Benchmark

/benchmark $ARGUMENTS

Run a repeatable benchmark command on the current branch and compare it with a baseline ref. This skill is for measurement, not speculation.

If the user wants architectural performance review without running code, use /multi-review with performance-oracle instead.

Arguments

/benchmark "<command>" [--baseline <ref>] [--iterations N]

Defaults:

• --baseline origin/main
• --iterations 5
• warmup runs: 1

Reject the request if no command is provided.

Safety Rules

• The benchmark command must be repeatable
• Do not use commands that intentionally mutate repo-tracked files
• Build artifacts and caches are acceptable if they are not tracked
• If the command dirties the worktree, stop and report it

Phase 1: Pre-Flight

1. Record current branch and git status --short
2. Verify the worktree is clean enough to benchmark safely
3. Resolve the baseline ref
4. Determine whether the benchmark command depends on repo-local dependencies, generated assets, or setup steps
5. Create a temporary detached worktree for the baseline
6. Establish equivalent runtime environments for current and baseline before timing anything

Use a temporary directory under /tmp or equivalent. Never benchmark the baseline by checking out over the user's current branch.

Environment setup rules:

• Read local sources of truth first: CLAUDE.md, README.md, and project manifests such as package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, or Makefile
• If the benchmark command depends on installed dependencies or generated artifacts, run the same setup flow in both environments before measuring
• Prefer the project's existing setup command if one is documented, for example pnpm install --frozen-lockfile, uv sync, cargo fetch, or make setup
• Do not count setup time as benchmark time
• If you cannot establish equivalent environments on both refs, stop and report that the benchmark would be untrustworthy

Phase 2: Measurement Protocol

For both current branch and baseline:

1. Run 1 warmup execution
2. Run N measured executions
3. Capture wall-clock duration for every measured run
4. If the command prints benchmark metrics already, include them in the notes, but wall-clock time is the required common metric

Prefer a consistent timing mechanism for every run. Keep environment conditions as similar as possible across both refs.

Phase 3: Summarize Results

Compute for current and baseline:

• all measured run times
• median
• min
• max
• percentage delta of median vs baseline

If run-to-run variance is high, say so. Do not overclaim a tiny difference hidden by noise.

Required Output

## Benchmark Summary

Command: ...
Baseline: ...
Iterations: ...

### Current Branch
Runs: [...]
Median: ...
Min/Max: ...

### Baseline
Runs: [...]
Median: ...
Min/Max: ...

### Delta
Current vs baseline median: ...%

### Notes
- command-native metrics if any
- variance caveats
- anything that may have skewed results

Cleanup

Always remove the temporary baseline worktree before exiting, even on failure.

Failure Handling

• If the benchmark command fails on either ref, report the failing ref and stop
• If the baseline ref cannot be resolved, stop
• If cleanup fails, report it explicitly

Interpretation Rules

• Measured improvement beats theoretical reasoning
• High variance weakens confidence
• A benchmark proves only the command that was run, not overall product performance