manual_slop/conductor/workflow.md

Project Workflow

Guiding Principles

1. The Plan is the Source of Truth: All work must be tracked in plan.md
2. The Tech Stack is Deliberate: Changes to the tech stack must be documented in tech-stack.md before implementation
3. Test-Driven Development: Write unit tests before implementing functionality
4. High Code Coverage: Aim for >80% code coverage for all modules
5. User Experience First: Every decision should prioritize user experience
6. Non-Interactive & CI-Aware: Prefer non-interactive commands. Use CI=true for watch-mode tools (tests, linters) to ensure single execution.

Task Workflow

All tasks follow a strict lifecycle:

Standard Task Workflow

1. Select Task: Choose the next available task from plan.md in sequential order

2. Mark In Progress: Before beginning work, edit plan.md and change the task from [ ] to [~]

3. Write Failing Tests (Red Phase):

   • Create a new test file for the feature or bug fix.
   • Write one or more unit tests that clearly define the expected behavior and acceptance criteria for the task.
   • CRITICAL: Run the tests and confirm that they fail as expected. This is the "Red" phase of TDD. Do not proceed until you have failing tests.

4. Implement to Pass Tests (Green Phase):

   • Write the minimum amount of application code necessary to make the failing tests pass.
   • Run the test suite again and confirm that all tests now pass. This is the "Green" phase.

5. Refactor (Optional but Recommended):

   • With the safety of passing tests, refactor the implementation code and the test code to improve clarity, remove duplication, and enhance performance without changing the external behavior.
   • Rerun tests to ensure they still pass after refactoring.

6. Verify Coverage: Run coverage reports using the project's chosen tools. For example, in a Python project, this might look like:

   pytest --cov=app --cov-report=html
   

   Target: >80% coverage for new code. The specific tools and commands will vary by language and framework.

7. Document Deviations: If implementation differs from tech stack:

   • STOP implementation
   • Update tech-stack.md with new design
   • Add dated note explaining the change
   • Resume implementation

8. Commit Code Changes:

   • Stage all code changes related to the task.
   • Propose a clear, concise commit message e.g, feat(ui): Create basic HTML structure for calculator.
   • Perform the commit.

9. Attach Task Summary with Git Notes:

   • Step 9.1: Get Commit Hash: Obtain the hash of the just-completed commit (git log -1 --format="%H").
   • Step 9.2: Draft Note Content: Create a detailed summary for the completed task. This should include the task name, a summary of changes, a list of all created/modified files, and the core "why" for the change.
   • Step 9.3: Attach Note: Use the git notes command to attach the summary to the commit.

     # The note content from the previous step is passed via the -m flag.
     git notes add -m "<note content>" <commit_hash>
     

10. Get and Record Task Commit SHA:

    • Step 10.1: Update Plan: Read plan.md, find the line for the completed task, update its status from [~] to [x], and append the first 7 characters of the just-completed commit's commit hash.
    • Step 10.2: Write Plan: Write the updated content back to plan.md.

11. Commit Plan Update:

    • Action: Stage the modified plan.md file.
    • Action: Commit this change with a descriptive message (e.g., conductor(plan): Mark task 'Create user model' as complete).

Phase Completion Verification and Checkpointing Protocol

Trigger: This protocol is executed immediately after a task is completed that also concludes a phase in plan.md.

1. Announce Protocol Start: Inform the user that the phase is complete and the verification and checkpointing protocol has begun.

2. Ensure Test Coverage for Phase Changes:

   • Step 2.1: Determine Phase Scope: To identify the files changed in this phase, you must first find the starting point. Read plan.md to find the Git commit SHA of the previous phase's checkpoint. If no previous checkpoint exists, the scope is all changes since the first commit.
   • Step 2.2: List Changed Files: Execute git diff --name-only <previous_checkpoint_sha> HEAD to get a precise list of all files modified during this phase.
   • Step 2.3: Verify and Create Tests: For each file in the list:
     • CRITICAL: First, check its extension. Exclude non-code files (e.g., .json, .md, .yaml).
     • For each remaining code file, verify a corresponding test file exists.
     • If a test file is missing, you must create one. Before writing the test, first, analyze other test files in the repository to determine the correct naming convention and testing style. The new tests must validate the functionality described in this phase's tasks (plan.md).

3. Execute Automated Tests with Proactive Debugging:

   • Before execution, you must announce the exact shell command you will use to run the tests.
   • Example Announcement: "I will now run the automated test suite to verify the phase. Command: CI=true npm test"
   • Execute the announced command.
   • If tests fail, you must inform the user and begin debugging. You may attempt to propose a fix a maximum of two times. If the tests still fail after your second proposed fix, you must stop, report the persistent failure, and ask the user for guidance.

4. Execute Automated API Hook Verification:

   • CRITICAL: The Conductor agent will now automatically execute verification tasks using the application's API hooks.
   • The agent will announce the start of the automated verification to the user.
   • It will then communicate with the application's IPC server to trigger the necessary verification functions.
   • Result Handling:
     • All results (successes and failures) from the API hook invocations will be logged.
     • If all automated verifications pass, the agent will inform the user and proceed to the next step (Create Checkpoint Commit).
     • If any automated verification fails, the agent will halt the workflow, present the detailed failure logs to the user, and await further instructions for debugging or remediation.

5. Present Automated Verification Results and User Confirmation:

   • After executing automated verification, the Conductor agent will present the results to the user.
   • If verification passed, the agent will state: "Automated verification completed successfully."
   • If verification failed, the agent will state: "Automated verification failed. Please review the logs above for details. You may attempt to propose a fix a maximum of two times. If the tests still fail after your second proposed fix, you must stop, report the persistent failure, and ask the user for guidance."
   • PAUSE and await the user's response. Do not proceed without an explicit yes or confirmation from the user to proceed if tests pass, or guidance if tests fail.

6. Create Checkpoint Commit:

   • Stage all changes. If no changes occurred in this step, proceed with an empty commit.
   • Perform the commit with a clear and concise message (e.g., conductor(checkpoint): Checkpoint end of Phase X).

7. Attach Auditable Verification Report using Git Notes:

   • Step 7.1: Draft Note Content: Create a detailed verification report including the automated test command, the manual verification steps, and the user's confirmation.
   • Step 7.2: Attach Note: Use the git notes command and the full commit hash from the previous step to attach the full report to the checkpoint commit.

8. Get and Record Phase Checkpoint SHA:

   • Step 8.1: Get Commit Hash: Obtain the hash of the just-created checkpoint commit (git log -1 --format="%H").
   • Step 8.2: Update Plan: Read plan.md, find the heading for the completed phase, and append the first 7 characters of the commit hash in the format [checkpoint: <sha>].
   • Step 8.3: Write Plan: Write the updated content back to plan.md.

9. Commit Plan Update:

   • Action: Stage the modified plan.md file.
   • Action: Commit this change with a descriptive message following the format conductor(plan): Mark phase '<PHASE NAME>' as complete.

10. Announce Completion: Inform the user that the phase is complete and the checkpoint has been created, with the detailed verification report attached as a git note.

Verification via API Hooks

For features involving the GUI or complex internal state, unit tests are often insufficient. You MUST use the application's built-in API hooks for empirical verification:

1. Launch the App with Hooks: Run the application in a separate shell with the --enable-test-hooks flag:

   uv run python gui.py --enable-test-hooks
   

   This starts the hook server on port 8999.

2. Use the pytest live_gui Fixture: For automated tests, use the session-scoped live_gui fixture defined in tests/conftest.py. This fixture handles the lifecycle (startup/shutdown) of the application with hooks enabled.

   def test_my_feature(live_gui):
       # The GUI is now running on port 8999
       ...
   

3. Verify via ApiHookClient: Use the ApiHookClient in api_hook_client.py to interact with the running application. It includes robust retry logic and health checks.

4. Verify via REST Commands: Use PowerShell or curl to send commands to the application and verify the response. For example, to check health:

   Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "http://127.0.0.1:8999/status" -Method Get
   

Quality Gates

Before marking any task complete, verify:

• All tests pass
• Code coverage meets requirements (>80%)
• Code follows project's code style guidelines (as defined in code_styleguides/)
• All public functions/methods are documented (e.g., docstrings, JSDoc, GoDoc)
• Type safety is enforced (e.g., type hints, TypeScript types, Go types)
• No linting or static analysis errors (using the project's configured tools)
• Works correctly on mobile (if applicable)
• Documentation updated if needed
• No security vulnerabilities introduced

Development Commands

AI AGENT INSTRUCTION: This section should be adapted to the project's specific language, framework, and build tools.

Setup

# Example: Commands to set up the development environment (e.g., install dependencies, configure database)
# e.g., for a Node.js project: npm install
# e.g., for a Go project: go mod tidy

Daily Development

# Example: Commands for common daily tasks (e.g., start dev server, run tests, lint, format)
# e.g., for a Node.js project: npm run dev, npm test, npm run lint
# e.g., for a Go project: go run main.go, go test ./..., go fmt ./...

Before Committing

# Example: Commands to run all pre-commit checks (e.g., format, lint, type check, run tests)
# e.g., for a Node.js project: npm run check
# e.g., for a Go project: make check (if a Makefile exists)

Testing Requirements

Unit Testing

• Every module must have corresponding tests.
• Use appropriate test setup/teardown mechanisms (e.g., fixtures, beforeEach/afterEach).
• Mock external dependencies.
• Test both success and failure cases.

Integration Testing

• Test complete user flows
• Verify database transactions
• Test authentication and authorization
• Check form submissions

Mobile Testing

• Test on actual iPhone when possible
• Use Safari developer tools
• Test touch interactions
• Verify responsive layouts
• Check performance on 3G/4G

Code Review Process

Self-Review Checklist

Before requesting review:

1. Functionality

   • Feature works as specified
   • Edge cases handled
   • Error messages are user-friendly

2. Code Quality

   • Follows style guide
   • DRY principle applied
   • Clear variable/function names
   • Appropriate comments

3. Testing

   • Unit tests comprehensive
   • Integration tests pass
   • Coverage adequate (>80%)

4. Security

   • No hardcoded secrets
   • Input validation present
   • SQL injection prevented
   • XSS protection in place

5. Performance

   • Database queries optimized
   • Images optimized
   • Caching implemented where needed

6. Mobile Experience

   • Touch targets adequate (44x44px)
   • Text readable without zooming
   • Performance acceptable on mobile
   • Interactions feel native

Commit Guidelines

Message Format

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Types

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation only
• style: Formatting, missing semicolons, etc.
• refactor: Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
• test: Adding missing tests
• chore: Maintenance tasks

Examples

git commit -m "feat(auth): Add remember me functionality"
git commit -m "fix(posts): Correct excerpt generation for short posts"
git commit -m "test(comments): Add tests for emoji reaction limits"
git commit -m "style(mobile): Improve button touch targets"

Definition of Done

A task is complete when:

1. All code implemented to specification
2. Unit tests written and passing
3. Code coverage meets project requirements
4. Documentation complete (if applicable)
5. Code passes all configured linting and static analysis checks
6. Works beautifully on mobile (if applicable)
7. Implementation notes added to plan.md
8. Changes committed with proper message
9. Git note with task summary attached to the commit

Emergency Procedures

Critical Bug in Production

1. Create hotfix branch from main
2. Write failing test for bug
3. Implement minimal fix
4. Test thoroughly including mobile
5. Deploy immediately
6. Document in plan.md

Data Loss

1. Stop all write operations
2. Restore from latest backup
3. Verify data integrity
4. Document incident
5. Update backup procedures

Security Breach

1. Rotate all secrets immediately
2. Review access logs
3. Patch vulnerability
4. Notify affected users (if any)
5. Document and update security procedures

Deployment Workflow

Pre-Deployment Checklist

• All tests passing
• Coverage >80%
• No linting errors
• Mobile testing complete
• Environment variables configured
• Database migrations ready
• Backup created

Deployment Steps

1. Merge feature branch to main
2. Tag release with version
3. Push to deployment service
4. Run database migrations
5. Verify deployment
6. Test critical paths
7. Monitor for errors

Post-Deployment

1. Monitor analytics
2. Check error logs
3. Gather user feedback
4. Plan next iteration

Continuous Improvement

• Review workflow weekly
• Update based on pain points
• Document lessons learned
• Optimize for user happiness
• Keep things simple and maintainable