Bootstrap, install, and operate an external task-management CLI as the source of truth for agent execution tracking (instead of built-in todos). Provides the abstraction layer between swain-design intent (implementation plans and tasks) and concrete CLI commands. MUST be invoked when any implementation-tier artifact (SPEC) comes up for implementation — create a tracked plan before writing code. Optional but recommended for complex SPIKEs. For coordination-tier artifacts (EPIC, VISION, JOURNEY), swain-design must decompose into implementable children first — this skill tracks the children, not the container. Also use for standalone tasks that require backend portability, persistent progress across agent runtimes, or external supervision. Use this skill whenever the user asks to track tasks, create an implementation plan, check what to work on next, see task status, manage dependencies between work items, or close/abandon tasks — even if they don't mention "execution tracking" explicitly.
Instrucciones de origen · Vista previa de solo lectura
name
swain-do
description
Bootstrap, install, and operate an external task-management CLI as the source of truth for agent execution tracking (instead of built-in todos). Provides the abstraction layer between swain-design intent (implementation plans and tasks) and concrete CLI commands. MUST be invoked when any implementation-tier artifact (SPEC) comes up for implementation — create a tracked plan before writing code. Optional but recommended for complex SPIKEs. For coordination-tier artifacts (EPIC, VISION, JOURNEY), swain-design must decompose into implementable children first — this skill tracks the children, not the container. Also use for standalone tasks that require backend portability, persistent progress across agent runtimes, or external supervision. Use this skill whenever the user asks to track tasks, create an implementation plan, check what to work on next, see task status, manage dependencies between work items, or close/abandon tasks — even if they don't mention "execution tracking" explicitly.
license
UNLICENSED
allowed-tools
Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob
metadata
{"short-description":"Bootstrap and operate external task tracking","version":"3.1.0","author":"cristos","source":"swain"}
Execution Tracking
Abstraction layer for agent execution tracking. Other skills (e.g., swain-design) express intent using abstract terms; this skill translates that intent into concrete CLI commands.
This skill receives handoffs from swain-design based on a four-tier tracking model:
Tier
Artifacts
This skill's role
Implementation
SPEC
Create a tracked implementation plan and task breakdown before any code is written
Coordination
EPIC, VISION, JOURNEY
Do not track directly — swain-design decomposes these into children first, then hands off the children
Research
SPIKE
Create a tracked plan when the research is complex enough to benefit from task breakdown
Reference
ADR, PERSONA, RUNBOOK
No tracking expected
If invoked directly on a coordination-tier artifact (EPIC, VISION, JOURNEY) without prior decomposition, defer to swain-design to create child SPECs first, then create plans for those children.
Term mapping
Other skills use these abstract terms. This skill maps them to the current backend (tk):
Abstract term
Meaning
tk command
implementation plan
Top-level container grouping all tasks for a spec artifact
Immutable link from a plan to the spec that seeded it
--external-ref <ID> flag on epic creation
spec tag
Mutable tag linking a task to every spec it affects
--tags spec:<ID> on create
dependency
Ordering constraint between tasks
tk dep <child> <parent> (child depends on parent)
ready work
Unblocked tasks available for pickup
tk ready
claim
Atomically take ownership of a task
tk claim <id>
complete
Mark a task as done
tk add-note <id> "reason" then tk close <id>
abandon
Close a task that will not be completed
tk add-note <id> "Abandoned: <why>" then tk close <id>
escalate
Abandon + invoke swain-design to update upstream artifacts
Abandon, then invoke swain-design skill
Configuration and bootstrap
Config stored in .agents/execution-tracking.vars.json (created on first run). Read references/configuration.md for first-run setup questions, config keys, and the 6-step bootstrap workflow.
Statuses
tk accepts exactly three status values: open, in_progress, closed. Use the status command to set arbitrary statuses, but the dependency graph (ready, blocked) only evaluates these three.
To express abandonment, use tk add-note <id> "Abandoned: ..." then tk close <id> — see Escalation.
Operating rules
Always include --description (or -d) when creating issues — a title alone loses the "why" behind a task. Future agents (or your future self) picking up this work need enough context to act without re-researching.
Create/update tasks at the start of work, after each major milestone, and before final response — this keeps the tracker useful as a live dashboard rather than a post-hoc record.
Keep task titles short and action-oriented — they appear in tk ready output, tree views, and notifications where space is limited.
Store handoff notes using tk add-note <id> "context" rather than ephemeral chat context — chat history is lost between sessions, but task notes persist and are visible to any agent or observer.
Include references to related artifact IDs in tags (e.g., spec:SPEC-003) — this enables querying all work touching a given spec.
Prefix abandonment reasons with Abandoned: when closing incomplete tasks — this convention makes abandoned work findable so nothing silently disappears.
Use ticket-query for structured output — when you need JSON for programmatic use, pipe through ticket-query (available in the vendored bin/ directory) instead of parsing human-readable output. Example: ticket-query '.status == "open"'
TDD enforcement
Strict RED-GREEN-REFACTOR with anti-rationalization safeguards and completion verification. Read references/tdd-enforcement.md for the anti-rationalization table, task ordering rules, and evidence requirements.
Spec lineage tagging
Use --external-ref SPEC-NNN on plan epics (immutable origin) and --tags spec:SPEC-NNN on child tasks (mutable). Query: ticket-query '.tags and (.tags | contains("spec:SPEC-003"))'. Cross-plan links: tk link <task-a> <task-b>.
Escalation
When work cannot proceed as designed, abandon tasks and escalate to swain-design. Read references/escalation.md for the triage table, abandonment commands, escalation workflow, and cross-spec handling.
"What's next?" flow
Run tk ready for unblocked tasks and ticket-query '.status == "in_progress"' for in-flight work. If .tickets/ is empty or missing, defer to specgraph.sh next for artifact-level guidance.
Artifact/tk reconciliation
When specwatch detects mismatches (TK_SYNC, TK_ORPHAN in .agents/specwatch.log), read references/reconciliation.md for the mismatch types, resolution commands, and reconciliation workflow.
Session bookmark
After state-changing operations, update the bookmark: bash "$(find . .claude .agents -path '*/swain-session/scripts/swain-bookmark.sh' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)" "<action> <task-description>"
Superpowers skill chaining
When superpowers is installed, swain-do must invoke these skills at the right moments — do not skip them or inline the work:
Before writing code for any task: Invoke the test-driven-development skill. Write a failing test first (RED), then make it pass (GREEN), then refactor. This applies to every task, not just the first one.
When dispatching parallel work: Invoke subagent-driven-development (if subagents are available and tasks are independent) or executing-plans (if serial). Read references/execution-strategy.md for the decision tree.
Before claiming any task or plan is complete: Invoke verification-before-completion. Run the verification commands, read the output, and only then assert success. No completion claims without fresh evidence.
Detection:ls .agents/skills/test-driven-development/SKILL.md .claude/skills/test-driven-development/SKILL.md 2>/dev/null — if at least one path exists, superpowers is available. Cache the result for the session.
When superpowers is NOT installed, swain-do uses its built-in TDD enforcement (see references/tdd-enforcement.md) and serial execution.
Plan ingestion (superpowers integration)
When a superpowers plan file exists, use the ingestion script (skills/swain-do/scripts/ingest-plan.py) instead of manual task decomposition. Read references/plan-ingestion.md for usage, format requirements, and when NOT to use it.
Execution strategy
Selects serial vs. subagent-driven execution based on superpowers availability and task complexity. Read references/execution-strategy.md for the decision tree, detection commands, and worktree-artifact mapping.
Worktree isolation preamble
Before any implementation or execution operation (plan creation, task claim, code writing, execution handoff), run this detection:
