Git records what changed. gh-weld captures why and how.
Every commit is a data point. A linked issue with acceptance criteria is information. A session export is knowledge: the reasoning, trade-offs, and decisions behind the code. gh-weld closes that chain automatically, at every merge.
The skills enforce a workflow, not a tech stack. They work with whatever you're building.
Git gives you data: diffs and commit hashes. GitHub gives you information: issues, PRs, linked references. gh-weld closes the gap to knowledge: every merge carries a session export with the full reasoning trail, attached as a Gist at the exact commit it belongs to. git blame a line, follow the PR, read why the decision was made and what was ruled out.
The payoff compounds. Run this loop and each issue becomes a structured artifact: acceptance criteria up front, a correctly-named branch, a merged PR, and a session transcript with the context commit messages never hold. Over time, you have a decision history: not just what the code does, but why.
/gh-weld-issue: Work without a tracking anchor leaks context. Creates a structured issue via a guided interview: duplicate check, acceptance criteria, and label discovery.
/gh-weld-next: The gap between intent and execution is where context gets lost. Picks an open issue, creates a correctly-named branch, and hands off to implementation.
/gh-weld-ship: A merge captures more context than any other moment in the delivery cycle, and it's the most likely to go undocumented under pressure. Wraps finished work in a PR, squash-merges it, closes the linked issue, and exports the session as a Gist attached to the merge.
/gh-weld-export: The reasoning behind a decision lives in the session. Once the context window is cleared, it's gone. Exports the Claude Code session as a Gist and posts a structured summary comment to any PR or issue.
/gh-weld-adopt: Ad-hoc work without an issue disappears from the history. Retroactively creates a structured issue, renames the branch to match, commits loose changes, and exports the session.
/gh-weld-setup: Starting a project right takes several steps that are easy to skip or misconfigure. Scaffolds README.md and CLAUDE.md via a guided abstract interview, wires gh-weld conventions into the project, and creates a GitHub repo if one doesn't exist. Replaces the separate gh-weld-install and gh-weld-init skills.
The skills form a single loop — install all of them. A partial install leaves the workflow broken at the step you skipped.
Via Claude Code plugin marketplace (no clone required):
/plugin marketplace add WrathZA/github-weld
/plugin install gh-weld-issue
/plugin install gh-weld-next
/plugin install gh-weld-ship
/plugin install gh-weld-export
/plugin install gh-weld-adopt
/plugin install gh-weld-activity
/plugin install gh-weld-setup
Via symlink script (for local development or if you prefer cloning):
git clone https://github.com/WrathZA/github-weld
cd github-weld
bash symlink-global-skills.shThis symlinks each skill directory into ~/.claude/skills/, making them available in any project. To update, pull and re-run the script — existing symlinks are left in place.
- Claude Code (or equivalent AI coding agent, untested with others)
- gh CLI authenticated (
gh auth login) gitpython3(used by/gh-weld-exportto parse session files and generate the transcript Gist)
Sessions stray. You pick an issue, notice a gap, file another, run a recap that misses. Now the context window holds more than the task. The conversation itself is worth keeping.
The pattern: export before you clear.
/gh-weld-export → target the issue you were working on
/clear
/gh-weld-next → pick the same issue → read the export comment for context
/gh-weld-export works with issues, not just PRs. The session becomes a comment on the issue: discoverable, linkable, mineable later. The Gist holds the full transcript with line anchors to every key decision.
The principle: context not captured now is gone. A session export costs 30 seconds. The reasoning trail it preserves is the difference between a codebase you can learn from and one you can only read.
Claude Code's permission and safety systems have non-obvious interactions with shell execution: pipes, heredocs, and inline gh arguments all cause problems in practice. .weld/conventions.md documents the hard-won patterns these skills follow, so you don't have to rediscover them when extending or contributing.