Analyzes your .specstory/history to detect when coding sessions drifted off track from their original goal. Produces a "yak shave score" for each session.
How It Works
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Parses specstory history files from a date range (or all recent sessions)
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Extracts the initial user intent from the first message
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Tracks domain shifts: file references, tool call patterns, goal changes
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Scores each session from 0 (laser focused) to 100 (maximum yak shave)
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Summarizes your worst offenders and patterns
What Is Yak Shaving?
"I need to deploy my app, but first I need to fix CI, but first I need to update Node, but first I need to fix my shell config..."
Yak shaving is when you start with Goal A but end up deep in unrelated Task Z. This skill detects that pattern in your AI coding sessions.
Usage
Slash Command
When invoked via /specstory-yak, interpret the user's natural language:
| /specstory-yak
| --days 7 (default)
| /specstory-yak last 30 days
| --days 30
| /specstory-yak this week
| --days 7
| /specstory-yak top 10
| --top 10
| /specstory-yak january
| --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-01-31
| /specstory-yak from jan 15 to jan 20
| --from 2026-01-15 --to 2026-01-20
| /specstory-yak by modification time
| --by-mtime
| /specstory-yak last 14 days as json
| --days 14 --json
| /specstory-yak save to yak-report.md
| -o yak-report.md
| /specstory-yak last 90 days output to report
| --days 90 -o report.md
Direct Script Usage
python /path/to/skills/specstory-yak/scripts/analyze.py [options]
Arguments:
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--days N- Analyze last N days (default: 7) -
--from DATE- Start date (YYYY-MM-DD) -
--to DATE- End date (YYYY-MM-DD) -
--path PATH- Path to .specstory/history (auto-detects if not specified) -
--top N- Show top N worst yak shaves (default: 5) -
--json- Output as JSON -
--verbose- Show detailed analysis -
--by-mtime- Filter by file modification time instead of filename date -
-o, --output FILE- Write report to file (auto-adds .md or .json extension)
Examples:
# Analyze last 7 days
python scripts/analyze.py
# Analyze last 30 days, show top 10
python scripts/analyze.py --days 30 --top 10
# Analyze specific date range
python scripts/analyze.py --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-01-28
# Filter by when files were modified (not session start time)
python scripts/analyze.py --days 7 --by-mtime
# JSON output for further processing
python scripts/analyze.py --days 14 --json
# Save report to a markdown file
python scripts/analyze.py --days 90 -o yak-report.md
# Save JSON to a file
python scripts/analyze.py --days 30 --json -o yak-data.json
Output
Yak Shave Report (2026-01-21 to 2026-01-28)
==========================================
Sessions analyzed: 23
Average yak shave score: 34/100
Top Yak Shaves:
---------------
1. [87/100] "fix button alignment" (2026-01-25)
Started: CSS fix for button
Ended up: Rewriting entire build system
Domain shifts: 4 (ui -> build -> docker -> k8s)
2. [72/100] "add logout feature" (2026-01-23)
Started: Add logout button
Ended up: Refactoring auth system + session management
Domain shifts: 3 (ui -> auth -> database)
3. [65/100] "update readme" (2026-01-22)
Started: Documentation update
Ended up: CI pipeline overhaul
Domain shifts: 2 (docs -> ci -> testing)
Most Focused Sessions:
----------------------
1. [5/100] "explain auth flow" (2026-01-26) - Pure analysis, no drift
2. [8/100] "fix typo in config" (2026-01-24) - Quick surgical fix
Patterns Detected:
------------------
- You yak shave most on: UI tasks (avg 58/100)
- Safest task type: Code review/explanation (avg 12/100)
- Peak yak shave hours: 11pm-2am (avg 71/100)
Scoring Methodology
The yak shave score (0-100) is computed from:
| Domain shifts | 40% | How many times file references jumped domains
| Goal completion | 25% | Did the original stated goal get completed?
| Session length ratio | 20% | Length vs. complexity of original ask
| Tool type cascade | 15% | Read->Search->Edit->Create->Deploy escalation
Score interpretation:
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0-20: Laser focused
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21-40: Minor tangents
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41-60: Moderate drift
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61-80: Significant yak shaving
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81-100: Epic rabbit hole
Present Results to User
IMPORTANT: After running the analyzer script, you MUST add a personalized LLM-generated summary at the very top of your response, BEFORE showing the raw report output.
LLM Summary Guidelines
Generate a 3-5 sentence personalized commentary that:
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Opens with a verdict - A witty one-liner about the overall state (e.g., "Your coding sessions this week were... an adventure." or "Remarkably disciplined! Someone's been taking their focus vitamins.")
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Calls out the highlight - Reference the most notable session specifically:
If high yak shave: "That January 25th button fix that somehow became a Kubernetes migration? Chef's kiss of scope creep."
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If low yak shave: "Your January 26th auth flow explanation was surgical - in and out, no detours."
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Identifies a pattern - Note any recurring theme:
"You seem to yak shave most when starting with UI tasks"
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"Late night sessions are your danger zone"
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"Your refactoring sessions tend to stay focused"
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Ends with actionable advice or a joke - Either:
A practical tip: "Consider time-boxing those 'quick CSS fixes' - they have a 73% yak shave rate"
- Or a joke: "At this rate, your next typo fix will result in a complete rewrite of the Linux kernel"
Example LLM Summary
## 🐃 Your Yak Shave Analysis
Well, well, well. You came to fix buttons and left having rewritten half the
infrastructure. Your average yak shave score of 47/100 puts you firmly in
"classic developer behavior" territory.
The standout? That January 25th session where a CSS alignment fix somehow
evolved into a full Kubernetes deployment overhaul. Four domain shifts later,
you probably forgot what a button even looks like.
Pattern I noticed: Your UI tasks have a 58% higher yak shave rate than your
code review sessions. Maybe start labeling those "quick UI fixes" as
"potential 3-hour adventures" in your calendar.
Here's the full breakdown:
Then show the raw report output below your summary.
What to Highlight
After your summary, when presenting the raw results:
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The worst offenders with before/after comparison
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Patterns in when/what causes yak shaving
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Actionable insight - what task types to watch out for