Phira Implement From Pseudocode

Use this skill when operating phira-implementer in implement from pseudocode mode.

Goal: turn pseudocode placeholders (design intent) into correct runtime implementation with minimal pipeline disruption, then delete the implemented placeholder scaffolding.

Inputs

• One or more embedded pseudocode placeholder blocks decorated with @phira_pseudocode(...).
• Optional pseudo-call sites under if TYPE_CHECKING: that indicate intended wiring points.

Principles

• Treat pseudocode as inspiration and intent, not a cage.
• Preserve the training/eval/config/checkpoint pipeline contract; prefer wiring into existing hook points.
• Default policy: no new dependencies; keep changes small and reviewable.
• Completion signal: implemented placeholders are deleted from the codebase.

Workflow (do in order)

1. Inventory placeholders (fast)

• Search for phira_pseudocode and collect for each block:
  • id, target, title, meta (if any)
  • file path + surrounding pseudo-call site location (if present)
• Group by target so you implement end-to-end wiring, not isolated helpers.

2. Establish environment contract

• Load and follow phira-env-contract.
• If Python / key deps are unknown and affect implementation choices, ask one targeted question.

3. Translate placeholder intent to concrete repo code (close the symbol gap)

For each target, resolve what the placeholder is really asking you to do in this repository:

• Hook point reality: what inputs/objects are available at the real call site, and what lifecycle (per-step/per-epoch/per-task) applies.
• Data contract: concrete types, shapes, devices/dtypes, and where state should be owned/stored (module, optimizer, trainer, global cache).
• Missing primitives: what abstract operations need real counterparts (and whether the repo already provides utilities you should reuse).
• Feature gating: how to keep baseline behavior unchanged by default (existing flags/config patterns; add a new flag only if it matches repo convention).
• Failure modes: what to assert/log to detect silent wiring errors.

If a missing choice materially changes behavior and is not inferable from repo conventions, stop and ask one targeted question.

4. Implement runtime code

• Implement the smallest correct set of runtime helpers needed to realize the target behavior.
• Wire runtime calls at the pseudo-call site locations (or the nearest equivalent hook point).
• Keep baseline behavior unchanged unless enabled by existing config/flags (or a new flag if the repo convention requires).

5. Evidence (cheap checks)

• If approved to run commands: load phira-cheap-checks and run the minimal smoke checks (import, config parse, 1-10 step run, shape asserts).
• If not approved: propose exact commands + what success looks like.

6. Scaffold cleanup (required)

Once the runtime behavior is implemented and verified:

• Delete the implemented pseudocode scaffolding entirely:
  • remove the implemented _phira_pseudo_* definitions under if TYPE_CHECKING:
  • remove pseudo-call sites under if TYPE_CHECKING: that referenced them
  • remove now-unused TYPE_CHECKING / phira_helpers.pseudocode imports
• Do not delete unrelated/unimplemented placeholders.
• Do not add replacement tracking artifacts (no status flips, no ledger files).

Notes / common pitfalls

• Pseudocode helper imports: placeholders often use from phira_helpers.pseudocode import phira_pseudocode under TYPE_CHECKING.
  • If the repo lacks a canonical phira_helpers/ package (or it exists in a non-importable location), resolve it as part of implementation in an environment-compatible way.
• Treat placeholder id as a transient identifier: record realized ids in your final report before deletion.

Required report additions (implementer)

• List realized placeholder ids + their realized runtime symbols/hook points.
• List which placeholder blocks/pseudo-call sites were deleted.