Navigator SOP Creator Skill

Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - reusable documentation for processes, integrations, debugging solutions, and workflows.

When to Invoke

Invoke this skill when the user:

Says "document this solution", "save this for next time"
Says "create SOP", "make this reusable"
Solves a novel issue and mentions "don't want to hit this again"
Sets up integration and says "document the setup"
Establishes pattern and mentions "team should follow this"

DO NOT invoke if:

Creating task documentation (use nav-task skill)
Updating architecture docs (different purpose)
Simple bug fix with no reusable pattern

Execution Steps

Step 1: Determine SOP Category

Ask user which category (or infer from context):

Categories:

integrations - Third-party service setups
debugging - Common issues & solutions
development - Dev workflows, patterns
deployment - Deploy procedures, CI/CD

Examples:

"How to set up Stripe webhooks" → integrations/
"Fixing CORS errors" → debugging/
"Testing authenticated routes" → development/
"Deploy to production" → deployment/

Step 2: Determine SOP Name

If user provided name:

Use their name (sanitize: lowercase, hyphens)
Example: "Stripe Payment Setup" → "stripe-payment-setup"

If no name provided:

Generate from context: {service}-{action}
Example: "github-oauth-integration"
Example: "cors-proxy-errors"

Step 3: Check if SOP Already Exists

Check existing SOPs in category:

ls .agent/sops/{category}/*.md 2>/dev/null

If similar SOP exists:

⚠️  Similar SOP found:
   .agent/sops/{category}/{similar-name}.md

Options:
1. Read existing SOP (don't duplicate)
2. Update existing SOP (add to it)
3. Create new SOP (different enough)

Your choice [1-3]:

Step 4: Generate SOP Content

Create SOP document from conversation:

# {SOP Title}

**Category**: {integrations|debugging|development|deployment}
**Created**: {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Last Updated**: {YYYY-MM-DD}

---

## Context

**When to use this SOP**:
[Describe the scenario where this applies]

**Problem it solves**:
[What issue does this address?]

**Prerequisites**:
- [Requirement 1]
- [Requirement 2]

---

## The Problem

### Symptoms
[What does the issue look like?]
- Error message: `{specific error}`
- Behavior: [Unexpected behavior]
- Impact: [What breaks]

### Root Cause
[Why does this happen? Technical explanation]

---

## The Solution

### Step 1: {Action}

**Do this**:
```bash
# Command or code
npm install stripe

Why: [Explanation of what this accomplishes]

Expected output:

+ stripe@12.0.0
added 1 package

Step 2: {Next Action}

Do this:

// Code example
import Stripe from 'stripe';

const stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY);

Why: [Explanation]

Configuration: Add to .env:

STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_...
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_...

Step 3: {Continue...}

...

Complete Example

Full Working Code

File: src/services/stripe.ts

import Stripe from 'stripe';

export class StripeService {
  private stripe: Stripe;

  constructor() {
    this.stripe = new Stripe(process.env.STRIPE_SECRET_KEY!, {
      apiVersion: '2023-10-16',
    });
  }

  async createPaymentIntent(amount: number) {
    return await this.stripe.paymentIntents.create({
      amount: amount * 100, // Convert to cents
      currency: 'usd',
    });
  }
}

File: src/routes/webhook.ts

export async function handleStripeWebhook(req: Request, res: Response) {
  const sig = req.headers['stripe-signature'];

  try {
    const event = stripe.webhooks.constructEvent(
      req.body,
      sig,
      process.env.STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET!
    );

    // Handle event
    switch (event.type) {
      case 'payment_intent.succeeded':
        // Process successful payment
        break;
    }

    res.json({ received: true });
  } catch (err) {
    res.status(400).send(`Webhook Error: ${err.message}`);
  }
}

Testing

Verify It Works

Test 1: Create payment intent

curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/create-payment \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"amount": 10}'

Expected result:

{
  "clientSecret": "pi_xxx_secret_yyy"
}

Test 2: Webhook delivery

stripe listen --forward-to localhost:3000/webhook

Expected result:

Ready! You are using Stripe API Version [2023-10-16]

Prevention

How to avoid this issue in future:

[Prevention strategy 1]
[Prevention strategy 2]

Red flags to watch for:

[Warning sign 1]
[Warning sign 2]

Troubleshooting

Issue: Webhook signature verification fails

Symptoms:

Error: No signatures found matching the expected signature

Cause: Webhook secret mismatch or body already parsed

Fix:

// Use raw body for webhook verification
app.post('/webhook', express.raw({type: 'application/json'}), handleStripeWebhook);

Issue: Payment amount incorrect

Symptoms: Charged wrong amount

Cause: Forgot to convert to cents

Fix: Always multiply by 100 for Stripe amounts

Maintenance Notes

Update when:

Stripe API version changes
Payment flow changes
New webhook events added

Owner: [Team or person responsible]

Last Updated: {YYYY-MM-DD} Tested With: Stripe API v2023-10-16, Node.js v18+


### Step 5: Save SOP File

Write to appropriate category:

Write( file_path: ".agent/sops/{category}/{name}.md", content: [generated SOP] )


Filename: `.agent/sops/{category}/{name}.md`

### Step 6: Update Navigator Index

Edit `.agent/DEVELOPMENT-README.md` to add SOP to index:

```markdown
## Standard Operating Procedures

### Integrations
- **{Service}**: `.agent/sops/integrations/{name}.md` - {One-line description}

### Debugging
- **{Issue}**: `.agent/sops/debugging/{name}.md` - {Description}

### Development
...

### Deployment
...

Step 7: Link to Related Task (If Applicable)

If SOP came from specific task, add reference:

In task doc:

## Related SOPs

- `.agent/sops/integrations/stripe-payment-setup.md`

In SOP:

## Related Documentation

- Task: `.agent/tasks/TASK-04-stripe-integration.md`

Cross-linking helps discoverability.

Step 8: Confirm Success

Show completion message:

✅ SOP created successfully!

Title: {SOP Title}
Category: {category}
File: .agent/sops/{category}/{name}.md
Size: {X} KB (~{Y} tokens)

📚 SOP includes:
- Problem description & symptoms
- Step-by-step solution
- Complete code examples
- Testing instructions
- Troubleshooting guide

🔗 Navigator index updated
[If linked: Linked to TASK-{XX}]

To reference later:
Read .agent/sops/{category}/{name}.md

SOP Categories Explained

1. integrations/

Purpose: How to set up third-party services

Examples:

stripe-payment-setup.md
github-oauth-integration.md
sendgrid-email-config.md
redis-session-store.md

Structure: Setup steps + Configuration + Testing

2. debugging/

Purpose: How to solve common issues

Examples:

cors-proxy-errors.md
jwt-token-expiration.md
database-connection-timeout.md
build-errors-typescript.md

Structure: Symptoms + Root cause + Fix + Prevention

3. development/

Purpose: Development workflows & patterns

Examples:

testing-authenticated-routes.md
adding-new-api-endpoint.md
database-migration-workflow.md
component-testing-patterns.md

Structure: When to use + Steps + Example + Best practices

4. deployment/

Purpose: Deploy, CI/CD, infrastructure

Examples:

deploy-to-production.md
rollback-failed-deploy.md
setup-github-actions.md
environment-variables.md

Structure: Prerequisites + Steps + Verification + Rollback

Common Use Cases

After Solving Tricky Bug

User: "Finally fixed CORS issue, save this so we don't hit it again"
→ Creates: .agent/sops/debugging/cors-proxy-errors.md
→ Captures: Error, root cause, fix, prevention
→ Team won't repeat mistake

After Integration Setup

User: "Stripe webhooks working, document the setup"
→ Creates: .agent/sops/integrations/stripe-webhooks.md
→ Captures: All config steps, code, testing
→ Next integration is copy-paste

Establishing Team Pattern

User: "Document how we test protected routes"
→ Creates: .agent/sops/development/testing-auth-routes.md
→ Captures: Pattern, examples, best practices
→ Team follows consistent approach

Error Handling

Category directory doesn't exist:

Creating category: .agent/sops/{category}/
✅ Directory created

SOPs directory missing entirely:

❌ Navigator not initialized

Run /nav:init to create .agent/ structure.

Duplicate SOP name:

⚠️  SOP already exists: {name}.md

Options:
1. Read existing (don't duplicate)
2. Update existing (add new info)
3. Rename new SOP ({name}-v2.md)

Your choice [1-3]:

Success Criteria

SOP creation is successful when:

SOP file created in correct category
Contains all required sections
Includes working code examples
Testing instructions provided
Navigator index updated
Linked to related task (if applicable)

Scripts

generate_sop.py: Create SOP from conversation

Input: Conversation, category, name
Output: Formatted SOP markdown

Best Practices

Good SOP names:

stripe-payment-integration (specific, descriptive)
cors-proxy-configuration (clear purpose)
jwt-token-refresh (explains what)

Bad SOP names:

fix (too vague)
integration (not specific)
sop1 (meaningless)

When to create SOPs:

✅ Solved novel issue (will happen again)
✅ Set up integration (reusable process)
✅ Established pattern (team should follow)
✅ Complex workflow (needs documentation)
❌ One-off bug (not reusable)
❌ Obvious solution (don't over-document)

SOP quality checklist:

Notes

SOPs are living documents:

Created when pattern established
Updated when solution improves
Referenced frequently by team
Prevent repeated mistakes

They transform:

Individual knowledge → Team knowledge
One-time solution → Reusable process
Tribal knowledge → Documented procedure

Impact: Zero repeated mistakes over time

This skill provides same functionality as /nav:doc sop command but with natural language invocation.