Development Workflow
Core Principle
Investigate → Plan → Implement → Test → Validate → Commit
Never skip steps. The most common failures come from implementing without understanding.
Quick Reference
| Task | Command | Subagent |
|---|---|---|
| Create plan | /plan |
- |
| Fix a bug | /fix |
@investigator |
| Validate changes | /validate |
- |
| Code review | /review |
@code-reviewer |
| Write tests | - | @test-writer |
| Update docs | - | @doc-writer |
Workflow by Task Type
Bug Fix
- Delegate to
@investigatorfor root cause analysis /planthe fix with TLDR- Implement on feature branch
/validateall changes- Commit with
fix(scope): description
New Feature
/planwith requirements breakdown- Implement incrementally
- Delegate
@test-writerfor coverage /reviewbefore completion/validateand commit
Refactoring
- Ensure tests exist first (delegate
@test-writerif not) /planthe refactoring approach- Make small, incremental changes
- Run tests after each change
/validatebehavior unchanged
Code Quality Standards
DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself)
- Extract to function when pattern appears 3+ times
- Create shared utilities for cross-module patterns
- Use constants for magic numbers/strings
SOLID Principles
- Single Responsibility: One function = one purpose
- Open/Closed: Extend behavior without modifying existing code
- Liskov Substitution: Subtypes must be substitutable
- Interface Segregation: Small, focused interfaces
- Dependency Inversion: Depend on abstractions
Error Handling
- Handle ALL error cases explicitly
- Fail fast with clear error messages
- Log errors with context for debugging
- Don't swallow exceptions silently
Git Commit Format
type(scope): brief description
- Detail about what changed
- Why it was changed
- Any breaking changes
Types: feat, fix, refactor, docs, test, chore, perf
Context Management
When to /compact
- After completing a major milestone
- Before starting unrelated work
- When context exceeds ~50% (feeling sluggish)
- After 15+ tool calls in a session
When to Delegate to Subagents
- Independent analysis tasks
- Parallel work opportunities
- Specialized reviews (security, docs)
- Tasks that would clutter main context
Response Format
TLDR (Always Include for Plans)
## TLDR
- **Problem**: [one sentence]
- **Solution**: [one sentence]
- **Steps**: [3-7 items]
- **Validation**: [how we verify]
Completion Report
## Complete
### Summary
[What was done]
### Validation
- Tests: ✅/❌
- Lint: ✅/❌
- Environment: ✅/❌
### Commit
[hash and message]
Anti-Patterns (Never Do These)
❌ Implement without investigating first ❌ Fix symptoms instead of root causes ❌ Skip validation ("it should work") ❌ Mark complete before tests pass ❌ Leave TODO placeholders in plans ❌ Make assumptions without verification ❌ Edit directly on main/master branch
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