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Scratchpad

  • 1 installs
  • 19 repo stars
  • Updated March 1, 2026
  • haowjy/orchestrate

Sets conventions for disposable smoke tests and scratch artifacts written to a gitignored .scratch directory during task execution.

About

Defines how to write throwaway verification scripts, smoke tests, and markdown notes in .scratch without committing them or storing secrets. A developer uses it to quickly probe endpoints, verify logic, or check integrations while working.

  • Smoke-test types: logic verification, endpoint probes, integration and regression checks
  • Never commit scratch; promote to real unit tests when they catch a bug

Scratchpad by the numbers

  • 1 all-time installs (skills.sh)
  • Ranked #1,750 of 2,153 Testing & QA skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
  • Data as of Aug 2, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
npx skills add https://github.com/haowjy/orchestrate --skill scratchpad

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Listed on Skillselion
Installs1
repo stars19
Last updatedMarch 1, 2026
Repositoryhaowjy/orchestrate

What it does

Sets conventions for disposable smoke tests and scratch artifacts written to a gitignored .scratch directory during task execution.

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

Scratchpad

Disposable code and artifacts live in .scratch/, either in the working directory or under a designated output directory. Never committed.

Smoke Tests

Any disposable code used to quickly verify something works. Write them liberally after implementing changes.

TypeWhen to useExample
Logic verificationVerify guard patterns, state machines, edge casesvitest test asserting a staleness guard rejects stale responses
API/endpoint probesVerify endpoints respond correctlycurl scripts hitting local dev server
Integration checksVerify two systems work togetherScript that creates a resource then reads it back
Regression probesVerify a specific bug is fixedMinimal repro of the bug, now passing
  • Promote to committed unit tests when a smoke test catches a real issue

Rules

  • Write scratch code to .scratch/ — never commit it
  • Do not store secrets or raw tokens (.env values, JWTs, API keys, cookies)
  • Check project instruction files (CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md) for auth token scripts and API base URL
  • Name files descriptively: {feature}-{what}.test.ts or {endpoint}.sh
  • Use the project's existing test runner (vitest, jest, etc.) for logic smoke tests

Notes

Write markdown notes as you work — findings, decisions, progress. Notes persist on disk across context clears.

Use the co-located script:

# Write a quick note (auto-named with timestamp)
scripts/scratch.sh write --tag research -p "Found that X uses Y pattern"

# Write from stdin
echo "curl returned 200" | scripts/scratch.sh write --tag probe

# Explicit file path within session
scripts/scratch.sh write my-test.sh -p "#!/bin/bash\necho test"

# List notes from current session
scripts/scratch.sh list

# Read latest note
scripts/scratch.sh read @latest

# List all sessions
scripts/scratch.sh list --all

When run via run-agent, session defaults to the run ID. Standalone, pass --session or let it auto-bucket by date.

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