populated through end-of-audit merges) and limit scope to project-local.

2. Inventory Sigils

For each sigil/check file in scope, extract from frontmatter:

• name, description, languages, severity-default, tags

Present a summary table to the user.

If no sigils are found in any directory in scope, report that the spellbook is empty — there is nothing to garbage collect. Suggest creating detection modules via /scribe-distill from confirmed findings.

3. Detect Overlaps

Compare sigils pairwise within the scope. Overlap indicators:

• Same vulnerability class/type (matching tags or similar descriptions)
• Similar grep patterns (both search for the same function calls or code shapes)
• Subset relationship (one sigil's patterns are a strict subset of another's)
• Overlapping assessment criteria (both assess the same conditions)

Group overlapping sigils into clusters.

4. Propose Resolutions

For each overlap cluster, propose one of:

• Merge — combine patterns and assessment into one stronger sigil. Use when both sigils target the same vulnerability class but catch different manifestations.
• Deduplicate — keep the more comprehensive sigil, archive the other. Use when one sigil strictly subsumes the other.
• Keep both — the sigils are sufficiently different despite surface similarity. Note the distinction clearly so future GC does not re-flag them.

Present proposals to the user. Do not proceed without confirmation.

5. Execute Approved Changes

For each approved resolution:

• Merge: Create a new combined sigil file. Archive the originals in ~/.grimoire/sigils/archived/ (or grimoire/spells/checks/archived/ for project-local). Create archive directories with mkdir -p if needed.
• Deduplicate: Archive the weaker sigil. Leave the surviving sigil unchanged.
• Keep both: No file changes. Add a note to both sigils' related-checks field documenting why they coexist.

Validate all modified/created files with bash skills/checks/scripts/validate-check.sh <path>.

Present a summary of changes made.