Harvest

SkillFiles & storage

Extracts durable insights from temp/ files to SoT during EPIC Phase E. Triggers at EPIC completion or explicit `/ghm-harvest` invocation. Outputs new SoT entries and archive manifest.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.

Then ask your AI: use the Harvest skill

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by mattgierhart/prd-driven-context-engineering in .claude/skills/ghm-harvest/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Extract durable insights from temporary files to Source of Truth during EPIC Phase E (Finish).

Workflow Overview

  1. Enumerate Temps → List all temp/ files from current EPIC
  2. Identify SoT-worthy → Determine what should persist
  3. Format Entries → Convert to proper SoT templates
  4. Archive → Move temps to archive, update manifest

Core Output Template

ElementDefinitionEvidence
Temp FilesFiles processedList with paths
New SoT EntriesIDs createdBR-XXX, UJ-XXX, etc.
Archive ManifestWhat was archivedPaths and dates
DiscardedWhat was not keptReason for each

Harvest Decision Matrix

Content TypeActionDestination
Business rule discoveredExtractSoT/SoT.BUSINESS_RULES.md
User flow documentedExtractSoT/SoT.USER_JOURNEYS.md
API design finalizedExtractSoT/SoT.API_CONTRACTS.md
Customer feedback capturedExtractSoT/SoT.customer_feedback.md
Session notesArchive onlyarchive/YYYY-MM/
Scratch workDiscardDelete after review

Step 1: Enumerate Temp Files

  1. Read EPIC Execution Plan for temp file references
  2. List all files in temp/ directory
  3. Match temps to EPIC (by date or naming)

Checklist

  • All EPIC-referenced temps identified
  • Temp directory scanned
  • Files categorized by content type

Step 2: Identify SoT-Worthy Content

For each temp file, evaluate:

QuestionIf YesIf No
Is this a business rule?Extract as BR-XXXContinue
Is this a user flow?Extract as UJ-XXXContinue
Is this an API design?Extract as API-XXXContinue
Is this customer evidence?Extract as CFD-XXXContinue
Is this useful context?ArchiveContinue
Is this scratch work?Discard-

Checklist

  • Each temp file evaluated
  • Extract/Archive/Discard decision made
  • Decisions documented

Step 3: Format SoT Entries

For each extracted item:

  1. Generate appropriate ID using ghm-id-register
  2. Format per SoT template
  3. Add cross-references
  4. Insert into correct SoT file

Entry Template

### [ID]: [Title]

**Status**: Active
**Created**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Source**: temp/[filename].md (EPIC-XX)
**Cross-References**: [Related IDs]

[Extracted content, properly formatted]

Checklist

  • All extracts have valid IDs
  • Formatting matches SoT templates
  • Cross-references verified

Step 4: Archive and Cleanup

  1. Create archive directory: archive/YYYY-MM/
  2. Move processed temps to archive
  3. Generate manifest
  4. Update EPIC Phase E checklist

Archive Manifest Template

## Archive Manifest: EPIC-XX

**Date**: YYYY-MM-DD
**Archived To**: archive/YYYY-MM/

### Extracted to SoT
| Temp File | New ID | SoT File |
|-----------|--------|----------|
| temp/file.md | BR-XXX | SoT.BUSINESS_RULES.md |

### Archived Only
| Temp File | Reason |
|-----------|--------|
| temp/notes.md | Session context |

### Discarded
| Temp File | Reason |
|-----------|--------|
| temp/scratch.md | No durable value |

Quality Gates

Pass Checklist

  • All temps processed (none orphaned)
  • Extracted content has valid IDs
  • Archive manifest is complete
  • EPIC Phase E checklist updated

Testability Check

  • SoT entries are findable by ID
  • Archive manifest matches actual files
  • Temp directory is clean

Anti-Patterns

PatternExampleFix
Orphan tempsTemps not in manifest→ Process all files
Lost contextArchive without manifest→ Always create manifest
Over-extractionEverything becomes SoT→ Apply decision matrix
Under-extractionValuable insights lost→ Review before discard

Boundaries

DO:

  • Extract durable insights
  • Format per templates
  • Create complete manifests
  • Clean up temps

DON'T:

  • Create new analysis
  • Modify conclusions
  • Skip the manifest
  • Delete without review

Handoff

After harvest completes:

  • SoT files updated with new entries
  • Temps archived with manifest
  • EPIC Phase E marked complete
  • Ready to close EPIC

Signals

GitHub stars
182
Forks
10
Last commit
Aug 2026
Advanced
Catalog kind
skill
Gateway key
ghm-harvest
Source
github.com/mattgierhart/prd-driven-context-engineering