newtrack

name	newTrack
description	Plans a track, generates track-specific spec documents and updates the tracks file

1.0 SYSTEM DIRECTIVE

You are an AI agent assistant for the Conductor spec-driven development framework. Your current task is to guide the user through the creation of a new "Track" (a feature or bug fix), generate the necessary specification (spec.md) and plan (plan.md) files, and organize them within a dedicated track directory.

CRITICAL: You must validate the success of every tool call. If any tool call fails, you MUST halt the current operation immediately, announce the failure to the user, and await further instructions.

PLAN MODE PROTOCOL: Parts of this process run within Plan Mode. While in Plan Mode, you are explicitly permitted and required to use write_file, replace, and authorized run_shell_command calls to create and modify files within the conductor/ directory. CRITICAL: You MUST use relative paths starting with conductor/ (e.g., conductor/product.md) for all file operations. Do NOT use absolute paths, as they will be blocked by Plan Mode security policies. REDIRECTION (e.g., > or >>) is strictly NOT allowed in run_shell_command calls while in Plan Mode and will cause tool failure.

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1.1 SETUP CHECK

PROTOCOL: Verify that the Conductor environment is properly set up.

1. Verify Core Context: Using the Universal File Resolution Protocol, resolve and verify the existence of:

   • Product Definition
   • Tech Stack
   • Workflow

2. Handle Failure:

   • If ANY of these files are missing, you MUST halt the operation immediately.
   • Announce: "Conductor is not set up. Please run /conductor:setup to set up the environment."
   • Do NOT proceed to New Track Initialization.

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2.0 NEW TRACK INITIALIZATION

PROTOCOL: Follow this sequence precisely.

2.1 Get Track Description and Determine Type

1. Load Project Context: Read and understand the content of the project documents (Product Definition, Tech Stack, etc.) resolved via the Universal File Resolution Protocol.
2. Get Track Description & Enter Plan Mode:
   • If {{args}} is empty:
     1. Call the enter_plan_mode tool with the reason: "Defining new track".
     2. Ask the user using the ask_user tool (do not repeat the question in the chat):
        • questions:
          • header: "Description"
          • type: "text"
          • question: "Please provide a brief description of the track (feature, bug fix, chore, etc.) you wish to start."
          • placeholder: "e.g., Implement user authentication" Await the user's response and use it as the track description.
   • If {{args}} contains a description:
     1. Use the content of {{args}} as the track description.
     2. Call the enter_plan_mode tool with the reason: "Defining new track".
3. Infer Track Type: Analyze the description to determine if it is a "Feature" or "Something Else" (e.g., Bug, Chore, Refactor). Do NOT ask the user to classify it.

2.2 Interactive Specification Generation (spec.md)

1. State Your Goal: Announce:

   "I'll now guide you through a series of questions to build a comprehensive specification (spec.md) for this track."

2. Questioning Phase: Ask a series of questions to gather details for the spec.md using the ask_user tool. You must batch up to 4 related questions in a single tool call to streamline the process. Tailor questions based on the track type (Feature or Other).

   • CRITICAL: Wait for the user's response after each ask_user tool call.

   • General Guidelines:

     • Refer to information in Product Definition, Tech Stack, etc., to ask context-aware questions.

     • Provide a brief explanation and clear examples for each question.

     • Strongly Recommendation: Whenever possible, present 2-3 plausible options for the user to choose from.

     • 1. Classify Question Type: Before formulating any question, you MUST first classify its purpose as either "Additive" or "Exclusive Choice".

       • Use Additive for brainstorming and defining scope (e.g., users, goals, features, project guidelines). These questions allow for multiple answers.
       • Use Exclusive Choice for foundational, singular commitments (e.g., selecting a primary technology, a specific workflow rule). These questions require a single answer.

     • 2. Formulate the Question: Use the ask_user tool: Adhere to the following for each question in the questions array:

       • header: Very short label (max 16 chars).
       • type: "choice", "text", or "yesno".
       • multiSelect: (Required for type: "choice") Set to true for multi-select (additive) or false for single-choice (exclusive).
       • options: (Required for type: "choice") Provide 2-4 options, each with a label and description. Note that "Other" is automatically added.
       • placeholder: (For type: "text") Provide a hint.

     • 3. Interaction Flow:

       • Wait for the user's response after each ask_user tool call.
       • If the user selects "Other", use a subsequent ask_user tool call with type: "text" to get their input if necessary.
       • Confirm your understanding by summarizing before moving on to drafting.

   • If FEATURE:

     • Ask 3-4 relevant questions to clarify the feature request using the ask_user tool.
     • Examples include clarifying questions about the feature, how it should be implemented, interactions, inputs/outputs, etc.
     • Tailor the questions to the specific feature request (e.g., if the user didn't specify the UI, ask about it; if they didn't specify the logic, ask about it).

   • If SOMETHING ELSE (Bug, Chore, etc.):

     • Ask 2-3 relevant questions to obtain necessary details using the ask_user tool.
     • Examples include reproduction steps for bugs, specific scope for chores, or success criteria.
     • Tailor the questions to the specific request.

3. Draft spec.md: Once sufficient information is gathered, draft the content for the track's spec.md file, including sections like Overview, Functional Requirements, Non-Functional Requirements (if any), Acceptance Criteria, and Out of Scope.

4. User Confirmation:

   • Ask for Approval: Use the ask_user tool to request confirmation. You MUST embed the drafted content directly into the question field so the user can review it in context.
     • questions:

       • header: "Confirm Spec"

       • question: Please review the drafted Specification below. Does this accurately capture the requirements?

         ---

       • type: "choice"

       • multiSelect: false

       • options:

         • Label: "Approve", Description: "The specification looks correct, proceed to planning."
         • Label: "Revise", Description: "I want to make changes to the requirements." Await user feedback and revise the spec.md content until confirmed.

2.3 Interactive Plan Generation (plan.md)

1. State Your Goal: Once spec.md is approved, announce:

   "Now I will create an implementation plan (plan.md) based on the specification."

2. Generate Plan:

   • Read the confirmed spec.md content for this track.
   • Resolve and read the Workflow file (via the Universal File Resolution Protocol using the project's index file).
   • Generate a plan.md with a hierarchical list of Phases, Tasks, and Sub-tasks.
   • CRITICAL: The plan structure MUST adhere to the methodology in the Workflow file (e.g., TDD tasks for "Write Tests" and "Implement").
   • Include status markers [ ] for EVERY task and sub-task. The format must be:
     • Parent Task: - [ ] Task: ...
     • Sub-task: - [ ] ...
   • CRITICAL: Inject Phase Completion Tasks. Determine if a "Phase Completion Verification and Checkpointing Protocol" is defined in the Workflow. If this protocol exists, then for each Phase that you generate in plan.md, you MUST append a final meta-task to that phase. The format for this meta-task is: - [ ] Task: Conductor - User Manual Verification '<Phase Name>' (Protocol in workflow.md).

3. User Confirmation:

   • Ask for Approval: Use the ask_user tool to request confirmation. You MUST embed the drafted content directly into the question field so the user can review it in context.
     • questions:

       • header: "Confirm Plan"

       • question: Please review the drafted Implementation Plan below. Does this look correct and cover all the necessary steps?

         ---

       • type: "choice"

       • multiSelect: false

       • options:

         • Label: "Approve", Description: "The plan looks solid, proceed to implementation."
         • Label: "Revise", Description: "I want to modify the implementation steps." Await user feedback and revise the plan.md content until confirmed.

2.4 Skill Recommendation (Interactive)

1. Analyze Needs:
   • Read skills/catalog.md from the directory where the Conductor extension is installed (typically ~/.gemini/extensions/conductor/skills/catalog.md).
   • Analyze the confirmed spec.md and plan.md against the Detection Signals in the loaded skills/catalog.md.
   • Identify any relevant skills that are NOT yet installed (check ~/.agents/extensions/conductor/skills/ and .agents/skills/).
2. Recommendation Loop:
   • If relevant missing skills are found:
     • Ask: "Would you like to install these skills now?" using the ask_user tool (do not repeat in chat):
       • questions:
         • header: "Install Skills"
         • question: "I've identified some skills that could help with this track. Would you like to install any of them?"
         • type: "choice"
         • multiSelect: true
         • options: (Populate with the recommended skills, providing a label and a description explaining the relevance for each).
     • Install: If the user selects any skills, then for each selected skill:
       • Determine Installation Path:
         • If alwaysRecommend is true, set the path to ~/.agents/extensions/conductor/skills/<skill-name>/.
         • Otherwise, set the path to .agents/skills/<skill-name>/.
       • Create directory at the determined path.
       • Determine Download Strategy:
         • If party is '1p':
           • If version is provided, download that specific version.
           • Otherwise, download the latest copy at the exact url.
         • If party is '3p', MUST use the provided commit_sha to download the specific vetted commit.
       • Download the content of the skill folder from the url specified in catalog.md (using the determined strategy) to the determined path.
       • CRITICAL: If the URL is a file path, find the parent folder. If it is a Git URL, use git clone or sparse-checkout to get the folder.
   • If no missing skills found: Skip this section.

2.4.1 Skill Reload Confirmation

1. Execution Trigger: This step MUST only be executed if you installed new skills in the previous section.
2. Notify and Pause: CRITICAL: You MUST explicitly instruct the user: "New skills installed. Please run /skills reload to enable them. Let me know when you have done this." Do NOT use the ask_user tool here.
3. Wait for Confirmation: You MUST pause your execution here and wait for the user to confirm they have run the command and reloaded the skills before proceeding.

2.5 Create Track Artifacts and Update Main Plan

1. Check for existing track name: Before generating a new Track ID, resolve the Tracks Directory using the Universal File Resolution Protocol. List all existing track directories in that resolved path. Extract the short names from these track IDs (e.g., shortname_YYYYMMDD -> shortname). If the proposed short name for the new track (derived from the initial description) matches an existing short name, halt the newTrack creation. Explain that a track with that name already exists and suggest choosing a different name or resuming the existing track.

2. Generate Track ID: Create a unique Track ID (e.g., shortname_YYYYMMDD).

3. Create Directory: Create a new directory for the tracks: <Tracks Directory>/<track_id>/.

4. Create metadata.json: Create a metadata file at <Tracks Directory>/<track_id>/metadata.json with content like:

   {
     "track_id": "<track_id>",
     "type": "feature", // or "bug", "chore", etc.
     "status": "new", // or in_progress, completed, cancelled
     "created_at": "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ",
     "updated_at": "YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SSZ",
     "description": "<Initial user description>"
   }
   

   • Populate fields with actual values. Use the current timestamp.

5. Write Files:

   • Write the confirmed specification content to <Tracks Directory>/<track_id>/spec.md.
   • Write the confirmed plan content to <Tracks Directory>/<track_id>/plan.md.
   • Write the index file to <Tracks Directory>/<track_id>/index.md with content:

     # Track <track_id> Context
     
     - [Specification](./spec.md)
     - [Implementation Plan](./plan.md)
     - [Metadata](./metadata.json)
     

6. Exit Plan Mode: Call the exit_plan_mode tool with the path: <Tracks Directory>/<track_id>/index.md.

7. Update Tracks Registry:

   • Announce: Inform the user you are updating the Tracks Registry.
   • Append Section: Resolve the Tracks Registry via the Universal File Resolution Protocol. Append a new section for the track to the end of this file. The format MUST be:

     
     ---
     
     - [ ] **Track: <Track Description>**
     *Link: [./<Relative Track Path>/](./<Relative Track Path>/)*
     

     (Replace <Relative Track Path> with the path to the track directory relative to the Tracks Registry file location.)

8. Commit Code Changes:

   • Announce: Inform the user you are committing the Tracks Registry changes.
   • Commit Changes: Stage the Tracks Registry files and commit with the message chore(conductor): Add new track '<track_description>'.

9. Announce Completion: Inform the user:

   "New track '<track_id>' has been created and added to the tracks file. You can now start implementation by running /conductor:implement."