dev-implement

name	dev-implement
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to 'implement the plan', 'start building', or 'execute the tasks'.
user-invocable	false
disable-model-invocation	true
allowed-tools	Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, Skill, TodoWrite, Agent
hooks	{"PreToolUse":[{"matcher":"Write|Edit","hooks":[{"type":"command","command":"uv run python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/dev-delegation-guard.py"}]},{"matcher":"Agent|Workflow","hooks":[{"type":"command","command":"GATE_ARTIFACT=.planning/PLAN_REVIEWED.md GATE_STATUS=APPROVED GATE_BLOCKED_TOOLS=Agent,Workflow GATE_DESCRIPTION=\"Plan review\" GATE_REMEDY=\"Return to dev-design Phase Complete and run dev-plan-reviewer. It writes PLAN_REVIEWED.md on approval.\" uv run python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/phase-gate-guard.py"}]}]}

Announce: "I'm using dev-implement (Phase 5) to orchestrate implementation."

Iteration topology: serial /goal loop (agent-team parallel for 4+ independent tasks)

Load shared enforcement:

Auto-load all constraints matching applies-to: dev-implement:

!uv run python3 ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/load-constraints.py dev-implement

You MUST have these constraints loaded before proceeding. No claiming you "remember" them.

Dynamic plan re-read: Before starting work, re-read .planning/PLAN.md to catch any phases or tasks that were dynamically inserted by earlier phases. Do not rely on cached plan state from a prior phase.

Progress Ledger (append-only — read FIRST, write on every completion)

.planning/progress.md is the durable record of which tasks are DONE. PLAN.md [x] marks and the /goal transcript are both lossy across compaction; the ledger is not.

At phase entry (before dispatching anything): read the ledger and treat every task listed there as already complete — do NOT re-dispatch it, even if PLAN.md shows it unchecked (a crash between "task done" and "marked [x]" is exactly when this saves you).

cat .planning/progress.md 2>/dev/null || echo "(no ledger yet — fresh phase)"

On every task completion (append one line, never rewrite):

printf '%s | task %s | %s | verify:%s\n' "$(date -u +%FT%TZ)" "<N>" "<commit-sha-or-->" "pass" >> .planning/progress.md

A task is "done" iff it appears in the ledger AND its PLAN.md row is [x]. If the two disagree, the ledger wins for skip decisions (never redo logged work) and PLAN.md is corrected to match.

Ledger Facts

• A controller that lost its place re-dispatching an already-finished task is the single most expensive failure mode of a long implement loop — it re-runs the most costly work for zero gain. The ledger exists so "did I already do task 4?" is a cat, not a guess. Skipping the read because "I remember where I was" is the exact overconfidence that compaction punishes.
• The ledger is append-only. Rewriting or trimming it to "clean it up" destroys the crash-recovery record; a stale-but-complete ledger is strictly safer than a tidy one missing the last entry.

Where This Fits

Main Chat (you)                         dev-implement workflow (per level)
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
/goal <condition>  ← user sets once at phase entry
dev-implement (this skill)
  └─ per level: Workflow(name="dev-implement") ─→ parse PLAN table → DAG
                                                   sequential TDD implementer
                                                   per task → Verify Cmd → JS gate
  ← run FULL suite, mark [x], re-invoke next level

Main chat orchestrates the level loop + the full-suite ground-truth + the /goal. The workflow's implementers write the code (TDD) and the JS gate keys on real Verify Command exit codes — completion is not honor-system, and the dev-delegation-guard still forbids you from writing project code yourself.

Contents

• Prerequisites
• Implementation Strategy: the dev-implement workflow
• The Iron Law of Delegation
• The Process (Sequential)
• Sub-Skills Reference
• Test Gap Validation Gate (MANDATORY)
• Phase Complete

Implementation (Orchestration)

## Prerequisites

Do NOT start implementation without these:

1. .planning/SPEC.md exists with final requirements
2. .planning/PLAN.md exists with chosen approach
3. User explicitly approved in /dev-design phase
4. .planning/PLAN.md Testing Strategy section is COMPLETE (all boxes checked)
5. .planning/PLAN_REVIEWED.md exists with status: APPROVED

If any prerequisite is missing, STOP and complete the earlier phases.

Plan Review Gate Check (MANDATORY — CHECK FIRST)

Before anything else, verify the plan was reviewed:

# Check for plan review approval marker
head -5 .planning/PLAN_REVIEWED.md 2>/dev/null

If .planning/PLAN_REVIEWED.md does not exist → STOP. Return to dev-design Phase Complete. If status: is not APPROVED → STOP. Plan review is incomplete.

This file is written by dev-plan-reviewer when it approves the plan. Its absence means the plan reviewer was SKIPPED — which means spec requirements may have been silently dropped from the plan.

User approval and plan review are different gates: the user approves the approach; the reviewer checks spec coverage. Re-running the reviewer costs ~30 seconds — proceeding past its absence asserts a coverage verification nobody performed.

Check .planning/PLAN.md for: files to modify, implementation order, testing strategy.

Pre-Flight Testing Check (MANDATORY)

Before starting ANY task, verify .planning/PLAN.md Testing Strategy:

[ ] Framework specified (not empty, not "TBD")
[ ] Test Command specified (runnable command)
[ ] First Failing Test described (specific test name)
[ ] Test File Location specified (actual path)

If ANY box is unchecked → STOP. Go back to design phase.

This is your LAST CHANCE to catch missing test strategy before writing code.

Implementation Strategy: the dev-implement workflow

You do NOT choose sequential-vs-parallel and you do NOT hand-dispatch tasks. Implementation is the dev-implement ultracode workflow, which reads the hardened PLAN.md table, builds the Deps DAG, and auto-parallelizes within each dependency level (one worktree-isolated implementer per task, all TDD). You drive the level loop: invoke the workflow per level, integrate the level's returned file contents, run the full suite, mark the rows [x], advance — all under one /goal. See The Process.

## The Iron Law of TDD (Final Enforcement)

YOU CANNOT WRITE IMPLEMENTATION CODE WITHOUT A FAILING TEST FIRST.

This is not a suggestion. This is the workflow. Every task follows:

1. READ the test description from PLAN.md
2. WRITE the test file
3. RUN the test → SEE RED (failure)
4. ONLY THEN write implementation
5. RUN the test → SEE GREEN (pass)

TDD Facts (implement-time)

• Missing test infrastructure discovered at implement time is an explore/clarify failure — the recovery is routing back and adding a Task 0 that sets up the harness, not implementing without tests.
• A SPEC.md that prescribes manual testing is a spec bug: fix SPEC.md with the user. It does not waive TDD.

If you wrote code without a failing test first, DELETE IT and start over. (Full TDD doctrine: dev-tdd.)

## The Iron Law of Delegation

MAIN CHAT MUST NOT WRITE CODE. This is not negotiable.

Main chat orchestrates. Subagents implement. If you catch yourself about to use Write or Edit on a code file, STOP.

Allowed in Main Chat	NOT Allowed in Main Chat
Spawn Task agents	Write/Edit code files
Review Task agent output	Direct implementation
Write to .planning/*.md files	"Quick fixes"
Run git commands	Any code editing
Set/clear /goal for the phase	Bypassing delegation

If you're about to edit code directly, STOP and spawn a Task agent instead.

The full delegation doctrine — including what counts as code (ported code, config, boilerplate, setup, mechanical PLAN execution) — lives in dev-delegate's Delegation Facts.

Context Monitoring

Before starting each task, check context availability:

Thresholds:

Level	Remaining Context	Action
Normal	>35%	Proceed with task
Warning	25-35%	Complete current task, then invoke dev-handoff
Critical	≤25%	Invoke dev-handoff immediately — no new tasks

At Warning level: After the current task completes (don't abandon mid-task), invoke: Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../skills/dev-handoff/SKILL.md and follow its instructions.

At Critical level: Stop immediately. Invoke dev-handoff before context is exhausted. A degraded handoff is better than no handoff.

Why: A 10-task implementation phase with 20% context remaining produces garbage for the last 5 tasks. Better to handoff cleanly and resume fresh than to push through with degraded output.

Long-Running Task Monitoring

Use the Monitor tool for builds, test suites, or scripts that take >30 seconds. Monitor streams stdout events without blocking — you keep working and get notified on completion.

# Watch a test suite run
Monitor(
  description="test suite progress",
  timeout_ms=300000, persistent=false,
  command="npm test 2>&1 | grep --line-buffered -E '(PASS|FAIL|✓|✗|error|complete)'"
)

# Watch a build
Monitor(
  description="build progress",
  timeout_ms=300000, persistent=false,
  command="npm run build 2>&1 | grep --line-buffered -E '(error|warning|built|done|fail)'"
)

When NOT to use Monitor: For quick commands (<30s), use Bash directly. For one-shot "run and wait," use Bash(run_in_background=true). Monitor is for streaming progress from longer operations.

The Process

The workflow implements ONE dependency level per invocation; you loop across levels under the active /goal.

0. Set the goal (once, at phase entry):
   /goal All tasks in .planning/PLAN.md are marked [x] AND [full-suite test command] exits 0
         AND .planning/VALIDATION.md status is `validated`. Stop after [N] turns.

LOOP (one turn per level, under the active /goal):
  1. Invoke the workflow:
       Workflow(name="dev-implement", args={
         "projectDir": "<absolute path to the dev project (cwd)>",
         "pluginRoot": "<absolute path to this plugin's workflows/ dir — resolve ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../workflows>"
       })
     It picks the lowest level with pending tasks, runs its tasks SEQUENTIALLY (one
     TDD implementer each, writing directly into the project tree), verifies each
     (Verify Command exit 0 + read-only corroboration), and returns { overallPass,
     level, tasksRemaining, tasks, findings, tasksThatFailed, reviews }. The code is
     ALREADY in the tree when it returns — there is no merge step for you to do.

  2. GROUND-TRUTH (self-reports are not truth): run the FULL suite + lint on the
     tree (the PLAN.md Testing Strategy command — e.g. `pixi run pytest`,
     `npm test && npm run lint`). The per-task Verify Commands ran in isolation;
     this confirms the level integrates without regressions.

  3. If result.overallPass AND the full suite is green:
     mark this level's PLAN.md rows [x], log to LEARNINGS.md, END THE TURN —
     the /goal evaluator re-fires for the next level (or closes if tasksRemaining=0).
     No pause, no "should I continue?".

  4. If result.overallPass is false (a task failed TDD/verify) OR the full suite
     regressed: read result.findings, fix the cause, then re-invoke with
     onlyChecks=result.tasksThatFailed + priorReviews=result.reviews. An R4 block
     (architectural — new schema, lib swap, breaking API) is a critical finding —
     STOP and escalate it to the user; do not invent the architectural fix.

A blocked task (R4 — new schema, lib swap, breaking API) is in findings as critical and overallPass=false. STOP and present the R4 to the user; do not invent an architectural fix.

The JS gate (result.overallPass) + your full-suite run are authoritative. Do not hand-wave a level done; the Verify Command exit codes decide, not your read of the output.

Cache lookup pattern for skill paths: Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../TARGET/PATH and follow its instructions.

Visual Task Detection

If a PLAN.md task involves rendered visual output, use visual-verify for the render → look-at → fix steps inside the task. Visual-verify is part of what happens inside a turn — /goal still drives the outer loop.

Signals a task is visual: task mentions "render", "slide", "chart", "figure", "layout", "UI", "screenshot", "visual", "diagram", or produces any file meant to be seen by humans (PNG, PDF, SVG).

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../skills/visual-verify/SKILL.md and follow its instructions.

Step 1: Set the Goal for the Phase

Before working through PLAN.md, set a /goal whose condition encodes the full phase exit criteria. The user runs this once; subsequent turns fire automatically until the evaluator says the condition holds.

Condition template (copy, fill in brackets, hand to the user):

/goal All tasks in .planning/PLAN.md are marked [x] complete, [TEST COMMAND] exits 0
on the full suite, .planning/VALIDATION.md exists with status `validated`,
and no Task agent reports unresolved blockers. Stop after [N] turns or if the
same test fails 3 turns in a row (trigger Failure Recovery Protocol).

Key constraints baked into the condition:

• Test command must be runnable from PLAN.md's Testing Strategy — encode the literal command (e.g., pixi run pytest, npm test && npm run lint) so the evaluator can read the exit code from the transcript.
• VALIDATION.md gate — covered by Test Gap Validation Gate below.
• Turn limit — pick a budget that covers every task. Rough rule: 3–5 turns per task for routine work, more for debugging-heavy tasks.

If the user prefers to drive /goal themselves, hand them the literal condition string instead of setting it for them.

Step 2: Run the level loop (the dev-implement workflow)

Implementation is the dev-implement workflow, looped per dependency level — see The Process. You do NOT hand-dispatch tasks; the workflow's implementers follow dev-tdd and run each task's Verify Command, and the JS gate keys on the real exit codes. (The legacy per-task dev-delegate template is now embedded in the workflow's implementer prompt; dev-delegate remains only for ad-hoc single-task dispatch outside this phase.)

Step 3: Verify and Complete (MANDATORY - DO NOT SKIP)

**YOU MUST VERIFY EACH OF THESE. "Task complete" without verification is NOT HELPFUL — you're shipping broken code the user will have to debug.**

After Task agent returns, you must personally verify (not trust the agent's report):

Orchestrator-role boundary (deliberate, scoped exception to C1b). dev-debug's C1b classifies reading source after a subagent as investigation. dev-implement is the orchestrator of a known PLAN.md task, so a narrow read is verification — but only within these lines:

Orchestrator CAN (spec-compliance verification)	Orchestrator CANNOT (investigation — delegate it)
Read the file(s) the agent claims it wrote, to compare against the SPEC.md requirement for THIS task	Form hypotheses about why something is broken
Read the test file(s) and run the test command	grep/rg source to hunt for unrelated patterns
Check exit codes, diff *.test.*	Debug the logic yourself or fix it in main chat
	Read files beyond the task's claimed deliverables

If verification surfaces a defect, you do NOT debug it in main chat — you REJECT the task and re-dispatch the implementer (or dev-debug). Reading widens past the claimed deliverables = you've crossed into investigation; stop and delegate.

3a. Read the Actual Code

Read the implementation file(s) the agent claims to have written.
Compare to SPEC.md requirements line by line.

• Code matches spec (not a different approach)
• No substitutions (e.g., spec says IPC, code uses DOM = FAIL)

3b. Check Test Reality

Read the test file(s). Look for .skip(), mock-only tests, or tests that don't call real code.

• Tests EXECUTE code (not grep/mock-only)
• Tests are NOT skipped (SKIP ≠ PASS)
• Integration tests exist and run (not just unit tests)

3c. Run Tests Yourself

Actually run the test command. Read the output.

• Test command runs without error
• Tests actually pass (not "66 pass, 0 fail" with 50 skipped)
• Test output shows real assertions (not just "test exists")

3d. Verify Real Integration (FOR EXTERNAL SYSTEMS)

If the feature integrates with an external system (Electron app, API, database),
you MUST verify it works against the real system, not just mocks.

• External system is actually running
• Feature actually works (not just "code runs without error")
• Output is visible in the external system

If ANY check fails → REJECT the work. Do NOT mark task complete.

If ALL pass → mark the task [x] in PLAN.md and move on. If ANY fail → iterate within the active /goal; the next turn will fire automatically.

Task Summary (MANDATORY after each task)

After a task passes review, append a structured summary to LEARNINGS.md:

## Task N: [task description]

---
task: N
status: completed
implements: [REQ-01, REQ-03]
affects: [src/auth/, tests/test_auth.py]
key-files:
  created: [list of new files]
  modified: [list of changed files]
deviations: {r1: 0, r2: 1, r3: 0, r4: 0}
---

One-liner: [SUBSTANTIVE summary — not "Task complete" but "JWT refresh rotation with 7-day expiry using jose library"]

Changes: [what was added/modified and why]
Test: [test command and result]

One-liner rule: Must be SUBSTANTIVE. Good: "Added rate limiting middleware with sliding window at 100 req/min". Bad: "Implemented task 3" or "Done".

Deviation Rules (CRITICAL)

You WILL discover unplanned work during implementation. Apply these rules automatically and track all deviations.

Rule	Trigger	Action	Permission
1: Bug	Broken behavior, errors, wrong queries, type errors, security vulns, race conditions, leaks	Fix → test → verify → track [Rule 1 - Bug]	Auto
2: Missing Critical	Missing essentials: error handling, validation, auth, CSRF/CORS, rate limiting, indexes, logging	Add → test → verify → track [Rule 2 - Missing Critical]	Auto
3: Blocking	Prevents completion: missing deps, wrong types, broken imports, missing env/config/files, circular deps	Fix blocker → verify proceeds → track [Rule 3 - Blocking]	Auto
4: Architectural	Structural change: new DB table, schema change, new service, switching libs, breaking API, new infra	STOP → present decision → track [Rule 4 - Architectural]	Ask user

Priority: Rule 4 (STOP) > Rules 1-3 (auto) > unsure → Rule 4 Edge cases: missing validation → R2 | null crash → R1 | new table → R4 | new column → R1/2

Rule 4 Format

When you encounter an architectural deviation, STOP and present:

⚠️ Architectural Decision Needed
- Current task: [task name]
- Discovery: [what prompted this]
- Proposed change: [modification]
- Why needed: [rationale]
- Impact: [what this affects]
- Alternatives: [other approaches]
Proceed with proposed change? (yes / different approach / defer)

Documenting Deviations

All deviations tracked per task:

[Rule N - Category] Title

• Found during: Task X
• Issue: [description]
• Fix: [what was done]
• Files modified: [list]
• Verification: [how confirmed]

End each task summary with: Total deviations: N auto-fixed (R1: X, R2: Y, R3: Z). Impact: [assessment].

The protocol is not overhead you pay. It is the service you provide.

Sub-Skills Reference

Skill	Purpose	Used By
/goal (built-in)	Cross-turn iteration with separate-model evaluation	Set by user/main chat at phase entry
dev-delegate	Task agent templates	Main chat
dev-tdd	TDD protocol (RED-GREEN-REFACTOR)	Task agent
dev-test	Testing tools (pytest, Playwright, etc.)	Task agent

Failure Recovery Protocol

Blocker Handling (retry / skip / stop)

When a task is blocked by something other than a failing test — a missing dependency, an unavailable service, an environment/config gap, an upstream task not yet done — do NOT silently spin. Classify and act:

Option	When	Action
Retry	Transient (flaky network, race, first-run setup)	Re-run once. If it clears, continue. Log the retry in LEARNINGS.md.
Skip	The blocked task is independent of the remaining tasks	Mark the task [blocked] in PLAN.md with the reason, proceed to the next independent task, and surface the skipped task at phase end. Never skip a task others depend on.
Stop	The blocker prevents all forward progress, or is architectural (R4)	STOP, write .planning/RECOVERY.md with the blocker, and consult the user.

Default when unsure → Stop and ask. A blocker is not a test failure — the 3-failure trigger below is for tasks that run but fail tests.

Pattern from oh-my-opencode: After 3 consecutive implementation failures, escalate.

3-Failure Trigger

If you attempt 3 implementations and ALL fail tests:

Iteration 1: Implement approach A → tests fail
Iteration 2: Implement approach B → tests fail
Iteration 3: Implement approach C → tests fail
→ TRIGGER RECOVERY PROTOCOL

Recovery Steps

1. STOP all further implementation attempts

   • No more "let me try a different approach"
   • No guessing or throwing code at the problem

2. REVERT to last known working state

   • git checkout <last-passing-commit>
   • Or revert specific files
   • Document what was attempted in .planning/RECOVERY.md

3. DOCUMENT what was attempted

   • All 3 approaches tried
   • Test failures for each
   • Why each approach failed
   • What this reveals about the problem

4. CONSULT with user BEFORE continuing

   • "I've tried 3 approaches. All fail tests. Here's what I've learned..."
   • Present test failure patterns
   • Request: requirements clarification, design input, or different strategy

5. ASK USER for direction

   • Option A: Re-examine requirements (may need /dev-clarify)
   • Option B: Try completely different design (may need /dev-design)
   • Option C: Investigate why tests fail (may need /dev-debug)
   • Option D: User provides domain knowledge

NO PASSING TESTS = NOT COMPLETE (hard rule)

Recovery Checklist

Before continuing after multiple failures:

• All 3 approaches documented with test failures
• Pattern in failures identified (same tests? different errors?)
• Current code reverted to clean state
• User consulted with specific question
• Clear direction from user before proceeding

Anti-Patterns After Failures

DON'T:

• Keep trying "just one more thing"
• Make larger and larger changes
• Skip TDD "to get it working first"
• Suppress test failures ("I'll fix them later")
• Blame the tests ("tests are wrong")

DO:

• Stop and analyze the failure pattern
• Revert to clean state
• Document what each approach revealed
• Consult user with specific findings
• Get clear direction before continuing

Example Recovery Flow

Loop 1: Implement with synchronous approach → Tests timeout
Loop 2: Implement with async/await → Tests hang
Loop 3: Implement with promises → Tests fail assertion

→ RECOVERY PROTOCOL:
1. STOP (no loop 4)
2. REVERT: git checkout HEAD -- src/feature.ts tests/
3. DOCUMENT in .planning/RECOVERY.md:
   - Pattern: All async implementations cause timing issues
   - Tests expect synchronous behavior
   - Hypothesis: Requirements may need async, tests don't handle it
4. ASK USER:
   "I've tried 3 async implementations. All cause timing issues.
    Tests expect synchronous behavior.

    This suggests either:
    A) Feature should actually be synchronous (simpler)
    B) Tests need updating for async behavior

    Which direction should I take?"

When to Trigger Recovery

Trigger after 3 failures when:

• Same test keeps failing despite different approaches
• Different tests fail in pattern (suggests wrong approach)
• Tests pass locally but fail in CI
• Implementation works but breaks unrelated tests

Don't wait for max iterations - trigger early when pattern emerges.

If the Goal's Turn Budget Is Reached

The /goal condition's Stop after N turns clause causes the evaluator to return done with reason "turn budget exhausted." Still do NOT ask user to manually test.

Main chat should:

1. Summarize what's failing (from LEARNINGS.md)
2. Report which automated tests fail and why
3. Ask user for direction:
   • A) Set a new /goal with a different approach
   • B) Add more logging to debug
   • C) User provides guidance
   • D) User explicitly requests manual testing

Never default to "please test manually". Always exhaust automation first.

No Pause Between Tasks

**After completing task N, IMMEDIATELY start task N+1 in the SAME RESPONSE. Do NOT pause.**

Post-Task Checklist (mandatory, same response)

1. Update PLAN.md - Mark task [x] complete
2. Append to the ledger - one line to .planning/progress.md (append-only; the crash-safe record of "done")
3. Log to LEARNINGS.md - What was done
4. Start next task - No waiting. The active /goal keeps firing turns until the condition holds.

The user reviews at the END and is waiting for COMPLETION, not interim check-ins — a courtesy pause costs a full turn round-trip and delivers nothing. Update PLAN.md now (not "later" — later never comes), then start the next task in the same response.

Valid Stopping Points (only these three)

1. ALL tasks in PLAN.md are marked [x] complete
2. You hit a blocker requiring user input (state exactly what you need)
3. User explicitly interrupted

A [x] mark in PLAN.md + a passing test command in the transcript signals task completion. After verifying, update PLAN.md, then IMMEDIATELY start the next task — the /goal evaluator reads the transcript and decides when the whole phase is done.

Pausing between tasks is procrastination disguised as courtesy.

The Iron Law of Topic Changes

If the user sends a message that is NOT about the current implementation, you MUST announce the loop pause before responding — then resume. (Stopping point #3, made explicit.)

This mirrors dev-debug's protocol: silent loop abandonment is how a structured /goal loop gets dropped and never resumed.

Protocol:

1. Announce: "Pausing the implement /goal loop at task N to address your request."
2. Handle the off-topic request (normal tools allowed — you're outside the loop).
3. Announce: "Resuming the implement loop. Re-reading .planning/PLAN.md for current state."
4. Re-read .planning/PLAN.md (and LEARNINGS.md) and dispatch the next task's implementer.

If the message could be EITHER a new topic OR part of the current task: ask "Is this part of the current task, or a separate request?" — do NOT assume separate and silently abandon the loop.

Silently dropping the loop is NOT HELPFUL — the user set /goal because they want all tasks driven to completion. Abandoning it discards their explicit request.

Task Transition Gate (MANDATORY)

After each task's verification completes:

1. Update PLAN.md — mark completed task [x]
2. Append to .planning/progress.md — the append-only ledger line (crash-safe "done")
3. Append to LEARNINGS.md — what was accomplished, test command, exit code
4. Check for blockers — dependencies from task N needed for N+1?
5. If clear → IMMEDIATELY dispatch the implementer for task N+1
6. If blocked → Ask user EXACTLY what's missing (not "I'm blocked")

Violations to catch:

• "Let me check with user if they want me to continue" → NO, continue automatically
• "Should I move to task N+1?" → NO, you're supposed to move
• "Let me summarize what we learned" → NO, move to task N+1

Pausing > 30 seconds between tasks means you've stopped. You shouldn't have.

Test Gap Validation Gate (MANDATORY)

**After ALL implementation tasks complete, you MUST run test gap test gap validation BEFORE proceeding to review.**

This gate validates that every requirement in SPEC.md has corresponding test coverage. TDD ensures task-level coverage; test gap ensures requirement-level coverage. They are different checks.

Invoke test gap Validation

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../skills/dev-test-gaps/SKILL.md and follow its instructions.

Gate Conditions

Must produce .planning/VALIDATION.md before proceeding to review.

VALIDATION.md Status	Action
validated	Proceed to review phase
gaps_found (gaps filled, no escalations)	Re-run full test suite. If all pass, proceed.
gaps_found (with escalations)	Address escalated implementation bugs: dispatch targeted Task agents for failing requirements (the active /goal keeps firing turns), then re-run test gap validation
Missing	STOP. Run test gap validation.

Re-validation After Gap Fixes

If test gap reports implementation bugs (escalations):

1. Dispatch Task agents ONLY for the specific failing requirements (the active /goal keeps firing turns until VALIDATION.md is validated)
2. After fixes, re-invoke dev-test-gaps to re-validate
3. Repeat until VALIDATION.md status is validated
4. Max 2 re-validation cycles. After that, escalate to user.

Test-Gap Facts

• Per-task tests passing does not sum to requirement coverage — gaps hide between tasks, which is exactly what dev-test-gaps exists to catch. Skipping it (or "validating coverage manually") ships requirements no test exercises, asserted as covered.

Phase Complete

Phase summary (append to LEARNINGS.md):

## Phase: Implement

---
phase: implement
status: completed
requires: [PLAN.md, PLAN_REVIEWED.md]
provides: [VALIDATION.md, implementation-complete, all-tests-passing]
tasks-completed: N/N
total-deviations: {r1: X, r2: Y, r3: Z, r4: W}
---

REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: After ALL tasks complete with passing tests AND test gap validation passes:

Read ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../skills/dev-review/SKILL.md and follow its instructions.

Do NOT proceed until automated tests pass for every task AND .planning/VALIDATION.md status is validated.