Standup Update Generator

Generate a standup update by analyzing recent git activity (commits, branches, PRs) and optional user-provided notes. Format as a concise yesterday/today/blockers update.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Recent Activity

Pull data from available sources:

Git Commits

# Commits from the last working day (adjust for weekends/holidays)
git log --author="$(git config user.name)" --since="1.day.ago" --oneline --no-merges

# If Monday, cover the weekend
git log --author="$(git config user.name)" --since="3.days.ago" --oneline --no-merges

# More detail when needed
git log --author="$(git config user.name)" --since="1.day.ago" --format="%h %s" --no-merges

Branches and PRs

# Current branch and recent branches
git branch --sort=-committerdate | head -5

# Check for open PRs (if gh CLI available)
gh pr list --author="@me" --state=open 2>/dev/null
gh pr list --author="@me" --state=merged --limit 5 2>/dev/null

# Recent PR reviews
gh pr list --search="reviewed-by:@me" --state=open --limit 5 2>/dev/null

Work in Progress

# Uncommitted changes
git status --short

# Stashed work
git stash list

Step 2: Categorize the Work

Group activity into meaningful work items:

• Features: New functionality added.
• Bug fixes: Issues resolved.
• Reviews: PRs reviewed for others.
• Infrastructure: CI, tooling, dependency updates.
• Documentation: Docs written or updated.
• Meetings/collaboration: Planning, design discussions (from user notes).

Merge related commits into a single work item. "Fix typo in auth" and "Add error handling to auth" and "Add tests for auth flow" become "Implemented auth flow with error handling and tests."

Step 3: Identify Today's Plan

Based on:

• Open PRs that need attention (reviews requested, CI failing).
• Current branch work in progress.
• User-provided notes about planned work.
• Carry-over items from yesterday that aren't done.

Step 4: Surface Blockers

Check for:

• PRs waiting on review for more than a day.
• CI failures on the current branch.
• Merge conflicts on open branches.
• Dependencies on other teams mentioned in user notes.

Step 5: Format the Update

Compose a concise standup using the output format.

Output Format

Short Format (default)

**Yesterday**
- Implemented user auth flow with JWT tokens (#142)
- Reviewed @teammate's caching PR (#138) — approved with minor feedback
- Fixed flaky test in payment module

**Today**
- Finish auth flow: add refresh token rotation
- Start API rate limiting (ticket PROJ-456)

**Blockers**
- Waiting on DevOps for staging environment access (asked Tuesday)

Detailed Format

## Standup — YYYY-MM-DD

### Completed
- **Auth flow implementation** (#142): Added JWT-based authentication
  with login, logout, and token refresh endpoints. Tests passing,
  PR open for review.
- **PR Review**: Reviewed @teammate's Redis caching layer (#138).
  Approved with suggestions on TTL strategy.
- **Bug fix**: Resolved intermittent test failure in payment module
  caused by timezone-dependent assertion.

### In Progress
- **Refresh token rotation**: Adding secure token rotation to the
  auth flow. ~60% complete, expect to finish by EOD.

### Planned
- **API rate limiting** (PROJ-456): Begin implementation of
  per-user rate limiting on public endpoints.

### Blockers
- **Staging access**: Requested DevOps access to staging environment
  on Tuesday. Needed to test auth flow end-to-end before merging.
  Followed up in #devops channel.

### Notes
- Out Thursday afternoon for appointment.

Slack-Friendly Format

:white_check_mark: *Yesterday*
- Auth flow with JWT tokens (#142)
- Reviewed caching PR (#138)
- Fixed flaky payment test

:arrow_right: *Today*
- Finish auth refresh token rotation
- Start API rate limiting (PROJ-456)

:no_entry: *Blockers*
- Waiting on staging env access from DevOps (asked Tue)

Examples

User: "Generate my standup" Action: Run git log for recent commits, check for open PRs, check current branch status, and produce a short-format standup.

User: "Standup — yesterday I also had the sprint planning meeting and paired with Alex on the migration" Action: Combine git activity with the user's notes. Include the meeting and pairing session alongside commit-based items.

User: "Weekly standup for the team meeting" Action: Gather a week's worth of git activity, group by theme or project, and produce a detailed-format summary.

User: "Format this for Slack" (with rough notes) Action: Take the notes, clean them up, and format using the Slack-friendly template with emoji markers.

Best Practices

• Lead with outcomes, not activities. "Shipped auth flow" is better than "Wrote code for auth."
• Keep it brief. Standups are for coordination, not status reports. 3-5 bullet points per section.
• Be specific about blockers. Include what you need, from whom, and when you asked. This makes it actionable.
• Merge related commits into single items. Nobody needs to know about your 8 "fix typo" commits.
• If you have nothing for a section, omit it. An empty "Blockers: none" adds no value.
• Include ticket or PR numbers so teammates can find context if they need it.
• Mention when you'll be unavailable (meetings, PTO, appointments) so the team can plan.
• For async standups, add slightly more context than you would in person since there's no opportunity for follow-up questions.