Code-to-Card Linking

Expert assistance for maintaining traceability between your code and Trello cards.

When to Use This Skill

• Linking commits to Trello cards
• Updating cards based on code changes
• Finding cards related to code
• Adding code references to cards
• Tracking which cards are affected by changes
• Creating cards from code context

Linking Strategies

1. Card ID in Commit Messages

Include the Trello card short ID in commit messages:

git commit -m "Fix email validation regex [abc123]"
git commit -m "[abc123] Add unit tests for login"
git commit -m "Implement OAuth flow (closes abc123)"

Patterns to detect:

• [cardId] - Card reference
• (closes cardId) - Card should be moved to Done
• (fixes cardId) - Bug fix for card
• #cardId - Simple reference

2. Card URL in Commit Messages

For more explicit linking:

git commit -m "Add dark mode toggle

Implements the feature described in:
https://trello.com/c/abc123/dark-mode-toggle"

3. Branch Names with Card IDs

git checkout -b feature/abc123-dark-mode
git checkout -b fix/def456-login-bug
git checkout -b task/ghi789-refactor-auth

4. Code Comments

// TODO: Complete this feature [trello:abc123]
// FIXME: This is a workaround for bug [trello:def456]
// See: https://trello.com/c/ghi789 for requirements

Detecting Code-Card Relationships

From Git History

# Find commits mentioning a card
git log --grep="abc123" --oneline

# Find commits in a branch
git log main..feature/abc123 --oneline

# Find recent commits
git log --since="1 week ago" --oneline

From Code Comments

# Find TODO/FIXME with card references
grep -r "TODO.*trello" src/
grep -r "FIXME.*trello" src/
grep -r "trello.com/c/" src/

From Branch Names

# Current branch
git branch --show-current

# Extract card ID from branch name
# feature/abc123-description -> abc123

Updating Cards from Code

After Commits

When I detect relevant commits, I can:

1. Add comment with commit info:

Commit: abc123f
Author: developer
Message: Fix email validation regex

Files changed:
- src/validation/email.js
- tests/validation.test.js

2. Update checklist items:

[x] Fix email validation (commit abc123f)

3. Move card if appropriate:

• Commit message says "closes" → Move to Done
• Commit message says "fixes" → Add comment, consider Done
• Work in progress → Keep in In-Progress

After Pull Requests

When a PR is created or merged:

1. Add PR link to card:

PR #123: Fix email validation
https://github.com/user/repo/pull/123
Status: Open / Merged

2. Update card status:

• PR opened → Card stays In-Progress
• PR merged → Move to Done
• PR closed without merge → Add comment

After Deployments

When code is deployed:

1. Add deployment comment:

Deployed to staging on 2024-01-15
Version: v1.2.3

2. Update checklist:

[x] Deployed to staging
[ ] Verified in staging
[ ] Deployed to production

Finding Related Cards

From File Changes

When you modify a file, I can:

1. Search for cards mentioning the file
2. Search for cards about the feature area
3. Check recent activity for related work

Modified: src/auth/login.js

Related cards found:
- "Fix login with special characters" (In-Progress)
- "Add OAuth login" (Next Up)
- "Improve login performance" (Backlog)

From Error Messages

When you encounter an error:

1. Search for cards with similar errors
2. Check if there's already a bug card
3. Offer to create a new card if not found

Error: "Invalid email format"

Related cards:
- "Email validation is too strict" (Backlog)
No exact match found. Create a new card?

From Function Names

When working on specific functionality:

Working on: validateEmail()

Related cards:
- "Email validation allows invalid formats" (Bug)
- "Add email format examples" (Backlog)

Automation Patterns

Pre-Commit Hook

Before committing, check for card references:

#!/bin/bash
# Check if commit message contains card reference
if ! grep -qE '\[([a-zA-Z0-9]+)\]|trello\.com/c/' "$1"; then
  echo "Warning: No Trello card reference in commit message"
  echo "Consider adding [cardId] to link this commit"
fi

Post-Commit Actions

After committing, I can:

1. Ask if you want to update the linked card
2. Automatically add commit comment
3. Check if card should be moved

PR Template

## Description
[What this PR does]

## Trello Card
[Link to Trello card]

## Checklist
- [ ] Linked to Trello card
- [ ] Card updated with PR link
- [ ] Tests pass

How I'll Help

Detecting Relationships

I'll monitor for:

• Branch names with card patterns
• Commit messages with card references
• Code comments with Trello links
• File changes in areas with active cards

Suggesting Updates

When you make changes, I'll ask:

• "Should I add this commit to the card?"
• "This looks like it completes the card. Move to Done?"
• "Should I add a progress comment?"

Maintaining Links

I'll help:

• Add PR links to cards
• Update checklists from commits
• Track deployment status
• Keep card descriptions current

Example Workflows

Starting Work on a Card

You: "I'm going to work on the login bug"

Me: "I found the card 'Fix login with special characters' (abc123).
Let me:
1. Move it to In-Progress
2. Create a branch for you: fix/abc123-login-special-chars

git checkout -b fix/abc123-login-special-chars

Ready to start!"

Making a Commit

You: [Makes code changes and commits]

git commit -m "Fix email regex to allow + character"

Me: "I noticed you're on branch fix/abc123-login-special-chars.
Should I:
1. Add a comment to card abc123 about this commit?
2. Check off the 'Fix email validation' checklist item?
3. The commit message doesn't reference the card - want me to amend it to include [abc123]?"

Completing Work

You: "I've finished the login fix"

Me: "Let me wrap up the card:

1. Adding final commit comment with summary
2. Checking off remaining checklist items
3. Moving card to Done

Would you also like me to:
- Add a link to the PR once you create it?
- Archive the card?
- Create any follow-up cards?"

Finding Related Cards

You: [Opens src/auth/password.js]

Me: "I see you're working on password.js. Related cards on the board:
- 'Add password strength indicator' (Next Up)
- 'Fix password reset timeout' (Blocked)

Are you working on one of these, or starting something new?"

Card Comment Templates

Commit Comment

Commit pushed

**Commit**: abc123f
**Branch**: fix/abc123-login-special-chars
**Files**:
- src/validation/email.js (+15, -3)
- tests/validation.test.js (+42)

**Message**: Fix email regex to allow + character

PR Comment

Pull Request opened

**PR**: #123 - Fix login with special characters
**URL**: https://github.com/user/repo/pull/123
**Status**: Open, awaiting review
**Reviewers**: @teammate

Deployment Comment

Deployed

**Environment**: Staging
**Version**: v1.2.3-beta.1
**Time**: 2024-01-15 14:30 UTC
**Commit**: abc123f

Ready for QA verification.

Completion Comment

Card completed

**Summary**:
- Fixed email validation to accept + characters
- Added 5 new test cases
- Updated API documentation

**Commits**: 3 commits
**PR**: #123 (merged)
**Branch**: fix/abc123-login-special-chars (deleted)

Best Practices

1. Always reference cards in commits and PRs
2. Keep cards updated with progress
3. Link PRs to cards before merging
4. Add deployment info for traceability
5. Archive completed cards periodically
6. Use consistent patterns for card references
7. Document in code where appropriate