Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Propagate Design Change agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Propagate Design Change is an agent skill for Claude Code that checks whether your architecture decision records (ADRs) still match a game design document (GDD) after someone changes a number or rule in it. It is aimed at solo developers, small teams and producers running a Game Studios project with written GDDs and ADRs kept in git. By the end of this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and what it needs before it runs.
Propagate Design ChangeDonchitos/Claude-Code-Game-Studios · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Check your project layout. Confirm the GDD is in design/gdd/ and that ADRs are in docs/architecture/. The project must be a git repository with committed history.
- 2Install the skill. Unzip the downloaded ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Commit or keep your GDD change. The skill reads git diff HEAD for uncommitted changes. If you already committed, it falls back to the last commit that touched the file.
- 4Run the skill on the changed GDD. Type /propagate-design-change followed by the path to the changed GDD, for example design/gdd/combat-system.md.
- 5Resolve each flagged ADR. Read the impact report, then answer the skill's questions for each ADR marked Needs Review or Likely Superseded.
What an agent skill is and what this one does
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells Claude Code how to carry out a specific task. This one is named propagate-design-change and its job is narrow: when a GDD changes, find the ADRs written against the old version and work out which ones may now be out of date.
The skill reads the changed sections from git history rather than comparing whole documents by eye. For each affected ADR it compares what the decision assumed with what the design now says, classifies it, and asks you how to resolve it. Outside its own scripts, the agent only reads and edits project files and runs a few git and helper commands.
- Reads changes with git diff and git log on the GDD file
- Lists ADRs that reference the changed GDD, either in a GDD Requirements Addressed table or in prose
- Classifies each ADR as Still Valid, Needs Review or Likely Superseded
- Asks you how to resolve each one; it does not rewrite decisions on its own
Install the Propagate Design Change skill
Download the ZIP from the skill's page on this directory and unzip it. The skill folder must end up in one of two places. For all your projects, put it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
If you use the Claude apps instead of Claude Code, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Trigger the skill with a natural request or a command
You can invoke the skill directly by typing its name followed by the path to the changed GDD. The path is required. You can also add an optional review mode flag, which takes full, lean or solo.
The skill is also meant to trigger on plain requests. Its description says it applies when you have changed a number or rule in a GDD and ask which ADRs or architecture decisions are now out of date. A request such as 'I changed the combat damage multiplier, which architecture decisions are now out of date?' matches that description.
- If you give no path, the skill stops and asks for one
- If the path is not a file, it reports that the path was not found
- --review overrides the project's review_mode for that run
/propagate-design-change design/gdd/combat-system.mdWhat the skill reports and how you resolve each ADR
Before asking you to take any action, the skill shows a full impact report. It lists the ADRs that are not affected, those that need review, and those likely superseded. Each ADR gets a short write-up quoting what it assumed and what the GDD now says, plus a recommended action such as keep as-is, review and update, or mark superseded and write a new ADR.
The skill asks with a question tool where available. A skipped question is not treated as an answer, so the skill asks again. Your automation mode determines when it pauses: ADR impacts are always treated as questions that need you.
- Not Affected: the decision still holds
- Needs Review: the change may affect it and a person must judge
- Likely Superseded: the change contradicts what the ADR assumed
Safety notes: scripts, network and what it changes
The skill runs scripts. Its allowed commands are limited to git diff, git log, the adr-status.sh and md-section.sh helper scripts in .claude/scripts/, and resolve_config through .claude/hooks/yaml-helper.sh. The source does not show any network use, and the skill is listed as not using the network.
It can read and write files with its Write and Edit tools, so check any edits it proposes. The skill is designed to make edits only with your input, but some automation modes can log a choice and continue, so review the log afterwards.
- Network use: none listed
- Runs scripts: yes, the helper scripts and git commands named above
- Review the log in automation modes that continue without asking
What people use it for
- Checking which architecture decisions a combat number change affects before a production gate
- Confirming that a changed progression rule still matches the ADRs covering save data or economy systems
- Giving a producer a written list of architecture decisions to discuss after a design tweak
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the propagate-design-change skill?
Download the ZIP from the skill page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project. In the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the propagate-design-change skill free?
The skill is listed under the MIT licence. Check the licence file in the source repository for the exact terms before reusing it.
What do I need to run it?
You need a git repository with committed GDD history in design/gdd/, ADR files in docs/architecture/, the helper scripts in .claude/scripts/ and .claude/hooks/yaml-helper.sh, and Claude Code with the Game Studios framework.
Why does it say no previous version in git?
The skill only checks GDDs that have git history. If git log shows nothing for the file, it is a new GDD rather than a revision, so there is nothing to propagate.
Why does it say no ADRs reference my GDD?
Either no ADR cites the GDD in a requirements table or in prose, or the ADRs lack a GDD Requirements Addressed section. In the second case the skill tells you to run /architecture-decision retrofit on the ADR.
Can it rewrite my architecture decisions automatically?
No. Each ADR is classified and then discussed with you, and edits are made only with your input. Automation modes can log and continue on some choices, so review the log.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you run a Claude Code game-studio project with written GDDs and ADRs in git and want a checklist of decisions a design change may break. Skip it if your project has no GDD or ADR files, is not in git, or you want decisions rewritten automatically.
Download the skill