/wbNext — Practical

When to run it

• You sat down and don't know what to do. This is the entire job of /wbNext.
• End of a logical unit of work — you finished a thing; what's the next thing?
• After a long absence — back from vacation, no idea what state the repo is in.

Do NOT run it:

• When you already have a /wbPlan open. Execute the next unchecked row instead.
• When you have a clear priority. The command's job is to break ties; don't ask it to override your judgment.
• More than once per session. Re-running it produces the same answer 95% of the time.

The two forms

/wbNext # whole-monorepo scan, single recommendation
/wbNext <package-path> # narrowed to one package

What it does, in order

1. Reads recent reports/ (default: --since=7d). Looks for the latest audit, plan, debug, standup, review.
2. Reads git status and the last 3 commits. Has anything been started but not committed?
3. Reads dev.md for the target package(s). Are there refusals that flag work?
4. Computes a single recommendation with three things: what to run, why it's the best next move, and what other options were considered and rejected.

The output shape

Recommendation: /wbAudit packages/wb-core/

Why:
- Last /wbAudit on wb-core was 14 days ago.
- 8 commits since then; 3 touch the public API.
- /wbTest passed yesterday, so the gate is green for an audit.
- /wbStandup last week flagged "wb-core context drift" — audit will catch it.

Considered and rejected:
- /wbContext: stale-but-not-blocking; audit covers more ground.
- /wbDebug: no open errors in reports/.
- /wbRefactor: refactor without audit is the #1 mistake (see playbook).

The "considered and rejected" section is the real value. Without it, you're trusting a black box. With it, you can disagree if your judgment differs.

When /wbNext will refuse to recommend

• Working tree is dirty with uncommitted, unrelated changes. First clean up; mixed states make every recommendation noisy.
• No reports/ exist for the target. Run /wbContext first; /wbNext needs at least one prior signal.
• Conflicting signals (e.g., audit says ship, secure says don't). The command names the conflict and asks you to resolve it before recommending.

When /wbNext is the wrong command

• You want a roadmap, not a single step → /wbPlan or /wbVision.
• You want a list of everything in flight → /wbStandup, not /wbNext.
• You want the AI to do the work instead of recommending it → describe the task directly.

The one mistake to avoid

Running /wbNext and then ignoring its recommendation because you "had a feeling." Either run what it suggests, or take 60 seconds to articulate why your alternative is better. The articulation often reveals you were going to make the second-best choice for vibes-based reasons.

That said: /wbNext doesn't know about external pressure (deadlines, support tickets, what your boss said this morning). Override is fine when you have outside information; override is dangerous when you have only intuition.

Flags & shortcuts

Documented shortcuts are listed below.

Long form	Shortcut
--scope	-s
--since	-S

-h, --h, and --help are accepted on every /wb* command and print the manual instead of executing.

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