Feature To Work Packets

Feature to Work Packets

Overview

Turn a testable feature spec into implementation units that can be owned, sequenced, reviewed, and verified without overlapping writes.

When to use

Use before multi-file, multi-subsystem, or multi-agent implementation when the specification is approved and dependency order matters.

When NOT to use

Do not use when the feature direction or specification remains unresolved, or when the task is a single-file micro-change.

Required inputs and context discovery

Require approved spec, repository map, generated/source relationships, subsystem owners, applicable instructions, dependency graph, risky files, verification commands, and unavailable tools.

Safety and risk level

Packet authoring is low-risk. Packets cannot grant destructive actions or overlapping write ownership, and they must preserve external and generated no-touch rules.

Workflow

1. Map specification requirements to concrete subsystems and source-of-truth files. Completion criterion: generated outputs and external dependencies are distinguished from editable sources.
2. Build the dependency graph and identify immediate blockers versus parallel sidecars. Completion criterion: ordering is based on real interfaces, not team preference.
3. Create packets with one objective, workflow_id, owner, repository phase, exact owned files, excluded files, inputs, outputs, authority handoff, and risks. For a progress-enabled KIT Goal, also require positive integer progress_weight, required evidence kinds, optional or null estimate_seconds: {low, high}, and timing policy max_active_timed_packets: 1. Completion criterion: no two concurrent packets own the same path or generated target, cross-project phases have one integration owner, and every opted-in progress packet has complete fields without inferred equal weights.
4. Attach focused and broader verification commands plus expected artifacts. Completion criterion: each packet has an objective completion check.
5. Define integration and review packets owned by the orchestrator or reviewer. Completion criterion: shared registries and final verdict have a single owner.

Evidence and output contract

Produce work-packets.yaml with packet ID, objective, workflow_id, owner, paths, do-not-touch, dependencies, risk, steps, completion criteria, commands, artifacts, and handoff requirements. When the plan explicitly opts into KIT Goal progress, add positive integer progress_weight, required evidence kinds, optional or null estimate_seconds with low/high seconds, and timing_policy.max_active_timed_packets: 1. Existing plans without Goal opt-in remain valid without progress fields.

Handoff contract

Record packet status, dependency changes, ownership transfers, commands, artifacts, blockers, and the next runnable packet.

Pitfalls and anti-rationalization

• Do not create packets by role name without path ownership.
• Do not parallelize shared registries, scenes, prefabs, or generators.
• Do not omit integration and verification work.
• Do not treat “independent conceptually” as independent in the filesystem.

Verification checklist

• Spec requirements map to packets.
• Dependencies and blockers are explicit.
• Concurrent write scopes are disjoint.
• Every packet has commands and artifacts.
• Progress-enabled packets have workflow, owner, positive weight, evidence kinds, optional bounded estimates, and single active timing policy.
• Integration and final review have owners.

References and scripts

Use repository project maps, AGENTS.md, generated-file headers, and installed skill descriptions to resolve boundaries. In a full repository clone, registry/capabilities.yaml is an optional maintained index.