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Template Capture Workflow

Template capture turns a useful current Codex or Claude Code conversation into a reusable Gitmoot agent template.

Capture happens in the current chat. The runtime reads the Gitmoot skill and template-capture instructions, then distills visible conversation context, inspected files, commands, corrections, and durable workflow rules into a draft. Gitmoot cannot read hidden model memory or private runtime state.

Capture From The Current Chat​

Use Gitmoot to capture this session as agent template release-planner. Draft only.

The chat should draft the template and wait. It should not start a daemon, queue a gitmoot agent ask job, install the template, or replace an existing template unless you explicitly ask.

Scaffold, Validate, Install​

Start with a blank template structure:

gitmoot agent template draft release-planner

After the draft is filled and reviewed:

gitmoot agent template validate .gitmoot/templates/release-planner.md
gitmoot agent template add release-planner --file .gitmoot/templates/release-planner.md
gitmoot agent prompt release-planner

What Each Step Does​

  • agent template draft creates the markdown structure.
  • "capture here" fills that structure from visible current-chat context.
  • agent template validate checks title, required sections, regular file status, and unresolved placeholders.
  • agent template add installs a snapshot into local Gitmoot state.
  • agent prompt reuses the installed prompt in the current chat.
  • agent start --template creates a runnable background agent instance.

Installed custom templates are snapshots. If you edit the source file later, run:

gitmoot agent template diff release-planner
gitmoot agent template update release-planner

Back Up And Share Templates Via GitHub​

Installed templates can be backed up to — and installed from — a GitHub repo (#476), so a template survives the machine and can be shared across homes:

# One-time: store a default remote (ref defaults to main, path to templates/).
gitmoot agent template remote set owner/my-templates
gitmoot agent template remote show

# Back up: export to a local dir, or publish (commit) straight to the remote.
gitmoot agent template export release-planner --to ./backup
gitmoot agent template publish release-planner            # or --all (custom only; built-ins skipped)
gitmoot agent template publish --all --repo owner/my-templates --create   # --create makes a PRIVATE repo

# Restore / share: pull from the remote, or install one file from any repo.
gitmoot agent template pull release-planner               # or --all
gitmoot agent template add release-planner --from-repo owner/my-templates

The default remote lives in the [template_remote] config section (repo; ref defaults to main; path defaults to templates); with no remote configured, publish/pull/add require an explicit --repo. All commands accept --dry-run.

Caution: templates are stored and published VERBATIM (prompt body + metadata). Point the remote at a PRIVATE repo unless the prompts are meant to be public.