/retro

Capture implementation feedback for future grooming sessions.

Philosophy

When implementation reveals that an issue was underscoped, that signal should persist. /retro captures these signals so /groom can adjust future scoping.

Storage

{repo}/.groom/retro.md

Created automatically if missing. Appended to, never overwritten.

Format

Implementation Retrospective

Entry: #{issue} — {title} ({date})

Effort: predicted {predicted} → actual {actual} Scope changes: {what changed from original issue} Blockers: {what blocked progress} Pattern: {reusable insight for future scoping}

Subcommands

/retro append

Interactive capture. Ask:

• Which issue did you just finish? (issue number)

• What was the predicted effort? (from effort label)

• What was the actual effort?

• Did scope change during implementation? How?

• What blocked you?

• What should future grooming sessions know?

Then append to {repo}/.groom/retro.md .

Automated Append (from /done and /pr)

When invoked programmatically by /done or /pr , accept structured data:

/retro append --issue 42 --predicted m --actual l --scope "Added retry logic not in original spec" --blocker "Webhook signature verification undocumented" --pattern "Webhook issues always need retry logic"

Append without interactive prompts.

How /groom Uses Retro

During Phase 1, /groom reads retro.md and extracts patterns:

• Effort calibration: "Payment issues consistently take 1.5x estimates"

• Scope patterns: "Webhook issues always need retry logic added during implementation"

• Blocker patterns: "External API docs are frequently wrong — always verify with web research"

• Domain insights: "Bitcoin wallet issues require manual testing on regtest"

These patterns inform:

• Effort estimates (adjust based on historical accuracy)

• Issue scoping (include commonly-missed concerns upfront)

• Boundary statements (prevent known scope creep patterns)

• Research priorities (investigate known problem areas proactively)

Related

• /done — Appends retro signals after session retrospective

• /pr — Appends retro signals when opening PR

• /groom — Reads retro.md during Phase 1 (Context)