Release History

Changelog

Every release, documented. effectum ships fast — check back often.

npmFull changelog on GitHub

v0.18.0

latest
Added
  • effectum:status Command — Project health dashboard. Shows PRD count, open/in-progress tasks, quality gate status, and recent activity at a glance.
  • Namespace Clarity — All commands reorganised into two clean spheres: effectum: (system/meta) and effect: (work). Old names continue as deprecated aliases until v0.20.
  • effect:prd: namespace — All PRD pipeline commands: effect:prd:new, effect:prd:express, effect:prd:review, effect:prd:handoff, effect:prd:update, effect:prd:discuss, effect:prd:decompose, effect:prd:resume, effect:prd:status, effect:prd:network-map.
  • effect:dev: namespace — Full dev pipeline: effect:dev:run, effect:dev:stop, effect:dev:save, effect:dev:diagnose, effect:dev:plan, effect:dev:tdd, effect:dev:verify, effect:dev:review, effect:dev:e2e, effect:dev:fix, effect:dev:refactor, effect:dev:orchestrate.
  • effectum: namespace — System commands: effectum:init, effectum:setup, effectum:status, effectum:archive, effectum:onboard, effectum:explore.
Changed
  • /ralph-loop is now a PERMANENT alias for effect:dev:run — it will never be removed.
  • /effectum remains the entry point — unchanged.
  • Deprecated aliases (/plan, /tdd, /verify, /code-review, /prd:new, etc.) continue to work until v0.20.
  • Version bumped — v0.17.0 → v0.18.0
Tests
  • Tests updated for new namespace — all passing.

v0.17.0

stable
Added
  • /effectum Command — Entry point and getting-started guide. Run at any time to orient yourself and get pointed to the right next step. Read-only, no side effects.
  • /help Command — Human-language alias for /effectum. Use /help or /effectum interchangeably.
  • /next Command — Smart router. Reads project state (CLAUDE.md, git log, loop-state.json, PRD status) and recommends exactly one action. Never overwhelming — one recommendation, always actionable.
  • /run Command — Human-language alias for /ralph-loop. Start autonomous build sessions naturally: 'just /run it'.
  • /stop Command — Human-language alias for /cancel-ralph. Stop an active loop naturally: 'just /stop'.
  • /save Command — Human-language alias for /checkpoint. Create a git restore point naturally: '/save before we refactor'.
  • /diagnose Command — Human-language alias for /forensics. Understand failures naturally: '/diagnose what went wrong'.
  • /explore Command — Human-language alias for /map-codebase. Kick off codebase analysis naturally: '/explore this codebase'.
  • /project:init Command — Replaces /workshop:init with a cleaner namespace. Creates PRD Workshop project structure.
  • /project:archive Command — Replaces /workshop:archive with a cleaner namespace. Archives completed/abandoned projects.
  • /context:init Command — Replaces /effectum:init with a cleaner namespace. Interactive 7-question interview to populate the sentinel block in CLAUDE.md.
Changed
  • Command count: 31 → 42 commands
  • Command categories reorganized into 8 groups: Navigation, Core Workflow, Autonomous, Spec, Onboarding, Project, Design, Setup
  • /ralph-loop — tagline updated to note /run alias
  • /cancel-ralph — tagline updated to note /stop alias
  • /checkpoint — tagline updated to note /save alias
  • /forensics — tagline updated to note /diagnose alias
  • /map-codebase — tagline updated to note /explore alias
  • Version bumped — v0.16.0 → v0.17.0
  • README — Updated version badge, command count, and feature descriptions for v0.17.0
Fixed
  • 12 journey bug fixes across the autonomous workflow loop — improved reliability and error recovery
  • Namespace cleanup: /workshop:* → /project:*, /effectum:init → /context:init (old commands still work, deprecated, removed in v0.19)
Tests
  • 446 tests, all passing (up from 413)

v0.16.0

Added
  • Sentinel-based CLAUDE.md Split — `<!-- effectum:project-context:start/end -->` markers preserve project context across `effectum update` re-renders. Custom content survives template changes.
  • Context Budget Monitor — `/ralph-loop` and `/orchestrate` estimate context usage before each iteration. At >80%: commit state, write HANDOFF.md with structured handoff, and stop cleanly.
  • Stuck Detection — `/ralph-loop` tracks error messages across iterations. Same error in 2 consecutive iterations: stop immediately, write STUCK.md with diagnosis and next steps.
  • Per-Iteration Loop State — `/ralph-loop` persists `.effectum/loop-state.json` after every iteration. Detects incomplete runs on startup and offers to resume or start fresh.
  • Loop Ledger — On completion (success, stuck, or budget stop), appends a session entry to `effectum-metrics.json` with iterations, outcome, quality gates, and duration.
  • /forensics Command — Post-mortem diagnosis reads HANDOFF.md, STUCK.md, loop-state.json, effectum-metrics.json, and git log. Classifies failure mode, outputs `FORENSICS-YYYY-MM-DD.md`.
  • /effectum:init Command — Interactive 7-question interview to populate the sentinel block in CLAUDE.md with project-specific context (app description, users, architecture decisions, conventions, tech debt).
  • /map-codebase Command — Spawns 4 parallel agents (ArchitectureMapper, StackMapper, QualityMapper, IntegrationMapper) producing 7 knowledge docs in `knowledge/codebase/`.
  • Hook Modernization — Added `if` conditional fields to git-specific hooks: commit message check fires on `git commit*`, secret scanning fires on `git commit*` or `git push*`.
Changed
  • Version bumped — v0.15.0 → v0.16.0
  • README — Updated version badge and feature descriptions for v0.16.0
  • Command Index — Added /forensics, /effectum:init, /map-codebase to command reference
Tests
  • 413 tests, all passing (up from 389)

v0.15.0

Added
  • YAML frontmatter on all 28 commands — each command now has `name`, `description`, and `allowed-tools` metadata for better discoverability and tooling.
  • Commands README index (system/commands/README.md) — searchable index of all commands with descriptions and usage examples.
  • 6 specialized onboard agents — parallel analysis agents (api, architecture, database, frontend, stack, test) for faster, more accurate /onboard.
Changed
  • onboard.md refactored from 578 → 202 lines — cleaner orchestration, delegates analysis to specialized agents, faster execution.
Tests
  • 389 tests, all passing (up from 299)
  • Added test/frontmatter.test.js — 210 tests validating YAML frontmatter on all commands

v0.14.2

Fixed
  • effectum update now shows a clear error when .effectum.json is missing instead of silently failing.
  • Clack fallback for non-TTY environments — effectum update --yes works in CI/scripts without interactive prompt.

v0.14.1

Fixed
  • effectum update --yes flag now correctly skips all confirmation prompts for non-interactive mode.

v0.14.0

Added
  • effectum update command — intelligently updates your project's CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md and commands to the latest version without requiring full reconfiguration. Preserves your existing customizations.
  • Package manager configuration — effectum now detects npm, pnpm, yarn, or bun from your project and sets it as the default. Overridable in the setup flow.
  • Next-step navigation in all commands — every command now ends with a clear suggestion for what to run next, keeping Claude oriented in the workflow.
Tests
  • 299 tests, all passing (up from 236)
  • Added test/update.test.js (306 tests), test/package-manager.test.js (232 tests), test/next-steps.test.js (183 tests)

v0.13.0

Added
  • /design Command (system/commands/design.md) — 5-step workflow: read PRD → detect design signals → ask 3–5 questions → generate DESIGN.md → confirm. Bridges the gap between 'what to build' (PRD) and 'how it should look' (DESIGN.md).
  • DESIGN.md Template (system/templates/DESIGN.md.tmpl) — 7 sections: Overview, Color System, Typography, Component Patterns, Layout & Spacing, Interaction Design, Constraints. Uses {{projectName}} / {{stack}} / {{date}} interpolation.
  • detectDesignSignals(dir) (bin/lib/design.js) — scans for Tailwind (config files + package.json), shadcn (components.json), CSS custom properties (globals.css). Returns { hasTailwind, hasShadcn, cssVars, existingColors }.
  • Design docs (docs/design-md.md) — when to use DESIGN.md, how to run /design, section reference, example Next.js+Tailwind snippet, FAQ.
Tests
  • 236 tests, all passing (up from 201)
  • Added test/design.test.js — 35 tests covering Tailwind/shadcn/CSS detection, parseCssVars, isColorValue, template loading/interpolation, command file validation

v0.12.0

stable
Added
  • AGENTS.md Detection — detectAgentsMd() detects AGENTS.md in project root, sets agentsMdFound: true with certain confidence; wired into detectAll()
  • --output-format CLI flag — accepts claude-md (default) | agents-md | both. Generates a tool-agnostic AGENTS.md alongside or instead of CLAUDE.md. Auto-triggers when existing AGENTS.md detected.
  • AGENTS.md template blocks (system/blocks/agents-md/) — 4 generic blocks: foundation, workflow, guardrails, commands. No Claude-specific language — compatible with Codex, Gemini CLI, and other agents.
  • npm Stats Script (scripts/npm-stats.mjs) — tracks daily/weekly/monthly downloads and GitHub stars, outputs Markdown report. Cron-safe.
  • HN Launch Post draft (docs/launch/hn-post.md) — Show HN post with thread strategy and timing notes.
Changed
  • README — added Kiro to comparison table, AGENTS.md positioning note, clarified CLI-native vs IDE-based positioning
  • docs/cli-reference.md — documented --output-format flag with examples
Tests
  • 201 tests, all passing (up from 184)
  • Added test/agents-md.test.js — 17 new tests covering detection, block loading, placeholder content, composeBlocks compatibility, and interpolation

v0.11.1

stable
Fixed
  • Rust/Cargo.toml detection now maps correctly to the rust-actix stack preset
  • npx entry point fixed — main() was not being called when loaded via the effectum.js router

v0.11.0

Added
  • Agent Teams Orchestration — 5 YAML team profiles (web-feature, fullstack, frontend-only, review, overnight-build) with agent specializations, file ownership, phased execution, quality gates, and cost estimates
  • /orchestrate command — full lifecycle management: profile loading, prerequisite validation, cost estimation, team creation, PRD-based task distribution, progress monitoring, nudge, and shutdown
  • suggestTeams() — recommendation engine that suggests optimal team profiles based on code complexity (ACs, module count, parallel streams)
  • Team Hooks — enhanced TeammateIdle and TaskCompleted hooks for task completion validation and test status verification
Changed
  • bin/lib/recommendation.js — integrated suggestTeams() output into the main recommendation engine
  • AUTONOMOUS-WORKFLOW.md — added Section 9.5 with /orchestrate reference, YAML profile table, and cost awareness guidance
  • docs/teams.md — complete rewrite with YAML schema, all 5 profile definitions, /orchestrate workflow, and automatic recommendation logic

v0.10.0

Fixed
  • readConfig() now throws a descriptive error on invalid JSON instead of silently returning null
  • loadStackPreset() falls back to the generic preset with a warning instead of crashing
  • checkPackageAvailable() uses async spawn + Promise.all for parallel MCP checks — reduces max wait from ~32s to ≤10s
  • deepMerge() uses concat+deduplicate for permissions arrays — preserves user-defined deny rules through reconfigure
  • parseStackPreset() handles CRLF line endings — fixes silent parse failures on Windows
  • installBaseFiles() ensures .claude/ exists before file writes — prevents crash on first install
  • installPlaywrightBrowsers() error path references correct stderr variable
  • findRepoRoot() uses __dirname-based traversal — works correctly when loaded as a library
Tests
  • 184 tests, all passing (up from 156)
  • Added test/install.test.js — 28 new integration and unit tests
  • Extended stack-parser, utils, and config test coverage

v0.9.0

Added
  • Modular Stack Selection + Smart Auto-Detection — detection rules for JavaScript (27), Python (13), Go (7), Swift (5), Dart (5)
  • 8 quick-start presets: nextjs-supabase, nextjs-firebase, nextjs-prisma, django-postgres, fastapi-postgres, go-echo-postgres, swift-swiftui, flutter-firebase
  • 14 CLAUDE.md template blocks organized by category
  • Confidence-based detection: certain / partial / none — drives installer skip logic with --yes smart defaults
  • Interactive HTML Network Map Viewer — dark/light theme, direction toggle, SVG export
Fixed
  • Next.js-only projects no longer incorrectly detected as nextjs-supabase
  • Mermaid syntax safety rules added for labels with slashes/special chars

v0.8.0

Added
  • /onboard command — reverse-engineers existing codebases into effectum PRDs via 6 parallel analysis agents (Stack, Architecture, API, Database, Frontend, Tests)
  • /onboard:review command — consistency review with 6 checks, supports --fix and --strict flags
  • Updated PRD template — added implemented status and onboarded field to frontmatter schema

v0.7.0

Added
  • Stack Preset: Go + Echo — Go 1.22+, Echo v4, GORM, PostgreSQL, Air hot-reload, golangci-lint, golang-migrate
  • Stack Preset: Django + PostgreSQL — Python 3.12+, Django 5+, DRF, pytest-django, ruff, mypy, uv

v0.6.2

Added
  • 124 unit tests for recommendation engine, detect module, template engine, and stack parser
  • GitHub Actions CI/CD pipeline (ci.yml + publish.yml)

v0.6.0

Added
  • Rust + Actix stack preset
  • /prd:network-map command for visual dependency mapping
  • /prd:update command for safe in-place PRD updates
  • /code-review command for systematic code review with severity levels
  • Playwright browser automation support via Foundation MCP
All releases on npm: npx @aslomon/effectum@0.17.0 — or just npx @aslomon/effectum for latest.