skill not getting invoked

[RichardHightower]

Regarding your question about the hook loading the mastering-aws-cdk skill — let me check.

⏺ Searched for 3 patterns, read 1 file (ctrl+o to expand)

⏺ Good catch! Yes — lines 108-122 of hooks.yaml:

- name: cdk-typescript-context                                                              
  matchers:                                                                                 
    tools: [Write, Edit, Read]                                                              
    directories: [cdk/]                                                                     
    extensions: [.ts]                                                    
  actions:                           
    inject_inline: |
      ## AWS CDK Skill Available
      You are editing AWS CDK TypeScript infrastructure code.
      Use `/mastering-aws-cdk` for CDK v2 construct patterns, stack design, and deployment

workflows.

The hook triggers when editing/reading .ts files under cdk/ — it injects a reminder to use the
skill. But there are two issues:

1. The planner agent read CDK files (via the Agent tool), but hooks only fire on
   Write/Edit/Read tools in the main conversation — subagent tool calls don't trigger hooks in
   the parent.
2. The hook only reminds (inject_inline) — it doesn't auto-load the skill. It says "Use
   /mastering-aws-cdk" but the agent has to actually invoke it.

For the executor in Phase 2, the hook will fire when it reads/edits database.ts and
database.test.ts, since those are .ts files under cdk/. But that's just a reminder — the
executor would need to explicitly load the skill.

★ Insight ─────────────────────────────────────

• Hooks fire on tool calls in the current conversation, not in subagents
• The inject_inline pattern is advisory — it nudges but doesn't force skill loading
• For the Phase 2 executor, we could pass the skill content directly in the prompt, or
  instruct the executor to load it
  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────

Want me to load mastering-aws-cdk before executing Phase 2 so the executor has that context?

✻ Cogitated for 1m 39s

❯ how do we make it required .. how do we trigger hooks in subagents.

⏺ Good questions. Let me research both — I'll check the hooks skill and Claude Code docs.

⏺ Skill(mastering-hooks)
⎿  Successfully loaded skill

⏺ Read 2 files (ctrl+o to expand)

⏺ Great finds. Here are the answers:

1. How to trigger hooks in subagents: BeforeAgent event

The BeforeAgent event (lines 439-449 of rule-patterns.md) fires when any subagent is launched.
This is how you inject context into subagents:

Inject CDK skill content before any agent that touches CDK files

• name: agent-cdk-policy
  event: BeforeAgent
  match: {}
  action:
  type: inject
  source: file
  path: .claude/context/cdk-conventions.md

★ Insight ─────────────────────────────────────

• PreToolUse/PostToolUse fire for tool calls in the current conversation — they don't
  propagate into subagent conversations
• BeforeAgent fires when a subagent is spawned — it injects into the subagent's initial
  context
• This is the mechanism for governing what subagents know and do
  ─────────────────────────────────────────────────

2. How to make skill loading required (not just advisory)

Your current hooks use inject_inline with text like "Use /mastering-aws-cdk for..." — that's a
suggestion the agent can ignore. Two approaches to make it mandatory:

Option A: Inject the skill content directly (recommended)

Instead of telling the agent to load a skill, inject the actual guidance:

• name: cdk-required-context
  event: PreToolUse
  match:
  tools: [Write, Edit]
  directories: [cdk/]
  extensions: [.ts]
  action:
  type: inject
  source: file
  path: .claude/context/cdk-conventions.md # extracted key patterns from the skill

Option B: Use run action to block without skill

• name: require-cdk-skill
  event: PreToolUse
  match:
  tools: [Write, Edit]
  directories: [cdk/]
  extensions: [.ts]
  action:
  type: run
  command: |
  echo '{"continue": true, "context": "## MANDATORY: CDK Conventions\n- Use
  RemovalPolicy.DESTROY for ephemeral\n- Use IS_EPHEMERAL from @evinova/esdp-constants\n- Match
  existing patterns in redis.ts/kms-key.ts\n- Run npm run build + tests before committing"}'

Option C: For subagents specifically — BeforeAgent + file inject

• name: agent-cdk-conventions
  event: BeforeAgent
  match: {}
  action:
  type: inject
  source: file
  path: .claude/context/agent-conventions.md

Recommendation

The best approach for your use case is a two-layer strategy:

1. BeforeAgent — inject project-wide conventions (including CDK patterns) into every subagent
2. PreToolUse on cdk/ + .ts — inject CDK-specific guidance when editing CDK files in the main
   conversation

Want me to create the context files and update hooks.yaml with these rules?

✻ Sautéed for 36s

❯ no lets continue be sure you load the aws cdk skill giong forward

⏺ Got it. Let me load the CDK skill now, then we'll execute Phase 2.

⏺ Skill(mastering-aws-cdk)
⎿  Successfully loaded skill

⏺ CDK skill loaded. Ready to execute Phase 2.