Ping Pong Pairing

Ping-Pong Pairing Workflow (Subagent Edition)

Use this skill to orchestrate an automated, turn-based Ping-Pong TDD loop using Antigravity subagents. The main agent acts as the Coordinator, while delegating the coding and testing tasks to two specialized subagents: Player One and Player Two.

1. Setup Phase: Defining the Subagents

At the start of the session, the Coordinator MUST define the two subagents using the define_subagent tool:

1. tdd_player_one:

   • Description: "Acts as Player One in the TDD ping-pong pairing loop, alternating between writing a failing test and writing minimum code to pass a test."
   • Write Tools: Enabled (enable_write_tools: true).
   • System Prompt:

     You are Player One in a Ping-Pong pairing pair.
     Your task is to:
     1. Check which phase of the TDD cycle you are in.
     2. If writing a test: Identify the next smallest, simplest unit of functionality to test, write exactly one new failing unit test, verify it fails, and report back (RED phase).
     3. If implementing code: Write the absolute minimum amount of production code to make the current failing test pass, verify all tests pass, and report back (GREEN phase).
     

2. tdd_player_two:

   • Description: "Acts as Player Two in the TDD ping-pong pairing loop, alternating between writing a failing test and writing minimum code to pass a test."
   • Write Tools: Enabled (enable_write_tools: true).
   • System Prompt:

     You are Player Two in a Ping-Pong pairing pair.
     Your task is to:
     1. Check which phase of the TDD cycle you are in.
     2. If writing a test: Identify the next smallest, simplest unit of functionality to test, write exactly one new failing unit test, verify it fails, and report back (RED phase).
     3. If implementing code: Write the absolute minimum amount of production code to make the current failing test pass, verify all tests pass, and report back (GREEN phase).
     

2. The Orchestration Loop

The Coordinator drives the process by invoking the subagents sequentially using invoke_subagent and checkpointing their progress in git:

Turn 1: Player One (Ping)

1. Invoke tdd_player_one with the prompt:
   • Prompt: "Write the next failing unit test for [feature description/checklist item]. Verify it fails, then report back."
2. Wait for the subagent to finish.
3. Verify & Commit: Run git status, stage any new or modified files (e.g., git add <file>), and commit:
   • git commit -m "Player One: Add failing test for [feature]"

Turn 2: Player Two (Pong)

1. Invoke tdd_player_two with the prompt:
   • Prompt: "Implement the minimum code to pass the current failing test. Run the test suite, verify it passes, then report back."
2. Wait for the subagent to finish.
3. Verify & Commit: Run git status, stage any new or modified files (e.g., git add <file>), and commit:
   • git commit -m "Player Two: Implement minimum code for [feature]"

Turn 3: Player Two (New Ping)

1. Invoke tdd_player_two with the prompt:
   • Prompt: "Write the next failing unit test for [next checklist item]. Verify it fails, then report back."
2. Wait for the subagent to finish.
3. Verify & Commit: Run git status, stage any new or modified files (e.g., git add <file>), and commit:
   • git commit -m "Player Two: Add failing test for [next feature]"

Turn 4: Player One (Pong)

1. Invoke tdd_player_one with the prompt:
   • Prompt: "Implement the minimum code to pass the current failing test. Run the test suite, verify it passes, then report back."
2. Wait for the subagent to finish.
3. Verify & Commit: Run git status, stage any new or modified files (e.g., git add <file>), and commit:
   • git commit -m "Player One: Implement minimum code for [next feature]"

Repeat this loop (alternating roles after every Green implementation) until all features are complete.

3. Refactoring Rules

• At the start of any turn, the Coordinator can inspect the code and determine if refactoring is needed.
• Refactoring can ONLY be performed when the test suite is 100% GREEN.
• If refactoring is needed, the Coordinator can instruct the active subagent to perform the refactor and verify the tests remain green, or perform it directly.
• Refactor commits MUST be distinct (remember to stage any new files first): git commit -m "Refactor: [description]"

4. Quality Gates

• No turn handoff is allowed unless the workspace has exactly one failing test (during Red phase) or zero failing tests (during Green/Refactor phase).
• No untested new functionality is allowed to be committed in the green phase.

5. Optimizing User Approvals

To minimize repeated permission prompts during the turn-based loop:

• Inherit Workspace: Keep the subagents set to Workspace: 'inherit' (default). Avoid using 'branch' (sandbox mode) because temporary worktree paths bypass project-specific permission rules.
• Leverage 'Always Allow': When approving the first few subagent commands (e.g., test runs, file modifications), check the "Always allow for this project" option to grant persistent permissions for the remainder of the session.