---
title: "Automating Developer Workflows: Building Custom AI Command Systems"
description: "Automating Developer Workflows: Building Custom AI Command Systems"
date: "2025-09-27"
tags: ["automation", "developer-tools", "workflow", "ai", "professional-development"]
featured: false
---
Building custom automation tools that transform how developers document and share their work. Today's project: creating intelligent slash commands that analyze project context and generate technical content automatically.

## The Challenge

Professional developers face a consistent challenge: maintaining quality documentation while staying productive. Technical blog posts that showcase expertise often get deprioritized because writing them requires:

- Reconstructing context after the work is complete
- Manually reviewing git histories and code changes
- Finding relevant cross-references to existing content
- Managing the entire publishing workflow

The friction between development work and documentation creates a gap where valuable insights go unshared.

## The Approach

Rather than treating documentation as a separate task, I designed a system that makes publishing as simple as running a command. The key insight: the work itself contains all the information needed for documentation - it just needs to be extracted and structured.

### Problem-Solving Process

**Initial Discovery**
Started by analyzing two Hugo blog sites that weren't updating as expected. Turned out they were functioning correctly - this revealed the real need: streamlining the publishing workflow itself.

**Design Decisions**
- **Slash commands over scripts**: Integration with Claude Code CLI for natural workflow
- **Git history as documentation**: Real commits provide factual basis
- **Conversation context inclusion**: Capture problem-solving process, not just solutions
- **Review step before publish**: Maintain quality while automating mechanics

**Technical Implementation**
Created custom command files in `~/.claude/commands/` that:
1. Analyze complete working session context
2. Review git commits since last publication
3. Generate appropriate content for different audiences
4. Handle full publishing pipeline automatically

### Challenges Overcome

**Command Discovery**
Initial implementations weren't recognized by Claude Code. Systematic troubleshooting revealed:
- File extension requirements (`.md`)
- Command format preferences (plain text instructions vs YAML frontmatter)
- Dynamic discovery during active sessions

**Context Capture**
Early versions only analyzed git commits, missing valuable problem-solving context from working sessions. Refined to capture:
- Complete conversation history
- Failed attempts and troubleshooting steps
- Iterative refinements
- Lessons learned during development

## The Work

Built two distinct command systems:

**Technical Blog Command (`/blog-startaitools`)**
- Analyzes project work for technical showcase content
- Generates developer-focused articles with implementation details
- Cross-links to related existing content automatically
- Publishes to Hugo static site with proper SEO optimization

**Portfolio Blog Command (`/blog-jeremylongshore`)**
- Same analysis but portfolio/CV perspective
- Focuses on professional growth and capability demonstration
- Emphasizes problem-solving approach over technical details
- Professional tone appropriate for employer/client audience

Both commands handle complete workflow: content generation, Hugo builds, git commits, and deployment triggering.

## Professional Growth

### Skills Demonstrated

**System Design**
- Identified friction points in existing workflows
- Designed automation that enhances rather than replaces judgment
- Balanced automation with quality control

**Problem-Solving**
- Systematic troubleshooting of command discovery issues
- Iterative refinement based on testing
- Adapted approach when initial implementations failed

**Tool Integration**
- Leveraged Claude Code's command system effectively
- Integrated with existing Hugo/Netlify publishing pipeline
- Maintained compatibility with git-based workflows

### Lessons Learned

**1. Context is More Valuable Than Code**
The conversation about how we solved problems is more instructive than the final solution. Documentation should capture the journey, not just the destination.

**2. Automation Should Reduce Friction, Not Eliminate Judgment**
The review step before publishing maintains quality while the automation handles mechanics. Best of both worlds.

**3. Different Audiences Need Different Narratives**
Technical readers want implementation details. Portfolio readers want to see problem-solving capabilities. Same work, different presentation.

## Impact & Results

**Immediate Benefits**
- Zero-friction blog publishing from any project directory
- Automatic context capture from working sessions
- Cross-linking to related content
- Complete deployment automation

**Repository Cleanup Achievement**
Applied the system to document today's work, which included:
- Cleaned up two blog repositories (27 files removed from jeremylongshore)
- Improved .gitignore configurations
- Verified Hugo builds and deployments
- All changes committed and pushed successfully

**Process Improvement**
Documentation is now part of the development workflow rather than a separate task. The investment in automation pays dividends every time the command runs.

## Looking Forward

This automation framework opens possibilities for:
- Additional specialized commands for different content types
- Integration with other publishing platforms
- Automated cross-promotion between sites
- Analytics integration for content performance tracking

The principle extends beyond blogging: any repetitive workflow with clear structure becomes a candidate for intelligent automation.

---


