Workflow Guide¶

Which workflow should I use? Find the right one in seconds.

Decision Tree¶

I want to...	Use this workflow	Complexity	Key Skills
Fix a simple bug or make a quick change	Quick Fix	Low	/implement
Investigate and fix a hard bug	Debug Cycle	Medium	/bug-hunt, /implement, /retro
Build a new feature end-to-end	Complete Cycle	High	/research, /plan, /crank, /vibe
Deploy infrastructure changes	Infrastructure Deployment	High	/plan, /implement, /vibe
Work across multiple domains at once	Multi-Domain	High	/plan, /swarm
Validate research assumptions before planning	Assumption Validation	Medium	/research
Understand a new codebase or extract patterns	Knowledge Synthesis	Medium	/research, /knowledge
Run a retrospective after completing work	Post-Work Retro	Low	/retro, /post-mortem
Improve system quality over time	Continuous Improvement	Medium	/retro, /vibe
Manage a session from start to finish	Session Lifecycle	Low	(natural language)
Coordinate N autonomous workers without a leader	Meta-Observer Pattern	High	/swarm

Workflows¶

Quick Fix ¶

When to use: Simple, low-risk changes to 1-2 files with an obvious solution. Complexity: Low (10-30 min, single session) Key skills: /implement

When to use: Production incidents, intermittent failures, performance issues, or integration bugs with unknown root cause. Complexity: Medium-High (1-3 hours, 1-3 sessions) Key skills: /bug-hunt, /implement, /retro

Complete Cycle ¶

When to use: New features, complex multi-file changes, or architectural work that needs full Research-Plan-Implement-Validate-Learn phases. Complexity: High (2-4 hours, 2-4 sessions) Key skills: /research, /plan, /crank, /vibe, /retro

Infrastructure Deployment ¶

When to use: Infrastructure deployments that need validation gates, reality checks, and tracer bullets at every phase. Complexity: High (multi-session) Key skills: /plan, /implement, /vibe

Multi-Domain ¶

When to use: Work spanning multiple domains simultaneously (backend + frontend + infra, technical + personal tracking). Complexity: High (multi-session) Key skills: /plan, /swarm

Assumption Validation ¶

When to use: Before planning, to verify that research findings match reality (APIs exist, images available, operators behave as expected). Complexity: Medium Key skills: /research

Knowledge Synthesis ¶

When to use: Onboarding to a new codebase, creating comprehensive docs, extracting patterns from multiple implementations. Complexity: Medium (30-60 min, single session) Key skills: /research, /knowledge

Post-Work Retro ¶

When to use: After completing significant work, to capture learnings and identify improvements. Complexity: Low Key skills: /retro, /post-mortem

Continuous Improvement ¶

When to use: Periodic reviews (weekly/monthly), after milestones, technical debt reduction, or pattern refinement. Complexity: Medium (ongoing, periodic) Key skills: /retro, /vibe

Session Lifecycle ¶

When to use: Managing any working session from start to finish -- starting work, resuming context, wrapping up. Complexity: Low (use natural language) Key skills: Just talk naturally; commands are optional.

Meta-Observer Pattern ¶

When to use: Coordinating N autonomous workers through shared memory (stigmergy) without central orchestration. Complexity: High (advanced, multi-session) Key skills: /swarm Deep dive: meta-observer/ (pattern guide, examples, showcase)

Flowchart¶

Text Only

Start here
    |
    v
Is it a simple, obvious fix? ----YES----> Quick Fix
    |
    NO
    |
    v
Is something broken? ----YES----> Debug Cycle
    |
    NO
    |
    v
Am I deploying infrastructure? ----YES----> Infrastructure Deployment
    |
    NO
    |
    v
Does it span multiple domains? ----YES----> Multi-Domain
    |
    NO
    |
    v
Am I building something new? ----YES----> Complete Cycle
    |
    NO
    |
    v
Am I trying to understand code/patterns? ----YES----> Knowledge Synthesis
    |
    NO
    |
    v
Am I wrapping up or improving? ----YES----> Post-Work Retro / Continuous Improvement