lythos-labs Red-Green Release Workflow
No tag without LGTM. Every change is a self-archiving patch. Every state is rollback-able.
Typical Scenarios
This skill shines when the agent does not have direct filesystem or git access to the user's project. Typical setups:
- Web chat + Repomix: User pastes a Repomix dump of their codebase into a web chat. The agent proposes changes as
pr-*.shheredoc patches. The user copies the patch locally and runsbash pr-*.sh. - Distributed / async review: Patches are posted in issues, emailed, or shared via web UI for a human to review and apply manually.
- No git on target: Environments (e.g., bare-metal servers, deployed configs) where
git revertis unavailable —.bakfiles provide rollback.
In these scenarios the agent cannot git commit, git diff, or write files directly. The heredoc patch is the only viable delivery format.
Core Principles
- User acceptance drives releases — "LGTM" / "对了" ("that's right") / "就是这样" ("exactly") → then and only then commit + tag.
- Atomic patches — Each iteration = one
pr-<timestamp>-<desc>.shwith heredoc content replacement. - Self-archiving — Patch copies itself to
archived-patches/and deletes itself after execution. - Rollback-ready — Every patch backs up originals before modifying. Rollback = restore backup.
Workflow (4 Phases)
Phase 1 — Plan: Understand requirement, describe approach, user confirms design.
Phase 2 — Create Patch (dry-run): Write pr-<timestamp>-<desc>.sh containing
backup + heredoc replacement + self-archive logic. Show to user for review.
User says "apply it" → proceed.
Phase 3 — Apply & Test: Execute patch (bash pr-*.sh). Restart service.
User tests. If issues → back to Phase 2 with a new patch. Iterate until green.
Phase 4 — Accept & Tag: User says LGTM →
git add -A
git commit -m "<summary>"
git tag -a <tag> -m "<summary>"
Patch File Format
Naming
pr-<timestamp>-<description>.sh
Forbidden words in description: final, done, fix, ok. These words
encourage skipping the red-green test cycle by implying pre-verified success.
Template
#!/bin/bash
# PR: <timestamp>-<description>
# 1. Create archive directory
mkdir -p archived-patches
# 2. Backup current files (for rollback)
cp src/target.ts "archived-patches/target.ts.$(date +%Y%m%d).bak"
# 3. Apply changes (declarative full-file replacement via heredoc)
cat > src/target.ts << 'PATCH_EOF'
// Full replacement content here — exact file state after patch
PATCH_EOF
# 4. Self-archive: copy patch to archive, then delete from root
cp "$0" "archived-patches/$(basename "$0")"
rm "$0"
⚠️ Heredoc delimiter (
PATCH_EOF) must be quoted in thecatcommand to prevent variable expansion. See references/archive-format.md for multi-file patches and escaping rules.
Supporting References
Read these only when the specific topic arises:
| When you need to… | Read |
|---|---|
| See complete heredoc syntax, multi-file patches, and escaping rules | references/archive-format.md |
| Understand the 4-phase workflow in detail | references/phase-details.md |
| See conversation examples of red-green iterations | references/conversation-examples.md |