workflow-durability

name	workflow-durability
description	Read when about to propose "checkpoint / bank progress / resume fresh / find a safe stopping point" mid-execution, when about to ask the operator to run read-only queries the current stage blocks Bash for, or when the stop-hook rejects a message pointing at this skill. Answers "artifacts are durable — the correct move is a workflow surface, not a hand-back."

Workflow Durability

Purpose

Answer one question: "I'm worried about context / can't run Bash right now / this task is long — should I checkpoint or ask the operator to do X?" Answer: no — because IronClaude's artifacts are durable and the correct move is a workflow surface, not a hand-back to the operator.

When to Invoke

Read this skill when about to say (or when the stop-hook rejects a message containing) any of:

• "Shall we checkpoint / bank progress / resume fresh"
• "Find a safe / natural stopping point"
• "Pause here for now"
• "You (the operator) run these queries / paste this output / execute these commands" — as a way to work around a stage-blocked Bash
• Any framing where a stage restriction or context concern becomes a reason to hand work back to the operator

What Makes Artifacts Durable

• Plan state — docs/plans/*.plan.json on disk; MCP create_plan reloads from JSON; mark_plan_ready re-registers after edits. Interrupted mid-execute = the plan file is intact and re-invoking /executing-plans resumes.
• Task state — the MCP state manager tracks workflow_stage, current_wave, and per-task status in ~/.claude/ironclaude.db. Re-entry reads get_resume_state.
• Design state — docs/plans/*-design.md on disk; mark_design_ready re-registers.
• Compaction is normal infrastructure. Session compaction re-inflates from these artifacts + episodic memory. It is not a data-loss event and does not require self-service pausing.

The Two Anti-Patterns (Named)

AP-1: Checkpoint anxiety

Proposing to pause mid-execution "for safety" when no operator request or step failure prompted it. Forbidden. Pauses are operator-initiated via the plan-interruption skill. The plan file is the checkpoint.

AP-2: Query offloading

Asking the operator to run a read-only Bash / sqlite / grep query the model itself cannot run because the current stage (idle, brainstorming, plan_ready, final_plan_prep) blocks Bash. Forbidden. The correct move is an investigation PM loop: brainstorm → tiny read-only plan → execute stage unblocks Bash → the model runs its own queries → produces a findings note.

Correct Workflow Moves (Decision Table)

Situation	Correct move
Operator asks to pause	plan-interruption skill
Step fails; need to debug	executing-plans Step 6 (Handle failures)
Bash blocked, need read-only queries to verify state	Investigation PM loop (brainstorm → tiny plan → execute stage unblocks Bash → run queries → findings note)
Bash blocked, need to write code	The existing PM loop — that IS the workflow, no separate loop needed
Context "feels long"	Do nothing; artifacts survive
Long task in progress	Keep going; artifacts survive

The Stop-Hook Contract

The diligently_finished_work rubric in worker/hooks/get-back-to-work-claude.sh treats an active proposal to checkpoint or offload as grade D/F. If you land on this skill because a Stop-hook reject cited it, the fix is to continue the actual work — not to re-propose the pause in different words.

The rubric distinguishes PROPOSING (D/F) from DESCRIBING the anti-pattern in a design doc / skill discussion / review report (A). Meta-discussion of the pattern is fine; active proposals to pause or hand off are not.

Cross-References

• plan-interruption — the correct path for operator-initiated pauses
• executing-plans Step 6 — the correct path for step-failure handling
• brainstorming — the entry point for an investigation PM loop