Squire tracker
Portfolio-level project tracker for ID8Labs. Tracks all projects through lifecycle states, enforces stage gates, calculates decay, and coordinates review rituals. The nervous system of the ID8Labs pipeline.
git clone https://github.com/eddiebelaval/squire
T=$(mktemp -d) && git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/eddiebelaval/squire "$T" && mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && cp -r "$T/skills/id8labs/tracker" ~/.claude/skills/eddiebelaval-squire-tracker && rm -rf "$T"
skills/id8labs/tracker/SKILL.mdID8TRACKER - Pipeline Nervous System
Purpose
Track all ID8Labs projects from idea capture through exit. Enforce quality gates, calculate activity decay, trigger review rituals, and generate portfolio dashboards.
Lifecycle States
CAPTURED → VALIDATING → VALIDATED → ARCHITECTING → BUILDING → LAUNCHING → GROWING → OPERATING → EXITING → EXITED
Special States
- ICE - Intentionally frozen, decay paused
- KILLED - Failed/abandoned with lessons logged (terminal)
- ARCHIVED - Successfully completed (terminal)
Commands
/tracker status [project-slug]
/tracker status [project-slug]No argument: Show portfolio dashboard With argument: Show detailed project card
Process:
- If no argument, read all project cards from
.id8labs/projects/active/ - Calculate decay for each project
- Generate dashboard using
templates/dashboard.md - Highlight any projects in warning (50-79%) or critical (80%+) decay
/tracker new <project-slug> <project-name>
/tracker new <project-slug> <project-name>Create a new project in CAPTURED state.
Process:
- Generate project card from
templates/project-card.md - Set state to CAPTURED, created/last_activity to today
- Save to
.id8labs/projects/active/{slug}.md - Confirm creation with summary
/tracker update <project-slug> <new-state>
/tracker update <project-slug> <new-state>Transition project to new state.
Process:
- Load project card
- Verify transition is valid (see
)frameworks/project-states.md - Check gate requirements (see
)frameworks/stage-gates.md - If gate passed:
- Update state
- Reset decay (state_entered = today)
- Log transition in state history
- Save project card
- If gate blocked:
- List unmet requirements
- Suggest actions to close gaps
/tracker ice <project-slug> [reason]
/tracker ice <project-slug> [reason]Freeze a project. Decay stops.
Process:
- Load project card
- Record previous state and freeze date
- Set state to ICE
- Log reason (required if not provided, prompt for it)
- Move file to
.id8labs/projects/ice/ - Confirm freeze
/tracker thaw <project-slug>
/tracker thaw <project-slug>Revive a frozen project.
Process:
- Load project from
.id8labs/projects/ice/ - Run revival questions (see
REVIVAL section)frameworks/decay-mechanics.md - Restore to previous state
- Reset decay timer
- Move file to
.id8labs/projects/active/ - Confirm revival with recommitment
/tracker kill <project-slug> [reason]
/tracker kill <project-slug> [reason]Terminate a project permanently.
Process:
- Load project card
- Prompt for lessons learned if not provided
- Set state to KILLED
- Log reason and lessons
- Move to
.id8labs/projects/archive/ - Confirm kill with lessons summary
/tracker log <project-slug> <activity>
/tracker log <project-slug> <activity>Log activity to a project. Resets decay timer.
Process:
- Load project card
- Add activity to activity log with timestamp
- Update last_activity to today
- Save project card
- Confirm log entry
/tracker pulse
/tracker pulseDaily 2-minute pulse check.
Process:
- Load all active projects
- Calculate decay for each
- Use
formatrituals/daily-pulse.md - Show:
- Any critical (80%+) projects
- Any warnings (50-79%)
- Recommended focus for today
- Quick wins available
/tracker review
/tracker reviewWeekly 15-minute review.
Process:
- Load all projects (active + ice)
- Calculate metrics
- Use
formatrituals/weekly-review.md - Walk through each active project:
- Progress since last review
- Blockers
- Gate readiness
- Generate recommendations
/tracker strategy
/tracker strategyMonthly 30-minute strategy session.
Process:
- Load entire portfolio (active + ice + recent archive)
- Use
formatrituals/monthly-strategy.md - Portfolio health analysis
- Stage distribution
- Ice box cleanup decisions
- Pattern recognition
- Next month intentions
/tracker dashboard
/tracker dashboardRegenerate the DASHBOARD.md file.
Process:
- Load all projects
- Calculate all metrics
- Use
templates/dashboard.md - Write to
.id8labs/dashboard/DASHBOARD.md - Confirm generation
/tracker gates <project-slug>
/tracker gates <project-slug>Show gate requirements for next transition.
Process:
- Load project card
- Identify current state and target state
- Load requirements from
frameworks/stage-gates.md - Show checklist with current completion status
/tracker gate-pass <project-slug> <requirement>
/tracker gate-pass <project-slug> <requirement>Mark a gate requirement as met.
Process:
- Load project card
- Add requirement to gates_passed array
- Save project card
- Show updated gate status
Decay Calculation
decay_percent = (days_since_last_activity / state_max_duration) * 100
Decay Windows by State
| State | Warning (50%) | Critical (80%) | Freeze (100%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAPTURED | 7 days | 11 days | 14 days |
| VALIDATING | 15 days | 24 days | 30 days |
| VALIDATED | 10 days | 17 days | 21 days |
| ARCHITECTING | 7 days | 11 days | 14 days |
| BUILDING | 45 days | 72 days | 90 days |
| LAUNCHING | 10 days | 17 days | 21 days |
| GROWING | 90 days | 144 days | 180 days |
| OPERATING | - | - | No decay |
| EXITING | 30 days | 48 days | 60 days |
What Resets Decay
- Invoking any ID8Labs skill for the project
- Manual
entry/tracker log - State transition via
/tracker update - Completing a gate requirement
Integration with Other Skills
When other ID8Labs skills complete work, they MUST log to tracker:
## Handoff Pattern After skill completion: 1. Save skill outputs 2. Call: /tracker log {project-slug} "{skill-name}: {summary}" 3. If state transition appropriate, suggest: /tracker update {project-slug} {new-state}
Example Integration Points
| Skill Completes | Log Message | Suggested Transition |
|---|---|---|
| scout (BUILD) | "Scout: Validation complete - BUILD verdict" | VALIDATING → VALIDATED |
| scout (KILL) | "Scout: Validation complete - KILL verdict" | → KILLED |
| architect | "Architect: Architecture doc complete" | VALIDATED → ARCHITECTING |
| launch | "Launch: Product launched to {channel}" | BUILDING → LAUNCHING |
| growth | "Growth: Experiment {name} completed" | (no transition, activity log) |
| ops | "Ops: SOP created for {process}" | GROWING → OPERATING |
| exit | "Exit: Exit memo drafted" | OPERATING → EXITING |
Memory MCP Integration
Use Memory MCP to store portfolio-level learnings:
Create entities for: - Successful patterns (what works) - Kill post-mortems (what failed) - Review insights (strategic observations) - Velocity benchmarks (how long things take)
Query Memory when:
- Starting a new project (recall similar patterns)
- Hitting a blocker (check if solved before)
- Completing a stage (log learnings)
Health Status Indicators
| Symbol | Status | Decay Range | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🟢 | Healthy | 0-49% | None needed |
| 🟡 | Warning | 50-79% | Surface in pulse |
| 🔴 | Critical | 80-99% | Escalate in review |
| ⛔ | Frozen | 100% | Block transitions |
| ❄️ | Ice | N/A | Intentionally paused |
| ⚰️ | Killed | N/A | Terminal |
| ✅ | Archived | N/A | Complete |
File Operations
Reading Projects
Active: .id8labs/projects/active/*.md Ice: .id8labs/projects/ice/*.md Archive: .id8labs/projects/archive/*.md
Writing Projects
- Parse YAML frontmatter for structured data
- Preserve markdown content
- Update timestamps on every write
Dashboard Location
.id8labs/dashboard/DASHBOARD.md
Error Handling
| Error | Response |
|---|---|
| Project not found | List available projects, suggest |
| Invalid state transition | Explain valid transitions, show current state |
| Gate blocked | List unmet requirements with suggestions |
| Missing required field | Prompt for the field |
| File write error | Report error, suggest manual check |
Reminder Configuration
Settings stored in
.id8labs/config/settings.yaml:
reminders: pulse_frequency: daily # daily, every-other-day, off review_frequency: weekly # weekly, biweekly, off strategy_frequency: monthly nudge_style: direct # gentle, direct, aggressive decay: warn_threshold: 50 critical_threshold: 80 freeze_threshold: 100
Changelog
v1.0.0 (2025-12-21)
- Initial release
- Full lifecycle state machine
- Decay mechanics with configurable windows
- Gate verification system
- Review rituals (daily/weekly/monthly)
- Dashboard generation
- Memory MCP integration for learnings