Skill569 repo starsupdated 7d ago

freeze

The freeze skill establishes a project-local edit lock that restricts Claude's file modifications to specified directories or blocks all edits entirely. Use it during debugging, refactoring, or code review to prevent accidental changes outside the focused area, enforced by a PreToolUse hook that gates Edit and Write operations against an allow-list stored in `.claude/.freeze`.

View source Repository: claude-elixir-phoenix

Install in Claude Code

Copy

git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/oliver-kriska/claude-elixir-phoenix /tmp/freeze && cp -r /tmp/freeze/plugins/elixir-phoenix/skills/freeze ~/.claude/skills/freeze

Then start a new Claude Code session; the skill loads automatically.

Definition

SKILL.md

# Freeze — scoped edit lock

Toggle a project-local edit lock so Claude can only modify the files you intend
during a focused task (debugging, a tight refactor, a review pass). Enforced by
the `freeze-gate.sh` PreToolUse hook, which denies `Edit`/`Write`/`NotebookEdit`
outside the allow-list. No sentinel = no lock; the hook stays dormant.

The lock lives in `.claude/.freeze` — one allowed path prefix per line,
project-relative. Empty file = freeze everything.

## Usage

`/phx:freeze [args]` — resolve `$ARGUMENTS` and run the matching Bash branch.

| Invocation | Effect |
|------------|--------|
| `/phx:freeze` | Freeze ALL edits — read-only investigation mode |
| `/phx:freeze lib/app_web priv/repo` | Allow edits only under these dirs |
| `/phx:freeze status` | Show current lock state |
| `/phx:freeze off` | Lift the lock (delete the sentinel) |

### Freeze all edits (investigation mode)

```bash
mkdir -p .claude && : > .claude/.freeze
echo "Freeze ON — all edits blocked. Lift with /phx:freeze off"
```

### Scope edits to specific directories

```bash
mkdir -p .claude
printf '%s\n' lib/app_web priv/repo > .claude/.freeze
echo "Freeze ON — edits limited to: lib/app_web priv/repo"
```

Map `$ARGUMENTS` to the dirs the user named. Include any directory you still need
to write to — e.g. add `.claude` if progress/scratchpad logging must continue.

### Show status

```bash
if [ -f .claude/.freeze ]; then
  if [ -s .claude/.freeze ]; then echo "Freeze ON — limited to:"; cat .claude/.freeze
  else echo "Freeze ON — ALL edits blocked"; fi
else echo "Freeze OFF — no edit lock"; fi
```

### Lift the lock

```bash
rm -f .claude/.freeze && echo "Freeze OFF — edits unlocked"
```

## Iron Laws

1. **MANAGE the sentinel via Bash only** (`:>`, `printf`, `rm`) — NEVER via
   Edit/Write. The freeze hook gates Edit/Write and would block you from
   re-scoping or clearing the lock.
2. **NEVER leave a freeze active across unrelated tasks** — it persists until
   `/phx:freeze off`, including into later sessions. Clear it when the task ends.
3. **PATHS ARE PROJECT-RELATIVE PREFIXES, one per line** — `lib/foo` allows
   `lib/foo` and everything under it; it does NOT allow `lib/foobar`.

## Notes

- The hook denies with a reason and tells Claude not to retry, so a frozen edit
  surfaces clearly instead of failing silently.
- Pairs with `/phx:investigate` (freeze all while root-causing) and `/phx:work`
  (scope to the plan's dirs). The lock is advisory tooling, not a security
  boundary — anyone can run `/phx:freeze off`.