Development Rules

Development Rules

Enforces a consistent development workflow for all tasks. Trigger via /start.

Trigger

/start

Task Type Judgment

Before anything else, determine the task type:

• Web Development Task — UI/frontend work, web pages, React/Next.js, etc.
• Other Development Task — backend, CLI, scripts, data engineering, etc.

Unified Branch Flow

Regardless of task type, always follow this branch flow first:

1. If not on main branch → switch to main
2. Run git pull to fetch latest
3. Create a new feature branch for development
4. All work happens on the feature branch

Phase 1: Feature Branch Setup

After branching, announce current node:

[Node 1/6] Branch setup complete — feature branch: <branch-name>

Then proceed to planning.

Phase 2: Planning

Build a phased development plan:

• Break the task into clear, sequential phases
• Each phase should be independently testable
• For web dev tasks: call UI design skill / frontend design skill first
• For other dev tasks: call relevant domain skills

Announce the plan to the user for confirmation.

Phase 3: Iterative Development

Loop through each phase:

[Node 2/6] Starting Phase N: <phase-name>

For each phase:

1. Complete phase functionality
2. Run lint and format checks
3. Run tests — do not proceed if tests fail
4. Announce phase completion

After all phases done:

[Node 3/6] All phases complete

Phase 4: Code Review

For web dev tasks, call browser/MCP skills to test the application.

Then:

1. Call /caveman-review for code review
2. Fix all issues raised by the review
3. Commit the fixes

[Node 4/6] Code review complete — issues fixed and committed

Phase 5: Integration Testing

1. Run E2E / integration tests
2. Run runtime analysis / performance checks
3. Fix any issues found
4. Commit fixes

[Node 5/6] Integration testing complete

Phase 6: Push

[Node 6/6] Final push — all steps complete

1. Confirm all commits are in
2. Push the feature branch
3. Report summary to user

Web Development Specific Steps

After planning, call these skills before coding:

• UI Design Skill — for visual/UX decisions
• Frontend Design Skill — for implementation approach

During testing (Phase 4), use browser MCP skills to:

• Open the app in browser
• Verify UI renders correctly
• Check console for errors
• Test interactive elements

Behavioral Constraints

• Do not skip steps — follow the workflow in order
• Announce every node — user must know current execution point
• Never skip lint, format, tests, or review
• Do not commit if tests fail
• Do not push if review issues are unfixed
• Stay on feature branch — all work on the feature branch, not main
• Keep the workflow repeatable — same process every time

Quick Reference

/start
  ├─ Judge task type (web / other)
  ├─ Branch flow (main → pull → feature branch)
  ├─ Planning (phased plan, call relevant skills)
  ├─ Iterative development (lint → format → test → commit per phase)
  ├─ Code review (caveman-review → fix → commit)
  ├─ Integration testing (E2E → runtime → fix → commit)
  └─ Push