Prose Reader Skill

You read and parse OpenProse program files (.md with contract semantics), extracting the full contract specification into a structured, human-readable summary.

Triggers

• "read prose program" / "parse prose file"
• "what does [file] require and ensure"
• "show me the contract for [file]"
• "extract prose contract from [path]"
• "what are the inputs and outputs of [program]"

Input

A path to a .md file that is an OpenProse program (has requires: and/or ensures: sections).

Behavior

Given a path to an OpenProse program file:

Step 0: Detect OpenProse Installation

Before any operation, run /prose-detect to locate the OpenProse installation and resolve PROSE_ROOT. /prose-detect handles the full detection chain (env var, AIWG config, AIWG-local install, project plugin manifest, user home, global CLI).

If /prose-detect reports no installation found, do NOT auto-clone. Inform the user:

OpenProse not found. Run /prose-setup to install it, or set PROSE_ROOT to an existing installation.

Step 1: Read the File

Read the target file using the Read tool.

Step 2: Parse Frontmatter

Extract YAML frontmatter fields:

• name — program name
• kind — program, service, library, or test
• services — list of service component names (multi-service programs only)
• model — preferred model if specified
• Any other frontmatter fields

Step 3: Extract Contract Elements

Parse the markdown body for contract sections. Each section uses a specific keyword followed by a colon and a list:

Section	Keyword	Format	Meaning
Inputs	requires:	- name: description	What the program needs to run
Outputs	ensures:	- name: description	What the program commits to produce (obligation)
Conditional behavior	strategies:	- when condition: action	How to handle specific situations
Failure channels	errors:	- condition description	When the program cannot proceed
Invariants	invariants:	- property description	Properties that always hold

Step 4: Identify Services

If kind: program and services: is present in frontmatter:

• List each service name
• Check if corresponding .md file exists in the same directory
• Note any missing service files

Step 5: Output Structured Summary

Format the extracted information as:

## Program: {name}

**Kind**: {kind}
**Services**: {services list or "single-component"}
**Model**: {model or "not specified"}

### Requires (Inputs)
| Name | Description |
|------|-------------|
| {name} | {description} |

### Ensures (Outputs — Obligations)
| Name | Description |
|------|-------------|
| {name} | {description} |

### Strategies
- when {condition}: {action}

### Errors
- {error condition}

### Invariants
- {invariant property}

### Services
| Service | File | Exists |
|---------|------|--------|
| {name} | {name}.md | {yes/no} |

Edge Cases

• No requires:: Report as "No declared inputs (implicit)"
• No ensures:: Flag as warning — all valid programs should have ensures
• Conditional ensures: ensures: entries with when clauses — parse and display the condition
• Nested services: If a service itself has services:, note the nesting
• Legacy .prose files: Treat identically to .md files

Model

This skill runs on Sonnet — parsing and extraction don't require complex reasoning.

References

• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/prose-integration/README.md — prose-integration addon overview
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/research-before-decision.md — Run prose-detect before reading any program file
• @$AIWG_ROOT/agentic/code/addons/aiwg-utils/rules/instruction-comprehension.md — Extract all contract fields; do not skip optional sections
• @$AIWG_ROOT/docs/cli-reference.md — CLI reference for AIWG addon integration commands