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Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill)
by
Andy Arijs
· GitHub ↗
· v1.0.2
· MIT-0
217
Downloads
2
Stars
0
Active Installs
3
Versions
Install in OpenClaw
/install surgical-contributor
Description
Deliver small, high-signal contributions by finding and fixing one real pain point with the narrowest safe change, adding regression protection, and writing...
Usage Guidance
This skill is coherent and low-risk: it only contains guidance for finding and making tiny, tested fixes in a repository. Before using it, remember: (1) the agent will need read/write access to the repository it’s applied to — review any proposed patch or test the patch in a sandbox before merging; (2) the skill runs autonomously by default (normal behavior); if you want manual control, require human approval before applying changes or disable autonomous invocation; (3) verify generated tests and changes for correctness and for any accidental expansion beyond the stated minimal scope. If you require greater assurance, run the agent in an isolated environment and review diffs before merging.
Capability Analysis
Type: OpenClaw Skill
Name: surgical-contributor
Version: 1.0.2
The skill bundle contains purely instructional markdown and configuration files designed to guide an AI agent in making small, safe, and well-tested software contributions. There is no executable code, no network activity, and no instructions that would lead to data exfiltration or unauthorized system access; the content in SKILL.md and references/risk-map.md focuses entirely on best practices for bug fixing and repository maintenance.
Capability Assessment
Purpose & Capability
Name and description (produce minimal, low-risk PRs) match the SKILL.md content. The skill does not request credentials, binaries, or config paths that would be unnecessary for making small repo changes.
Instruction Scope
Runtime instructions focus on reproducing bugs, writing minimal patches, adding a single regression test/harness, and producing a PR summary. The doc expects access to repository files (including references/risk-map.md) and to create/edit tests and patches — which is appropriate for this purpose and is explicitly scoped to narrow changes.
Install Mechanism
No install spec or external downloads; this is instruction-only so nothing is written to disk by an installer. Risk from installation is minimal.
Credentials
No environment variables, credentials, or config paths are requested. The guidance to read and modify repository files is proportional to the stated goal and no unrelated secrets are required.
Persistence & Privilege
always:false and default model invocation are used. The skill does not request permanent system presence or modifications to other skills or global agent settings.
How to Use
- Make sure OpenClaw is installed (local or Docker)
- Run the install command in chat:
/install surgical-contributor - After installation, invoke the skill by name or use
/surgical-contributor - Provide required inputs per the skill's parameter spec and get structured output
Version History
v1.0.2
- Refined and simplified contribution doctrine, emphasizing minimal, goal-driven, and transparent surgical changes.
- Clarified core principles: think before coding, prioritize simplicity, and explicitly state assumptions when uncertain.
- Tightened definitions of operating modes and the "surgical" approach, discouraging unrelated code or abstraction changes.
- Streamlined workflow steps and self-review checklist for increased clarity and lower review burden.
- Expanded stack-specific guidance for prioritizing high-impact, low-surface-area fixes, especially in UI/stateful codebases.
v1.0.1
- Clarified "Review-my-own-PR" as a standalone review mode, not to be mixed with other execution modes.
- Added guidance for non-code repositories: treat as a specification system and patch exactly one deterministic weakness with minimal docs changes.
- Specified that the non-code repository fallback is not a separate operating mode.
- No code changes or workflow alterations beyond documentation clarifications and process guidance.
v1.0.0
- Initial release of the “surgical-contributor” skill focused on small, high-signal code contributions.
- Emphasizes minimal, regression-first fixes with strong maintainer-friendly standards and workflows.
- Provides detailed doctrine and operating modes prioritizing correctness, low review burden, and merge safety.
- Outlines a structured workflow from pain point identification through patch and self-review to PR summary.
- Includes a standardized, easy-to-scan PR summary template for every contribution.
Metadata
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill)?
Deliver small, high-signal contributions by finding and fixing one real pain point with the narrowest safe change, adding regression protection, and writing... It is an AI Agent Skill for Claude Code / OpenClaw, with 217 downloads so far.
How do I install Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill)?
Run "/install surgical-contributor" in the OpenClaw or Claude Code chat to install it in one step — no extra setup required.
Is Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill) free?
Yes, Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill) is completely free, licensed under MIT-0. You can download, install and use it at no cost.
Which platforms does Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill) support?
Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill) is cross-platform and runs anywhere OpenClaw / Claude Code is available (cross-platform).
Who created Surgical Contributor (Minimal Diff PR Skill)?
It is built and maintained by Andy Arijs (@dj-shortcut); the current version is v1.0.2.
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