Guides

Customize templates

Override a shipped template such as the commit or PR template with your own copy, override-first, preserved across updates.

Goal: change what pair writes for commits, PRs, stories and other artifacts without forking the KB.

Prerequisites

  • A pair-enabled project

How it works

Every skill that uses a template resolves it override-first by a plain file-existence check: if .pair/adoption/tech/templates/<name>-template.md exists, the skill uses your copy whole; otherwise it uses the KB copy in .pair/knowledge/guidelines/collaboration/templates/. No partial merge, no registration: the file being there is the whole mechanism, and pair-cli update never touches .pair/adoption/. The 19 shipped templates and which skill reads each: Templates catalog.

Steps

  1. Copy the template
    • In your assistant: mkdir -p .pair/adoption/tech/templates && cp .pair/knowledge/guidelines/collaboration/templates/commit-template.md .pair/adoption/tech/templates/.
    • With /pair-assistant (optional, Claude Code): "override the PR template".
  2. Edit your copy
    • In your assistant: change the format, for example [JIRA-XXX] type(scope): description for commits. The next skill run picks it up; no restart, no config.
    • With /pair-assistant (optional, Claude Code): it shows the diff before writing.
  3. Record it for your team (optional)
    • In your assistant: list the overrides under a ## Templates heading in way-of-working.md, or add an ADL. This is an audit trail only; it never activates or deactivates an override.
    • With /pair-assistant (optional, Claude Code): done through /pair-capability-record-decision.

Verify

  • Create a commit or a PR with the relevant skill and check the new shape is used.
  • ls .pair/adoption/tech/templates/ lists exactly the templates you changed.

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