Do Work

Do Work

If running interactively (human present), output "Read Do Work skill." to acknowledge. If running with --dangerously-skip-permissions (AFK/unattended), skip acknowledgement and proceed directly.

Pipeline position: /grill-me → /write-a-prd → /architect → /prd-to-issues → /do-work → shft

Workflow

0. HUD event (if daemon running)

Emit a session-start event so the HUD tracks this work:

source ~/dotfiles/bin/write-hud-state.sh
write_hud_event "info" "do-work: started — $TASK_SUMMARY"

Replace $TASK_SUMMARY with a short description. Emit again after each commit (do-work: committed — <message>) and at session end (do-work: completed).

1. Understand

Read any referenced plan, PRD, or GitHub issue. If none provided, clarify the task with the user before proceeding.

2. Plan (optional)

If the task has not already been planned, create a plan for it. Break large tasks into vertical slices (tracer bullets) — each slice should touch all layers end-to-end rather than building layer by layer.

Skip this step if a plan or PRD already exists.

3. Implement

Read a sample existing file of the same type before creating new ones — follow the conventions already established in the codebase.

For backend code: use red/green/refactor, one test at a time in a tracer-bullet style.

1. Write a single failing test for the smallest vertical slice of behaviour
2. Run the test — confirm it fails (red)
3. Write the minimum code to make it pass (green)
4. Repeat from step 1 for the next slice
5. Refactor if needed while keeping tests green

Do not write all tests upfront — write one, make it pass, then move to the next.

For frontend code: implement directly without TDD.

4. Validate

Run the project's feedback loops until they pass cleanly. Auto-detect from the workspace:

• package.json → look for test, typecheck, type-check, lint scripts. Run with the project's package manager (npm/pnpm/yarn/bun).
• composer.json → look for test, lint, phpstan scripts. Run with composer run.
• Makefile → look for test, lint, check targets. Run with make.
• pyproject.toml / setup.cfg → look for pytest, mypy, ruff. Run directly.
• Pre-commit hooks → if .husky/ or .pre-commit-config.yaml exists, the commit step will trigger them automatically.

If no feedback loops are detected, tell the user and ask what validation commands to run.

5. Commit

Once validation passes, commit the work using the atomic-commits skill (one logical change per commit, conventional commit message).

6. Preflight (Ship mode only)

If this is the final slice and the work is ready for review, run the pr-preflight skill end-to-end before pushing. Preflight audits main..HEAD, so the commit must exist before it can inspect the diff. This catches the class of issues that iterative Copilot reviews find one-at-a-time, so review is one pass instead of many.

Skip this step when using Commit mode for intermediate checkpoints — preflight runs once before the final push, not on every checkpoint.

After preflight passes, use the atomic-commits skill in Ship mode — push and open a PR.

7. Context Check

If this is one phase of a multi-phase plan, or if context usage is over 40%, follow the standard handoff protocol (@~/dotfiles/instructions/handoff.instructions.md) — commit all work, persist the remaining plan to working/active/, and provide the pickup command.

Include @-references to working/research/<topic>.md, PRD issues, and key files modified this session.