Workflow Start

Codex compatibility note:

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- Invoke repository skills with $skill-name in Codex; this mirrored copy rewrites legacy Claude /skill-name references.

- Task tracker mandate: BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all steps and keep it synchronized as progress changes.

- User-question prompts mean to ask the user directly in Codex.

- Ignore Claude-specific mode-switch instructions when they appear.

- Strict execution contract: when a user explicitly invokes a skill, execute that skill protocol as written.

- Subagent authorization: when a skill is user-invoked or AI-detected and its protocol requires subagents, that skill activation authorizes use of the required spawn_agent subagent(s) for that task.

- Do not skip, reorder, or merge protocol steps unless the user explicitly approves the deviation first.

- For workflow skills, execute each listed child-skill step explicitly and report step-by-step evidence.

- If a required step/tool cannot run in this environment, stop and ask the user before adapting.

<!-- CODEX:PROJECT-REFERENCE-LOADING:START -->

Codex Project-Reference Loading (No Hooks)

Codex does not receive Claude hook-based doc injection. When coding, planning, debugging, testing, or reviewing, open project docs explicitly using this routing.

Always read:

• docs/project-config.json (project-specific paths, commands, modules, and workflow/test settings)
• docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md (routes to the full docs/project-reference/* catalog)
• docs/project-reference/lessons.md (always-on guardrails and anti-patterns)

Situation-based docs:

• Backend/CQRS/API/domain/entity changes: backend-patterns-reference.md, domain-entities-reference.md, project-structure-reference.md
• Frontend/UI/styling/design-system: frontend-patterns-reference.md, scss-styling-guide.md, design-system/README.md
• Spec/test-case planning or TC mapping: feature-docs-reference.md
• Integration test implementation/review: integration-test-reference.md
• E2E test implementation/review: e2e-test-reference.md
• Code review/audit work: code-review-rules.md plus domain docs above based on changed files

Do not read all docs blindly. Start from docs-index-reference.md, then open only relevant files for the task.

<!-- CODEX:PROJECT-REFERENCE-LOADING:END -->

Quick Summary

Goal: Detect user intent → present catalog/custom options → activate with full task tracking plan.

Workflow:

1. Detect — Match prompt against workflow catalog; identify best catalog workflow + optional custom pipeline 2. Ask/Confirm — Ask for auto-detected workflows; explicit /workflow-* or $workflow-start <id> invocation counts as confirmation when local protocol allows. 3. Activate — Create ALL task tracking items for chosen sequence; mark first in_progress

Key Rules:

• MUST ATTENTION define success criteria before execution and loop until observable verification passes.
• MUST ATTENTION when creating/reviewing specs or tests, name Business Intent / Invariant Guarded or the protected business intent/invariant and ensure the test would fail if that intent breaks.

• MUST ATTENTION ALWAYS call a direct user question before activating auto-detected workflows — NEVER auto-activate an inferred workflow. Explicit /workflow-* or $workflow-start <id> invocation counts as confirmation when local project protocol allows. — why: silent activation runs a multi-step plan the user never agreed to.
• Present the required standard-vs-custom choice: A) Activate [Workflow] (Recommended) | B) Custom Pipeline: [step → ...]
• Propose Custom Pipeline when no catalog workflow is a strong fit (>80% steps relevant = use catalog)
• workflows.json workflows field is an OBJECT — use workflows[workflowId], NEVER .find() or [index]
• Create ALL task tracking items BEFORE marking the first task in_progress — batch creation, then execute
• NEVER mark a task completed without invoking its skill invocation — skip = in_progress + comment, not delete
• ALWAYS check context for ## Workflow Catalog first (Tier 1) — NEVER read workflows.json directly when catalog is in context
• If another workflow is active, it auto-switches (ends current, starts new) — no manual cleanup needed

NOT for: Manual step execution (follow task tracking items), workflow design (use planning), catalog management.

Related: $workflow-start <workflowId> | Hook: workflow-step-tracker.cjs | Hook: workflow-router.cjs

---

Custom Pipeline Option

When the prompt doesn't cleanly match a single catalog workflow — or combining steps from multiple workflows serves the request better — the AI MAY propose a Custom Pipeline alongside the catalog option.

When to propose

Do NOT propose when a catalog workflow is a strong match (>80% of its steps are relevant). Catalog workflows encode validated best-practice sequences — prefer them.

How to build

1. Valid steps only — Use only keys from commandMapping in workflows.json. No invented step names. 2. Logical order — Investigate → Plan → Implement → Test. Never reverse dependency order. 3. Minimal — Include only steps the prompt needs. No "just in case" additions. 4. Name it — Short descriptive name: "Quick Fix + Docs", "Audit + Test Coverage".

How to present (ask the user directly format)

Show full step sequences for ALL options so the user compares scope:

Option A — Activate "Bug Fix" workflow (Recommended)
  Steps: $scout → $investigate → $debug-investigate → $plan → $fix → $prove-fix → $test → ...

Option B — Custom Pipeline: "Quick Fix + Docs"
  Steps: $scout → $investigate → $fix → $docs-update
  Rationale: Prompt targets a known location — full TDD cycle is over-engineered here.

Rules:

• Always show full step list per option
• One-sentence AI rationale for the custom pipeline
• Catalog workflow = "(Recommended)" unless custom pipeline confidence is clearly higher
• NEVER present custom pipeline as the only option — always include the catalog option
• For project-specific architecture, test, documentation, naming, or workflow rules, read docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md; keep this reusable workflow-start protocol generic.

Task creation for Custom Pipeline

Same 1:1 protocol — one task tracking per step. Use [Custom] prefix to distinguish from catalog tasks:

Task tracking: subject="[Custom] /{step-name} — {brief description}", description="Custom pipeline step N/{total}.", activeForm="Executing /{step-name}"

---

Workflow Lookup — Token-Efficient (3-Tier Strategy)

ALWAYS try tiers in order — stop at first success.

Tier 1: Context (FREE — no file reads)

The workflow catalog is already injected as ## Workflow Catalog in your context (injected by workflow-router.cjs on every UserPromptSubmit).

1. Search your context for ## Workflow Catalog 2. Find the line: **{workflowId}** — {name} 3. Read the NEXT line: Use: ... | Steps: /step1 → /step2 → ... 4. Parse the Steps: value — these ARE the slash commands for task tracking

Example: Steps: $scout → $plan → $cook → $test → $workflow-end → Create 5 task tracking items for $scout, $plan, $cook, $test, $workflow-end in order.

✅ Use Tier 1 for: all standard task tracking creation (no file reads needed) ⚠️ Use Tier 2 if: catalog not in context, OR you need preActions.injectContext

Tier 2: Targeted Grep (1 grep operation)

Use when catalog is absent from context OR preActions.injectContext is needed:

Grep: pattern='"<workflowId>":'  path='.claude/workflows.json'  context=35

Returns only that workflow's entry (~35 lines vs full file). Parse: sequence array → step IDs → resolve via commandMapping.

Tier 3: Minimal Read (last resort — avoid)

Only if Tier 1 and Tier 2 both fail:

Read '.claude/workflows.json' lines 1-15    ← commandMapping only
Then Grep '"<workflowId>":' context=30

NEVER read the full file — it is large and wastes tokens.

---

After Activation — Task Creation Protocol (ZERO TOLERANCE)

FIRST action after activation: create EXACTLY one task tracking for EACH entry in the workflow's sequence array.

How to read workflows.json — CRITICAL SCHEMA

`workflows.json` is a JSON OBJECT, not an array. Most common AI mistake.

{
  "commandMapping": { <stepId>: { "claude": "/cmd" } },
  "settings":       { ... },
  "workflows":      { <workflowId>: WorkflowEntry }   ← OBJECT, keyed by ID
}

Lookup algorithm:

workflow = workflows[workflowId]           // key lookup — NOT .find(), NOT [index]
steps    = workflow.sequence               // array of step ID strings
// resolve slash command:
slashCmd = commandMapping[stepId].claude   // commandMapping["scout"].claude → "$scout"

WorkflowEntry fields:

FORBIDDEN (common mistakes):

// ❌ WRONG
workflows.find(w => w.id === workflowId)
workflows[0]

// ✅ CORRECT
workflows[workflowId]
Object.keys(workflows)   // list all IDs

Task creation steps

1. Tier 1 first (no file read): Search context for ## Workflow Catalog → find **{workflowId}** → parse Steps: line → slash commands are ready to use 2. Tier 2 if needed: Grep .claude/workflows.json --pattern '"<workflowId>":' --context 35 → parse sequence + commandMapping 3. Create one task tracking per step IN ORDER

See Workflow Lookup — Token-Efficient (3-Tier Strategy) above for full lookup rules and fallback chain.

Task format:

Task tracking: subject="[Workflow] /{step-name} — {brief description}", description="Workflow step N/{total}. {conditional note}", activeForm="Executing /{step-name}"

Rules (NON-NEGOTIABLE):

• 1:1 mapping — each sequence entry = exactly one task. No consolidation, no invented tasks.
• Conditional steps still get tasks — add to description: "Conditional — skip if reviews pass"
• Recursive self-calls get tasks — e.g., [Workflow] $workflow-review-changes — Recursive re-review (conditional)
• Count verification — after creation: task count == len(sequence). Fix mismatch before proceeding.

Create ALL tasks first → then TaskUpdate first task to in_progress.

---

Step Execution Protocol

Per step: TaskUpdate in_progress → invoke skill invocation → complete skill → TaskUpdate completed.

• Completing a task without invoking its skill invocation = workflow violation
• Validation gates ($plan-validate, $plan-review, $why-review) MUST use explicit evidence and local project protocol — NEVER auto-approve inferred decisions. Explicit user approval in the prompt may satisfy the gate only when the gate's skill permits it.
• To skip a conditional step: TaskUpdate in_progress → comment "Skipped — {reason}" → TaskUpdate completed. Never delete.

---

Workflow-in-Workflow Gate (HARD GATE — NO EXCEPTIONS)

Some workflow steps ARE themselves full workflows. Running them inline causes the parent session to absorb the entire nested workflow's tool calls, file reads, and sub-agent reports — guaranteed context overflow on long sequences.

Steps requiring sub-agent delegation (hard gate):

Protocol when these steps appear in the active workflow sequence:

1. NEVER invoke via inline skill invocation call 2. Spawn via spawn_agent tool: agent_type: "code-reviewer" 3. Agent prompt must include: current git diff context + feature/task description 4. Sub-agent runs the full nested workflow in its isolated context 5. Return ONLY SYNC:subagent-return-contract summary — write full findings to plans/reports/ 6. Main agent reads plans/reports/ file only when resolving specific blockers

The workflow-step-tracker.cjs PostToolUse hook injects the ⚠️ [WORKFLOW-IN-WORKFLOW GATE] warning automatically when the next step is one of the above.

---

IMPORTANT MANDATORY Steps: detect-workflow -> analyze-best-match -> ask-or-confirm-workflow-choice -> activate-workflow -> create-task-tracking -> execute-sequence

IMPORTANT MANDATORY Steps: detect-workflow -> analyze-best-match -> ask-or-confirm-workflow-choice -> activate-workflow -> create-task-tracking -> execute-sequence

[MANDATORY] task tracking FIRST — break every workflow into tasks before any action. NEVER skip.

[MANDATORY] a direct user question ALWAYS for auto-detected workflows — present the standard-vs-custom (A/B) choice; NEVER auto-activate inferred workflows. Explicit workflow invocation may satisfy confirmation when local protocol allows.

[MANDATORY] skill invocation REQUIRED per step — NEVER mark a task completed without invoking it.

<!-- SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention -->

AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:

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Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal.

Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing.

Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain.

Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path.

When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site.

Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code.

Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks.

Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis.

Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly.

Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.

<!-- /SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention -->

<!-- SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset -->

Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act.

Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

<!-- /SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset -->

<!-- SYNC:incremental-persistence -->

Incremental Result Persistence — MANDATORY for all sub-agents or heavy inline steps processing >3 files.

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1. Before starting: Create report file plans/reports/{skill}-{date}-{slug}.md

2. After each file/section reviewed: Append findings to report immediately — never hold in memory

3. Return to main agent: Summary only (per SYNC:subagent-return-contract) with Full report: path

4. Main agent: Reads report file only when resolving specific blockers

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Why: Context cutoff mid-execution loses ALL in-memory findings. Each disk write survives compaction. Partial results are better than no results.

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Report naming: plans/reports/{skill-name}-{YYMMDD}-{HHmm}-{slug}.md

<!-- /SYNC:incremental-persistence -->

<!-- SYNC:subagent-return-contract -->

Sub-Agent Return Contract — When this skill spawns a sub-agent, the sub-agent MUST return ONLY this structure. Main agent reads only this summary — NEVER requests full sub-agent output inline.

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```markdown

## Sub-Agent Result: [skill-name]

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Status: ✅ PASS | ⚠️ PARTIAL | ❌ FAIL

Confidence: [0-100]%

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### Findings (Critical/High only — max 10 bullets)

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- [severity] [file:line] [finding]

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### Actions Taken

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- [file changed] [what changed]

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### Blockers (if any)

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- [blocker description]

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Full report: plans/reports/[skill-name]-[date]-[slug].md

```

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Main agent reads Full report file ONLY when: (a) resolving a specific blocker, or (b) building a fix plan.

Sub-agent writes full report incrementally (per SYNC:incremental-persistence) — not held in memory.

<!-- /SYNC:subagent-return-contract -->

<!-- SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset:reminder -->

MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.

<!-- /SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset:reminder -->

<!-- SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention:reminder -->

MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.

<!-- /SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention:reminder -->

Closing Reminders

MUST ATTENTION call a direct user question before activating auto-detected workflows; explicit /workflow-* or $workflow-start <id> invocation may satisfy confirmation when local protocol allows. Never auto-activate inferred workflows. MUST ATTENTION workflows is an OBJECT — workflows[workflowId], NEVER .find() / [index] / .forEach() MUST ATTENTION create ALL task tracking items for the full sequence BEFORE marking the first task in_progress MUST ATTENTION never mark a task completed without invoking its skill invocation — skip means comment + completed, not delete MUST ATTENTION custom pipeline steps must be valid commandMapping keys — never invent step names MUST ATTENTION use Tier 1 context parse FIRST — check ## Workflow Catalog in context before any file read

[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using task tracking.

[IMPORTANT] Analyze how big the task is and break it into many small todo tasks systematically before starting — this is very important.

<!-- CODEX:SYNC-PROMPT-PROTOCOLS:START -->

Hookless Prompt Protocol Mirror (Auto-Synced)

Source: .claude/hooks/lib/prompt-injections.cjs + .claude/.ck.json

[WORKFLOW-EXECUTION-PROTOCOL] [BLOCKING] Workflow Execution Protocol — MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST CRITICAL. Do not skip for any reason.

Generic portability boundary: Reusable skills and protocol text stay project-neutral; project-specific conventions are discovered from docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/. Apply shared AI-SDD from shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md. Read docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md, then open the project reference docs named there. Any supported AI tool may execute when this shared context and local docs are available.

1. DETECT: Match prompt against workflow catalog 2. ANALYZE: Find best-match workflow AND evaluate if a custom step combination would fit better 3. ASK (REQUIRED FORMAT): Use a direct user question with this structure unless the user explicitly invoked a workflow/skill and the local protocol treats explicit invocation as confirmation:

• Question: "Which workflow do you want to activate?"
• Option 1: "Activate [BestMatch Workflow] (Recommended)"
• Option 2: "Activate custom workflow: [step1 → step2 → ...]" (include one-line rationale)

4. ACTIVATE (if confirmed): Call $workflow-start <workflowId> for standard; sequence custom steps manually 5. CREATE TASKS: task tracking for ALL workflow steps 6. EXECUTE: Follow each step in sequence [CRITICAL-THINKING-MINDSET] Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination principle: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination. AI Attention principle (Primacy-Recency): Put the 3 most critical rules at both top and bottom of long prompts/protocols so instruction adherence survives long context windows. Goal-driven execution: Define success criteria first, loop until verified, and stop only when observable checks pass. Tests verify intent: Tests must protect business rules/invariants and fail when the protected intent breaks, not only mirror current behavior.

[LESSON-LEARNED-REMINDER] [BLOCKING] Task Planning & Continuous Improvement — MANDATORY. Do not skip.

Break work into small tasks (task tracking) before starting. Add final task: "Analyze AI mistakes & lessons learned".

Extract lessons — ROOT CAUSE ONLY, not symptom fixes:

1. Name the FAILURE MODE (reasoning/assumption failure), not symptom — "assumed API existed without reading source" not "used wrong enum value". 2. Generality test: does this failure mode apply to ≥3 contexts/codebases? If not, abstract one level up. 3. Write as a universal rule — strip project-specific names/paths/classes. Useful on any codebase. 4. Consolidate: multiple mistakes sharing one failure mode → ONE lesson. 5. Recurrence gate: "Would this recur in future session WITHOUT this reminder?" — No → skip $learn. 6. Auto-fix gate: "Could $code-review/$code-simplifier/$security/$lint catch this?" — Yes → improve review skill instead. 7. BOTH gates pass → ask user to run $learn. [TASK-PLANNING] [MANDATORY] BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all planned steps, then keep it synchronized as each step starts/completes.

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