# AGENTS.md — Build guide for SkedPal ## Project scope Schedule flexible tasks around fixed calendar commitments using duration, deadline, priority and user-defined working-time windows. Catalogue verdict: kinda. The visible automatic scheduling loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. SkedPal earns its keep through polish, OS integration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope. Use the implementation prompt below to define the deliverable. Complete each phase's acceptance checks before extending the scope. ## Working agreement - Inspect the repository and its existing instructions before choosing paths, dependencies or commands. Keep one coherent stack and explain changes to the proposed architecture. - Plan a vertical slice that accepts a real input and produces the useful output described below. Persist only the state the prompt calls for; respect memory-only and upstream-managed workflows. Use fixtures only when they are clearly labelled. - After scaffolding, document the actual install, development, check and build commands in README and keep them synchronized with the package or project manifest. Do not report commands as successful unless they ran. - Work in small steps. At handoff, list implemented flows, checks actually performed, remaining blockers, and any credentials or provider setup the owner must supply. - Do not publish, spend money, contact customers, delete source data or run irreversible migrations without the project owner's authorization. ## Prerequisites - Runtime and tools: TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL with a single authorized calendar adapter. - Before starting: One calendar account with documented OAuth scopes, HTTPS callbacks, the host timezone and an always-on worker for reminders. ## Stack and architecture - TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL with a single authorized calendar adapter - Data design: Store TaskEstimate, Deadline, TimeMap, FixedEvent and ProposedBlock; suggestions may split only splittable tasks and must expose unscheduled work when capacity is insufficient. - Setup: One calendar account with documented OAuth scopes, HTTPS callbacks, the host timezone and an always-on worker for reminders ## Security and data integrity - Store UTC instants plus the host IANA timezone and local availability rules. Recheck external busy time before reserving; serialize overlapping local reservations, and reconcile external creation failures without silently confirming. - Generate a preview before writing calendar events. Start with a deterministic heuristic and one calendar; optimal scheduling, automatic rescheduling and multi-provider consistency are not guaranteed. - Keep secrets outside client bundles and exported projects; document what leaves the device and make retention/deletion controls visible. ## Agent implementation rules - Project rule — domain: Store TaskEstimate, Deadline, TimeMap, FixedEvent and ProposedBlock; suggestions may split only splittable tasks and must expose unscheduled work when capacity is insufficient. - Project rule — scope and recovery: Generate a preview before writing calendar events. Start with a deterministic heuristic and one calendar; optimal scheduling, automatic rescheduling and multi-provider consistency are not guaranteed. - Project rule — acceptance: Give a two-hour unsplittable task only two one-hour gaps before its deadline; leave it unscheduled with a reason rather than violating the constraint. - Project rule — delivery: document real setup commands and permissions; do not claim a build, accuracy level, performance result or security certification that has not been demonstrated. ## Optional agent skills and references - Recommended skill: [supabase-postgres-best-practices](https://github.com/supabase/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/supabase-postgres-best-practices/SKILL.md) — review this PostgreSQL domain schema, uniqueness constraints, transaction boundaries and access-scoped queries; Supabase hosting is not required. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime. - Recommended skill: [web-design-guidelines](https://github.com/vercel-labs/agent-skills/blob/main/skills/web-design-guidelines/SKILL.md) — review keyboard access, focus, validation, error recovery and the readable work/review interface or HTML report. Follow the maintainer's installation instructions and match its requirements to the chosen runtime. Read the linked SKILL.md and its dependencies before adding a skill. Select only the skills matching this project's runtime and task; their documentation does not supply API access, credentials or approval to perform external actions. Pin the reviewed revision where the tool supports it. Follow the chosen agent's documented project-level installation mechanism. ## Distribution ideas These are optional planning notes. Obtain the owner's approval before publishing or contacting anyone. - Demonstrate this working slice using synthetic or explicitly authorized non-sensitive examples: Schedule flexible tasks around fixed calendar commitments using duration, deadline, priority and user-defined working-time windows. - Share a synthetic example export and the acceptance walkthrough; keep real customer, health, financial and source data private: Give a two-hour unsplittable task only two one-hour gaps before its deadline; leave it unscheduled with a reason rather than violating the constraint. - State the limits before asking someone to replace their existing tool: Generate a preview before writing calendar events. Start with a deterministic heuristic and one calendar; optimal scheduling, automatic rescheduling and multi-provider consistency are not guaranteed. ## Engineering roadmap 1. Phase 1 — Pin the working slice and create its example input: Schedule flexible tasks around fixed calendar commitments using duration, deadline, priority and user-defined working-time windows. Confirm setup: One calendar account with documented OAuth scopes, HTTPS callbacks, the host timezone and an always-on worker for reminders. 2. Phase 2 — Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store TaskEstimate, Deadline, TimeMap, FixedEvent and ProposedBlock; suggestions may split only splittable tasks and must expose unscheduled work when capacity is insufficient. 3. Phase 3 — Connect the working view to real saved state. Store UTC instants plus the host IANA timezone and local availability rules. Recheck external busy time before reserving; serialize overlapping local reservations, and reconcile external creation failures without silently confirming. 4. Phase 4 — Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Generate a preview before writing calendar events. Start with a deterministic heuristic and one calendar; optimal scheduling, automatic rescheduling and multi-provider consistency are not guaranteed. 5. Phase 5 — Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Give a two-hour unsplittable task only two one-hour gaps before its deadline; leave it unscheduled with a reason rather than violating the constraint. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly. ## Paid-product capabilities outside this build - calendar-provider edge cases and timezone correctness - cross-device sync - deep operating-system edge-case coverage - polished shortcuts and accessibility - vendor-maintained updates ## Implementation prompt Build the following focused alternative to SkedPal. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service. WORKING SLICE Schedule flexible tasks around fixed calendar commitments using duration, deadline, priority and user-defined working-time windows. SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE Use TypeScript, React, Node and PostgreSQL with a single authorized calendar adapter. Prerequisites: One calendar account with documented OAuth scopes, HTTPS callbacks, the host timezone and an always-on worker for reminders. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success. DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS Store TaskEstimate, Deadline, TimeMap, FixedEvent and ProposedBlock; suggestions may split only splittable tasks and must expose unscheduled work when capacity is insufficient. IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT Store UTC instants plus the host IANA timezone and local availability rules. Recheck external busy time before reserving; serialize overlapping local reservations, and reconcile external creation failures without silently confirming. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content. APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY Generate a preview before writing calendar events. Start with a deterministic heuristic and one calendar; optimal scheduling, automatic rescheduling and multi-provider consistency are not guaranteed. ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO Give a two-hour unsplittable task only two one-hour gaps before its deadline; leave it unscheduled with a reason rather than violating the constraint. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested. DELIVERY Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product. PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication. ## Completion evidence Demonstrate the prompt's acceptance scenarios against the scoped workflow. Include setup from a clean checkout and failure recovery. Check persistence across restart and export/restore only for the state the prompt says to store; for memory-only tools, confirm that temporary content is discarded as specified. Record actual results and remaining limitations. A detailed plan alone does not establish a working replacement.