utility-pm-release-conductor
Utility-pm-release-conductor is a cross-client dispatch wrapper that enforces a six-gate release process (G0 through G4) for pm-skills artifacts. On Claude Code, it invokes the native pm-release-conductor sub-agent with integrated auditor and curator checks; on non-Claude clients, it reads the runbook from markdown and inlines auditor and curator behaviors at gates G0 and G2 respectively, refusing gate bypasses and tagging only the G2.5-captured SHA per the master plan.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills /tmp/utility-pm-release-conductor && cp -r /tmp/utility-pm-release-conductor/skills/utility-pm-release-conductor ~/.claude/skills/utility-pm-release-conductorSKILL.md
<!-- PM-Skills | https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills | Apache 2.0 -->
# PM Release Conductor (Dispatch Skill)
Cross-client dispatch wrapper for the `pm-release-conductor` sub-agent. Detects runtime; dispatches to the native sub-agent on Claude Code; reads `agents/pm-release-conductor.md` and inlines chain composition on non-Claude clients via "reference + execute inline" pattern.
> **Status summary (v2.16.0):** PRODUCTION on Claude Code (native sub-agent path). DRY-RUN VALIDATED on Codex CLI 2026-05-17 per [`gate-test-results_2026-05-17_codex.md`](../../docs/internal/release-plans/v2.16.0/gate-test-results_2026-05-17_codex.md); LIVE release on Codex CLI is NOT independently exercised, so use with caution and run `--dry-run` first as a rehearsal. EXPERIMENTAL on Cursor / Windsurf / Copilot CLI / Gemini CLI (UNTESTED at v2.16.0 ship).
>
> See [Sub-Agent Compatibility Matrix](../../docs/reference/sub-agent-compatibility.md) for the canonical safe-usage matrix + what-was-validated detail + v2.17 expansion plan. For live release on a non-Claude client, ideally re-run the harness at [`maintainer-gate-testing-codex.md`](../../docs/internal/release-plans/v2.16.0/maintainer-gate-testing-codex.md) on that specific client first.
## When to Use
- You are running a pm-skills release on a non-Claude client (Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, Gemini CLI)
- You want the same 6-gate discipline that pm-release-conductor enforces on Claude Code, with auditor + curator behaviors inlined at the relevant gates
- You explicitly want skill-invocation semantics over sub-agent semantics on Claude Code (rare; the native sub-agent is preferred on Claude Code)
## When NOT to Use
- You only need to review a PM artifact -> use `utility-pm-critic`
- You only need a governance audit (not a release) -> use `utility-pm-skill-auditor`
- You only need a CHANGELOG draft (not a release) -> use `utility-pm-changelog-curator`
- You want to perform release operations WITHOUT explicit gate confirmation -> the conductor refuses bypass; manual release outside the conductor is the right path
## Instructions
**Runtime detection step.** Determine which AI client is invoking this skill.
### If you are running in Claude Code with the pm-skills plugin installed
Invoke `@agent-pm-skills:pm-release-conductor` with the user's target version + optional flags from `$ARGUMENTS`. The native sub-agent walks the 6 gates and natively chains to `pm-skill-auditor` (G0, G2.5) and `pm-changelog-curator` (G2) via the Agent tool. Return the conductor's gate-by-gate output to the user.
### If you are running in any other AI client
Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot, Gemini CLI, or any other client without native pm-skills plugin sub-agent support:
1. Read the canonical sub-agent definition at `agents/pm-release-conductor.md`
2. Read the canonical runbook at `docs/contributing/release-runbook.md` (the conductor's referential source for gate definitions)
3. Execute the system prompt body as your operating instructions
4. Walk the 6 gates inline. At gates that require chain composition:
- **G0 (Pre-tag readiness):** instead of chaining to pm-skill-auditor, read `agents/pm-skill-auditor.md` and execute the auditor's 4-step audit flow inline. Capture the layered output (full findings + Status Summary + Status YAML). Treat the Status YAML as your G0 sub-check 5 input.
- **G2 (Version bump + CHANGELOG prep):** instead of chaining to pm-changelog-curator, read `agents/pm-changelog-curator.md` and execute the curator's 8-step drafting flow inline. Capture the layered output. Treat the Status YAML as your G2 sub-check 3 input.
- **G2.5 (Re-verify):** re-execute the inlined auditor at sub-check 5 against the new HEAD.
5. Pause at each gate boundary for explicit maintainer confirmation
6. Refuse bypass attempts; respect refusal protocols
7. Tag only the G2.5-captured SHA at G3 per D22
8. Return gate-by-gate output throughout the flow
The "reference + execute inline" pattern is what enables cross-client compatibility for chain composition. Phase 2 GATE C sub-spike validates that this pattern is reliable.
## Critical Caveats for Non-Claude Inline Execution
Because non-Claude clients cannot natively chain, the auditor and curator behaviors run in the SAME context window as the conductor on non-Claude clients. This has implications:
1. **Context budget.** The combined token budget (conductor + inlined auditor + inlined curator + their child reads) may approach context limits on long releases. Plan accordingly.
2. **Tool authorization.** The conductor's tool list includes Bash, Read, Edit, Grep, Glob, Agent. The auditor needs Bash + Read + Grep + Glob. The curator needs Bash + Read + Grep. Inline execution on non-Claude clients should have access to ALL of these (i.e., not be running in a Read-only mode).
3. **Refusal cascade.** If the inlined auditor refuses (e.g., validators not invocable), the conductor's G0 sub-check 5 fails and the gate pauses. Same for the curator at G2.
## Reference Files
- Canonical sub-agent definition: [`agents/pm-release-conductor.md`](../../agents/pm-release-conductor.md)
- Canonical runbook: [`docs/contributing/release-runbook.md`](../../docs/contributing/release-runbook.md)
- Behavioral spec: [`docs/internal/release-plans/v2.16.0/spec_pm-release-conductor.md`](../../docs/internal/release-plans/v2.16.0/spec_pm-release-conductor.md)
- Chain child (inlined at G0 + G2.5): [`agents/pm-skill-auditor.md`](../../agents/pm-skill-auditor.md)
- Chain child (inlined at G2): [`agents/pm-changelog-curator.md`](../../agents/pm-changelog-curator.md)
- Pre-tag validator bundle: `scripts/pre-tag-validate.{sh,ps1}`
- Runtime components catalog: [`docs/reference/runtime-components.md`](../../docs/reference/runtime-components.md)
- Output template: `references/TEMPLATE.md`
- Worked example: `references/EXAMPLE.md`Run an ad-hoc ordered chain of pm-skills with shared context (ephemeral; routes to the pm-workflow-orchestrator)
Defines a testable hypothesis with clear success metrics and a validation approach. Use when forming assumptions to test or aligning a team on what success looks like, before any experiment is designed. To design the A/B test or experiment that will validate the hypothesis, use measure-experiment-design.
Creates a Jobs to be Done canvas capturing the functional, emotional, and social dimensions of a customer job. Use when deeply understanding customer motivations, designing for jobs, or reframing product positioning.
Creates an opportunity solution tree connecting a desired outcome to customer opportunities and candidate solutions, preventing solution-first jumps in continuous discovery. Use when structuring scattered feature ideas or communicating how the roadmap traces to outcomes. For ranking an existing flat list of candidates, use define-prioritization-framework instead; this skill discovers the list, it does not score one.
Run applicable prioritization frameworks (RICE, ICE, MoSCoW, Weighted Scoring, Kano) against a list of features or initiatives. Produces a comparison table showing where rankings agree and diverge across frameworks, and an executive summary with recommendation. Framework applicability is filtered by data availability; Kano requires customer research. Refuses to fabricate scores; produces an estimation scaffold when input data is missing.
Creates a clear problem framing document with user impact, business context, and success criteria. Use when starting a new initiative, realigning a drifted project, or communicating up to leadership.
Generates structured Given/When/Then acceptance criteria for a user story or feature slice, covering the happy path, key failure scenarios, and non-functional expectations in testable form. Use when turning requirements into verifiable scenarios for engineering handoff and QA sign-off. For a dedicated catalog of boundary conditions, error states, and recovery paths across a feature, use deliver-edge-cases; to write the stories themselves, use deliver-user-stories.
Documents edge cases, error states, boundary conditions, race conditions, and recovery paths for a feature - the systematic catalog of what can go wrong and the failure modes to design for. Use during specification to map the failure surface and ensure comprehensive coverage, or during QA planning to identify boundary and limit scenarios to test. Distinct from deliver-acceptance-criteria, which writes story-level Given/When/Then checks; this skill produces the whole-feature edge-case catalog.