bender

Portable AI coding workflows for Codex and Claude Code, built and used by The Bitfoot Company.

Bender packages practical, opinionated skills for planning, implementation, debugging, review, and delivery. The same skills/ directory is distributed through the portable Agent Plugins manifest and Claude Code marketplace metadata, so both hosts execute the same workflows.

Skills

Skill	Codex	Claude Code	Purpose
`brainstorming`	`$brainstorming`	`/bender:brainstorming`	Explore and approve a design before implementation
`chunk`	`$chunk`	`/bender:chunk`	Isolate and implement one coherent kernel of code
`code-audit`	`$code-audit`	`/bender:code-audit`	Audit a repository or subsystem for evidenced risks
`code-review`	`$code-review`	`/bender:code-review`	Review a diff, branch, commit, path, or pending changes
`commit`	`$commit`	`/bender:commit`	Draft one Conventional Commit subject
`copywriting`	`$copywriting`	`/bender:copywriting`	Create concise copy within brand constraints
`inchstone`	`$inchstone`	`/bender:inchstone`	Execute one roadmap parent as surgical behavior slices
`milestone`	`$milestone`	`/bender:milestone`	Implement the next roadmap parent directly
`pipeline`	`$pipeline`	`/bender:pipeline`	Run a complete roadmap through implementation and review
`pr`	`$pr`	`/bender:pr`	Draft a high-level pull request description
`roadmap`	`$roadmap`	`/bender:roadmap`	Break an initiative into executable milestones
`summary`	`$summary`	`/bender:summary`	Explain what the current change ships
`systematic-debugging`	`$systematic-debugging`	`/bender:systematic-debugging`	Find root causes before applying fixes
`test-driven-development`	`$test-driven-development`	`/bender:test-driven-development`	Implement changes with red-green-refactor
`verification-before-completion`	`$verification-before-completion`	`/bender:verification-before-completion`	Require fresh evidence before completion claims

Skills can also activate implicitly when a request matches their description. Explicit invocation is useful when you want a particular workflow or mode.

Install for Codex

Add the GitHub repository as a marketplace, then install Bender:

codex plugin marketplace add bitfootco/bender
codex plugin add bender@bender

Use /skills in Codex to inspect the installed skills, or mention one with $skill-name.

Install for Claude Code

From a Claude Code session:

/plugin marketplace add bitfootco/bender
/plugin install bender@bender

Skills are namespaced under bender: to avoid conflicts with other Claude Code plugins.

Claude Code team setup

To prompt teammates to install Bender when they trust a project folder, add this to .claude/settings.json:

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "bender": {
      "source": {
        "source": "github",
        "repo": "bitfootco/bender"
      }
    }
  },
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "bender@bender": true
  }
}

Local development

Codex can load the current checkout as a local marketplace:

codex plugin marketplace add .
codex plugin add bender@bender

Claude Code can load the checkout directly:

claude --plugin-dir .

Validate the cross-host package contract before publishing:

python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v

Restart the host after changing installed plugin files if it does not detect the update automatically.

Package layout

plugin.json                    Portable Agent Plugins manifest
.claude-plugin/                Claude Code marketplace metadata
skills/<name>/SKILL.md         Shared workflow instructions
skills/<name>/agents/          Codex presentation metadata
skills/<name>/references/      Supporting material loaded when required
tests/                         Cross-host packaging contract

The root skills/ directory is the single source of truth. Host-specific copies are intentionally not maintained.

Philosophy

Root cause over symptom — never fix what you do not understand
Evidence over assertion — never claim something works without showing it
Design before code — never build before you know what you are building
Test first — the test suite is the specification
Fresh eyes on review — review the evidence, not the implementation-session narrative