garrytan · brahmasky · Mar 17, 2026 · Mar 17, 2026
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -101,6 +101,22 @@ Read the philosophy: https://garryslist.org/posts/boil-the-ocean
 - Added `bin/gstack-slug` helper (5-line bash) with unit tests. Outputs `SLUG=` and `BRANCH=` lines, sanitizes `/` to `-`.
 - New TODOs: smart review relevance detection (P3), `/merge` skill for review-gated PR merge (P2).
 
+## fork: multi-stack portability — 2026-03-17
+
+- **`/ship` works on Node.js, TypeScript, and Python projects now.** It used to hardcode `bin/test-lane` (Rails) + `npm run test`. Now it auto-detects your test runner: vitest, jest, pytest, make test, or the Rails test lane. If you have both a frontend and backend test suite, they run in parallel. No config needed.
+- **`/ship` respects your version format.** Projects using standard 3-digit semver (`1.2.3`) are handled correctly — no more confusion from the internal 4-digit format. If you have no `VERSION` file at all, the version step is silently skipped.
+- **Eval suites in `/ship` are now Rails-only.** The eval gate only activates when a `test/evals/` directory and Rails are both detected. TypeScript and Python projects skip it cleanly with a one-line message instead of failing.
+- **`/retro` shows your local time, not Pacific.** Timestamps, histograms, session times, and streak dates are now displayed in your system's timezone. Works on macOS and Linux.
+- **`/qa` no longer hard-fails on uncommitted changes.** Instead of refusing to start, it offers to stash your changes, run QA, and restore them automatically when done. The fix loop still stays atomic — the stash just handles the setup for you.
+- **`/plan-ceo-review` system audit works on any stack.** The pre-review grep for TODOs/FIXMEs now covers `.py`, `.ts`, `.tsx`, `.go`, `.rs` alongside `.rb`. Recently-touched-files detection picks the right lock file anchor automatically (pnpm-lock, poetry.lock, go.sum, etc.).
+- **Diff-aware QA and design review use the correct base branch.** Previously hardcoded to `main` — now uses the dynamically detected base branch, so stacked PRs and `master`-default repos work correctly.
+
+### For contributors
+
+- Added `{{PROJECT_DETECT}}` resolver to `gen-skill-docs.ts` — stack detection block (test runner, VERSION format, languages, eval suite flag) injected into `/ship`. Follows the `{{QA_METHODOLOGY}}` / `{{DESIGN_METHODOLOGY}}` pattern.
+- Fixed unescaped `${}` shell interpolations in TypeScript template literals.
+- `{{QA_METHODOLOGY}}` and `{{DESIGN_METHODOLOGY}}` diff-aware mode: replaced hardcoded `main` with `<base>` placeholder.
+
 ## 0.5.0 — 2026-03-16
 
 - **Your site just got a design review.** `/plan-design-review` opens your site and reviews it like a senior product designer — typography, spacing, hierarchy, color, responsive, interactions, and AI slop detection. Get letter grades (A-F) per category, a dual headline "Design Score" + "AI Slop Score", and a structured first impression that doesn't pull punches.

diff --git a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
@@ -187,8 +187,32 @@ Run the following commands:
 git log --oneline -30                          # Recent history
 git diff <base> --stat                           # What's already changed
 git stash list                                 # Any stashed work
-grep -r "TODO\|FIXME\|HACK\|XXX" --include="*.rb" --include="*.js" -l
-find . -name "*.rb" -newer Gemfile.lock | head -20  # Recently touched files
+grep -r "TODO\|FIXME\|HACK\|XXX" \
+  --include="*.rb" --include="*.py" --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx" \
+  --include="*.js" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.go" --include="*.rs" \
+  -l 2>/dev/null | head -20                    # Files with deferred work
+```
+
+Detect recently touched source files based on the project's lock/manifest file:
+```bash
+# Find the most recent lock/manifest as the freshness anchor
+_ANCHOR=""
+[ -f Gemfile.lock ]    && _ANCHOR="Gemfile.lock"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f pnpm-lock.yaml ] && _ANCHOR="pnpm-lock.yaml"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f package-lock.json ] && _ANCHOR="package-lock.json"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f poetry.lock ]    && _ANCHOR="poetry.lock"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f pyproject.toml ] && _ANCHOR="pyproject.toml"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f go.sum ]         && _ANCHOR="go.sum"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f package.json ]   && _ANCHOR="package.json"
+
+if [ -n "$_ANCHOR" ]; then
+  find . \( -name "*.rb" -o -name "*.py" -o -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.tsx" \
+         -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.jsx" -o -name "*.go" -o -name "*.rs" \) \
+    -newer "$_ANCHOR" \
+    -not -path "*/node_modules/*" -not -path "*/.git/*" \
+    -not -path "*/__pycache__/*" -not -path "*/dist/*" -not -path "*/build/*" \
+    2>/dev/null | head -20
+fi
 ```
 Then read CLAUDE.md, TODOS.md, and any existing architecture docs. When reading TODOS.md, specifically:
 * Note any TODOs this plan touches, blocks, or unlocks

diff --git a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -66,8 +66,32 @@ Run the following commands:
 git log --oneline -30                          # Recent history
 git diff <base> --stat                           # What's already changed
 git stash list                                 # Any stashed work
-grep -r "TODO\|FIXME\|HACK\|XXX" --include="*.rb" --include="*.js" -l
-find . -name "*.rb" -newer Gemfile.lock | head -20  # Recently touched files
+grep -r "TODO\|FIXME\|HACK\|XXX" \
+  --include="*.rb" --include="*.py" --include="*.ts" --include="*.tsx" \
+  --include="*.js" --include="*.jsx" --include="*.go" --include="*.rs" \
+  -l 2>/dev/null | head -20                    # Files with deferred work
+```
+
+Detect recently touched source files based on the project's lock/manifest file:
+```bash
+# Find the most recent lock/manifest as the freshness anchor
+_ANCHOR=""
+[ -f Gemfile.lock ]    && _ANCHOR="Gemfile.lock"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f pnpm-lock.yaml ] && _ANCHOR="pnpm-lock.yaml"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f package-lock.json ] && _ANCHOR="package-lock.json"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f poetry.lock ]    && _ANCHOR="poetry.lock"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f pyproject.toml ] && _ANCHOR="pyproject.toml"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f go.sum ]         && _ANCHOR="go.sum"
+[ -z "$_ANCHOR" ] && [ -f package.json ]   && _ANCHOR="package.json"
+
+if [ -n "$_ANCHOR" ]; then
+  find . \( -name "*.rb" -o -name "*.py" -o -name "*.ts" -o -name "*.tsx" \
+         -o -name "*.js" -o -name "*.jsx" -o -name "*.go" -o -name "*.rs" \) \
+    -newer "$_ANCHOR" \
+    -not -path "*/node_modules/*" -not -path "*/.git/*" \
+    -not -path "*/__pycache__/*" -not -path "*/dist/*" -not -path "*/build/*" \
+    2>/dev/null | head -20
+fi
 ```
 Then read CLAUDE.md, TODOS.md, and any existing architecture docs. When reading TODOS.md, specifically:
 * Note any TODOs this plan touches, blocks, or unlocks

diff --git a/plan-design-review/SKILL.md b/plan-design-review/SKILL.md
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ Comprehensive review: 10-15 pages, every interaction flow, exhaustive checklist.
 
 ### Diff-aware (automatic when on a feature branch with no URL)
 When on a feature branch, scope to pages affected by the branch changes:
-1. Analyze the branch diff: `git diff main...HEAD --name-only`
+1. Analyze the branch diff: `git diff <base>...HEAD --name-only` (use base branch from preamble)
 2. Map changed files to affected pages/routes
 3. Detect running app on common local ports (3000, 4000, 8080)
 4. Audit only affected pages, compare design quality before/after

diff --git a/qa-design-review/SKILL.md b/qa-design-review/SKILL.md
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ Comprehensive review: 10-15 pages, every interaction flow, exhaustive checklist.
 
 ### Diff-aware (automatic when on a feature branch with no URL)
 When on a feature branch, scope to pages affected by the branch changes:
-1. Analyze the branch diff: `git diff main...HEAD --name-only`
+1. Analyze the branch diff: `git diff <base>...HEAD --name-only` (use base branch from preamble)
 2. Map changed files to affected pages/routes
 3. Detect running app on common local ports (3000, 4000, 8080)
 4. Audit only affected pages, compare design quality before/after

diff --git a/qa-only/SKILL.md b/qa-only/SKILL.md
@@ -187,10 +187,10 @@ Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
 This is the **primary mode** for developers verifying their work. When the user says `/qa` without a URL and the repo is on a feature branch, automatically:
 
-1. **Analyze the branch diff** to understand what changed:
+1. **Analyze the branch diff** to understand what changed (use the base branch detected in the preamble, defaulting to `main`):
    ```bash
-   git diff main...HEAD --name-only
-   git log main..HEAD --oneline
+   git diff <base>...HEAD --name-only
+   git log <base>..HEAD --oneline
    ```
 
 2. **Identify affected pages/routes** from the changed files:

diff --git a/qa/SKILL.md b/qa/SKILL.md
@@ -168,14 +168,21 @@ You are a QA engineer AND a bug-fix engineer. Test web applications like a real
 
 **If no URL is given and you're on a feature branch:** Automatically enter **diff-aware mode** (see Modes below). This is the most common case — the user just shipped code on a branch and wants to verify it works.
 
-**Require clean working tree before starting:**
+**Check working tree state:**
 ```bash
-if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: Working tree is dirty. Commit or stash changes before running /qa."
-  exit 1
-fi
+_DIRTY=$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null)
+[ -n "$_DIRTY" ] && echo "DIRTY_WORKING_TREE:" && echo "$_DIRTY" | head -10 || echo "CLEAN"
 ```
 
+If `DIRTY_WORKING_TREE` is printed, use AskUserQuestion:
+- Re-ground: project, branch, the uncommitted changes shown above
+- Explain: there are unsaved changes that would mix with QA's own commits if not handled first
+- `RECOMMENDATION: Choose A — stashing is safe and reversible`
+- A) Stash now (`git stash`) and proceed — stash will be restored automatically after Phase 10
+- B) Cancel — I'll commit or stash manually and re-run `/qa`
+
+If the user chooses A: run `git stash` and note that `git stash pop` will be run automatically after Phase 10 completes. If B: stop.
+
 **Find the browse binary:**
 
 ## SETUP (run this check BEFORE any browse command)
@@ -382,10 +389,10 @@ Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
 This is the **primary mode** for developers verifying their work. When the user says `/qa` without a URL and the repo is on a feature branch, automatically:
 
-1. **Analyze the branch diff** to understand what changed:
+1. **Analyze the branch diff** to understand what changed (use the base branch detected in the preamble, defaulting to `main`):
    ```bash
-   git diff main...HEAD --name-only
-   git log main..HEAD --oneline
+   git diff <base>...HEAD --name-only
+   git log <base>..HEAD --oneline
    ```
 
 2. **Identify affected pages/routes** from the changed files:
@@ -860,7 +867,7 @@ If the repo has a `TODOS.md`:
 
 ## Additional Rules (qa-specific)
 
-11. **Clean working tree required.** Refuse to start if `git status --porcelain` is non-empty.
+11. **Clean working tree required.** If `git status --porcelain` is non-empty, offer to stash (AskUserQuestion A/B). Never start the fix loop with uncommitted changes present — QA's own commits must be atomic and isolated. If stash was used, run `git stash pop` after Phase 10.
 12. **One commit per fix.** Never bundle multiple fixes into one commit.
 13. **Only modify tests when generating regression tests in Phase 8e.5.** Never modify CI configuration. Never modify existing tests — only create new test files.
 14. **Revert on regression.** If a fix makes things worse, `git revert HEAD` immediately.

diff --git a/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl b/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -47,14 +47,21 @@ You are a QA engineer AND a bug-fix engineer. Test web applications like a real
 
 **If no URL is given and you're on a feature branch:** Automatically enter **diff-aware mode** (see Modes below). This is the most common case — the user just shipped code on a branch and wants to verify it works.
 
-**Require clean working tree before starting:**
+**Check working tree state:**
 ```bash
-if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain)" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: Working tree is dirty. Commit or stash changes before running /qa."
-  exit 1
-fi
+_DIRTY=$(git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null)
+[ -n "$_DIRTY" ] && echo "DIRTY_WORKING_TREE:" && echo "$_DIRTY" | head -10 || echo "CLEAN"
 ```
 
+If `DIRTY_WORKING_TREE` is printed, use AskUserQuestion:
+- Re-ground: project, branch, the uncommitted changes shown above
+- Explain: there are unsaved changes that would mix with QA's own commits if not handled first
+- `RECOMMENDATION: Choose A — stashing is safe and reversible`
+- A) Stash now (`git stash`) and proceed — stash will be restored automatically after Phase 10
+- B) Cancel — I'll commit or stash manually and re-run `/qa`
+
+If the user chooses A: run `git stash` and note that `git stash pop` will be run automatically after Phase 10 completes. If B: stop.
+
 **Find the browse binary:**
 
 {{BROWSE_SETUP}}
@@ -298,7 +305,7 @@ If the repo has a `TODOS.md`:
 
 ## Additional Rules (qa-specific)
 
-11. **Clean working tree required.** Refuse to start if `git status --porcelain` is non-empty.
+11. **Clean working tree required.** If `git status --porcelain` is non-empty, offer to stash (AskUserQuestion A/B). Never start the fix loop with uncommitted changes present — QA's own commits must be atomic and isolated. If stash was used, run `git stash pop` after Phase 10.
 12. **One commit per fix.** Never bundle multiple fixes into one commit.
 13. **Only modify tests when generating regression tests in Phase 8e.5.** Never modify CI configuration. Never modify existing tests — only create new test files.
 14. **Revert on regression.** If a fix makes things worse, `git revert HEAD` immediately.

diff --git a/retro/SKILL.md b/retro/SKILL.md
@@ -146,7 +146,9 @@ When the user types `/retro`, run this skill.
 
 ## Instructions
 
-Parse the argument to determine the time window. Default to 7 days if no argument given. Use `--since="N days ago"`, `--since="N hours ago"`, or `--since="N weeks ago"` (for `w` units) for git log queries. All times should be reported in **Pacific time** (use `TZ=America/Los_Angeles` when converting timestamps).
+Parse the argument to determine the time window. Default to 7 days if no argument given. Use `--since="N days ago"`, `--since="N hours ago"`, or `--since="N weeks ago"` (for `w` units) for git log queries.
+
+**Timezone:** detect the system's local timezone once at the start of Step 1, then use it for all timestamp conversions. All displayed times should use the local timezone (not hardcoded Pacific).
 
 **Argument validation:** If the argument doesn't match a number followed by `d`, `h`, or `w`, the word `compare`, or `compare` followed by a number and `d`/`h`/`w`, show this usage and stop:
 ```
@@ -161,14 +163,22 @@ Usage: /retro [window]
 
 ### Step 1: Gather Raw Data
 
-First, fetch origin and identify the current user:
+First, detect the local timezone, fetch origin, and identify the current user:
 ```bash
+# Detect local timezone (macOS + Linux compatible)
+_TZ=$(readlink /etc/localtime 2>/dev/null | sed 's|.*/zoneinfo/||' || \
+      cat /etc/timezone 2>/dev/null || \
+      timedatectl show --property=Timezone --value 2>/dev/null || \
+      echo "UTC")
+echo "LOCAL_TZ: $_TZ"
 git fetch origin <default> --quiet
 # Identify who is running the retro
 git config user.name
 git config user.email
 ```
 
+Use the printed `LOCAL_TZ` value for all timestamp conversions in subsequent steps.
+
 The name returned by `git config user.name` is **"you"** — the person reading this retro. All other authors are teammates. Use this to orient the narrative: "your" commits vs teammate contributions.
 
 Run ALL of these git commands in parallel (they are independent):
@@ -183,8 +193,8 @@ git log origin/<default> --since="<window>" --format="%H|%aN|%ae|%ai|%s" --short
 git log origin/<default> --since="<window>" --format="COMMIT:%H|%aN" --numstat
 
 # 3. Commit timestamps for session detection and hourly distribution (with author)
-#    Use TZ=America/Los_Angeles for Pacific time conversion
-TZ=America/Los_Angeles git log origin/<default> --since="<window>" --format="%at|%aN|%ai|%s" | sort -n
+#    Use LOCAL_TZ detected above for time conversion
+TZ=<LOCAL_TZ> git log origin/<default> --since="<window>" --format="%at|%aN|%ai|%s" | sort -n
 
 # 4. Files most frequently changed (hotspot analysis)
 git log origin/<default> --since="<window>" --format="" --name-only | grep -v '^$' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn
@@ -264,7 +274,7 @@ If TODOS.md doesn't exist, skip the Backlog Health row.
 
 ### Step 3: Commit Time Distribution
 
-Show hourly histogram in Pacific time using bar chart:
+Show hourly histogram in local time using bar chart:
 
 ```
 Hour  Commits  ████████████████
@@ -282,7 +292,7 @@ Identify and call out:
 ### Step 4: Work Session Detection
 
 Detect sessions using **45-minute gap** threshold between consecutive commits. For each session report:
-- Start/end time (Pacific)
+- Start/end time (local timezone)
 - Number of commits
 - Duration in minutes
 
@@ -368,11 +378,11 @@ If the time window is 14 days or more, split into weekly buckets and show trends
 Count consecutive days with at least 1 commit to origin/<default>, going back from today. Track both team streak and personal streak:
 
 ```bash
-# Team streak: all unique commit dates (Pacific time) — no hard cutoff
-TZ=America/Los_Angeles git log origin/<default> --format="%ad" --date=format:"%Y-%m-%d" | sort -u
+# Team streak: all unique commit dates (local timezone) — no hard cutoff
+TZ=<LOCAL_TZ> git log origin/<default> --format="%ad" --date=format:"%Y-%m-%d" | sort -u
 
 # Personal streak: only the current user's commits
-TZ=America/Los_Angeles git log origin/<default> --author="<user_name>" --format="%ad" --date=format:"%Y-%m-%d" | sort -u
+TZ=<LOCAL_TZ> git log origin/<default> --author="<user_name>" --format="%ad" --date=format:"%Y-%m-%d" | sort -u
 ```
 
 Count backward from today — how many consecutive days have at least one commit? This queries the full history so streaks of any length are reported accurately. Display both:
@@ -411,7 +421,7 @@ mkdir -p .context/retros
 Determine the next sequence number for today (substitute the actual date for `$(date +%Y-%m-%d)`):
 ```bash
 # Count existing retros for today to get next sequence number
-today=$(TZ=America/Los_Angeles date +%Y-%m-%d)
+today=$(TZ=<LOCAL_TZ> date +%Y-%m-%d)
 existing=$(ls .context/retros/${today}-*.json 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
 next=$((existing + 1))
 # Save as .context/retros/${today}-${next}.json
@@ -608,7 +618,7 @@ When the user runs `/retro compare` (or `/retro compare 14d`):
 
 - ALL narrative output goes directly to the user in the conversation. The ONLY file written is the `.context/retros/` JSON snapshot.
 - Use `origin/<default>` for all git queries (not local main which may be stale)
-- Convert all timestamps to Pacific time for display (use `TZ=America/Los_Angeles`)
+- Convert all timestamps to local time for display (use `TZ=<LOCAL_TZ>` detected in Step 1)
 - If the window has zero commits, say so and suggest a different window
 - Round LOC/hour to nearest 50
 - Treat merge commits as PR boundaries