03-work

name: 03-work description: "Execute plan units with TDD enforcement and checkpoint resume. Use when a plan path is ready for implementation."

Work

Use this skill when there is a plan path or tightly scoped bare prompt ready for execution.

See shared pipeline instructions for model routing and pipeline behavior.

Core rules

1. Load project rules (4 steps):
   • Load rules/common/development-workflow.md and rules/common/testing.md
   • Detect project language via language detection
   • Load matching language-specific rules
   • If frontend/browser concerns, also load rules/web/ files
2. Priority: project-level {repo-root}/rules/ overrides package defaults
3. Distinguish input: plan path vs bare prompt
4. Derive tasks from plan implementation units
5. Execution mode: inline mode — all plan units execute inline in the current session. No built-in subagent tools.
6. Use session_checkpoint to track progress and enable resume
7. Use task_splitter to analyze dependencies before execution
8. If in worktree (via 07-worktree), execute inside it
9. End by recommending 04-review

Advanced: If you need external child agent delegation (background runs, parallel audits), install pi-subagents separately. Super Pi does not require it.

Hard gates — TDD enforcement

Every step follows RED → GREEN → REFACTOR:

Blocking violations — stop and ask if:

• Code written before RED test
• RED fails for wrong reason
• Missing evidence test failed before implementation
• Missing evidence test passed after implementation
• Tests added only after code

Stop-the-line rule (Hard gate)

When any unexpected failure occurs during execution:

1. STOP adding features or making changes
2. PRESERVE evidence (error output, repro steps)
3. DIAGNOSE root cause — follow debug discipline (references/debug-discipline.md): build feedback loop first, then reproduce → hypothesise → instrument → fix
4. FIX the root cause, not the symptom
5. GUARD with a regression test
6. RESUME only after verification passes

Anti-rationalization — when a gate fails or evidence is missing:

• Do not rationalize, downgrade, or explain away the failure.
• Stop, report the blocker with evidence, and either fix the root cause or ask for direction.
• Do not continue unrelated implementation after failed verification.

This is a hard gate — do not push past a failing test or broken build to continue implementation. Errors compound.

Error compaction after recovery

After a stop-the-line failure is diagnosed, fixed, and verified:

1. Replace full traces in handoff/context with ERROR(resolved): <root cause>
2. Keep only the final repro, root cause, fix summary, and verification result
3. Remove intermediate debug output and failed exploratory runs that are no longer relevant
4. Update session_checkpoint with the compacted state only

If the same tool, command, or implementation unit fails 3 consecutive times, stop retrying and ask the user for direction with a concise evidence summary.

Workflow

1. Load context: consume latest handoff before any broad file reads — context_handoff load or read .context/compound-engineering/handoffs/latest.md. If found, use activeFiles, blocker, verification, activeRules as starting point. If not found, proceed normally.
2. Detect input type (plan path vs bare prompt)
3. Read implementation units if plan path
4. Load session_checkpoint to skip completed units
5. Use task_splitter for dependency analysis
6. Execute: inline mode — all units run in the current session
7. Follow TDD per unit: RED → minimal code → GREEN → refactor → unit-level verification
8. Source-driven gate: Before implementing framework/library-specific code, verify the API or pattern against official documentation. Flag unverified patterns as UNVERIFIED in output.
9. Record progress via references/progress-update-format.md
10. Save session_checkpoint after each unit
11. On failure: session_checkpoint fail → retry → follow strategy
12. Provide completion report (see references/completion-report.md)
13. Save handoff: context_handoff save with current stage, next stage, activeFiles, blocker, verification, activeRules
14. Handoff to 04-review using references/handoff.md

Before finishing this skill, apply the completion checklist in shared pipeline instructions.