state-management

name	state-management
description	Read, write, and maintain .spec2cloud/state.json across phases and increments. Defines the state schema, read/write protocol, and resume re-validation logic. Use when reading project state, updating state after task completion, or resuming from a previous session.

State Management

State lives in .spec2cloud/state.json. You read it at the start of every loop iteration and write it at the end.

Reading State

At the start of every loop iteration:

1. Read .spec2cloud/state.json
2. Parse currentPhase to determine where you are (setup, discovery, or increment-delivery)
3. If in increment-delivery, parse currentIncrement and its steps to determine what's been done and what's next
4. Parse humanGates to check which approvals have been granted

Writing State

At the end of every loop iteration:

1. Update the relevant section with the result of the task you just executed
2. Update lastUpdated to the current ISO timestamp
3. Write the updated state back to .spec2cloud/state.json

State File Schema

See references/schema.md for the full JSON schema example and field descriptions.

Increment Object Fields

Field	Type	Description
status	"pending" | "in-progress" | "done"	Overall increment delivery status. "done" only when Step 4 (Verify & Ship) completes.
steps	object	Per-step status tracking: tests, contracts, implementation, verification.

Step Object Fields

Step	Key Fields	Description
tests	e2eSpecs, gherkinFiles, cucumberSteps, vitestFiles	Files generated for this increment's test scaffolding.
contracts	apiContracts, sharedTypes, infraUpdated	Contract artifacts for this increment.
implementation	slices (api, web, integration)	Per-slice tracking with modifiedFiles, failingTests, lastTestRun, iteration.
verification	regression, deployment, smokeTests, docs	Full regression results, deployment URL, smoke test results, docs status.

Slice Dependencies (within implementation)

Contracts → api  (api slice reads contract types)
Contracts → web  (web slice reads contract types)
api + web → integration  (integration requires both slices done)
integration → verification  (verify requires all slices green)

Brownfield State Fields

When operating in brownfield mode, the state includes additional fields for testability tracking and per-feature track assignment.

Field	Type	Description
brownfield.testability	"full" | "partial" | "none"	Overall testability verdict after the testability gate.
brownfield.track	"A" | "B" | "hybrid"	Delivery track: A (testable, green baseline), B (doc-only), or hybrid (mix per feature).
brownfield.testabilityChecklist	object	Six binary checks: canBuild, externalDepsReachable, apiExercisable, uiRenderable, devEnvExists, existingTestsRunnable.
brownfield.featureTracks	object	Map of featureId → "A" | "B". Only present when track is "hybrid".
brownfield.greenBaseline	object	Track A metrics: per-feature scenarios count, testsPass boolean, lastVerified ISO timestamp.
brownfield.behavioralDocs	object	Track B metrics: per-feature scenarios count and manualChecklist item count.

Brownfield State Transitions

Trigger	Phase	State Updates
Extraction complete	"B1"	currentPhase: "B1", extraction output paths recorded in brownfield.extraction
Spec-Enable complete	"B2"	currentPhase: "B2", brownfield.prdGenerated: true, brownfield.frdCount: N
Testability gate complete	"B3"	currentPhase: "B3", brownfield.testability, brownfield.track, brownfield.testabilityChecklist recorded
Track A baseline green	(still B3)	brownfield.greenBaseline.features populated with per-feature test results
Track B docs complete	(still B3)	brownfield.behavioralDocs.features populated with per-feature scenario/checklist counts
Path selection (human gate)	"assessment"	brownfield.selectedPaths array recorded (e.g., ["modernize", "security"])
Assessment + planning done	"increment-delivery"	Increments generated, incrementPlan populated, delivery proceeds track-aware

When track is "hybrid", each increment in Phase 2 inherits its track from featureTracks. Track A increments follow the full test → contract → implement → verify cycle. Track B increments follow a doc-only path (behavioral docs + manual checklists instead of automated green baselines).

On Resume

1. Read .spec2cloud/state.json
2. Determine current increment and current step within it
3. Re-validate by running the appropriate test suite:
   • Tests step: verify test files exist and compile
   • Implementation step: run tests for the current slice, compare to state
   • Verification step: check deployment status
4. If results match state → continue from where you left off
5. If results differ → update state to reflect reality, then continue

Mandatory Completion Checklist

The orchestrator MUST verify ALL of the following after every state write:

• .spec2cloud/state.json is valid JSON (parseable without errors)
• currentPhase reflects the actual phase the orchestrator is in
• currentIncrement and increment step match the work just completed
• lastUpdated timestamp is current
• No fields are null/undefined that downstream skills depend on (e.g., adrs.nextNumber, incrementPlan)
• State file is committed alongside the artifacts it describes (not orphaned)

BLOCKING: If state.json is invalid or inconsistent with actual artifacts, the resume skill will reconstruct the wrong position. Fix state before proceeding.