Full-power feature implementation using parallel subagents for backend, frontend, testing, and security, with worktree isolation and quality verification in one workflow. Chains with /ork:cover for tests and /ork:verify for validation. Use when asked to build, add, create, scaffold, or set up a new feature, endpoint, component, or UI capability. Not for fixing a bug, reviewing, explaining, testing, or comparing existing code.
Full-power feature implementation using parallel subagents for backend, frontend, testing, and security, with worktree isolation and quality verification in one workflow. Chains with /ork:cover for tests and /ork:verify for validation. Use when asked to build, add, create, scaffold, or set up a new feature, endpoint, component, or UI capability. Not for fixing a bug, reviewing, explaining, testing, or comparing existing code.
{"keywords":["implement","implment","build","create","add","make","scaffold","set up","file upload","dark mode","rate limiting"],"examples":["build a user authentication system with JWT","add dark mode support to the dashboard","implement the payment webhook handler"],"anti-triggers":["fix","debug","review","explore","test","assess","brainstorm"]}
Parallel subagent execution for feature implementation with scope control and reflection.
Quick Start
/ork:implement user authentication
/ork:implement --model=opus real-time notifications
/ork:implement dashboard analytics
Argument Resolution
FEATURE_DESC = "$ARGUMENTS"# Full argument string, e.g., "user authentication"# $ARGUMENTS[0] is the first token, $ARGUMENTS[1] second, etc. (CC 2.1.59)# Model override detection (CC 2.1.72)
MODEL_OVERRIDE = Nonefor token in"$ARGUMENTS".split():
if token.startswith("--model="):
MODEL_OVERRIDE = token.split("=", 1)[1] # "opus", "sonnet", "haiku", "fable"
FEATURE_DESC = FEATURE_DESC.replace(token, "").strip()
Pass MODEL_OVERRIDE to all Agent() calls via model=MODEL_OVERRIDE when set. Accepts symbolic names (opus, sonnet, haiku, fable on harnesses whose Agent tool lists it; note fable is premium API spend after 2026-07-12) or full IDs (claude-opus-4-8) per CC 2.1.74.
Step -1: MCP Probe + Resume Check
Run BEFORE any other step. Detect available MCP servers and check for resumable state.
# Probe MCPs (parallel — all in ONE message):# memory is alwaysLoad in .mcp.json (CC 2.1.121+, #1541) — probe below kept as fallback for older CC:
ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__memory__search_nodes")
ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__context7__resolve-library-id")
Write(".claude/chain/capabilities.json", JSON.stringify({
"memory": <true if found>,
"context7": <true if found>,
: now()
}))
Read()
Write(, JSON.stringify({
: , : FEATURE_DESC,
: , : [],
: capabilities,
: // advisory; see Budget Awareness below
}))
"timestamp"
# Resume check:
".claude/chain/state.json"
# If exists and skill == "implement":
# Read last handoff (e.g., 04-architecture.json)
# Skip to current_phase
# "Resuming from Phase {N} — architecture decided in previous session"
# If not: write initial state
".claude/chain/state.json"
"skill"
"implement"
"feature"
"current_phase"
1
"completed_phases"
"capabilities"
"budget_remaining_pct"
100
Batch Size Governance (large refactors)
For implementations touching >10 files, enforce max 5 files per agent batch, run tests between batches, commit green batches immediately, stop on red. Override via --batch-size N. Full rule: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/rules/batch-governance.md").
Budget Awareness (Opus 5 task budgets, public beta)
Opus 5 exposes per-task token budgets. Until the CC side is GA, OrchestKit tracks an advisory budget_remaining_pct in state.json so long runs self-throttle. Update after each phase:
# At end of every phase, estimate remaining budget:
pct = tokensAsContextPct(tokensUsedSoFar) # from lib/context-window.ts
remaining = max(0, 100 - pct)
state["budget_remaining_pct"] = remaining
Write(".claude/chain/state.json", JSON.stringify(state))
Thresholds influence behavior:
Remaining
Behavior
> 50%
Normal — all optional depth (devil's advocate, visual capture, deep exploration).
If .claude/chain/assess-verdict.json exists with a feature matching this run and verdict == "fail" (composite < the 5.5 min_pass in ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/assess/rubric.json, or any dimension below its min_blocker), BLOCK Phase 1. Present each blockers[] entry (dimension, score, reason), then AskUserQuestion with plain label+description options (no preview):
Fix blockers first (Recommended) — address the blockers, re-run /ork:assess, then return here.
Override and implement — proceed anyway; record "assess_gate": "overridden" in state.json and carry the blockers into Phase 1 context.
Missing file or verdict == "pass" → no gate; continue to Step 0.
Read the /effort setting to scale implementation depth. The effort-aware context budgeting hook detects effort level automatically — adapt the phase plan accordingly:
Effort Level
Phases Run
Agents
Token Budget
low
1 (Discovery) → 5 (Implement) → 10 (Reflect)
2 max
~50K
medium
1 → 2 → 5 → 7 (Scope Creep) → 10
3 max
~150K
high (default)
All 10 phases
4-7
~400K
xhigh (Opus 5, CC 2.1.111+)
All 10 phases + one additional healing iteration on test failures before escalating
4-7
~550K
Override: Explicit user selection in Step 0 (e.g., "Plan first" or "Worktree") overrides /effort downscaling. If user requests full exploration, respect that regardless of effort level.
Step 0a: Project Context Discovery
BEFORE any work, detect the project tier. This becomes the complexity ceiling for all patterns.
Scan codebase signals and classify into tiers 1-6 (Interview through Open Source). Each tier sets an architecture ceiling and determines which phases/agents to use.
Load tier details, workflow mapping, and orchestration mode: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/tier-classification.md")
Worktree Isolation (CC 2.1.49)
For features touching 5+ files, offer worktree isolation to prevent conflicts with the main working tree:
AskUserQuestion(questions=[{
"question": "Isolate this feature in a git worktree?",
"header": "Isolation",
"options": [
{"label": "Yes — worktree (Recommended)", "description": "Creates isolated branch via EnterWorktree, merges back on completion"},
{"label": "No — work in-place", "description": "Edit files directly in current branch"},
{"label": "Plan first", "description": "Research and design in plan mode before writing code"}
],
"multiSelect": false
}])
If 'Plan first' selected:
# 1. Enter read-only plan mode
EnterPlanMode("Research and design: $ARGUMENTS")
# 2. Research phase — Read/Grep/Glob ONLY, no Write/Edit# - Read existing code in the target area# - Grep for related patterns, imports, dependencies# - Check tests, configs, and integration points# - If context7 available: query library docs# 3. Design the plan — produce:# - File map: which files to create/modify# - Architecture decisions with rationale# - Task breakdown with acceptance criteria# - Risk assessment and edge cases# 4. Exit plan mode — returns plan to user for approval
ExitPlanMode()
# 5. User reviews plan. If approved → continue to Phase 1 (Discovery)# with the plan as input. If rejected → revise or stop.
If worktree selected:
Call EnterWorktree(name: "feat-{slug}") to create isolated branch
Step 0b: Blast-Radius Clarification (ask "what" before "how")
Before Phase 1, resolve the unknowns whose answers would change the architecture, in blast-radius order — schema/migration → auth → API contract → perf/scale → cosmetics (last). Grep first, then AskUserQuestion one at a time (highest first, cap ~5, skip the obvious). Each answer becomes a row in a Decisions table written to .claude/chain/decisions.json and the PR body, feeding Phase 4 (Architecture) as constraints. Do NOT start Phase 1 with an unresolved schema/auth question; skip in low effort. Full protocol: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/blast-radius-clarification.md").
Task Management (MANDATORY)
BEFORE doing ANYTHING else, create tasks to track progress:
# 1. Create main task IMMEDIATELY
TaskCreate(
subject="Implement: {feature}",
description="Feature implementation with parallel subagents",
activeForm="Implementing {feature}"
)
# 2. Create subtasks for each phase
TaskCreate(subject="Research best practices and docs", activeForm="Researching best practices") # id=2
TaskCreate(subject="Micro-plan: scope, files, criteria", activeForm="Micro-planning") # id=3
TaskCreate(subject="Architecture design (parallel agents)", activeForm="Designing architecture") # id=4
TaskCreate(subject="Implement and write tests", activeForm="Implementing code") # id=5
TaskCreate(subject="Integration verification", activeForm="Verifying integration") # id=6
TaskCreate(subject="Scope creep check", activeForm="Checking scope creep") # id=7
TaskCreate(subject="E2E verification", activeForm="Running E2E verification") # id=8
TaskCreate(subject="Document and reflect", activeForm="Documenting decisions") # id=9# 3. Set dependencies for sequential phases
TaskUpdate(taskId="3", addBlockedBy=["2"]) # Plan needs research
TaskUpdate(taskId="4", addBlockedBy=["3"]) # Architecture needs plan
TaskUpdate(taskId="5", addBlockedBy=["4"]) # Implementation needs architecture
TaskUpdate(taskId="6", addBlockedBy=["5"]) # Integration needs implementation
TaskUpdate(taskId="7", addBlockedBy=["6"]) # Scope creep needs integration
TaskUpdate(taskId="8", addBlockedBy=["7"]) # E2E needs scope check
TaskUpdate(taskId="9", addBlockedBy=["8"]) # Docs need E2E# 4. Update status as you progress
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="in_progress") # When starting
TaskUpdate(taskId="2", status="completed") # When done — repeat for each subtask
Workflow (10 Phases)
Phase
Activities
Agents
1. Discovery
Research best practices, Context7 docs, break into tasks
—
2. Micro-Planning
Detailed plan per task (load ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/micro-planning-guide.md)
—
3. Worktree
Isolate in git worktree for 5+ file features (load ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/worktree-workflow.md)
—
4. Architecture
4 parallel background agents (+ event-driven-architect when event/CQRS/queue-shaped)
For Agent Teams mode: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/agent-teams-phases.md")
Nested delegation (CC 2.1.172+): Phase 4-6 specialist agents MAY be instructed to delegate a bounded sub-problem to their own declared sub-agents (e.g. backend-system-architect → database-engineer for schema design) instead of doing everything inline. Keep chains ≤ 3 levels deep; when sub-tasks are independent, flatten to parallel dispatch from this orchestrator. See chain-patterns Pattern 9 (CC 2.1.172+).
Phase Handoffs (CC 2.1.71)
Write handoff JSON after major phases. See chain-patterns skill for schema.
After Phase
Handoff File
Key Outputs
1. Discovery
01-discovery.json
Best practices, library docs, task breakdown
2. Micro-Plan
02-plan.json
File map, acceptance criteria per task
4. Architecture
04-architecture.json
Decisions, patterns chosen, agent results
5. Implementation
05-implementation.json
Files created/modified, test results
7. Scope Creep
07-scope.json
Planned vs actual, PR split recommendation
Progressive Output (CC 2.1.76+)
Output results incrementally after each phase — don't batch everything until the end.
Focus mode (CC 2.1.101): In focus mode (/focus), the user only sees your final message. Include a self-contained summary with all key results — don't assume they saw incremental outputs.
When agents run with run_in_background=true, output each agent's findings as soon as it returns — don't wait for all agents to finish. This gives users ~60% faster perceived feedback and enables early intervention if an agent's approach diverges from the plan.
Teammate background tasks survive turn-end (CC 2.1.183): A run_in_background task started by a teammate is no longer killed when that teammate finishes its turn. A parallel architecture/test teammate can launch a long build and let it outlive its own turn; the lead collects the result later. Pre-2.1.183 the lead had to own every background task to keep it alive.
Monitor Tool for Background Streaming (CC 2.1.98)
Use Monitor to stream real-time events from background build/test scripts instead of polling output files:
# Start a long-running build in background
Bash(command="npm run build 2>&1", run_in_background=true)
# Stream its output line-by-line as notifications (no polling)
Monitor(pid=build_task_id)
# For background agents with test suites:
Agent(subagent_type="ork:test-generator", run_in_background=true, ...)
# Monitor agent progress via task notifications (CC 2.1.98 partial progress)
Full pattern reference (when to use vs. TaskOutput, until-condition gates, partial-result salvage, anti-patterns): Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/chain-patterns/references/monitor-patterns.md").
Partial results (CC 2.1.98): if a worktree-isolated agent crashes mid-implementation, salvage its partial output — git diff --name-only in its worktree, commit what's usable, flag incomplete items — instead of re-spawning; escalate a BLOCKED agent to the user. Full salvage logic: the monitor-patterns reference above.
Worktree-Isolated Implementation
Spawn parallel implementation agents with Agent(isolation="worktree"). The
subagent bypass of the worktree-isolation guard was fixed in CC 2.1.154 and
completed in 2.1.203; ork's floor is >= 2.1.220, so every supported session gets
real isolation. Full pattern, plus the 2.1.206 caveat that EnterWorktree
now prompts for confirmation on ork's out-of-tree ../<repo>-<task> convention:
Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/chain-patterns/references/worktree-agent-pattern.md")
Historical (CC <= 2.1.153 only): the param thrashed the primary worktree's HEAD
and cut agents off at ~60 tool uses (Yonatan-HQ/platform#3224). The manual
pre-create workaround that fixed it is superseded and kept only as a record:
references/manual-worktree-pattern.md.
Post-Deploy Monitoring (CC 2.1.71)
After final PR, schedule health monitoring:
# Guard: Skip cron in headless/CI (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON)# if env CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON is set, run a single check instead
CronCreate(
schedule="0 */6 * * *",
prompt="Health check for {feature} in PR #{pr}:
gh pr checks {pr} --repo {repo}.
If healthy 24h → CronDelete. If errors → alert."
)
If working on a GitHub issue, run the Start Work ceremony from issue-progress-tracking and post progress comments after major phases.
Feedback Loop
Maintain checkpoints after each task. Load triggers: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/feedback-loop.md")
Test Requirements Matrix
Phase 5 test-generator MUST produce tests matching the change type. Each change type maps to specific required tests and testing rules.
Load test matrix, real-service detection, and phase 9 gate: Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/test-requirements-matrix.md")
Key Principles
Verification gate (terminal, mandatory) — before declaring ANY task done you MUST Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/shared/rules/verification-gate.md") and satisfy EVERY check: every changed file verified, tests green, scope-creep scored. A partial pass is NOT done; "should work now" is not evidence.
Agent status protocol — all subagents report DONE / DONE_WITH_CONCERNS / BLOCKED / NEEDS_CONTEXT per Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/agents/shared/status-protocol.md")
Tests are NOT optional — each task includes its tests, matched to change type (see matrix above)
Parallel when independent — use run_in_background: true, launch all agents in ONE message
Output limits (CC 2.1.77+): the Opus tier defaults to 64k output tokens (128k upper bound). Generate complete artifacts in a single pass when possible; chunk across turns if output exceeds the limit
Micro-plan before implementing — scope boundaries, file list, acceptance criteria
Real services when available — if docker-compose/testcontainers exist, use them in Phase 6
Reflect and capture lessons (phase 10) — persist to memory graph
Clean up agents — teammates wind down at turn end (CC 2.1.178+ implicit team); press Ctrl+F twice to stop lingering background agents. Note: /clear (CC 2.1.72+) preserves background agents
Exit worktrees — call ExitWorktree(action: "keep") in Phase 10 if worktree was entered in Step 0; never leave orphaned worktrees
Next Steps (suggest to user after implementation)
/ork:verify {FEATURE} # Grade the implementation
/ork:cover {FEATURE} # Generate test suite
/ork:commit # Commit changes
/loop 10m npm test # Watch tests while iterating
/loop 30m /ork:verify {FEATURE} # Periodic quality gate
PushNotification on Completion (CC 2.1.110+)
/ork:implement runs commonly take 10–30 min with parallel agents. At the final synthesis step, after the PR is opened and tests are green, call PushNotification — the user has almost certainly context-switched.
PushNotification(
message=f"ork:implement complete — {FEATURE}: {tests_passing}/{tests_total} tests · PR #{pr_num} opened · ready for /ork:verify",
status="proactive"
)
Full rule (when to fire, body content limits, graceful fallback for users without Remote Control): load Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/chain-patterns/rules/push-notification-on-completion.md").
When dispatching subagents — whether via the in-session Agent tool or a headless claude -p --bare from a wrapper script — set explicit --permission-mode and --effort per agent role so behaviour is deterministic across interactive vs CI runs:
Writes test files; permission prompts would block the parallel sweep.
Production code (frontend-ui-developer, backend-system-architect)
default or acceptEdits
medium to high
Set per-feature complexity. default keeps the user in the loop.
Never
bypassPermissions
—
Skip the audit trail — only acceptable in throwaway sandboxes.
In-session Agent tool calls inherit the parent session's permission mode; the table is the policy for what those defaults should be. For genuinely headless invocations (cron, CI), pass the flags explicitly to claude -p --bare:
All spawned agents receive: changed files list, project tier, architectural constraints, and decisions from prior phases (discovery, plan). Pass via the agent prompt, not just "implement X".
SendMessage (Active Coordination)
When backend and frontend agents need to align on API contracts:
SendMessage(to="frontend-ui-developer", message="API endpoint is POST /api/auth with {token, refreshToken} response shape")
SendMessage(to="test-generator", message="Backend uses JWT — mock auth middleware in test fixtures")
Skill Chain
After implementation completes, chain to verification:
Session recovery (CC 2.1.108+): After idle periods or interruptions, use /recap to restore conversational context. Combined with .claude/chain/state.json checkpoint-resume, this enables full recovery of multi-phase implement sessions. Enabled by default since CC 2.1.110 (even with telemetry disabled).
Quality Bar
Done means all of these hold:
every changed file verified per the terminal verification gate — never "should work"
each Phase 5 task ships its tests matched to change type; the suite ran green with the summary line cited
scope creep scored 0-10 in Phase 7; PR split when the delta is significant
worktrees entered in Step 0 are exited via ExitWorktree — no orphans
Related Skills
ork:explore: Explore codebase before implementing
ork:verify: Verify implementations work correctly
ork:issue-progress-tracking: Auto-updates GitHub issues with commit progress
References
Load on demand with Read("${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/implement/references/<file>"):
