subagent-driven-development

name	subagent-driven-development
description	Use when executing implementation plans with independent tasks in the current session - dispatches visible YesMem swarm agents per task with two-stage review

Swarm-Driven Development

Execute plans by dispatching visible YesMem swarm agents per task, with two-stage review (spec compliance, then code quality) after each.

Overrides superpowers:subagent-driven-development — uses YesMem swarm (spawn_agent, scratchpad, send_to) instead of invisible Claude Code Agent tool. All agents run in separate visible terminals.

When to Use

• Have an implementation plan with mostly independent tasks
• Want to stay in current session as orchestrator
• Want to SEE agent work in real-time (vs. invisible subagents)

Core Tools

Tool	Replaces	Purpose
spawn_agent(project, section, model?)	Agent tool	Spawn visible agent in own terminal
scratchpad_write(project, section, content)	Agent prompt parameter	Pass task context to agent
scratchpad_read(project, section)	Agent return value	Read agent results
send_to(target, content)	Inline result	Agent notifications
relay_agent(to, content)	N/A (new)	Inject instructions into running agent
stop_agent(to)	Automatic	Explicit agent cleanup
list_agents(project)	N/A	Monitor agent status

Process

digraph process {
    rankdir=TB;

    subgraph cluster_setup {
        label="Setup";
        "Read plan, extract all tasks" [shape=box];
        "Choose project name" [shape=box];
        "Write plan to scratchpad" [shape=box];
        "whoami() for caller_session" [shape=box];
    }

    subgraph cluster_per_task {
        label="Per Task";
        "Write auftrag-impl-N to scratchpad" [shape=box];
        "spawn_agent(section=impl-N)" [shape=box];
        "Wait for DONE via send_to" [shape=box];
        "Handle status" [shape=diamond];
        "Write auftrag-spec-review-N" [shape=box];
        "spawn_agent(section=spec-review-N)" [shape=box];
        "Spec PASS?" [shape=diamond];
        "relay_agent impl-N with fix instructions" [shape=box];
        "Write auftrag-quality-review-N" [shape=box];
        "spawn_agent(section=quality-review-N)" [shape=box];
        "Quality PASS?" [shape=diamond];
        "relay_agent impl-N with quality fixes" [shape=box];
        "stop_agent all three" [shape=box];
    }

    "More tasks?" [shape=diamond];
    "Final review + finishing-a-development-branch" [shape=box style=filled fillcolor=lightgreen];

    "Read plan, extract all tasks" -> "Choose project name";
    "Choose project name" -> "Write plan to scratchpad";
    "Write plan to scratchpad" -> "whoami() for caller_session";
    "whoami() for caller_session" -> "Write auftrag-impl-N to scratchpad";

    "Write auftrag-impl-N to scratchpad" -> "spawn_agent(section=impl-N)";
    "spawn_agent(section=impl-N)" -> "Wait for DONE via send_to";
    "Wait for DONE via send_to" -> "Handle status";
    "Handle status" -> "Write auftrag-spec-review-N" [label="DONE"];
    "Handle status" -> "relay_agent impl-N with fix instructions" [label="NEEDS_CONTEXT"];
    "Handle status" -> "Write auftrag-impl-N to scratchpad" [label="BLOCKED\n(re-dispatch)"];

    "Write auftrag-spec-review-N" -> "spawn_agent(section=spec-review-N)";
    "spawn_agent(section=spec-review-N)" -> "Spec PASS?";
    "Spec PASS?" -> "relay_agent impl-N with fix instructions" [label="FAIL"];
    "relay_agent impl-N with fix instructions" -> "spawn_agent(section=spec-review-N)" [label="re-review"];
    "Spec PASS?" -> "Write auftrag-quality-review-N" [label="PASS"];

    "Write auftrag-quality-review-N" -> "spawn_agent(section=quality-review-N)";
    "spawn_agent(section=quality-review-N)" -> "Quality PASS?";
    "Quality PASS?" -> "relay_agent impl-N with quality fixes" [label="FAIL"];
    "relay_agent impl-N with quality fixes" -> "spawn_agent(section=quality-review-N)" [label="re-review"];
    "Quality PASS?" -> "stop_agent all three" [label="PASS"];

    "stop_agent all three" -> "More tasks?";
    "More tasks?" -> "Write auftrag-impl-N to scratchpad" [label="yes"];
    "More tasks?" -> "Final review + finishing-a-development-branch" [label="no"];
}

Setup Phase

1. Read plan file — extract ALL tasks with full text (don't make agents read the plan)
2. Choose project name (e.g. "feature-auth")
3. whoami() → get your session_id for caller_session
4. scratchpad_write(project, section="plan", content=full plan text)

Per-Task Cycle

1. Dispatch Implementer

scratchpad_write(project=PROJECT, section="auftrag-impl-N", content=IMPLEMENTER_PROMPT)
spawn_agent(project=PROJECT, section="impl-N",
            caller_session=MY_SESSION, model=MODEL_CHOICE)

Write the full task text + context into the scratchpad auftrag. See implementer-prompt.md for template.

Model selection: Use haiku for mechanical tasks (1-2 files, clear spec), sonnet for integration tasks, opus for architecture/judgment tasks.

2. Wait for Implementer

Agent sends send_to with status when done. Handle:

Status	Action
DONE	Proceed to spec review
DONE_WITH_CONCERNS	Read concerns from ergebnis-impl-N, address if needed
NEEDS_CONTEXT	relay_agent(to="impl-N", content="CONTEXT: ...") — inject missing info
BLOCKED	Assess: provide more context, re-dispatch with stronger model, or break task down

3. Spec Compliance Review

scratchpad_write(project=PROJECT, section="auftrag-spec-review-N", content=SPEC_REVIEW_PROMPT)
spawn_agent(project=PROJECT, section="spec-review-N",
            caller_session=MY_SESSION, model="sonnet")

See spec-reviewer-prompt.md. Reviewer reads actual code, compares to spec.

• PASS → proceed to quality review
• FAIL → relay_agent(to="impl-N", content="FIX: [issues from reviewer]"), then re-review

4. Code Quality Review

scratchpad_write(project=PROJECT, section="auftrag-quality-review-N", content=QUALITY_REVIEW_PROMPT)
spawn_agent(project=PROJECT, section="quality-review-N",
            caller_session=MY_SESSION, model="sonnet")

See code-quality-reviewer-prompt.md. Only after spec compliance passes.

• PASS → stop all agents for this task, mark complete
• FAIL → relay_agent(to="impl-N", content="QUALITY: [issues]"), then re-review

5. Cleanup

stop_agent(project=PROJECT, to="impl-N")
stop_agent(project=PROJECT, to="spec-review-N")
stop_agent(project=PROJECT, to="quality-review-N")

Scratchpad Sections (Convention)

Section	Writer	Content
plan	Orchestrator	Full plan text
auftrag-impl-N	Orchestrator	Implementer task with full context
ergebnis-impl-N	Implementer	Implementation report (status, files, tests)
auftrag-spec-review-N	Orchestrator	Spec + implementer report for reviewer
ergebnis-spec-review-N	Spec Reviewer	Review verdict (PASS/FAIL + details)
auftrag-quality-review-N	Orchestrator	Quality review task
ergebnis-quality-review-N	Quality Reviewer	Quality verdict

Advantages over Invisible Subagents

• Visible: Watch agents work in real-time in separate terminals
• Crash recovery: Daemon auto-restarts crashed agents with quarantine
• relay_agent: Inject fix instructions into running implementer (no re-spawn needed)
• Budget control: token_budget and max_turns per agent
• Model per agent: haiku for simple, opus for complex
• Status monitoring: list_agents() shows all running agents
• Persistent results: Scratchpad survives agent crashes

Red Flags

• Never dispatch implementation agents in parallel (conflicts)
• Never skip either review stage
• Never proceed with unfixed review issues
• Never make agents read the plan file — paste full task text into scratchpad
• Always stop agents after their task is done (no zombies)
• Always spec review BEFORE quality review (wrong order = waste)

Integration

• superpowers:writing-plans — creates the plan this skill executes
• superpowers:test-driven-development — implementer agents follow TDD
• superpowers:finishing-a-development-branch — after all tasks complete
• superpowers:requesting-code-review — template for quality reviewer