matter-workspace — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

---
name: matter-workspace
description: >
  Manage matter workspaces — new, list, switch, close, or detach (practice-level).
  File-management logic for keeping one client or engagement's context separate
  from every other. Use when working across multiple clients or matters, when the
  user says "new matter", "switch matter", "list matters", "close matter", or when
  any substantive skill needs to know which matter it's working in.
argument-hint: "<new | list | switch | close | none> [slug]"
---

# /matter-workspace

Practitioners work across multiple clients and matters. A matter workspace keeps one client or engagement's context separate from every other. This skill manages those workspaces.

## Subcommands

- `/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace new <slug>` — create a new matter workspace, run a short intake, write `matter.md`
- `/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace list` — list matters with status and active flag
- `/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace switch <slug>` — set the active matter
- `/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace close <slug>` — archive a matter (move to `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/matters/_archived/`, never delete)
- `/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace none` — detach from any active matter, work at practice-level only

## Instructions

1. Read `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/CLAUDE.md` — confirm the `## Matter workspaces` section is populated. If `Enabled` is `✗`, tell the user: "Matter workspaces are off — you're configured as an in-house practice with one client, so the plugin works from practice-level context automatically. If you actually work across multiple clients, re-run `/ai-governance-legal:cold-start-interview --redo` and select a private-practice setting. Otherwise, you don't need `/matter-workspace` at all." Don't error — the disabled state is the expected one for in-house users.
2. Use the workflow below.
3. Dispatch on the first token of `$ARGUMENTS`:
   - `new` → run the intake interview, write `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/matters/<slug>/matter.md`, seed `history.md` and `notes.md`.
   - `list` → enumerate `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/matters/*/matter.md`, print a table, mark the active matter.
   - `switch` → update the `Active matter:` line in the practice-level CLAUDE.md.
   - `close` → move `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/matters/<slug>/` to `~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/matters/_archived/<slug>/`, log the close date in `history.md`.
   - `none` → set `Active matter:` to `none — practice-level context only`.
4. Show the user what changed and confirm before writing.

## Notes

- The skill never reads across matters unless `Cross-matter context` is `on` in the practice-level CLAUDE.md.
- Archiving is not deletion — closed matters remain readable for retention/conflicts purposes.
- Slugs are lowercase with hyphens. If a slug is reused across archived and active, the archived one is preserved under `_archived/<slug>/`.

---

Multi-client practitioners (private practice — solo, small firm, large firm) work across many matters. Context from one must not leak into another. This skill is the thin file-management layer that makes that true.

**Default state is off.** In-house users never see this — they run at practice-level only. Matter workspaces turn on at cold-start for private-practice users, or by editing `## Matter workspaces` in the practice-level CLAUDE.md. If `Enabled` is `✗`, this skill does not run; the workflow above explains the disabled state and suggests `/ai-governance-legal:cold-start-interview --redo` for users who actually need matter isolation.

## Storage layout

All matter data lives under:

```
~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/ai-governance-legal/
├── CLAUDE.md                       # practice-level practice profile
└── matters/
    ├── <slug>/
    │   ├── matter.md               # client, counterparty, matter type, key facts, overrides
    │   ├── history.md              # dated log of events, decisions, drafts, reviews
    │   ├── notes.md                # free-form working notes
    │   └── outputs/                # skill outputs for this matter (optional subfolder)
    └── _archived/
        └── <slug>/                 # closed matters — readable but not active
```

Slugs are lowercase with hyphens. Examples: `acme-msa-2026`, `zenith-renewal`, `vendor-xyz-nda`.

## Active matter is in the practice CLAUDE.md

The `Active matter:` line under `## Matter workspaces` in the practice-level CLAUDE.md is the single source of truth. Switching a matter edits that line. No separate state file.

## Subcommand logic

### `new <slug>`

1. Confirm slug is not already present in `matters/<slug>/` or `matters/_archived/<slug>/`. If reused, ask the user to pick a different slug.
2. Run the intake interview:
   - **Client** (the party we represent, or the internal business unit if in-house)
   - **Counterparty** (the other side — may be multiple)
   - **Matter type** (read the plugin's practice profile for typical categories; for ai-governance-legal: use case (internal) | vendor AI review | AIA | regulatory change | policy project | other)
   - **Confidentiality level** (standard | heightened | clean-team — heightened prompts extra care in cross-matter settings)
   - **Key facts** (2–5 sentences: what this matter is about, who the stakeholders are, what's at stake)
   - **Matter-specific overrides to the practice playbook** (e.g., "client requires 24-month LoL cap not 12", "counterparty is a strategic partner — relationship-preserving tone")
   - **Related matters** (slugs of any connected matters)
3. Write `matters/<slug>/matter.md` using the template below.
4. Seed `matters/<slug>/history.md` with a single "Opened" entry.
5. Create an empty `matters/<slug>/notes.md`.
6. Do **not** auto-switch to the new matter. Ask: "Want to switch to `<slug>` now? (`/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace switch <slug>`)"

### `list`

Enumerate `matters/*/matter.md`. Read each file's front-matter or first few lines to extract status. Print a table:

| Slug | Client | Matter type | Status | Opened | Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|

Mark the currently-active matter with `*`. Include `_archived/*` under a separate "Archived" heading if any exist.

### `switch <slug>`

1. Confirm `matters/<slug>/matter.md` exists. If not, offer `/ai-governance-legal:matter-workspace new <slug>`.
2. Edit the `Active matter:` line in the practice-level CLAUDE.md to `Active matter: <slug>`.
3. Show the user the matter.md summary so they can confirm they're on the right matter.

### `close <slug>`

1. Confirm `matters/<slug>/` exists.
2. Append a "Closed" entry to `matters/<slug>/history.md` with today's date.
3. Move `matters/<slug>/` → `matters/_archived/<slug>/`.
4. If the closed matter was the active matter, set `Active matter:` to `none — practice-level context only`.

### `none`

Set `Active matter:` in the practice-level CLAUDE.md to `none — practice-level context only`. Confirm with the user.

## `matter.md` template

```markdown
[WORK-PRODUCT HEADER — per plugin config ## Outputs — differs by role; see `## Who's using this` in the practice-level CLAUDE.md]

# Matter: [Client] — [short description]

**Slug:** [slug]
**Opened:** [YYYY-MM-DD]
**Status:** active
**Confidentiality:** [standard / heightened / clean-team]

---

## Parties

**Client:** [name]
**Counterparty:** [name(s)]

## Matter type

[vendor MSA | customer agreement | NDA | SaaS subscription | amendment | renewal | other — with one-line rationale]

## Key facts

[2–5 sentences. What this matter is about. Who the stakeholders are. What's at stake. What makes it different from the default playbook.]

## Matter-specific overrides

*Any deviation from the practice-level playbook that applies to this matter and only this matter.*

- [e.g., "LoL cap: client requires 24 months, not house standard 12."]
- [e.g., "Tone: relationship-preserving — counterparty is a strategic partner."]
- [e.g., "Governing law: must be English law, not Delaware."]

## Related matters

- [slug — one line why related]

## Notes on confidentiality

[If heightened or clean-team, describe why. Who may see matter files. Whether cross-matter context is permissible even if globally on.]
```

## `history.md` seed

```markdown
# History: [Client] — [short description]

Append-only event log. Most recent at top.

---

## [YYYY-MM-DD] — Matter opened

Intake completed. Slug: `[slug]`. Status: active.
[Any initial context worth preserving beyond matter.md — e.g., "Opened in response to inbound MSA draft from [counterparty]."]
```

## Cross-matter context

The practice-level CLAUDE.md has a `Cross-matter context:` flag. When it's `off` (the default), a skill working in matter A **never reads** files in `matters/B/` for any other `B`. Period. This is the confidentiality guarantee the setting exists to provide.

When it's `on`, a skill may read files across matter folders only when the user explicitly asks it to (e.g., "compare our position on liability caps across the last five vendor matters"). Even when `on`, the default is to load only the active matter unless the user asks for a cross-matter view.

## What this skill does not do

- **Run a conflicts check.** Conflicts are the practitioner's/firm's job; the intake captures what the user declares.
- **Enforce retention.** Closing archives a matter; it does not delete. Retention policy is out of scope.
- **Auto-route outputs.** The substantive skill decides where to write; this skill tells it *which folder* is active, not what to put in it.
- **Decide whether cross-matter is appropriate.** It reads the flag and obeys.