An intelligent session monitor that detects when you drift from your coding tasks and helps you maintain focus.
Install & Download
1. ClawHub CLI
The fastest way to install a skill directly from the registry.
npx clawhub@latest install scope-sentinel
2. Manual Installation
Copy the skill folder to one of these locations
~/.openclaw/skills/ <project>/skills/ Priority: Workspace > Local > Bundled
3. Prompt Installation
Copy this prompt to OpenClaw to install it automatically.
Help me install scope-sentinel using Clawhub. If Clawhub is not installed, install it first (npm i -g clawhub).
Prefer to download?
Get the raw skill files in a ZIP archive.
What is Scope Sentinel?
Scope Sentinel acts as a coding GPS, alerting you when you have taken a wrong turn into unrelated refactors or dependency upgrades. By defining a Scope Anchor at the start of a task, this addition to your Openclaw Skills library monitors file modifications and classifies them based on their relevance to your goal. It ensures that your development time is spent effectively and that your pull requests remain clean, focused, and easy for teammates to review.
This skill is designed for developers who value discipline and want to avoid the common pitfall of the "while I am in there" refactor. It provides a visual and quantifiable measure of focus, helping you decide whether to stash off-scope changes for later or commit to an expanded scope intentionally.
Scope Sentinel Use Cases
- Use during critical bug fixes to prevent tangential refactoring that complicates the fix.
- Implement during feature development to keep pull requests small, targeted, and reviewable.
- Apply when working against tight deadlines to maximize time spent on primary deliverables.
- Deploy when exploring new codebases to track discovery versus actual task completion.
How Scope Sentinel Works
- Anchor the session by declaring a task statement and identifying target files, modules, or expected behaviors.
- Monitor file modifications in real-time, tracking lines changed and time spent outside the defined scope boundaries.
- Intervene with alerts when drift thresholds are met, offering choices to stash changes, commit separately, or expand the task.
- Review a session summary that quantifies your focus score and lists follow-up tasks generated from off-scope work.
Scope Sentinel Setup
To begin using Scope Sentinel within your Openclaw Skills environment, you need to initialize a scope anchor. This is a zero-dependency skill that requires no external API calls.
# Start a monitored session with a specific task
openclaw run scope-sentinel --task "Fix checkout validation logic"
# Configure drift tolerance (tight, normal, or exploratory)
openclaw run scope-sentinel --mode tight
Scope Sentinel Data Schema & Taxonomy
Scope Sentinel organizes information through a structured drift model and session metadata.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
| Scope Definition | Stores task statement, branch name, target files, and expected behavior. |
| Drift Gradient | Classifies changes as On-scope, Adjacent, Tangential, Drift, or Rabbit hole. |
| Accumulation Metrics | Tracks file counts, line deltas, and duration per classification. |
| Resolution Log | Records the history of drift events and user decisions such as Stash or Expand. |
Scope Sentinel Advanced Features
- Multi-mode Drift Tolerance: Choose between Tight, Normal, or Exploratory sensitivity based on the nature of your task.
- Real-time Alerting: Receive immediate feedback when modifying files outside the target area or when time spent drifting exceeds thresholds.
- Follow-up Task Generation: Automatically creates a list of suggested tasks based on stashed changes or discoveries made during drift.
- Focus Scoring: Provides a data-driven metric (0-100) to evaluate session discipline and time allocation.
SKILL.md
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