Figma Design

Codex compatibility note:

• Invoke repository skills with $skill-name in Codex; this mirrored copy rewrites legacy Claude /skill-name references.
• Task tracker mandate: BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all steps and keep it synchronized as progress changes.
• User-question prompts mean to ask the user directly in Codex.
• Ignore Claude-specific mode-switch instructions when they appear.
• Strict execution contract: when a user explicitly invokes a skill, execute that skill protocol as written.
• Subagent authorization: when a skill is user-invoked or AI-detected and its protocol requires subagents, that skill activation authorizes use of the required spawn_agent subagent(s) for that task.
• Do not skip, reorder, or merge protocol steps unless the user explicitly approves the deviation first.
• For workflow skills, execute each listed child-skill step explicitly and report step-by-step evidence.
• If a required step/tool cannot run in this environment, stop and ask the user before adapting.

Codex Project-Reference Loading (No Hooks)

Codex uses static project-reference loading instead of runtime-injected project docs. When coding, planning, debugging, testing, or reviewing, open project docs explicitly using this routing.

Always read:

• docs/project-config.json (project-specific paths, commands, modules, and workflow/test settings)
• docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md (routes to the full docs/project-reference/* catalog)
• docs/project-reference/lessons.md (always-on guardrails and anti-patterns)

Missing/stale context route: If docs/project-config.json, the docs index, lessons.md, CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, or any task-required reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run $project-init or the narrow setup route ($project-config, $docs-init, $scan-all, $scan --target=<key>, $claude-md-init) before ordinary project-specific work. If Codex mirrors or AGENTS.md are missing/stale, ask the user to run $sync-codex; do not auto-run it.

Situation-based docs:

• Project structure/architecture/tech-stack/deployment/setup (any layer — backend, frontend, or infra): project-structure-reference.md
• Backend/CQRS/API/domain/entity changes: backend-patterns-reference.md, domain-entities-reference.md
• Frontend/UI/styling/design-system: frontend-patterns-reference.md, scss-styling-guide.md, design-system/README.md
• Spec authoring, docs/specs/ pathing, or TC format: feature-spec-reference.md, spec-system-reference.md, spec-principles.md
• Behavior/public-contract changes or spec-test-code sync: workflow-spec-test-code-cycle-reference.md plus the spec docs above
• Derived spec indexes/ERDs/reimplementation guides: spec-system-reference.md and source Feature Specs under docs/specs/
• Integration test implementation/review: integration-test-reference.md
• E2E test implementation/review: e2e-test-reference.md
• Code review/audit work: code-review-rules.md plus domain docs above based on changed files

Do not read all docs blindly. Start from docs-index-reference.md, then open only relevant files for the task.

Quick Summary

Goal: Extract structured design context from Figma designs for downstream use by design-spec and planning skills.

Workflow:

1. Detect Input — Parse Figma URL, extract file key + node ID
2. Select Extraction Method — 4-level fallback chain
3. Extract Context — Design tokens, components, layout, typography
4. Output Artifact — Structured markdown for design-spec consumption

Key Rules:

Frontend/UI Context (if applicable)

When this task involves frontend or UI changes,

• Component patterns: docs/project-reference/frontend-patterns-reference.md

• Styling/BEM guide: docs/project-reference/scss-styling-guide.md

• Design system tokens: docs/project-reference/design-system/README.md

• Always try highest-fidelity method first, fallback gracefully

• Output must be consumable by design-spec and ui-wireframe-protocol

• Keep extraction under 5K tokens per design

Extraction Fallback Chain

[BLOCKING] Before the extracted design feeds a new/updated screen (per the SYNC:existing-ui-research protocol carried by this skill): inventory the existing related UI and map connected feature flows so the design built from this extract faithfully matches the current UI system. Skip only when the extract is not driving a new/updated screen (state it explicitly).

Level 1: Official Figma MCP (Best Fidelity)

Check if MCP tools available: look for get_design_context in tool list.

If available:

1. get_design_context — structured layout, components, tokens, constraints
2. get_screenshot — visual reference image
3. get_code_connect_map — map Figma components to code components

Level 2: GLips Figma-Context-MCP (Good Fidelity)

Check if GLips MCP tools available (look for figma-context tools).

If available:

1. Extract file metadata, frame structure, component list
2. Limited to read-only operations

Level 3: Figma REST API (Manual)

If FIGMA_ACCESS_TOKEN environment variable exists:

1. Call GET /v1/files/{file_key}/nodes?ids={node_id} via bash script
2. Parse response for: component names, styles, layout properties
3. Limited — no screenshot, no Code Connect

Level 4: Screenshot + visual analysis tooling (Always Available)

If no MCP and no API token:

1. Ask user by asking the user directly: "Please screenshot the Figma frame and paste here"
2. Analyze via visual analysis tooling skill with design extraction prompts
3. Extract: approximate colors, fonts, spacing, layout, components

Figma URL Detection & MCP Extraction (canonical)

Applies when reading PBI/design-spec files that reference Figma URLs. URL→MCP extraction runs inline in this skill.

When a PBI or design-spec references one or more Figma URLs, parse each URL and extract:

• File Key — the [a-zA-Z0-9]+ segment after figma.com/design/ or figma.com/file/.
• Node ID — the node-id=NNN-NNN query param (display form, e.g. 1-23). API form replaces - with : → 1:23.

Then extract the referenced nodes via the available Figma MCP tools:

# With a node id (preferred — narrow, cheap):
mcp__figma__get_file_nodes file_key="{fileKey}" node_ids="{apiNodeId}"

# Whole file (no node id):
mcp__figma__get_file file_key="{fileKey}"

Token Budget: extract specific nodes only — target <5K tokens per design. Never pull a whole file when a node id is available.

Output Format

Save to team-artifacts/design-specs/{YYMMDD}-figma-extract-{slug}.md:

# Figma Design Extract: {Name}

**Source:** {Figma URL}
**Method:** {MCP Level 1 | MCP Level 2 | REST API | Screenshot}
**Date:** {YYMMDD}

## Design Tokens

| Category   | Token     | Value                |
| ---------- | --------- | -------------------- |
| Color      | Primary   | {hex}                |
| Color      | Secondary | {hex}                |
| Typography | Heading   | {font, size, weight} |
| Spacing    | Base      | {px}                 |

## Component Inventory

- **{ComponentName}** — {description}, variants: {list}

## Layout

{ASCII wireframe per ui-wireframe-protocol}

## Responsive

{Breakpoint behavior if detectable}

{Small-screen minimum bar: the layout must stay usable on mobile — preferred reflow (flex-wrap / row → column, grids collapse to one column); acceptable fallback when a component genuinely can't reflow (tables, canvases, wide grids) is a min-width/min-height + overflow:auto scroll (scrolling is OK); hard requirement is nothing broken — no clipped, cut-off, or unreachable content. Note any component that would need a large redesign to work on mobile so the user can confirm scope.}

## Clause Conformance (UI/UX Design Principles)

| Clause                       | Observed in the Figma source | Verdict      | Note                                                                      |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `UI-2.5` type scale          | {distinct text sizes found}  | PASS / DRIFT | {collapses to 6 named steps, or list the one-off sizes}                   |
| `UI-2.2` body size           | {px}                         | PASS / FAIL  | {16px web / 17px mobile; anything below 14px is a hard fail}              |
| `UI-3.1` contrast            | {measured ratios per pair}   | PASS / FAIL  | {4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI edges — computed from the extracted hexes}            |
| `UI-3.3` colour alone        | {status/meaning carriers}    | PASS / FAIL  | {icon or label paired with the colour?}                                   |
| `UI-4.1` spacing unit        | {values found}               | PASS / DRIFT | {one 4px or 8px base, every gap a multiple; list off-grid values + nodes} |
| `UI-5.2` interaction states  | {variants present}           | PASS / GAP   | {default, hover, focus, active, disabled — name the missing ones}         |
| `UI-1.5` empty/loading/error | {frames present}             | PASS / GAP   | {name which of the three are missing}                                     |
| `UI-8.1` touch targets       | {sizes on mobile frames}     | PASS / FAIL  | {≥44×44pt, 8px apart — mobile/touch frames only}                          |

Clause Conformance Read (extraction gate)

Figma is a SOURCE, not an authority. Extract the design context AND read it against the 40 UI/UX Design Principles (UI-1.1–UI-9.4, the SYNC:ui-ux-design-principles block below) — an extract that silently imports a violation propagates it into every downstream spec, mock-up, and implementation.

1. Measure, never eyeball (UI-3.1). Compute contrast from the extracted hex pairs — 4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI edges — and record the NUMBER. A Figma colour style that fails is REPORTED as a failure, never imported as a token without the flag.
2. Check the type scale for drift (UI-2.5, UI-2.2, UI-2.3). Collapse the extracted text styles to 6 named steps; more than 6, or one-off sizes, is scale drift — list the offending sizes. Flag body below 16px web / 17px mobile, and anything under 14px as a hard fail; note where the measure exceeds 45–75 characters.
3. Check the spacing unit (UI-4.1). Reduce the extracted spacing values to ONE 4px or 8px base; every value that is not a multiple is recorded as off-grid with its source node.
4. Check state coverage (UI-5.2, UI-1.5, UI-9.3). Figma files usually ship the populated state only. Name which of the empty / loading / error frames are MISSING, and which of the 5 interaction states (default, hover, focus, active, disabled) have no variant — those gaps become open questions for the design owner, never silent omissions downstream. Note anything that loads without reserved space.
5. Check touch surfaces (UI-8.1, UI-8.2). On mobile/touch frames, verify hit targets ≥44×44pt spaced 8px apart and primary actions in the bottom third; report undersized targets with their node names.

Record every result in the ## Clause Conformance table of the output above. Project design-system docs OUTRANK the clauses, and the clauses outrank the Figma file — when the three disagree, surface all sides to the user; NEVER resolve it silently.

When to Use

• Figma URL detected in PBI, design-spec, or user prompt
• Called by design-spec when Figma URL is present
• Called by plan skill during Design Context Extraction step

When NOT to Use

• No Figma URL present — skip, proceed to design-spec directly
• Hand-drawn wireframe — use design-spec --mode=wireframe instead
• Screenshot of existing app — use design --mode=screenshot instead

See Also

• references/figma-mcp-setup.md — MCP server setup guide (created in Phase 09)
• .claude/skills/plan/references/engine-figma.md — integration protocol
• URL detection is handled inline in this skill

[IMPORTANT] Use task tracking to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting.

[BLOCKING] Understand the existing UI before you design or spec a new/updated screen. Before producing any wireframe, mockup, screen design, or UI spec:

1. Inventory existing related UI — search the project for screens, pages, and components already serving this feature or its domain (consult design-system docs + the real component inventory).
2. Map connected flows — identify every feature that links to, embeds, includes, or navigates to/from the new screen; trace its entry and exit flows so the new screen fits them.
3. Reuse before invent — prefer existing components, patterns, and layout conventions; justify any new component against what already exists.
4. Record findings — note the matched existing screens/components + connected flows in the artifact so downstream design faithfully matches the current UI system.

Skip ONLY when the feature is backend-only (no UI) — state that explicitly.

UI System Context — For ANY task touching .ts, .html, .scss, or .css files:

MUST ATTENTION READ before implementing:

1. docs/project-reference/frontend-patterns-reference.md — component base classes, stores, forms
2. docs/project-reference/scss-styling-guide.md — BEM methodology, SCSS variables, mixins, responsive
3. docs/project-reference/design-system/README.md — design tokens, component inventory, icons

Reference docs/project-config.json for project-specific paths.

UI/UX Design Principles (Rev 1.0 — 40 clauses, web + mobile) — the working rule set for ANY task that designs, plans, implements, or reviews a user interface. Applies to BOTH platforms unless a clause names one (§8 is mobile/touch). Cite clauses by ID: UI-3.1, UI-8.2.

Precedence: project design-system / SCSS / frontend-pattern docs OUTRANK these clauses; these clauses outrank generic taste. A genuine conflict is SURFACED to the user with both sides — NEVER resolved silently. — why: the project's own recorded decision is the authority; these clauses are the default when it is silent.

1.0 Visual Hierarchy & Layout

• UI-1.1 One focal point per screen. Two elements competing for first read → demote one.
• UI-1.2 Signal order: size → weight → colour → position. Use the cheapest signal that works before adding another.
• UI-1.3 Group by proximity, NEVER by border. Whitespace separates cleanly; boxes inside boxes do not.
• UI-1.4 Align to a shared edge. Every unexplained indent reads as an accident.
• UI-1.5 Design the empty, loading and error state FIRST. The full state is the easy one.

2.0 Typography

• UI-2.1 Max 2 families, 3 weights each. More variety reads as inconsistency, not range.
• UI-2.2 Body text 16px web, 17px mobile. NEVER below 14px for anything a user must read.
• UI-2.3 Line length 45–75 characters. Constrain the measure, not the container.
• UI-2.4 Leading scales inversely with size: 1.5 body, 1.1–1.2 display.
• UI-2.5 Fixed type scale — 6 named steps shared with engineering. NEVER one-off sizes.

3.0 Colour & Contrast

• UI-3.1 Contrast 4.5:1 text, 3:1 UI edges. Measure it — NEVER judge by eye on a bright screen.
• UI-3.2 One accent, one job. An accent that is everywhere points at nothing.
• UI-3.3 Colour NEVER carries meaning alone — pair it with an icon, label or position.
• UI-3.4 Dark mode is NOT inverted light mode. Lift surfaces to signal elevation; soften pure-white text.

4.0 Spacing & Grid

• UI-4.1 One spacing unit, multiplied — 4px or 8px base; every gap a multiple of it.
• UI-4.2 Space belongs to the container, not the child. Use gap; reserve margins for exceptions.
• UI-4.3 Tighter inside, looser between — inner padding always smaller than the gap to the next group.
• UI-4.4 Breakpoints follow content, not devices. Break where the layout stops working.

5.0 Interaction & Feedback

• UI-5.1 Every action gets a response under 100ms, even when the result takes longer.
• UI-5.2 Specify all 5 states — default, hover, focus, active, disabled — plus loading where it applies.
• UI-5.3 Prefer undo over confirmation. Confirm ONLY what cannot be reversed.
• UI-5.4 Motion clarifies cause and effect: 150–250ms, ease-out, honours reduced-motion.
• UI-5.5 Keep the visible focus ring. Restyle it if it clashes; NEVER remove it.

6.0 Navigation & IA

• UI-6.1 Every screen answers: where am I, what's here, where next.
• UI-6.2 Max 5 top-level destinations. Depth beats a crowded first level.
• UI-6.3 Label by the user's word, not the internal one. Team vocabulary is not a taxonomy.
• UI-6.4 Every state deserves a URL or a back path. Deep links and hardware back must land somewhere sensible.

7.0 Forms & Input

• UI-7.1 Ask for less. Every field needs a reason it exists today.
• UI-7.2 Labels stay visible. Placeholders are hints, NEVER labels.
• UI-7.3 Validate on blur, not on keystroke. Errors sit next to the field and say how to fix it.
• UI-7.4 Match keyboard to data type — correct input type, autocomplete and autocapitalise on every field.
• UI-7.5 NEVER lose entered data. Preserve input across errors, navigation and refresh.

8.0 Mobile & Touch (mobile/touch surfaces)

• UI-8.1 Hit target ≥44×44pt, 8px apart. The target may exceed the visible icon.
• UI-8.2 Primary actions in the bottom third — that is where the thumb lives.
• UI-8.3 Gestures are shortcuts, NEVER the only route. Anything swipeable is also tappable.
• UI-8.4 Respect safe areas and the keyboard. Notch, home indicator and on-screen keyboard all steal space.

9.0 Speed & Perceived Speed

• UI-9.1 Show structure before data — skeletons for known layouts, spinners only for unknown waits.
• UI-9.2 Assume success optimistically. Update UI first, reconcile after, roll back visibly on failure.
• UI-9.3 Reserve space for anything that loads. Images, ads and fonts must NEVER shift the layout.
• UI-9.4 Design for the slow connection. Offline, timeout and retry are states, NOT edge cases.

Apply by role — the clauses are one set; what you DO with them depends on the task:

Role	Obligation
DESIGN / PLAN a surface	Clauses shape the artifact: empty/loading/error specified first (UI-1.5), all 5 states enumerated (UI-5.2), type scale + spacing unit declared (UI-2.5, UI-4.1)
IMPLEMENT a component	Pre-completion gate: states · tokens · contrast · focus ring · touch target · reserved space (UI-5.2, UI-2.5/UI-4.1, UI-3.1, UI-5.5, UI-8.1, UI-9.3)
REVIEW UI code or a design artifact	Each clause is a fail-condition; every finding cites UI-<clause> + file:line + severity. NEVER a tick-box sweep — one focused pass per section
SCAN / document a UI system	Record where the PROJECT deliberately deviates, so the overriding doc becomes the recorded authority

Skip ONLY when the change has no user-facing surface (backend-only, tooling, docs) — state that explicitly so the skip is auditable, not an omission.

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

Re-read files after context changes. Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting. Verify generated content against source evidence. AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing. Check downstream references before deleting or renaming. Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first. Trace the full impact chain after edits. Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect. Before changing or reporting a constant, limit, flag, cutoff, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history, the CALLER's ordering, and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard. Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently. Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk. Assert the outcome your system owns, not the intermediate state your infrastructure owns. When verifying async work, assert the final business state — never the delivery/retry bookkeeping held in shared infrastructure that any co-running process can write. Such a check passes when run alone and flakes the moment anything else shares that infrastructure. Keep shared guidance role-relevant. Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION read frontend-patterns-reference, scss-styling-guide, design-system/README before any UI change.

• MUST ATTENTION apply the 40 UI/UX Design Principles (UI-1.1–UI-9.4) to any user-facing surface: one focal point, proximity grouping, empty/loading/error designed FIRST (§1) · ≤2 families, 16px web / 17px mobile body, never <14px, 45–75ch, fixed 6-step scale (§2) · 4.5:1 text / 3:1 edges measured, one accent, colour never alone, dark mode ≠ inversion (§3) · one 4/8px unit, gap over margins, tighter-inside-looser-between, content-driven breakpoints (§4) · <100ms response, all 5 states, undo over confirm, 150–250ms ease-out honouring reduced-motion, visible focus ring (§5) · where-am-I/what's-here/where-next, ≤5 top-level destinations, user's words, URL or back path (§6) · fewer fields, visible labels, validate on blur, matched keyboard, NEVER lose input (§7) · ≥44×44pt targets 8px apart, bottom-third primaries, gestures never the only route, safe areas (§8) · structure before data, optimistic update with visible rollback, reserved space, slow-connection states (§9). Project design-system docs OUTRANK these clauses — a genuine conflict goes to the user, NEVER resolved silently. Cite every finding as UI-<clause> + file:line. Skip ONLY for changes with no user-facing surface, stated explicitly.

MUST ATTENTION apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (file:line for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence.

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting.

Project Protocol Overlay — Before executing this skill, resolve any PROJECT overlay rules layered onto it: match this skill's name against the Target column of the project's skill-protocol index (docs/project-reference/skill-protocols-reference.md by default; a referenceDocs entry in docs/project-config.json overrides the path), taking the most specific matching tier ONLY — exact name > glob > *. That precedence orders overlays against EACH OTHER, never against this skill. Read ONLY the matched bodies, resolved as <protocols-dir>/<Name>.md; a row's Body link is display text, never a read path. A matched body that is missing or malformed is REPORTED and skipped — never reconstructed from the index Description. No index, or no match -> proceed with no overlay, silently. Full contract: .claude/skills/project-skill-protocol/references/registry.md.

Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY: they ADD rules on top of this skill's own protocol and NEVER replace, override, disable, or reinterpret a rule it already states — removing every overlay must return this skill to exactly its documented behavior. An overlay is a BRIEF, not an authority escalation: it can NEVER waive a workflow gate, git discipline, a review gate, or a user-confirmation gate. A genuine overlay-vs-skill conflict, or two equally-specific overlays that directly contradict -> surface both to the user; NEVER resolve silently.

MUST ATTENTION resolve project protocol overlays for this skill BEFORE executing — most specific matching tier only (exact > glob > *, which ranks overlays against each other, NEVER against this skill), read only matched bodies at <protocols-dir>/<Name>.md; a missing or malformed body is reported, never reconstructed. Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY (they never replace this skill's own rules) and are a brief, NEVER an authority escalation; an equal-specificity contradiction goes to the user.

Closing Reminders

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using task tracking BEFORE starting

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):

• UI System Context: read frontend-patterns, scss-styling, design-system before any UI change.
• Critical Thinking: traced proof per claim, confidence >80% to act.
• AI Mistake Prevention: verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity.

IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act) IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION read the extract against the 40 UI/UX Design Principles (UI-1.1–UI-9.4) and REPORT violations in the ## Clause Conformance table instead of importing them silently — contrast measured from the extracted hexes (4.5:1 text / 3:1 edges, UI-3.1), type-scale drift against 6 named steps (UI-2.5) and body 16px web / 17px mobile never below 14px (UI-2.2), off-grid values against ONE 4/8px unit (UI-4.1), MISSING empty/loading/error frames (UI-1.5) and missing variants of the 5 interaction states (UI-5.2), undersized touch targets (UI-8.1) and primaries outside the bottom third (UI-8.2) — project design-system docs outrank the clauses and the clauses outrank the Figma file; disagreements go to the user MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION READ the following files before starting:

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using task tracking.

Hookless Prompt Protocol Mirror (Auto-Synced)

Source: .claude/.ck.json + .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md (:full blocks) + .claude/scripts/lib/hookless-prompt-protocol.cjs

[WORKFLOW-EXECUTION-PROTOCOL] [BLOCKING] Workflow Execution Protocol — MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST CRITICAL. Do not skip for any reason.

Generic portability boundary: Reusable skills and protocol text stay project-neutral; project-specific conventions are discovered from docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/. Apply shared AI-SDD from shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md. Read docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md, then open the project reference docs named there. For spec, test-case, behavior-change, public-contract, or docs/specs/ work, route through the local spec docs named by the docs index: feature-spec-reference.md, spec-system-reference.md, spec-principles.md, and workflow-spec-test-code-cycle-reference.md when specs/tests/code must stay synchronized. If either file or a required reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run $project-init (or the narrow lower-level route such as $project-config, $docs-init, $scan-all, or $scan --target=<key>) before ordinary project-specific work. Any supported AI tool may execute when this shared context and local docs are available.

1. DETECT: If the prompt starts with an explicit slash skill/workflow command, execute it directly. Otherwise match the prompt against the workflow catalog and skill list.
2. ANALYZE: Choose the best option: execute directly, invoke a skill, activate a standard workflow, or compose a custom step combination.
3. AUTO-SELECT: Pick the best option yourself. Do not ask the user to choose between direct execution, skill, standard workflow, or custom workflow.
4. ACTIVATE: For a selected workflow, call $start-workflow <workflowId>; for a selected skill, invoke that skill; for a custom workflow, sequence custom steps directly; for direct execution, proceed with the task.
5. CREATE TASKS: task tracking for ALL workflow/skill/custom steps before execution when the selected path has multiple steps.
6. PARALLELIZE: Before executing the task list, tag each task PAR (independent inputs + write set disjoint from every other PAR task) or SEQ (name the blocking dependency), group PAR tasks into waves, declare the wave plan, and spawn each wave's sub-agents in ONE message — all-return barrier per wave, fan-out one level deep unless a sub-agent's own definition authorizes further fan-out. Sequential-by-default is a defect when tasks are independent; do not parallelize shared write targets, output-consuming tasks, trivial single-file work, ordering a skill or workflow explicitly fixes, or user-approval gates.
7. EXECUTE: Advance per the Workflow Step Advancement & Parallel Phases rule in your context instructions — model-driven; a sub-agent completion advances a step identically to an inline call; a parallel-phase group is an all-return barrier (advance only after ALL members return, never serialize it)

Shared AI-SDD Protocol Markers

Source: .claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md

SYNC:ai-sdd-artifact-contract

AI-SDD Artifact Contract — Shared spec-driven development rules stay portable and source-owned.

1. Keep reusable AI-SDD principles in .claude; put repository-specific paths, commands, owners, products, and formats in project config/reference docs.
2. Preserve cycle: spec -> plan -> tasks -> implement -> verify -> update spec/docs.
3. Trace every requirement or invariant through decision, task, TC/test, source evidence, and docs/spec update.
4. Treat code-to-spec extraction as reference-only until accepted by the canonical spec owner.
5. Any supported AI tool may plan, implement, review, or verify with synced context; using multiple tools is optional.
6. Update .claude source first, then sync generated mirrors; do not manually edit .agents, .codex, or AGENTS.md. — why: mirrors are generated artifacts; hand-edits are overwritten on the next sync
7. If docs/project-config.json, root instruction files, or a required project-reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run $project-init or the narrow lower-level route before ordinary project-specific work.

Active reference: shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md in the active skills root.

SYNC:ai-sdd-artifact-contract:reminder

• MANDATORY Apply shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md; keep reusable AI-SDD in .claude and local rules in project docs.
• MANDATORY Code-to-spec extraction is reference-only until canonical acceptance; any supported AI tool may execute with synced context.
• MANDATORY Update .claude source before syncing generated mirrors; do not manually edit .agents, .codex, or AGENTS.md.
• MANDATORY Missing or stale project config, root instruction files, or required reference docs route project-specific work through $project-init or the narrow setup route automatically. [TASK-PLANNING] [MANDATORY] BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all planned steps, then keep it synchronized as each step starts/completes.

[LESSON-LEARNED-REMINDER] [BLOCKING] Task Planning & Continuous Improvement — MANDATORY. Do not skip.

Break work into small tasks (task tracking) before starting. Add final task: "Analyze AI mistakes & lessons learned".

Extract lessons — ROOT CAUSE ONLY, not symptom fixes:

1. Name the FAILURE MODE (reasoning/assumption failure), not symptom — "assumed API existed without reading source" not "used wrong enum value".
2. Generality test: does this failure mode apply to ≥3 contexts/codebases? If not, abstract one level up.
3. Write as a universal rule — strip project-specific names/paths/classes. Useful on any codebase.
4. Consolidate: multiple mistakes sharing one failure mode → ONE lesson.
5. Recurrence gate: "Would this recur in future session WITHOUT this reminder?" — No → skip $learn.
6. Auto-fix gate: "Could $code-review/$code-simplifier/$security-review/$lint catch this?" — Yes → improve review skill instead.
7. BOTH gates pass → ask user to run $learn. [CRITICAL-THINKING-MINDSET] Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination principle: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination. AI Attention principle (Primacy-Recency): Put the 3 most critical rules at both top and bottom of long prompts/protocols so instruction adherence survives long context windows. Goal-driven execution: Define success criteria first, loop until verified, and stop only when observable checks pass. Tests verify intent: Tests must protect business rules/invariants and fail when the protected intent breaks, not only mirror current behavior.

Common AI Mistake Prevention (System Lessons)

• Re-read files after context compaction. Edit requires prior Read in same context; compaction wipes read state. Re-read before editing.
• Grep for old terms after bulk replacements. AI over-trusts find/replace completeness. Grep full repo after bulk edits for missed refs in docs/configs/catalogs.
• Check downstream references before deleting. Deletions cascade doc/code staleness. Map referencing files before removal.
• After memory loss, check existing state before creating new. Compaction wipes prior-work memory. Query current state to resume — never blindly duplicate.
• Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, method signatures. Grep to confirm existence before documenting/referencing.
• Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream consumers. Trace the full chain.
• When renaming, grep ALL consumer file types. Some file types silently ignore missing refs (no compile error). Search code, templates, configs, generated files.
• Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Code existing ≠ code executing. Trace early exits, error branches, conditional skips — not just happy path.
• Update docs that embed canonical data when source changes. Docs inlining derived data (workflows, schemas, configs) go stale silently. Update all embedding docs alongside source.
• Verify sub-agent results after context recovery. Background agents may finish while parent compacted — grep-verify output, don't trust assumed completion.
• Cross-check full target list against sub-agent assignments. Parallel sub-agents by category miss boundary items. Reconcile union of assignments against target list before proceeding.
• Sub-agents inherit knowledge only from their agent .md definition — use custom agent types, not built-in Explore. Tool adoption = permission + knowledge + enforcement (numbered workflow step).
• Persist sub-agent findings incrementally, not as a final batch. Long sub-agents hit cutoffs before final write — findings lost. Instruct append-per-section to report file.
• When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace caller (wrong data) vs callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site.
• Test failure → record a provisional verdict before trace/edit, then investigate. Use the full five-way taxonomy: SOURCE-WRONG (production violates intent), TEST-WRONG (assertion/setup is stale), TEST-NOT-OPTIMAL (valid but fragile or low-signal test), ENVIRONMENT-BLOCKED (external state prevents a verdict), or AMBIGUOUS (intent/evidence cannot choose safely). Then trace root cause and triangulate against the governing spec (docs/specs/** if one exists) AND source. NEVER weaken an assertion, add a skip, relax a timeout, or change source merely to force green.
• Grep ALL removed names after extraction/refactoring. Primary file "done" ≠ secondary files clean. Grep entire scope for every removed symbol before declaring complete.
• Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect. Pattern-matching as "wrong" skips context. Before changing or reporting any constant/limit/flag/cutoff: read comments, git blame, the CALLER's ordering (the guarantee that makes the value correct usually lives in code running immediately BEFORE the cited line), and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard — and in a validation pass, an accurate file:line citation proves the transcription, never the defect.
• Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. One build green ≠ all green. Multi-stack changes (backend/frontend/tests/docs) require verifying EVERY output.
• **Evaluate fit before copying a nearby

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