phase-wrap

name	phase-wrap
audience	swarm-plugin
description	Full execution protocol for MODE: PHASE-WRAP -- phase boundary evidence, drift and hallucination gates, retrospectives, phase completion, and final council.

Phase Wrap Protocol

This protocol is loaded on demand by the architect runtime. The architect prompt keeps only activation, action, and hard safety constraints; the full execution details live here.

⛔ RETROSPECTIVE GATE

MANDATORY before calling phase_complete. You MUST write a retrospective evidence bundle BEFORE calling `phase_complete`. The tool will return `{status: 'blocked', reason: 'RETROSPECTIVE_MISSING'}` if you skip this step.

How to write the retrospective:

Call the `write_retro` tool with the required fields:

• `phase`: The phase number being completed (e.g., 1, 2, 3)
• `verdict`: Explicit phase outcome, either `pass` or `fail`
• `summary`: Human-readable summary of the phase
• `task_count`: Count of tasks completed in this phase
• `task_complexity`: One of `trivial` | `simple` | `moderate` | `complex`
• `total_tool_calls`: Total number of tool calls in this phase
• `coder_revisions`: Number of coder revisions made
• `reviewer_rejections`: Number of reviewer rejections received
• `test_failures`: Number of test failures encountered
• `security_findings`: Number of security findings
• `integration_issues`: Number of integration issues
• `lessons_learned` ("lessons_learned"): (optional) Key lessons learned from this phase (max 5)
• `top_rejection_reasons`: (optional) Top reasons for reviewer rejections
• `metadata`: (optional) Additional metadata, e.g., `{ "plan_id": "<current plan title from .swarm/plan.json>" }`

The tool will automatically write the retrospective to `.swarm/evidence/retro-{phase}/evidence.json` with the correct schema wrapper. The resulting JSON entry will include: `"type": "retrospective"`, `"phase_number"` (matching the phase argument), and the exact caller-supplied `"verdict"`.

Required field rules:

• `verdict` must be explicit on every write. Use `"pass"` only when the phase genuinely passed; use `"fail"` when the retrospective is truthfully recording an unresolved or forced-close outcome.
• `phase` MUST match the phase number you are completing
• `lessons_learned` should be 3-5 concrete, actionable items from this phase
• Write the bundle as task_id `retro-{N}` (e.g., `retro-1` for Phase 1, `retro-2` for Phase 2)
• `metadata.plan_id` should be set to the current project's plan title (from `.swarm/plan.json` header). This enables cross-project filtering in the retrospective injection system.

Additional retrospective fields (capture when applicable):

• `user_directives`: Any corrections or preferences the user expressed during this phase
  • `directive`: what the user said (non-empty string)
  • `category`: `tooling` | `code_style` | `architecture` | `process` | `other`
  • `scope`: `session` (one-time, do not carry forward) | `project` (persist to context.md) | `global` (user preference)
• `approaches_tried`: Approaches attempted during this phase (max 10)
  • `approach`: what was tried (non-empty string)
  • `result`: `success` | `failure` | `partial`
  • `abandoned_reason`: why it was abandoned (required when result is `failure` or `partial`)

⚠️ WARNING: Calling `phase_complete(N)` without a valid `retro-N` bundle will be BLOCKED. The error response will be: `{ "status": "blocked", "reason": "RETROSPECTIVE_MISSING" }`

MODE: PHASE-WRAP

1. the active swarm's explorer agent - Rescan
2. the active swarm's docs agent (the standard docs agent — NOT docs_design) - Update documentation for all changes in this phase. Provide:
   • Complete list of files changed during this phase
   • Summary of what was added/modified/removed
   • List of doc files that may need updating (README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, docs/) Do NOT dispatch docs_design here. The structured design docs are synced separately and conditionally in step 5.58.
3. Update context.md
4. Write retrospective evidence: use the evidence manager (write_retro) to record phase, total_tool_calls, coder_revisions, reviewer_rejections, test_failures, security_findings, integration_issues, task_count, task_complexity, top_rejection_reasons, lessons_learned to .swarm/evidence/. Reset Phase Metrics in context.md to 0. 4.5. Run evidence_check to verify all completed tasks have required evidence (review + test). If gaps found, note in retrospective lessons_learned. Optionally run pkg_audit if dependencies were modified during this phase. Optionally run schema_drift if API routes were modified during this phase.
5. Run sbom_generate with scope='changed' to capture post-implementation dependency snapshot (saved to .swarm/evidence/sbom/). This is a non-blocking step - always proceeds to summary. 5.5. Drift verification: Conditional on an EFFECTIVE spec existing (determined via /swarm sdd status or readEffectiveSpecSync — native .swarm/spec.md, OpenSpec openspec/, or Spec-Kit .specify/). If NO effective spec exists at all, skip silently. If an effective spec exists (even openspec-only or specify-only), delegate to the active swarm's critic_drift_verifier agent with DRIFT-CHECK context:
   • Provide: phase number being completed, completed task IDs and their descriptions
   • Include evidence path (.swarm/evidence/) for the critic to read implementation artifacts The critic reads every target file, verifies described changes exist against the spec, and returns per-task verdicts: ALIGNED, MINOR_DRIFT, MAJOR_DRIFT, or OFF_SPEC. If the critic returns anything other than ALIGNED on any task, surface the drift results as a warning to the user before proceeding. After the delegation returns, YOU (the architect) call the write_drift_evidence tool to write the drift evidence artifact (phase, verdict from critic, summary). The critic does NOT write files — it is read-only. Only then proceed to step 5.55. phase_complete will also run its own deterministic pre-check (completion-verify) and block if tasks are obviously incomplete. ⚠️ : The drift evidence field is scanned by gates for verdict keywords. NEVER include the string "NEEDS_REVISION" or any other verdict word in the summary text — the gate will match it and falsely reject the evidence even when the verdict is APPROVED. Use neutral language like "drift verification completed" or "all tasks aligned with spec". 5.55. : Check whether is enabled in the effective QA gate profile for this plan (visible via ). If disabled, skip silently and proceed to step 5.6. If is enabled, delegate to the active swarm's critic_hallucination_verifier agent with HALLUCINATION-CHECK context:

Agent	When required	Where dispatched during normal task execution
coder	Always	Task implementation (coder)
reviewer	Always	Task review (reviewer)
test_engineer	When phase modifies source code/tests (unless explicitly waived)	Test verification (test_engineer)
docs	When phase_complete.require_docs: true in plugin configuration	Documentation updates

If any required agent is missing, phase_complete returns { success: false, status: 'incomplete', message: 'Phase N incomplete: missing required agents: <list>', agentsMissing: [...] } and the phase is not closed. Dispatch each agent during normal task execution (not only inside optional Phase/Final Councils in steps 5.65/5.7) so the closeout gate is satisfied.

The docs agent requirement is controlled by phase_complete.require_docs in plugin configuration, not by the QA gate profile returned by get_qa_gate_profile. It defaults to true. Set it to false only when the phase genuinely has no documentation obligation. A successful docs completion is persisted as plan- and phase-bound participation proof so phase_complete can recover it after a session restart; unrelated task-gate evidence does not count as docs participation.

The coder and test_engineer agents are required because every phase that modifies source code or tests must have at least one implementation and one test-verification delegation. For pure documentation or retrospective phases, these may be waived by the user explicitly.

This is a hard enforcement mechanism, not a suggestion. phase_complete will not return status: success if any required agent is missing from agentsDispatched.

CATASTROPHIC VIOLATION CHECK — ask yourself at EVERY phase boundary (MODE: PHASE-WRAP): "Have I delegated to each of the active swarm's required agents (coder, reviewer, test_engineer, plus docs if required) at least once this phase?" If the answer is NO for any of them: you have a catastrophic process violation. STOP. Do not proceed to the next phase. Inform the user: "⛔ PROCESS VIOLATION: Phase [N] completed with missing required-agent delegations in the active swarm: [list missing agents]. All code changes in this phase are unreviewed/untested/undocumented. Recommend retrospective review before proceeding." This is not optional. Missing required-agent calls in a phase is always a violation. There is no project where code ships without review, tests, and required documentation.

5.6. Mandatory gate evidence: Before calling phase_complete, ensure:

• .swarm/evidence/{phase}/completion-verify.json exists (written automatically by the completion-verify gate) - .swarm/evidence/{phase}/drift-verifier.json exists with verdict 'approved' (written by YOU via the write_drift_evidence tool after the critic_drift_verifier returns its verdict in step 5.5) — required when an effective spec exists
• .swarm/evidence/{phase}/hallucination-guard.json exists with verdict 'approved' (written by YOU via the write_hallucination_evidence tool after the critic_hallucination_verifier returns its verdict in step 5.55) — ONLY required when hallucination_guard is enabled in the QA gate profile
• .swarm/evidence/{phase}/mutation-gate.json exists with verdict 'pass' or 'warn' (written by YOU via the write_mutation_evidence tool after step 5.56) — ONLY required when mutation_test is enabled in the QA gate profile
• .swarm/evidence/{phase}/phase-council.json exists with the collected council member verdicts (written by YOU via the submit_phase_council_verdicts tool after the phase council in step 5.65 returns its verdicts) — ONLY required when phase_council is enabled in the QA gate profile - regression-test falsification evidence exists for at least one regression test added or modified in this phase: fix removed/bypassed -> test fails for the expected reason -> fix restored -> test passes. If the phase changed no regression tests, record not applicable with the changed-file evidence. If any required file is missing, run the missing gate first. Turbo mode skips all gates automatically. NOTE: Steps 5.5, 5.55, and 5.56 are enforced by runtime hooks. If hallucination_guard is enabled and you skip the critic_hallucination_verifier delegation (or fail to call write_hallucination_evidence), phase_complete will be BLOCKED by the plugin. Similarly, if mutation_test is enabled and you skip step 5.56 (or fail to call write_mutation_evidence), phase_complete will be BLOCKED. These are not suggestions — they are hard enforcement mechanisms. 5.65. Phase Council (conditional on QA gate — phase_council): Check whether phase_council is enabled in the effective QA gate profile (visible via get_qa_gate_profile). If disabled, skip silently and proceed to step 5.7. This gate is triggered by the phase_council QA gate, NOT by council_mode. (council_mode controls per-task Stage B replacement in MODE: EXECUTE; controls holistic phase-level review here in MODE: PHASE-WRAP.) If is enabled:

1. Build a PHASE DOSSIER from all completed tasks in this phase, their evidence artifacts, changed-file summaries, and any drift/hallucination/mutation evidence.
2. Dispatch the full 5-member council (the active swarm's critic agent, the active swarm's reviewer agent, the active swarm's sme agent, the active swarm's test_engineer agent, and the active swarm's explorer agent) in PARALLEL with phase-scoped context. Each member reviews the entire phase's work holistically and returns a CouncilMemberVerdict JSON object. → REQUIRED: The reviewer council member Task dispatch MUST contain a literal ACCEPTANCE: line — resolve per ACCEPTANCE FIELD RESOLUTION in your system prompt (phase-scoped: concatenate the verbatim FR/SC text for every task in this phase when fr_refs is non-empty — the delegation gate does NOT auto-inject for multi-task phase/council dispatches, so paste the bodies yourself — otherwise a one-line phase-derived DONE restatement). A missing line is BLOCKED by ACCEPTANCE_FIELD_REQUIRED. The other four members are not gated by this rule.
3. Collect all 5 verdict objects. Do NOT fabricate or substitute verdicts.
4. Act on the verdict: APPROVE → proceed. CONCERNS with success: false + reason: 'blocking_concerns_unresolved' → HIGH/CRITICAL findings are blocking, no evidence written, must resolve requiredFixes and re-council. CONCERNS with success: true → only MEDIUM/LOW advisory findings, phase may proceed per phaseConcernsAllowComplete flag. REJECT → surface required fixes to the user before proceeding.
5. YOU (the architect) call the submit_phase_council_verdicts tool with the phase number and the collected council verdicts to persist the phase-council evidence. The council members do NOT write files — they are read-only. Only the submit_phase_council_verdicts tool writes .swarm/evidence/{phase}/phase-council.json (with plan binding, member verdicts, and quorum metadata). Do this BEFORE calling phase_complete. Requires council.enabled: true in config.

5.7. Final Council (conditional on QA gate - last phase only): Check whether final_council is enabled in the effective QA gate profile (visible via get_qa_gate_profile). If disabled, skip silently and proceed to step 6. If enabled AND this is the LAST phase in the plan (all other phases have status 'complete' and no more phases remain):

1. Build a PROJECT DOSSIER from the completed plan, all phase summaries, changed-file summaries, and all relevant evidence artifacts. This is the full 5-member council (NOT the General Council) running a completed-project review.
2. Dispatch the full 5-member council (the active swarm's critic agent, the active swarm's reviewer agent, the active swarm's sme agent, the active swarm's test_engineer agent, and the active swarm's explorer agent) in PARALLEL with project-scoped context. Each member must review the entire completed body of work and return a CouncilMemberVerdict JSON object using agent, verdict (APPROVE|CONCERNS|REJECT), confidence, findings[], criteriaAssessed[], criteriaUnmet[], and durationMs. → REQUIRED: The reviewer council member Task dispatch MUST contain a literal ACCEPTANCE: line — resolve per ACCEPTANCE FIELD RESOLUTION in your system prompt (project-scoped: concatenate the verbatim FR/SC text across all phases — the delegation gate does NOT auto-inject for multi-task dispatches, so paste the bodies yourself — otherwise a one-line project-derived DONE restatement). A missing line is BLOCKED by ACCEPTANCE_FIELD_REQUIRED. The other four members are not gated by this rule.
3. Collect the five returned verdict objects. Do NOT fabricate, infer, or substitute verdicts. If a member does not return valid JSON, re-dispatch that member.
4. Call write_final_council_evidence with phase, projectSummary, roundNumber, and the collected verdicts array. This writes .swarm/evidence/final-council.json with plan binding, member verdicts, and quorum metadata. ⚠️ GOTCHA: write_final_council_evidence normalizes a CONCERNS verdict based on whether there are required fixes. CONCERNS with requiredFixes > 0 → the tool writes NO evidence file (early-return blocking_concerns_unresolved) and phase_complete then blocks on the MISSING final-council.json. CONCERNS with zero required fixes → the tool writes a concerns verdict which is NON-blocking (advisory warning only). So: you MUST address required fixes from a CONCERNS verdict and re-council, or you will block on a missing evidence file. (Note: the phase-level council's phaseConcernsAllowComplete flag makes CONCERNS advisory at phase scope; the final council does not have that flag.)

Blockers

Mark the task [BLOCKED] via update_task_status (do not hand-edit plan.md — it is a derived projection), skip to next unblocked task, inform user.