How to use the NPRM Comment Deadline Tracker agent skill

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that gives Claude extra instructions for a specific kind of task. When a request matches the skill's description, Claude follows the skill's steps.

The comments skill covers one job: making sure no NPRM comment deadline passes without a logged decision. An NPRM is a proposed rule that a regulator has published for public comment. The skill loads your tracked NPRMs, shows the open comment periods, and records decisions. It does not decide whether to file. A person does that.

• Shows open comment periods in two tables: deadlines under 14 days, and open periods over 14 days.
• Lists recently decided items with their rationale.
• Logs a decision of filing, not-filing or waived, with a short rationale.
• When a filing is logged, prompts for a internal review reminder set 5 business days before the comment deadline.
• Sends reminders at 14 and 3 days before a deadline if the item is still undecided (Slack notifications require configuration).

Install the comments skill

Download the ZIP file from this page. The download contains SKILL.md.

Option A, for personal use: unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/ so the comments folder sits there.

Option B, for one project: unzip the file into the .claude/skills/ folder inside your project.

Option C, in the Claude apps: open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the skill there.

• Confirm the folder contains SKILL.md before you start.
• The skill is listed in the claude-for-legal repository as part of the regulatory-legal set. Its name is comments.

Set up the required config files

The skill reads two local files before it does anything substantive. Create them under ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/regulatory-legal/. The source names comment-tracker.yaml, which lists tracked NPRMs and their status, and CLAUDE.md, which sets the default comment decision owner and the Who's using this section that the attorney gate reads.

The skill also depends on the reg-feed-watcher and gap-surfacer reference skills. Those are not included in this file, so you need them from the claude-for-legal setup for the full workflow.

Slack notifications are optional. They need a Slack MCP connection and an owner_slack setting.

• comment-tracker.yaml: the list of NPRMs and their status.
• CLAUDE.md: the default decision owner and the Who's using this section, which records your role.
• Optional: Slack MCP connection plus owner_slack for DMs.

Ask for it with natural requests

You do not need to type the slash command. Describe what you need and the agent will match the request to the skill. Phrases that match the description include: an NPRM has a comment window open, surface the deadlines, decide whether to file, or record a decision.

To log a decision directly, the source uses this form: /regulatory-legal:comments --decide CMT-001, followed by a Decision line (filing, not-filing or waived) and a Rationale line in quotes.

• "Show me NPRM comment periods that are open and what is due soonest."
• "Which undecided comment deadlines are within 30 days?"
• "Record a not-filing decision on CMT-002, rationale: rule does not apply to our model."

Read the tracker output

The default view groups items by urgency. Each row shows the ID, regulation, deadline, days left, decision status and owner. Undecided items with a deadline under 14 days appear first.

The footer shows the total open count and the number of undecided items with a deadline under 30 days, so you can see your workload at a glance.

• Deadline in under 14 days: the most urgent group.
• Open (over 14 days): the rest of the open periods.
• Recently decided: the record of past decisions and rationales.

Understand the attorney gate and its limits

Before a decision is logged as filing, and before any comment letter or regulator-response draft is produced for submission, the skill checks the Role in CLAUDE.md. If the role is Non-lawyer, it stops and asks whether an attorney has reviewed the matter. If not, it gives a brief to take to one, covering the rulemaking, the proposed positions, open questions, risks and what to ask.

Tracking views, deadline reminders and not-filing or waived decisions do not trigger the gate.

The skill does not draft the comment letter, does not make the filing decision, and does not monitor activity after a filing. For follow-up, use /regulatory-legal:reg-feed-watcher.

• Non-lawyers should not treat a logged filing decision as final without attorney review.
• The source states that the comment-decision gap_type semantics and the per-send Slack confirmation rule live in the gap-surfacer reference skill.

Safety notes: scripts and network

According to the skill's listing, it does not run scripts. It does use the network, which matters for the optional Slack notifications. Review the Slack connection and owner_slack setting before enabling them, and check which messages will be sent.

• Runs scripts: no.
• Uses network: yes, mainly for optional Slack notifications.
• Config files hold your tracked NPRMs and role information, so keep them private.