| name | flow-next-sync |
| description | Manually trigger plan-sync to update downstream task specs after implementation drift. Use when code changes outpace specs. |
| user-invocable | false |
Manual Plan-Sync
Manually trigger plan-sync to update downstream task specs.
Preamble
CRITICAL: flowctl is BUNDLED - NOT installed globally. Define once; subsequent blocks use $FLOWCTL:
FLOWCTL="$HOME/.codex/scripts/flowctl"
[ -x "$FLOWCTL" ] || FLOWCTL=".flow/bin/flowctl"
Pre-check: Local setup version
Compare .flow/meta.json setup_version to the plugin version; on mismatch, escalate once per plugin version. Fail-open throughout: a missing jq, .flow/meta.json, or plugin manifest silently continues.
SETUP_MODE=$(jq -r '.setup_mode // empty' .flow/meta.json 2>/dev/null)
SETUP_VER=$(jq -r '.setup_version // empty' .flow/meta.json 2>/dev/null)
PLUGIN_JSON="${DROID_PLUGIN_ROOT:-${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.codex}}/.codex-plugin/plugin.json"
PLUGIN_VER=$(jq -r '.version' "$PLUGIN_JSON" 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
VERSION_ACK=$(jq -r '.version_ack // empty' .flow/meta.json 2>/dev/null)
if [[ "$SETUP_MODE" == "plugin" ]]; then
SNIP_ACK=$(jq -r '.snippet_ack // empty' .flow/meta.json 2>/dev/null)
SNIP_VER=$(grep -m1 -o 'flow-next:snippet:v[0-9]*' CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null | grep -o '[0-9]*$')
if [[ "${SNIP_VER:-missing}" != "1" ]]; then
if [[ "${FLOW_RALPH:-}" == "1" || -n "${REVIEW_RECEIPT_PATH:-}" || "${FLOW_AUTONOMOUS:-}" == "1" || "${ARGUMENTS:-}" == *mode:autonomous* \
|| "$SNIP_ACK" == "1" ]]; then
echo "CLAUDE.md flow-next snippet contract v${SNIP_VER:-missing} != plugin v1. Refresh via /flow-next:setup or the interactive ask." >&2
else
echo "FLOW_SNIPPET_ASK ${SNIP_VER:-missing} 1"
fi
fi
elif [[ -n "$SETUP_VER" && "$PLUGIN_VER" != "unknown" && "$SETUP_VER" != "$PLUGIN_VER" ]]; then
if [[ "${FLOW_RALPH:-}" == "1" || -n "${REVIEW_RECEIPT_PATH:-}" \
|| "${FLOW_AUTONOMOUS:-}" == "1" || "${ARGUMENTS:-}" == *mode:autonomous* \
|| "$VERSION_ACK" == "$PLUGIN_VER" ]]; then
echo "Local setup v${SETUP_VER} differs from plugin v${PLUGIN_VER}. Run /flow-next:setup to refresh local scripts." >&2
else
echo "FLOW_SETUP_ASK ${SETUP_VER} ${PLUGIN_VER}"
fi
fi
Ask the user via plain text. Render the options below as a numbered list 1. … N., followed by a final option N+1. Other — type your own answer. Print the question, then the numbered list, then stop and wait for the user's next message before continuing. Parse the reply as: a bare number 1–N+1 → that option; the literal text of an option label → that option; free text after Other → custom answer.
If the block printed a FLOW_SNIPPET_ASK line (plugin mode only; suppressed to the stderr note under the autonomy markers above), before proceeding ask the user with plain-text numbered prompt (the CLAUDE.md flow-next snippet block is on an older contract than this plugin version; refresh the marker block?), offering exactly the options Refresh now, Remind me next version, Skip this run, then continue the skill whichever is chosen:
- Refresh now: run
"$HOME/.codex/scripts/flowctl" setup-block apply --file CLAUDE.md --template "$HOME/.codex/skills/flow-next-setup/templates/claude-md-snippet-plugin.md" --json; if it returns action: ask, re-run as setup-block resolve with the same --file/--template plus --choice overwrite --json - this question WAS the consent. Marker-bounded: content outside the block is never touched.
- Remind me next version: record the acknowledgement so this contract version is not re-asked (fail-open: on any error, continue anyway):
rm -f .flow/meta.json.tmp && jq '.snippet_ack = "1"' .flow/meta.json > .flow/meta.json.tmp && mv .flow/meta.json.tmp .flow/meta.json
- Skip this run: continue without writing anything; the next invocation asks again.
If the block printed a FLOW_SETUP_ASK line, before proceeding ask the user with plain-text numbered prompt (local setup differs from the plugin; refresh now?), offering exactly the options Refresh now, Remind me next version, Skip this run, then continue the skill whichever is chosen:
- Refresh now: pause and have the user run
/flow-next:setup in this session (do not run setup yourself), then continue once it finishes.
- Remind me next version: record the acknowledgement so this version is not re-asked (only a later plugin version re-arms it), then continue. Run this self-contained write (fail-open: on any error, continue anyway):
PJ="${DROID_PLUGIN_ROOT:-${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-$HOME/.codex}}/.codex-plugin/plugin.json"
PV=$(jq -r '.version' "$PJ" 2>/dev/null)
[[ -n "$PV" && "$PV" != "null" ]] && rm -f .flow/meta.json.tmp && jq --arg v "$PV" '.version_ack = $v' .flow/meta.json > .flow/meta.json.tmp && mv .flow/meta.json.tmp .flow/meta.json
- Skip this run: continue without writing anything; the next invocation asks again.
Any other output (the one-line differs notice, or nothing) is non-blocking: continue.
Input
Arguments: $ARGUMENTS
Format: <id> [--dry-run]
<id> - task ID fn-N-slug.M (or legacy fn-N.M, fn-N-xxx.M) or spec ID fn-N-slug (or legacy fn-N, fn-N-xxx), or a resolvable tracker handle (wor-17 / wor-17.M) that flowctl show maps to the linked spec/task (fn-52.10, R16)
--dry-run - show changes without writing
Workflow
Step 1: Parse Arguments
REPO_ROOT="$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)"
Parse $ARGUMENTS for:
- First positional arg =
ID
--dry-run flag = DRY_RUN (true/false)
Validate ID first (handle-recognition rule, R16):
- Do NOT gate on a hard "must start with
fn-" check. Route the arg through $FLOWCTL show <ID> --json (Step 3) — flowctl's widened resolver (fn-52.10) maps a tracker key (wor-17 / wor-17.M) to its linked spec/task, so a resolvable handle is the existing spec/task, never a new id. So /flow-next:sync wor-17 resolves the linked spec.
- If no ID provided: "Usage: /flow-next:sync [--dry-run]"
- If the arg does NOT resolve via
flowctl show (Step 3): "Unknown ID. Use fn-N-slug (spec) / fn-N-slug.M (task), a tracker handle (wor-17), or legacy fn-N, fn-N-xxx."
Detect ID type (use the canonical id from flowctl show):
- Contains
. (e.g., fn-1.2, fn-1-add-oauth.2, wor-17.2) -> task ID
- No
. (e.g., fn-1, fn-1-add-oauth, wor-17) -> spec ID
Step 2: Validate Environment
test -d .flow || { echo "No .flow/ found. Run flowctl init first."; exit 1; }
If .flow/ missing, output error and stop.
Step 3: Validate ID Exists
$FLOWCTL show <ID> --json
If command fails:
- For task ID: "Task not found. Run
flowctl list to see available."
- For spec ID: "Spec not found. Run
flowctl specs to see available."
Stop on failure.
Step 4: Find Downstream Tasks
For task ID input:
SPEC=$(echo "<task-id>" | sed 's/\.[0-9]*$//')
$FLOWCTL tasks --spec "$SPEC" --json
Filter to status: todo or status: blocked. Exclude the source task itself.
For spec ID input:
$FLOWCTL tasks --spec "<spec-id>" --json
- First, find a source task to anchor drift detection (agent requires
COMPLETED_TASK_ID):
- Prefer most recently updated task with
status: done
- Else: most recently updated task with
status: in_progress
- Else: error "No completed or in-progress tasks to sync from. Complete a task first."
- Then filter remaining tasks to
status: todo or status: blocked (these are downstream).
If no downstream tasks:
No downstream tasks to sync (all done or none exist).
Stop here (success, nothing to do).
Step 5: Gather glossary + decisions + strategy context
Three extra context types help the agent catch drift the spec text alone can't reveal: project-glossary terms (renames where the old spec used a term whose _Avoid_ alias now appears in code), active decision constraints (current code may touch files mentioned in a decision's Consequences section), and strategic-intent drift (completed task contradicts an active STRATEGY.md track or approach).
GLOSSARY_JSON="$("$FLOWCTL" glossary list --json 2>/dev/null \
|| echo '{"groups":[],"file_count":0,"total_terms":0}')"
DECISIONS_JSON="$("$FLOWCTL" memory list --track knowledge --category decisions --json 2>/dev/null \
|| echo '{"entries":[],"legacy":[],"count":0,"status":"active"}')"
STRATEGY_CONTENT="$("$FLOWCTL" strategy read --json 2>/dev/null || echo '{}')"
All three calls are best-effort — empty defaults keep the agent prompt valid when flowctl returns nothing or fails.
Husk short-circuit — when ALL three of the following hold, skip the extra context entirely (pass the empty defaults; the agent's husk short-circuit at the top of Phase 3b will skip the whole section):
GLOSSARY_JSON.total_terms == 0 (glossary missing or husk)
DECISIONS_JSON.count == 0 (no decision entries)
STRATEGY_CONTENT.sections_filled == 0 OR STRATEGY_CONTENT == {} (no STRATEGY.md or husk — verify with flowctl strategy status --json | jq '.sections_filled // 0')
When ANY of the three has signal, pass through all three (untouched) and let the agent run the matching subsection (3b.1 / 3b.2 / 3b.3) and skip the empty ones.
When GLOSSARY_JSON.total_terms == 0 but file_count > 0, every group is a husk. Husks carry no signal for drift detection — pass the JSON through untouched and let the agent skip them.
Step 6: Spawn Plan-Sync Agent
Read the cross-spec flag first — the same single config-leaf read /flow-next:work performs, so a repo that opted into cross-spec propagation (planSync.crossSpec=true) gets the SAME behavior from a manual /flow-next:sync as from the work-loop auto-trigger. Without this, CROSS_SPEC is unset and plan-sync skips the cross-spec phase entirely — the tool you reach for AFTER big drift silently checks only same-spec tasks:
CROSS_SPEC=$($FLOWCTL config get planSync.crossSpec --json | jq -r '.value')
Build context and spawn via Task tool:
Sync task specs from <source> to downstream tasks.
COMPLETED_TASK_ID: <source task id - the input task, or selected source for spec mode>
FLOWCTL: $HOME/.codex/scripts/flowctl
SPEC_ID: <spec id>
DOWNSTREAM_TASK_IDS: <comma-separated list from step 4>
DRY_RUN: <true|false>
CROSS_SPEC: <the $CROSS_SPEC value read below — literal "true" or "false", NOT "true|false">
GLOSSARY_JSON: <output of `flowctl glossary list --json` from step 5>
DECISIONS_JSON: <output of `flowctl memory list --track knowledge --category decisions --json` from step 5>
STRATEGY_CONTENT: <output of `flowctl strategy read --json` from step 5>
<if DRY_RUN is true>
DRY RUN MODE: Report what would change but do NOT use Edit tool. Only analyze and report drift.
</if>
Use Task tool with subagent_type: flow-next:plan-sync.
Note: COMPLETED_TASK_ID is always provided - for task-mode it's the input task, for spec-mode it's the source task selected in Step 4.
Step 7: Report Results
After agent returns, format output:
Normal mode:
Plan-sync: <source> -> downstream tasks
Scanned: N tasks (<list>)
<agent summary>
Dry-run mode:
Plan-sync: <source> -> downstream tasks (DRY RUN)
<agent summary>
No files modified.
Error Messages
| Case | Message |
|---|
| No ID provided | "Usage: /flow-next:sync [--dry-run]" |
No .flow/ | "No .flow/ found. Run flowctl init first." |
| Unknown ID (does not resolve) | "Unknown ID. Use fn-N-slug (spec) / fn-N-slug.M (task), a tracker handle (wor-17), or legacy fn-N, fn-N-xxx." |
| Task not found | "Task not found. Run flowctl list to see available." |
| Spec not found | "Spec not found. Run flowctl list to see available." |
| No source (spec mode) | "No completed or in-progress tasks to sync from. Complete a task first." |
| No downstream | "No downstream tasks to sync (all done or none exist)." |
Rules
- Ignores config -
planSync.enabled setting is for auto-trigger only; manual always runs
- Any source status - source task can be todo, in_progress, done, or blocked
- Includes blocked - downstream set includes both
todo and blocked tasks
- Reuses agent - spawns existing plan-sync agent, no duplication