Technical Design: enforce-workflow-boundaries

Technical Design: enforce-workflow-boundaries

Metadata

• Feature: enforce-workflow-boundaries
• Status: APPROVED
• Created: 2026-02-05
• Author: /zerg:design

1. Overview

1.1 Summary

Add explicit WORKFLOW BOUNDARY sections to /z:plan and /z:brainstorm commands preventing auto-progression to the next workflow phase. This is prompt-level enforcement via documentation changes only.

1.2 Goals

• Prevent /z:plan from ever auto-running /z:design or implementation
• Prevent /z:brainstorm from ever auto-running /z:plan
• Ensure user maintains explicit control over workflow progression

1.3 Non-Goals

• Programmatic enforcement in Python code
• Changes to /z:design, /z:rush, or other commands
• CI/CD validation of workflow boundaries

2. Architecture

2.1 High-Level Design

No architecture changes. This is documentation-only.

┌─────────────────┐     HARD STOP     ┌─────────────────┐
│  /z:brainstorm  │ ──────────────→   │     USER        │
└─────────────────┘                   │  (manual run)   │
                                      └────────┬────────┘
                                               │
                                               ▼
┌─────────────────┐     HARD STOP     ┌─────────────────┐
│    /z:plan      │ ──────────────→   │     USER        │
└─────────────────┘                   │  (manual run)   │
                                      └────────┬────────┘
                                               │
                                               ▼
                                      ┌─────────────────┐
                                      │   /z:design     │
                                      └─────────────────┘

2.2 Component Breakdown

2.3 Data Flow

N/A — Prompt documentation only.

3. Detailed Design

3.1 WORKFLOW BOUNDARY Section Template

Add at TOP of each command file (after title, before Flags):

## ⛔ WORKFLOW BOUNDARY (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

This command MUST NEVER:
- Automatically run {next-command} or any {next-phase} phase
- Automatically proceed to {downstream-phase}
- Call the Skill tool to invoke another command
- Write code or make code changes

After Phase {N} completes, the command STOPS. The user must manually run {next-command}.

3.2 plan.md Changes

1. Add WORKFLOW BOUNDARY section after title (before ## Flags)
2. Update Phase 5.5 to remove "Run /z:design now" option (keep 2 options only)
3. Add ⛔ warning after Phase 5.5

3.3 brainstorm.md Changes

1. Add WORKFLOW BOUNDARY section after title (before ## Flags)
2. Update Phase 4 (Handoff) to use AskUserQuestion with 2 options
3. Add ⛔ warning after Phase 4

4. Key Decisions

4.1 Prompt-Level Enforcement Only

Context: Could enforce workflow boundaries in Python orchestrator code.

Decision: Prompt-level only

Rationale: The issue is Claude's interpretation, not code behavior. Direct instruction is the fix.

4.2 Remove "Run now" Option

Context: Phase 5.5 of plan.md has "Run /z:design now" which could confuse.

Decision: Remove it, keep only "Clear context, then /z:design" and "Stop here"

Rationale: Eliminates any ambiguity about auto-execution permission.

5. Implementation Plan

5.1 Phase Summary

5.2 File Ownership

5.3 Dependency Graph

graph TD
    T001[TASK-001: plan.md]
    T002[TASK-002: plan.core.md]
    T003[TASK-003: brainstorm.md]
    T004[TASK-004: brainstorm.core.md]

All tasks are independent (Level 1). No dependencies.

6. Risk Assessment

7. Testing Strategy

7.1 Unit Tests

N/A — No code changes.

7.2 Integration Tests

N/A — No code changes.

7.3 Verification Commands

Manual verification:

• Read each modified file, confirm WORKFLOW BOUNDARY section present
• Confirm plan.md Phase 5.5 has only 2 options
• Confirm brainstorm.md Phase 4 has AskUserQuestion

8. Parallel Execution Notes

8.1 Safe Parallelization

• All 4 tasks are Level 1 (no dependencies)
• Each task owns exactly one file
• Can run all 4 in parallel

8.2 Recommended Workers

• Minimum: 1 worker
• Optimal: 2 workers (plan pair + brainstorm pair)
• Maximum: 4 workers

8.3 Estimated Duration

• Single worker: 10 min
• With 2 workers: 5 min
• Speedup: 2x

9. Approval