linear-iterate-on-implementation

name	linear-iterate-on-implementation
description	Iteratively refine a feature implementation by identifying and fixing bugs, edge cases, and improvements
category	Git Workflow
tags	["openspec","refinement","iteration","quality","linear"]
triggers	["iterate on implementation","refine implementation","improve implementation","improve and iterate","linear iterate on implementation"]

Iterate on Implementation

Iteratively refine a feature implementation after /implement-feature completes. Each iteration reviews the code, identifies improvements, implements fixes, and commits — repeating until only low-criticality findings remain or max iterations are reached.

Arguments

$ARGUMENTS - OpenSpec change-id (required), optionally followed by --max <N> (default: 5) and --threshold <level> (default: "medium"; values: "critical", "high", "medium", "low")

Prerequisites

• Feature branch openspec/<change-id> exists with implementation commits
• Approved OpenSpec proposal exists at openspec/changes/<change-id>/
• Run /implement-feature first if no implementation exists

OpenSpec Execution Preference

Use OpenSpec-generated runtime assets first, then CLI fallback:

• Claude: .claude/commands/opsx/*.md or .claude/skills/openspec-*/SKILL.md
• Codex: .codex/skills/openspec-*/SKILL.md
• Gemini: .gemini/commands/opsx/*.toml or .gemini/skills/openspec-*/SKILL.md
• Fallback: direct openspec CLI commands

Coordinator Integration (Optional)

Use docs/coordination-detection-template.md as the shared detection preamble.

• Detect transport and capability flags at skill start
• Execute hooks only when the matching CAN_* flag is true
• If coordinator is unavailable, continue with standalone behavior

Steps

0. Detect Coordinator, Read Handoff, Recall Memory

At skill start, run the coordination detection preamble and set:

• COORDINATOR_AVAILABLE
• COORDINATION_TRANSPORT (mcp|http|none)
• CAN_LOCK, CAN_QUEUE_WORK, CAN_HANDOFF, CAN_MEMORY, CAN_GUARDRAILS

If CAN_HANDOFF=true, read recent handoff context:

• MCP path: read_handoff
• HTTP path: scripts/coordination_bridge.py try_handoff_read(...)

If CAN_MEMORY=true, recall relevant implementation-iteration memories:

• MCP path: recall
• HTTP path: scripts/coordination_bridge.py try_recall(...)

On recall/handoff failure, continue with standalone iteration and log informationally.

1. Determine Change ID and Configuration

# Parse change-id from argument or current branch
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
CHANGE_ID=${ARGUMENTS%% *}  # First arg, or detect from branch
CHANGE_ID=${CHANGE_ID:-$(echo $BRANCH | sed 's/^openspec\///')}

# Defaults
MAX_ITERATIONS=5
THRESHOLD="medium"  # critical > high > medium > low

# Detect worktree context and resolve OpenSpec path
eval "$(python3 scripts/worktree.py detect)"
if [[ "$IN_WORKTREE" == "true" ]]; then
  echo "Running in worktree. OpenSpec path: $OPENSPEC_PATH"
fi

Parse optional flags from $ARGUMENTS:

• --max <N> overrides MAX_ITERATIONS
• --threshold <level> overrides THRESHOLD

2. Verify Implementation Exists

# Verify on feature branch
git branch --show-current  # Should be openspec/<change-id>

# Verify proposal exists
openspec show $CHANGE_ID

# Verify implementation commits exist
git log --oneline main..HEAD

If not on the feature branch, check out openspec/<change-id>. If no implementation commits exist, abort and recommend running /implement-feature first.

2.5. Prepare Findings Artifact

Preferred path:

• Use the runtime-native continue/findings workflow (opsx:continue equivalent) to create or extend impl-findings.

CLI fallback path:

openspec instructions impl-findings --change "$CHANGE_ID"
openspec status --change "$CHANGE_ID"

Ensure openspec/changes/<change-id>/impl-findings.md exists and append each iteration's findings there.

3. Begin Iteration Loop

ITERATION=1

---

4. Review and Analyze

Read the following files to understand intent and current state:

• $OPENSPEC_PATH/changes/<change-id>/proposal.md
• $OPENSPEC_PATH/changes/<change-id>/design.md
• $OPENSPEC_PATH/changes/<change-id>/tasks.md
• All implementation source files changed on this branch (git diff --name-only main..HEAD)

Note: In worktree mode, OpenSpec files are in the main repository, not the worktree.

Produce a structured improvement analysis with findings in this format:

#	Type	Criticality	Description	Proposed Fix
1	bug/edge-case/workflow/performance/UX	critical/high/medium/low	What the issue is	How to fix it

Type categories:

• bug: Incorrect behavior, crashes, security issues
• edge-case: Unhandled inputs, boundary conditions, error paths
• workflow: Developer experience, tooling integration, process issues
• performance: Unnecessary work, slow paths, resource waste
• UX: Confusing output, missing feedback, poor error messages

Criticality levels:

• critical: Security vulnerabilities, data loss, crashes, incorrect core behavior
• high: Unhandled error paths, missing validation at system boundaries, race conditions
• medium: Missing edge cases, suboptimal error messages, incomplete logging
• low: Code style, minor naming, documentation polish, minor performance

5. Check Termination Conditions

Stop iterating if:

• All findings are below the criticality threshold → present summary and list remaining low-criticality findings for optional manual review
• ITERATION > MAX_ITERATIONS → present summary and list any unaddressed findings

If stopping, skip to the After Loop section below.

Otherwise, continue to step 6.

6. Implement Improvements

• Fix all findings at or above the criticality threshold
• For findings that require design changes beyond the current proposal scope:
  • Flag as "out of scope"
  • Recommend creating a new OpenSpec proposal
  • Do NOT implement out-of-scope changes

Parallel Fixes (for independent findings)

When multiple findings target different files, fix them concurrently:

# Spawn parallel agents for independent fixes
Task(
  subagent_type="general-purpose",
  description="Fix finding 1: <type> in <file>",
  prompt="Fix this issue in OpenSpec <change-id> implementation:

## Finding
Type: <type>
Criticality: <criticality>
Description: <description>
Proposed Fix: <fix>

## File Scope
You MAY modify: <specific file(s)>
You must NOT modify any other files.

## Process
1. Read the file and understand the issue
2. Implement the fix
3. Run relevant tests
4. Report changes made

Do NOT commit - the orchestrator handles commits.",
  run_in_background=true
)

Rules:

• Only parallelize fixes targeting different files
• Fixes to the same file must be sequential
• Collect all results before running quality checks

7. Run Quality Checks (Parallel Execution)

Run all quality checks concurrently using Task() with run_in_background=true:

# Launch all checks in parallel (single message, multiple Task calls)
Task(subagent_type="Bash", prompt="Run pytest and report pass/fail with summary", run_in_background=true)
Task(subagent_type="Bash", prompt="Run mypy src/ and report any type errors", run_in_background=true)
Task(subagent_type="Bash", prompt="Run ruff check . and report any linting issues", run_in_background=true)
Task(subagent_type="Bash", prompt="Run openspec validate $CHANGE_ID --strict", run_in_background=true)

Result Aggregation:

1. Wait for all TaskOutput results
2. Collect pass/fail status from each check
3. Report ALL results together (don't fail-fast on first error)
4. Present failures with their check type for targeted fixes

Example output format:

Quality Check Results:
✓ pytest: 42 tests passed
✗ mypy: 3 type errors in src/auth.py
✓ ruff: No issues
✓ openspec validate: Valid

Failures to address this iteration:
- mypy: src/auth.py:15 - Missing return type annotation

Fix any failures before proceeding. If fixes introduce new issues, address them within this iteration.

8. Update Documentation

Review whether genuinely new patterns, lessons, or gotchas were discovered in this iteration. If so, update:

• CLAUDE.md — project guidelines, workflow patterns, lessons learned
• AGENTS.md — AI assistant instructions
• docs/ — focused documentation files

Follow the existing convention:

• Update CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md directly if they are under 300 lines each
• If either file exceeds 300 lines, refactor into focused documents in docs/ and reference them

Do NOT add redundant documentation for findings that are variations of already-documented patterns.

9. Update OpenSpec Documents

Review whether the current OpenSpec documents accurately reflect the refined implementation. When this iteration's findings reveal spec drift, incorrect assumptions, or missing requirements, update:

• openspec/changes/<change-id>/proposal.md — if the proposal's described behavior no longer matches reality
• openspec/changes/<change-id>/design.md — if design decisions or trade-offs changed during refinement
• Spec deltas in openspec/changes/<change-id>/specs/ — if requirements or scenarios need correction

Do NOT make unnecessary changes if the OpenSpec documents are still accurate after this iteration's fixes.

10. Commit Iteration

# Review all changes
git status
git diff

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Commit with structured message
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
refine(<scope>): iteration <N> - <summary of key changes>

Iterate-on-implementation: <change-id>, iteration <N>/<max>

Findings addressed:
- [<criticality>] <type>: <description>
- [<criticality>] <type>: <description>

Co-Authored-By: Claude <[e-mail]>
EOF
)"

# Increment and loop
ITERATION=$((ITERATION + 1))

Loop back to Step 4.

---

After Loop

Present a summary of all iterations:

If `CAN_MEMORY=true`, remember implementation iteration outcomes:

- MCP path: `remember`
- HTTP path: `scripts/coordination_bridge.py` `try_remember(...)`

If `CAN_HANDOFF=true`, write a completion handoff containing:

- Fixes applied and critical findings resolved
- Remaining risks or manual follow-ups
- Validation status and recommended next command
## Iteration Summary

### Iteration 1
- Findings: <count> (<count by criticality>)
- Fixed: <list>

### Iteration 2
- Findings: <count> (<count by criticality>)
- Fixed: <list>

...

### Final State
- Total iterations: <N>
- Total findings addressed: <count>
- Remaining findings (below threshold): <list or "none">
- Termination reason: <threshold met | max iterations reached>

Output

• Iteration commits on branch openspec/<change-id>
• Structured findings summary for each iteration
• Updated documentation (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, docs/ as applicable)
• Updated OpenSpec documents (proposal.md, design.md, spec deltas as applicable)
• Final state assessment

Next Step

Validate the deployed feature (recommended):

/validate-feature <change-id>

Or skip validation and proceed to cleanup:

/cleanup-feature <change-id>