Ringdev Cycle Frontend

Frontend Development Cycle Orchestrator

Standards Loading (MANDATORY)

Before any gate execution, you MUST load Ring standards:

Fetch URLs above and extract: Agent Modification Verification requirements, Anti-Rationalization Tables requirements, Critical Rules, and Frontend Standards.

If any condition is true, STOP and report blocker. Cannot proceed without Ring standards.

Overview

The frontend development cycle orchestrator loads tasks/subtasks from PM team output (or manual task files) and executes through 9 gates (Gate 0-8) with all gates executing per unit (no deferred execution):

• Gates 0-8 (per unit): Write code + run tests/checks per task/subtask
• All 9 gates are sequential and mandatory

Unlike the backend ring:dev-cycle (which defers integration/chaos test execution), the frontend cycle executes all gates fully per unit. Frontend testing tools (Playwright, Storybook, Lighthouse) do not require heavy container infrastructure.

MUST announce at start: "I'm using the ring:dev-cycle-frontend skill to orchestrate frontend task execution through 9 gates (Gate 0-8). All gates execute per unit."

CRITICAL: Specialized Agents Perform All Tasks

See shared-patterns/shared-orchestrator-principle.md for full ORCHESTRATOR principle, role separation, forbidden/required actions, gate-to-agent mapping, and anti-rationalization table.

Summary: You orchestrate. Agents execute. If using Read/Write/Edit/Bash on source code, STOP. Dispatch agent.

ORCHESTRATOR BOUNDARIES (HARD GATE)

This section defines exactly what the orchestrator CAN and CANNOT do.

What Orchestrator CAN Do (PERMITTED)

What Orchestrator CANNOT Do (FORBIDDEN)

Any of these actions by orchestrator = IMMEDIATE VIOLATION. Dispatch agent instead.

The 3-FILE RULE

If a task requires editing MORE than 3 files, MUST dispatch specialist agent.

This is not negotiable:

• 1-3 files of non-source content (markdown, json, yaml) - Orchestrator MAY edit directly
• 1+ source code files (*.ts, *.tsx, *.jsx, *.css) - MUST dispatch agent
• 4+ files of any type - MUST dispatch agent

Orchestrator Workflow Order (MANDATORY)

+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  CORRECT WORKFLOW ORDER                                           |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
|  1. Load task file (Read docs/pre-dev/*/tasks-frontend.md)        |
|  2. Detect UI library mode (Step 0)                               |
|  3. Load backend handoff if available                             |
|  4. Ask execution mode (AskUserQuestion)                          |
|  5. Determine state path + Check/Load state                       |
|  6. WebFetch Ring Standards (CLAUDE.md + frontend.md)             |
|  7. LOAD SUB-SKILL for current gate (Skill tool)                  |
|  8. Execute sub-skill instructions (dispatch agent via Task)      |
|  9. Wait for agent completion                                     |
|  10. Verify agent output (Standards Coverage Table)               |
|  11. Update state (Write to JSON)                                 |
|  12. Proceed to next gate                                         |
|                                                                   |
|  ================================================================ |
|  WRONG: Load -> Mode -> Standards -> Task(agent) directly         |
|  RIGHT: Load -> Mode -> Standards -> Skill(sub) -> Task(agent)    |
|  ================================================================ |
+------------------------------------------------------------------+

UI Library Mode Detection (MANDATORY - Step 0)

Before any gate execution, detect the project's UI library configuration:

Read tool: package.json

Parse the JSON content:
  - If "dependencies" or "devDependencies" contains "@lerianstudio/sindarian-ui"
    → ui_library_mode = "sindarian-ui"
  - Otherwise
    → ui_library_mode = "fallback-only"

Store result in state file under ui_library_mode.

@lerianstudio/sindarian-ui is PRIMARY. shadcn/ui + Radix is FALLBACK for missing components.

Anti-Rationalization for UI Library Mode:

Backend Handoff Loading (Optional)

If the frontend cycle follows a backend ring:dev-cycle, load the handoff file:

Check: Does docs/ring:dev-cycle/handoff-frontend.json exist?

  YES -> Load and parse:
    - endpoints: API endpoints implemented by backend
    - types: TypeScript types/interfaces exported by backend
    - contracts: Request/response schemas
    - auth_pattern: Authentication approach (JWT, session, etc.)
    Store in state.backend_handoff

  NO -> Proceed without handoff (standalone frontend development)

Handoff contents are CONTEXT for agents, not requirements. Agents MUST still follow all gate requirements regardless of handoff content.

SUB-SKILL LOADING IS MANDATORY (HARD GATE)

Before dispatching any agent, you MUST load the corresponding sub-skill first.

Between "WebFetch standards" and "Task(agent)" there MUST be "Skill(sub-skill)".

The workflow for each gate is:

1. Skill("[sub-skill-name]")     <- Load sub-skill instructions
2. Follow sub-skill instructions  <- Sub-skill tells you HOW to dispatch
3. Task(subagent_type=...)       <- Dispatch agent as sub-skill instructs
4. Validate agent output          <- Per sub-skill validation rules
5. Update state                   <- Record results

Custom Instructions (Optional Second Argument)

Validation: See shared-patterns/custom-prompt-validation.md for max length (500 chars), sanitization rules, gate protection, and conflict handling.

If custom_prompt is set in state, inject it into all agent dispatches:

Task tool:
  subagent_type: "ring:frontend-engineer"
  prompt: |
    **CUSTOM CONTEXT (from user):**
    {state.custom_prompt}

    ---

    **Standard Instructions:**
    [... rest of agent prompt ...]

Rules for custom prompt:

1. Inject at TOP of prompt - User context takes precedence
2. Preserve in state - custom_prompt persists for resume
3. Include in execution report - Document what context was used
4. Forward via state - Sub-skills read custom_prompt from state file and inject into their agent dispatches (no explicit parameter passing needed)

Example custom prompts and their effect:

Anti-Rationalization for Skipping Sub-Skills

Between "WebFetch standards" and "Task(agent)" there MUST be "Skill(sub-skill)".

Anti-Rationalization for Direct Coding

Red Flags - Orchestrator Violation in Progress

If you catch yourself doing any of these, STOP IMMEDIATELY:

RED FLAG: About to Read *.tsx or *.ts file
   -> STOP. Dispatch agent instead.

RED FLAG: About to Write/Create source code
   -> STOP. Dispatch agent instead.

RED FLAG: About to Edit source code or CSS
   -> STOP. Dispatch agent instead.

RED FLAG: About to run "npm test" or "npx playwright test"
   -> STOP. Agent runs tests, not you.

RED FLAG: Thinking "I'll just..."
   -> STOP. "Just" is the warning word. Dispatch agent.

RED FLAG: Thinking "This is simple enough..."
   -> STOP. Simplicity is irrelevant. Dispatch agent.

RED FLAG: Standards loaded, but next action is not Task tool
   -> STOP. After standards, IMMEDIATELY dispatch agent.

Recovery from Orchestrator Violation

If you violated orchestrator boundaries:

1. STOP current execution immediately
2. DISCARD any direct changes (git checkout -- .)
3. DISPATCH the correct specialist agent
4. Agent implements from scratch following TDD
5. Document the violation for feedback loop

Sunk cost of direct work is IRRELEVANT. Agent dispatch is MANDATORY.

Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report

You CANNOT proceed when blocked. Report and wait for resolution.

Cannot Be Overridden

No exceptions. User cannot override. Time pressure cannot override.

Severity Calibration

Report all severities. Let user prioritize.

Reviewer Verdicts Are Final

MEDIUM issues found in Gate 7 MUST be fixed. No exceptions.

Severity mapping is absolute:

• CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM -> Fix NOW, re-run all 5 reviewers
• LOW -> Add TODO(review): comment
• Cosmetic -> Add FIXME(nitpick): comment

No negotiation. No exceptions. No "special cases".

The 9 Gates

All gates are MANDATORY. No exceptions. No skip reasons.

Gate 0: Agent Selection Logic

UI library mode (detected in Step 0) MUST be passed to the agent as context.

Gate 0: Frontend TDD Policy

TDD (RED→GREEN) applies to behavioral logic. Visual/presentational components use test-after.

Rules:

1. Behavioral components in Gate 0 MUST produce TDD RED failure output before implementation
2. Visual/presentational components in Gate 0 are implemented without RED phase; Gate 4 creates their snapshot tests
3. Mixed components (behavior + visual): TDD for the behavioral part, test-after for the visual part
4. Gate 3 (Unit Testing) coverage threshold (85%) still applies to ALL component types - the distinction is only about WHEN tests are written, not WHETHER

Anti-Rationalization:

Gate 7: Code Review Adaptation (5 Reviewers)

For the frontend cycle, the 5 parallel reviewers are:

NOTE: The 5th reviewer slot uses ring:frontend-engineer in review mode instead of ring:nil-safety-reviewer (which is Go-specific). The frontend engineer reviews accessibility compliance and frontend standards adherence.

All 5 reviewers MUST be dispatched in a single message with 5 parallel Task calls.

# Gate 7: Dispatch all 5 reviewers in parallel (SINGLE message)
Task 1: { subagent_type: "ring:code-reviewer", ... }
Task 2: { subagent_type: "ring:business-logic-reviewer", ... }
Task 3: { subagent_type: "ring:security-reviewer", ... }
Task 4: { subagent_type: "ring:test-reviewer", ... }
Task 5: { subagent_type: "ring:frontend-engineer", prompt: "REVIEW MODE: Review accessibility compliance and frontend standards adherence...", ... }

Gate Completion Definition (HARD GATE)

A gate is COMPLETE only when all components finish successfully:

CRITICAL for Gate 7: Running 4 of 5 reviewers is not a partial pass - it's a FAIL. Re-run all 5 reviewers.

Anti-Rationalization for Partial Gates:

Gate Order Enforcement (HARD GATE)

Gates MUST execute in order: 0 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 5 -> 6 -> 7 -> 8. All 9 gates are MANDATORY.

All testing gates (2-6) are MANDATORY. No exceptions. No skip reasons.

Gates are not parallelizable across different gates. Sequential execution is MANDATORY.

Execution Order

Core Principle: Each execution unit passes through all 9 gates. All gates execute and complete per unit.

Per-Unit Flow: Unit -> Gate 0->1->2->3->4->5->6->7->8 -> Unit Checkpoint -> Task Checkpoint -> Next Unit

Commit Timing

User selects when commits happen (during initialization).

Commit Message Format

Commit Timing vs Execution Mode

Note: Checkpoints (user approval pauses) are controlled by execution_mode. Commits are controlled by commit_timing. They are independent settings.

State Management

State Path

State File Structure

State is persisted to docs/ring:dev-cycle-frontend/current-cycle.json:

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "cycle_id": "uuid",
  "started_at": "ISO timestamp",
  "updated_at": "ISO timestamp",
  "source_file": "path/to/tasks-frontend.md",
  "state_path": "docs/ring:dev-cycle-frontend/current-cycle.json",
  "cycle_type": "frontend",
  "ui_library_mode": "sindarian-ui | fallback-only",
  "backend_handoff": {
    "loaded": true,
    "source": "docs/ring:dev-cycle/handoff-frontend.json",
    "endpoints": [],
    "types": [],
    "contracts": []
  },
  "execution_mode": "manual_per_subtask|manual_per_task|automatic",
  "commit_timing": "per_subtask|per_task|at_end",
  "custom_prompt": {
    "type": "string",
    "optional": true,
    "max_length": 500,
    "description": "User-provided context for agents (from second positional argument). Max 500 characters.",
    "validation": "Max 500 chars (truncated with warning if exceeded); whitespace trimmed; control chars stripped (except newlines)."
  },
  "status": "in_progress|completed|failed|paused|paused_for_approval|paused_for_task_approval",
  "feedback_loop_completed": false,
  "current_task_index": 0,
  "current_gate": 0,
  "current_subtask_index": 0,
  "tasks": [
    {
      "id": "T-001",
      "title": "Task title",
      "status": "pending|in_progress|completed|failed|blocked",
      "feedback_loop_completed": false,
      "subtasks": [
        {
          "id": "ST-001-01",
          "file": "subtasks/T-001/ST-001-01.md",
          "status": "pending|completed"
        }
      ],
      "gate_progress": {
        "implementation": {
          "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
          "started_at": "...",
          "tdd_red": {
            "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
            "test_file": "path/to/test_file.spec.tsx",
            "failure_output": "FAIL: expected element not found",
            "completed_at": "ISO timestamp"
          },
          "tdd_green": {
            "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
            "implementation_file": "path/to/Component.tsx",
            "test_pass_output": "PASS: 12 tests passed",
            "completed_at": "ISO timestamp"
          }
        },
        "devops": {"status": "pending"},
        "accessibility": {
          "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
          "wcag_violations": 0,
          "keyboard_nav_tested": false,
          "screen_reader_tested": false
        },
        "unit_testing": {
          "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
          "coverage_actual": 0,
          "coverage_threshold": 85
        },
        "visual_testing": {
          "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
          "snapshots_total": 0,
          "snapshots_passed": 0,
          "responsive_breakpoints_covered": []
        },
        "e2e_testing": {
          "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
          "flows_tested": 0,
          "browsers_tested": [],
          "stability_runs": 0
        },
        "performance_testing": {
          "status": "pending|in_progress|completed",
          "lcp_ms": 0,
          "cls": 0,
          "inp_ms": 0,
          "lighthouse_score": 0
        },
        "review": {"status": "pending"},
        "validation": {"status": "pending"}
      },
      "agent_outputs": {
        "implementation": {
          "agent": "ring:frontend-engineer",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp",
          "duration_ms": 0,
          "iterations": 1,
          "standards_compliance": {
            "total_sections": 12,
            "compliant": 12,
            "not_applicable": 0,
            "non_compliant": 0,
            "gaps": []
          }
        },
        "devops": {
          "agent": "ring:devops-engineer",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp",
          "duration_ms": 0,
          "iterations": 1,
          "artifacts_created": ["Dockerfile", "nginx.conf", ".env.example"],
          "verification_errors": [],
          "standards_compliance": {}
        },
        "accessibility": {
          "agent": "ring:qa-analyst-frontend",
          "test_mode": "accessibility",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "verdict": "PASS",
          "wcag_violations": 0,
          "keyboard_nav_issues": 0,
          "screen_reader_issues": 0,
          "iterations": 1,
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp"
        },
        "unit_testing": {
          "agent": "ring:qa-analyst-frontend",
          "test_mode": "unit",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "verdict": "PASS",
          "coverage_actual": 87.5,
          "coverage_threshold": 85,
          "iterations": 1,
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp"
        },
        "visual_testing": {
          "agent": "ring:qa-analyst-frontend",
          "test_mode": "visual",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "verdict": "PASS",
          "snapshots_total": 15,
          "snapshots_passed": 15,
          "iterations": 1,
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp"
        },
        "e2e_testing": {
          "agent": "ring:qa-analyst-frontend",
          "test_mode": "e2e",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "verdict": "PASS",
          "flows_tested": 5,
          "browsers_tested": ["chromium", "firefox", "webkit"],
          "stability_runs": 3,
          "iterations": 1,
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp"
        },
        "performance_testing": {
          "agent": "ring:qa-analyst-frontend",
          "test_mode": "performance",
          "output": "## Summary\n...",
          "verdict": "PASS",
          "lcp_ms": 2100,
          "cls": 0.05,
          "inp_ms": 150,
          "lighthouse_score": 93,
          "iterations": 1,
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp"
        },
        "review": {
          "iterations": 1,
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp",
          "duration_ms": 0,
          "code_reviewer": {
            "agent": "ring:code-reviewer",
            "output": "...",
            "verdict": "PASS",
            "issues": []
          },
          "business_logic_reviewer": {
            "agent": "ring:business-logic-reviewer",
            "output": "...",
            "verdict": "PASS",
            "issues": []
          },
          "security_reviewer": {
            "agent": "ring:security-reviewer",
            "output": "...",
            "verdict": "PASS",
            "issues": []
          },
          "test_reviewer": {
            "agent": "ring:test-reviewer",
            "output": "...",
            "verdict": "PASS",
            "issues": []
          },
          "frontend_engineer_reviewer": {
            "agent": "ring:frontend-engineer",
            "mode": "review",
            "output": "...",
            "verdict": "PASS",
            "issues": []
          }
        },
        "validation": {
          "result": "approved|rejected",
          "timestamp": "ISO timestamp"
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "metrics": {
    "total_duration_ms": 0,
    "gate_durations": {},
    "review_iterations": 0,
    "testing_iterations": 0
  }
}

Populating Structured Data

Each gate MUST populate its structured fields when saving to state:

Empty arrays [] indicate no issues found - this is valid data for feedback-loop.

State Persistence Rule (MANDATORY)

"Update state" means BOTH update the object and write to file. Not just in-memory.

After every Gate Transition

You MUST execute these steps after completing any gate:

# Step 1: Update state object with gate results
state.tasks[current_task_index].gate_progress.[gate_name].status = "completed"
state.tasks[current_task_index].gate_progress.[gate_name].completed_at = "[ISO timestamp]"
state.current_gate = [next_gate_number]
state.updated_at = "[ISO timestamp]"

# Step 2: Write to file (MANDATORY - use Write tool)
Write tool:
  file_path: "docs/ring:dev-cycle-frontend/current-cycle.json"
  content: [full JSON state]

# Step 3: Verify persistence (MANDATORY - use Read tool)
Read tool:
  file_path: "docs/ring:dev-cycle-frontend/current-cycle.json"
# Confirm current_gate and gate_progress match expected values

State Persistence Checkpoints

Anti-Rationalization for State Persistence

Checkpoint Modes

User selects checkpoint mode during initialization.

CRITICAL: Execution mode affects CHECKPOINTS (user approval pauses), not GATES (quality checks). All gates execute regardless of mode.

Checkpoint Questions

Unit Checkpoint (after subtask completes Gate 8):

VISUAL CHANGE REPORT (MANDATORY - before checkpoint question):

• MANDATORY: Invoke Skill("ring:visual-explainer") to generate a code-diff HTML report for this execution unit
• Read default/skills/visual-explainer/templates/code-diff.html to absorb the patterns before generating
• Content sourced from state JSON agent_outputs for the current unit:
  • TDD Output: tdd_red (failing test) + tdd_green (implementat

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