AI-Human Attribution Tracking Skill

Ethical AI collaboration attribution tracking system for software projects.

Overview

This skill provides a framework for transparently tracking and documenting contributions between human developers and AI assistants (like Claude Code). It ensures ethical attribution while maintaining detailed logs of who did what across the development lifecycle.

Why This Matters

• Transparency: Clear record of AI vs. human contributions
• Ethics: Honest attribution of creative and technical work
• Portfolio Building: Accurate representation of your capabilities
• Team Collaboration: Shared understanding of project history
• Client Trust: Clients can see what they're paying for

Quick Start

When this skill is active, Claude Code will:

1. Ask about attribution before starting significant work
2. Track contributions using the Principal/Support/Equal/None framework
3. Document your choices in AI-HUMAN-ATTRIBUTION.md
4. Update overall project stats after completing work
5. Maintain detailed logs for every feature/task

Usage

Starting a New Task

When you ask Claude Code to build something, it will:

📊 Before I begin, let's clarify attribution:

This task will be tracked in AI-HUMAN-ATTRIBUTION.md.
Please describe your role:
- Do you have a specific vision/implementation approach?
- Or should I lead on design/implementation?

[Responses guide the Principal/Support/Equal breakdown]

During Development

Claude Code will:

• Note when it suggests something vs. implements your idea
• Ask for clarification on ambiguous contributions
• Track time estimates for both human and AI effort

After Completion

Claude Code will:

• Update the attribution markdown file
• Calculate overall project percentages
• Maintain detailed log entries

File Structure

your-project/
├── AI-HUMAN-ATTRIBUTION.md    # Main attribution document
│   ├── Overall Project Attribution (percentages)
│   ├── Role Definitions
│   └── Detailed Contribution Log
└── [your project files]

The Role Framework

Contributions are tracked across 4 levels per development phase:

Level	Meaning
Principal	Primary driver, decision-maker, creator
Support	Helper, executor of others' ideas
Equal	Balanced collaboration, joint decisions
None	No participation in this phase

Development Phases

Each task is analyzed across 4 phases:

1. Conceptualization: Ideas, vision, requirements
2. Analysis: Problem-solving, architecture, research
3. Implementation: Writing code, configuration, assets
4. Validation: Testing, review, refinement

Example Entry

### 2025-01-15: User Authentication System

**Phase**: Implementation + Validation

| Role | Human | AI |
|------|-------|-----|
| Conceptualization | Principal - JWT vision, user roles | Support |
| Analysis | Equal - Security considerations | Equal |
| Implementation | Support | Principal - Auth0 integration code |
| Validation | Principal - Testing, edge cases | Support |

**Deliverables**:
- ✅ Login/signup forms
- ✅ JWT token management
- ✅ Protected routes
- ✅ Role-based access control

**Tools Used**: Claude Code (Sonnet 4.5), Auth0 docs
**Human Time**: ~2 hours (design, testing)
**AI Time**: ~45 minutes (implementation, debugging)
**Commit**: `abc1234`

**Notes**:
- Human designed the overall auth flow
- AI implemented Auth0 SDK integration
- Human discovered and fixed token refresh bug

Best Practices

1. Be Honest: Don't downplay either party's contributions
2. Be Specific: Document what each party actually did
3. Track Time: Helps future project estimation
4. Update Regularly: Don't let attribution get stale
5. Include Context: Notes explain the "why" behind decisions

Integration with Your Workflow

This skill works alongside:

• Git commits (reference commit hashes)
• Project documentation (README references attribution)
• Code reviews (attribution informs review focus)
• Client reporting (transparent effort breakdown)

Customization

You can adapt this system for:

• Solo developers with AI assistance
• Teams using AI pair programming
• Agencies tracking AI-assisted work
• Open source projects with AI contributions

Files Created

This skill includes:

• SKILL.md (this file) - Skill overview and usage
• TEMPLATE_USER_GUIDE.md - Detailed human-facing guide
• TEMPLATE_API_REFERENCE.md - Technical reference for implementation
• templates/ATTRIBUTION.md.template - Attribution document template

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Skill Version: 1.0.0

Last Updated: 2025-01-15 Inspired By: @loscolmebrothers/home project attribution system

License: MIT - Feel free to adapt and share