pw-pair-programming

interact with the navigator using the pp.nu nushell script. uses pw (playwright cli) behind the scenes.

• the driver (you) must collaborate with the navigator. this is not a once-off message; you must back-and-forth fluidly and proactively. the navigator is extremely intelligent, utilize them.
• don’t just dump code; explain the context, ask for designs, and treat them as the supervisor. work with them closely – the driver writes code and uses the tools, the navigator steers the ship and designs.

setup: requires cdp connection to debug-enabled browser with an active session; user should already have this set up.

invocation

# invoking from global ~/.claude/skills dir (bash)
nu -I ~/.claude/skills/pw-pair-programming/scripts -c 'use pp.nu *; pp send "Hello"'

session connection

when the driver has an open navigator tab and wants to continue a previous session:

pp history                  # get full conversation context
pp history --last 4         # or just recently

if session already open, get history. otherwise, you can immediately start sending messages.

commands

pp send msg. --file for prompt file. pp attach docs (max 10). --prompt msg, --send trigger. pp paste inline text. --send trigger, --clear reset. pp new start fresh. --model=thinking (default). pp set-model change default (auto | instant | thinking). pp wait wait for completion and print response. --timeout (default 600000). pp get-response print last navigator message. pp history transcript. --last n exchange, --json json. pp refresh reload ui when stuck. pp download get artifacts. --list files, --index n specific, -o file.

collaboration

1. technical opening – provide code context to the navigator, no pleasantries needed.
2. back-and-forth – check and write code, validate, talk to the navigator, repeat.
3. feed context – ask the navigator what it needs/what it wants to see; fetch implementations and files, provide as much as possible.
   • extremely important to prompt the navigator for this proactively, e.g. “what code/files do you need …” etc.
4. get plans and designs – request comprehensive design/plan from the navigator once ready.
5. download – use pp download for artifacts with download links.

effective collaboration

use these patterns to work fluidly with the navigator:

context gathering:

• “what files/code do you need to see to help with [task]?”
• “do you need the full implementation or just the interface?” design collaboration:
• “what approach would you take for [problem]?”
• “here’s the current state [summary/code snippets]. what’s missing?” validation:
• “i’ve implemented [feature]. does this align with your design?”
• “does this look right?” (after showing code) iteration:
• “what should i tackle next?”
• “i hit [issue]. suggestions?”
• “this works but feels off. improvements?”

key principle: treat the navigator as a senior engineer pairing with you. show work incrementally, ask for direction, validate assumptions early. check in after each significant change.

workflow – including files

1. driver writes msg to temp file e.g. /tmp/navigator_prompt.txt
   • reliable method:

     cat <<'EOF' > /tmp/navigator_prompt.txt
     <your navigator prompt text>
     EOF
     

   • this temp file will be the preamble prompt; you may explain files included
2. send prompt + files to navigator
   • gather files to send in conjunction with the preamble prompt file

basic: full files

nu -I ~/.claude/skills/pw-pair-programming/scripts -c 'use pp.nu *; 
let prompt = ((open --raw tmp/navigator_prompt.txt)
    + "\n\n[FILE: src/main.rs]\n" + (open --raw src/main.rs)
    + "\n\n[FILE: src/lib.rs]\n" + (open --raw src/lib.rs));
$prompt | pp send; pp wait'

advanced: slicing specific line ranges (concise + low-error)

use lines | slice to extract specific sections. this pattern avoids + parsing issues and keeps everything on one line.

nu -I ~/.claude/skills/pw-pair-programming/scripts -c 'use pp.nu *; def snip [path: path, start: int, end: int]: nothing -> string { open --raw $path | lines | slice (($start - 1)..($end - 1)) | str join "\n" }; let preamble = (open --raw tmp/navigator_prompt.txt); let parts = [ $preamble, "\n\n[FILE: src/config.rs]\n", (open --raw src/config.rs), "\n\n[FILE: src/parser.rs (lines 45-67 - parse_expr fn)]\n", (snip src/parser.rs 45 67), "\n\n[FILE: src/handler.rs (lines 120-135 - error handling)]\n", (snip src/handler.rs 120 135) ]; ($parts | str join "") | pp send; pp wait'

syntax notes:

• function signature: def snip [...]: nothing -> string { ... } (note the : nothing -> part)
• use --raw with open to avoid auto-parsing
• prefer ($parts | str join "") when building strings
• nushell ranges are 0-indexed, so subtract 1 from line numbers
• range is old nushell, don’t try to use it

gotchas

• always write messages to the navigator using files instead of inline shell
• always timeout 10min+ for navigator responses; thinking model takes time
• attachment filenames show as uuids in ui but content works