Dogfooding Plures Tools - Quick Start

This guide helps you start dogfooding Plures tools immediately.

What is Dogfooding?

Dogfooding = Using our own tools in daily development and filing issues when we find friction.

Goal: Find and fix problems before users encounter them.

🚀 Quick Start (5 minutes)

1. Review Available Tools

See what tools you can use: docs/PLURES_TOOLS_INVENTORY.md

High Priority for Adoption:

• ✅ Praxis CLI - Already using it
• ⚠️ State-Docs - Should use for documentation
• ⚠️ CodeCanvas - Should use for visualization

2. Follow the Daily Checklist

When developing, follow the quick checklist in docs/DOGFOODING_CHECKLIST.md:

Before Starting:

git pull origin main
npm run build
npm run validate:contracts

When Adding/Modifying Rules:

1. Define contract with defineContract()
2. Attach to rule via meta.contract
3. Write tests for all examples
4. Run npm run scan:rules and npm run validate:contracts

When You Find Friction:

• File issue immediately using the Dogfooding Friction Report template
• One friction point per issue
• Tag with dogfood label

3. Try a Tool Today

Pick one tool to try this week:

Option A: Visualize a Schema with CodeCanvas

import { schemaToCanvas } from '@plures/praxis';
const canvas = schemaToCanvas(mySchema);
// Friction? File an issue!

Option B: Generate Docs with State-Docs

import { createStateDocsGenerator } from '@plures/praxis';
const docsGen = createStateDocsGenerator({
  projectTitle: 'My Module',
  target: './docs'
});
// Friction? File an issue!

Option C: Use Praxis CLI for Generation

npx praxis generate --schema src/schemas/my-schema.ts
# Friction? File an issue!

📋 Filing Friction Reports

When to File

File immediately when you encounter:

• Confusing error messages
• Missing documentation
• Manual steps that should be automated
• Unexpected behavior
• Performance issues

How to File

1. Go to Issues → New Issue
2. Select Dogfooding Friction Report
3. Fill out the template (focus on ONE friction point)
4. Submit with dogfood label

Example Good Issues

✅ "Praxis CLI validate command doesn't show file path for missing contracts"
✅ "State-Docs requires manual config - should auto-detect schema files"
✅ "CodeCanvas export example missing for nested object schemas"

❌ "Validation is confusing" (too vague)
❌ "Documentation needs work" (too broad)

🔄 Weekly Review

Every Friday (or end of sprint):

1. Check your tool usage: What tools did you use this week?
2. Identify gaps: What could you have used but didn't?
3. Review filed issues: Are they tagged and actionable?

See full checklist: docs/DOGFOODING_CHECKLIST.md#weekly-review-friday-or-end-of-sprint

📚 Resources

Resource	Purpose
PLURES_TOOLS_INVENTORY.md	List of all tools and adoption status
DOGFOODING_CHECKLIST.md	Daily/weekly/monthly checklists
decision-ledger/DOGFOODING.md	Decision Ledger specific workflow
.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/dogfooding.yml	Issue template for friction reports
CONTRIBUTING.md	Full contributing guidelines

🎯 This Week's Focus

High-Priority Tools to Adopt:

1. CodeCanvas - Visualize at least one complex schema
2. State-Docs - Generate docs for at least one module
3. Praxis CLI - Use for generation instead of manual coding

Success Metric: File at least 1-2 dogfooding issues this week.

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Need Help?

• Check the Plures Tools Inventory for tool documentation
• Review examples in the examples/ directory
• Ask in discussions or file a question issue

Remember: Finding friction is success! Every friction report makes the tools better.

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Last Updated: 2026-02-01
Maintainer: Praxis Core Team