iainmcl/project-update

Project Update

Generate a short, punchy project status update for a PM or stakeholder audience, formatted for Slack.

Step 0 — Check for project config

Before asking anything, look for .claude/project-update.json in the current working directory:

cat .claude/project-update.json 2>/dev/null

If the config exists: load it. You already know the project name, sources, channel, audience, and any standing highlights/exclusions. Skip to Step 1 and only ask for the time period (e.g. "What period should this cover? e.g. this week, last sprint").

If no config exists: continue to Step 1 and ask the full set of questions.

Step 1 — Gather context upfront

Ask these questions in a single message (don't ask one at a time):

1. Project name — what's the project called?
2. Audience & channel — who's reading this, and which Slack channel (if known)?
3. Time period — what window should the update cover? (e.g. "this week", "last sprint", "since last Friday")
4. Sources — which of these are relevant for this project? (tick all that apply)
   • Git repo (recent commits / merged PRs)
   • Slack (recent messages in a project channel)
   • Jira (tickets completed / in progress / blocked)
   • Notion (project page / docs)
   • Local docs/ folder (changelogs, screenshots, notes)
5. Anything to highlight or exclude? — wins to call out, sensitive topics to skip

If the user provides most of this upfront, skip the questions you already have answers to.

Step 2 — Gather data from sources

Pull from the relevant sources in parallel. Gather facts, not prose — you'll write the update yourself.

Git

# Recent merged PRs and commits
git log --oneline --since="7 days ago" --merges
git log --oneline --since="7 days ago" --no-merges | head -20

Look for: features shipped, fixes, notable changes.

Slack

Use slack_read_channel with the project channel name and the relevant date range. Look for: decisions made, blockers raised, things unblocked, announcements.

Jira

Use searchJiraIssuesUsingJql with a query like:

project = PROJ AND updated >= -7d ORDER BY updated DESC

Look for: tickets moved to Done, tickets blocked, tickets newly created this period.

Notion

Use notion-search for the project name, or notion-fetch if the user provides a URL. Look for: goals, milestones, decisions, current status notes.

docs/ folder

ls -lt docs/ | head -20

Look for: recent screenshots (.png, .jpg, .gif), changelogs, status notes. Note any image files that are recent and visually relevant.

Step 3 — Synthesise and write the update

Write the update for a busy PM who will read it in 30 seconds. Lead with outcomes, not activities. Use plain language — no jargon, no internal ticket IDs unless they add context.

Format

Use Slack markdown (bold, not ## headers). Keep it tight — aim for under 200 words in the body.

*[Project Name] — [Period]*

✅ *Done*
• [concrete outcome, not task description]
• [concrete outcome]

🔄 *In Progress*
• [what's actively being worked on]

🚧 *Blockers* (omit section if none)
• [specific blocker and who owns it]

👀 *Up Next*
• [what's coming in the next period]

Writing rules:

• Lead with outcomes ("Shipped X", "Fixed Y", "Launched Z") not activities ("Working on X", "Started Y")
• If a Jira ticket or PR is worth linking, include it inline as a bare URL — Slack unfurls them
• One bullet per item — no sub-bullets
• Omit sections that have nothing meaningful to say (e.g. no blockers → skip 🚧)

Step 4 — Include images if relevant

If you found recent screenshots or images in docs/ (or attached to PRs), check if they're worth including — e.g. a UI screenshot showing a new feature, or a chart showing a metric.

If so, note them below the update text:

📸 *Screenshot:* [brief description]
[paste the image or note the file path for the user to attach]

Don't force images in — only include them if they genuinely add signal for the PM.

Step 5 — Deliver

Present the formatted update and ask:

• "Does this look right, or anything to tweak?"
• "Want me to send this to [channel] via Slack?"

If the user confirms, use slack_send_message to post it. Otherwise provide the text for copy-paste.