pipeline-runner

name	pipeline-runner
description	Universal dispatcher: run a named taffy workflow (.claude/taffy/<name>.yaml), a skill (/skill-name), or a sub-agent (@agent-name). Falls back to skills.sh registry when a skill is not found locally. Tracks all runs in .claude/state/maple.json so the maple TUI shows live progress.

SKILL: pipeline-runner

What It Does

Dispatches any named workflow, skill, or agent from a single entry point. Resolution order:

1. Taffy workflow — look for .claude/taffy/<name>.yaml; if found, execute each stage in order
2. Skill (local) — look for .claude/skills/<name>/; if found, invoke the skill
3. Agent — look for .claude/agents/<name>.md; if found, delegate to @<name>
4. Skill (registry) — if not found locally, try to install from skills.sh, then retry step 2

Pipeline state is written to .claude/state/maple.json at every transition.

Usage

/pipeline-runner <name>

Examples:

/pipeline-runner new-ui-feature
/pipeline-runner api-endpoint
/pipeline-runner implement-stories
/pipeline-runner tdd-workflow
/pipeline-runner orchestrator

List available taffy workflows:

ls .claude/taffy/*.yaml | grep -v schema

List available skills:

ls .claude/skills/

Dispatch Protocol

Step 1: Resolve the target

# Check taffy first
[ -f ".claude/taffy/<name>.yaml" ] && dispatch=taffy
# Then local skill
[ -d ".claude/skills/<name>" ] && dispatch=skill
# Then agent
[ -f ".claude/agents/<name>.md" ] && dispatch=agent
# Fallback: fetch from skills.sh registry, then retry
if [ -z "$dispatch" ] && command -v npx &>/dev/null; then
  echo "pipeline-runner: '<name>' not found locally — checking skills.sh…"
  npx --yes skills add kinncj/maple@<name> -a claude-code -y 2>/dev/null \
    || npx --yes skills add <name> -a claude-code -y 2>/dev/null \
    || true
  [ -d ".claude/skills/<name>" ] && dispatch=skill
fi

If nothing matches after the registry fallback, report: pipeline-runner: no taffy workflow, skill, or agent named '<name>' (also checked skills.sh registry)

Step 2: Initialise state

Write to .claude/state/maple.json (merge — do not overwrite unowned fields):

{
  "taffy": "<name>",
  "stage": "<first-stage or skill-name>",
  "status": "RUNNING",
  "awaiting_approval": null,
  "started_at": "<iso8601>",
  "updated_at": "<iso8601>"
}

Step 2b: Runtime policy enforcement (mandatory)

Before any stage execution, read and enforce:

• Harness-specific root markdown:
  • Claude harness → CLAUDE.md
  • OpenCode harness → OPENCODE.md
  • Cursor harness → CURSOR.md
  • Copilot harness → COPILOT.md
• AGENTS.md
• .github/copilot-instructions.md
• .github/instructions/stories.instructions.md (when touching story files)

When the launch prompt contains a <maple-gherkin-handoff> block:

1. Treat it as hard scope: implement only listed story paths / IDs.
2. Do not run Spec-Kit or regenerate stories.
3. Preserve the repository's current Cucumber stack:
   • If generated stories include cucumber/*_steps.py, use Python behave-style steps.
   • Do not introduce TypeScript @cucumber/cucumber unless the repository already uses it as the active standard.
4. Keep BusinessRepo structure and phase gates exactly as defined by instruction files.
5. Treat test layout as mandatory:
   • Gherkin feature files must live under /tests/features/.
   • Step definitions must use the repository's active Cucumber stack and live under /tests.
   • Do not place acceptance tests under /app or story directories.
6. Enforce module boundaries independent of language:
   • Runtime/source files must not import from docs/, .github/, or .claude/.
   • Copying/adapting approved artifact content into app/test source is allowed.
   • Design/spec artifacts are references, not runtime code dependencies.

Step 3a: Taffy workflow execution

Load .claude/taffy/<name>.yaml, parse stages:, resolve depends_on order.

If the workflow defines an orchestrator-kickoff stage, execute it first before all other stages. This stage must publish the initial plan and heartbeat cadence.

For each stage:

when: guard:

• when: ui:true — skip if story has ui: false, unless .claude/state/maple.json has force_ui: true with launch_source: maple-x (MAPLE [x] quick-launch override).
• when: ui:false — skip if story has ui: true
• when: always — always run
• UI-related scope includes web, mobile, desktop, and TUI stories. Any such run must include design-review human-approval stages before implementation phases.

depends_on: all listed stages must be DONE before this one starts.

Dispatch:

• agent: <name> → delegate to @<name> with current story context
• skill: <name> → invoke the skill
• pipeline: standard → run the full 8-phase orchestrator pipeline

After each stage: update maple.json with current stage + RUNNING.

Progress heartbeats (mandatory):

• Send an immediate kickoff status before the first long-running tool/agent call.
• While a taffy run is active, send a concise progress update at least every 60-120 seconds.
• On each heartbeat, refresh maple.json updated_at and current stage.
• Every heartbeat must include concrete progress evidence:
  • changed files/artifacts since last update (explicit paths), or
  • a specific blocker that prevented changes.
• Use this status format:
  • Progress: <stage / phase>
  • Done since last update: <brief>
  • Current action: <brief>
  • Blockers: <none or blocker>
  • Next update: <ETA>
• Do not send heartbeat-only timestamp churn with no artifact/blocker details.
• If a stage requires writing artifacts and write access/tools are unavailable, set maple.json to FAILED with an explicit error and stop.
• If blocked/waiting, report what is pending and continue heartbeats until unblocked.

Completion artifact gate (mandatory):

• Before marking DONE, verify the run produced concrete story-linked artifacts under the BusinessRepo layout.
• Required for implementation runs:
  • application changes in /app (or existing domain folders),
  • tests in /tests (unit/integration/e2e as applicable),
  • Gherkin assets in /tests/features plus matching step implementations.
• Boundary check:
  • fail the run if generated runtime code imports paths under docs/, .github/, or .claude/.
• If required test/gherkin artifacts are missing, set maple.json to FAILED and report missing paths explicitly.

Step 3b: Skill invocation

Invoke the skill directly. Update maple.json on start and completion.

Step 3c: Agent delegation

Delegate to @<name>. Update maple.json on start and completion.

Step 4: Human-approval gates (taffy only)

When a stage has gate: human-approval:

1. Complete stage work (produce artifact).
   • For design review stages (wireframe, visual-identity, design-tokens, ui-mockup-builder, design-refresh), artifact production is mandatory:
     • create at least one previewable artifact (.excalidraw, .html, .svg, .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp, or .md) under docs/design (or approved artifact dirs), and
     • the required formats depend on design.target (project.config.yaml, default web): web = .md + .html + .excalidraw; tui = .md + .excalidraw (no .html). A run that produces fewer than the required formats is incomplete, and
     • update .claude/state/design-artifacts.json with current stage artifact paths so the review portal can update live.
   • Path + completeness gate for wireframe stage (mandatory before PAUSING):

     # Verify wireframes are in the canonical location and the required formats exist.
     # Required formats depend on design.target (web: md+html+excalidraw; tui: md+excalidraw).
     TARGET=$(sed -n 's/^[[:space:]]*target:[[:space:]]*\([a-z]*\).*/\1/p' project.config.yaml 2>/dev/null | head -1)
     [ -z "$TARGET" ] && TARGET=web
     CANONICAL=$(find docs/design/wireframes -name "*.wireframe.*" 2>/dev/null | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
     MISPLACED=$(find docs -name "*.wireframe.*" -not -path "*/docs/design/wireframes/*" 2>/dev/null)
     MISSING_HTML=""
     if [ "$TARGET" != "tui" ]; then
       MISSING_HTML=$(find docs/design/wireframes -name "*.wireframe.md" 2>/dev/null | while read md; do
         base="${md%.wireframe.md}"
         [ ! -f "${base}.wireframe.html" ] && echo "${base}.wireframe.html"
       done)
     fi
     MISSING_EXCALIDRAW=$(find docs/design/wireframes -name "*.wireframe.md" 2>/dev/null | while read md; do
       base="${md%.wireframe.md}"
       [ ! -f "${base}.wireframe.excalidraw" ] && echo "${base}.wireframe.excalidraw"
     done)
     if [ "$CANONICAL" -eq 0 ]; then
       if [ -n "$MISPLACED" ]; then
         echo "PIPELINE GATE FAILED: wireframes found at wrong path(s): $MISPLACED"
         echo "Canonical path is docs/design/wireframes/ — move files there before this stage can complete."
       else
         echo "PIPELINE GATE FAILED: no wireframe artifacts in docs/design/wireframes/"
       fi
       # set maple.json FAILED and stop
     fi
     if [ -n "$MISSING_HTML" ]; then
       echo "PIPELINE GATE FAILED: missing .wireframe.html for: $MISSING_HTML — generate it now."
       # set maple.json FAILED and stop
     fi
     if [ -n "$MISSING_EXCALIDRAW" ]; then
       echo "PIPELINE GATE FAILED: missing .wireframe.excalidraw for: $MISSING_EXCALIDRAW — generate it now."
       # set maple.json FAILED and stop
     fi
     

     If the gate fails, produce the missing files before re-running the gate check.
   • If no reviewable artifact exists for a design gate, set maple.json to FAILED and stop.
2. Write PAUSED state:

{ "stage": "<name>", "status": "PAUSED", "awaiting_approval": "<name>", "updated_at": "<iso8601>" }

3. Write stage name to .claude/state/approval-pending.txt.
4. Output:

TAFFY PAUSED — awaiting human approval
Stage:    <stage-name>
Artifact: <artifact path or description>

Approve via the maple TUI ([P] pipeline → [a] approve) or reply "approved" / "continue".
I will not advance to the next stage until approval is confirmed.

5. Poll: timeout 540 bash -c 'until [ ! -f .claude/state/approval-pending.txt ]; do sleep 2; done'
   • On timeout (exit 124), re-run the same poll. The Bash tool caps at 10 min per call; re-polling across calls lets approval delays exceed that bound.
   • Also accept an explicit "approved" / "continue" reply in chat.
   • When the user approves via the maple TUI ([P] → [a]), the TUI deletes the pending file and sends a "continue" keystroke to the agent's pane via the active multiplexer (outer tmux/zellij, or a detached tmux new-session wrapper). Either signal is sufficient to resume.
6. On resume: update to RUNNING, advance to next stage.
7. While paused, monitor .claude/state/design-feedback.json:
   • status: requested_changes or status: rejected means apply the requested updates before advancing.
   • Treat attachments as required review inputs (uploaded files such as .excalidraw, images, HTML, text), typically under docs/design/review-input/.
   • Summarize how each feedback item and attachment was addressed before continuing.

Step 5: Completion

{ "taffy": "<name>", "stage": "DONE", "status": "DONE", "awaiting_approval": null, "updated_at": "<iso8601>" }

Output:

TAFFY COMPLETE — <name>
Stages run: N
Duration:   <elapsed>

Failure Handling

After 3 consecutive failures on any stage:

{ "stage": "<name>", "status": "FAILED", "error": "<summary>", "updated_at": "<iso8601>" }

Stop. Report failed stage and error to human. Do not proceed.

Rate-limit Handling

When a usage limit, rate limit, HTTP 429, or "resets at " message stops you continuing, before stopping:

1. Merge-write .claude/state/maple.json (keep taffy/stage):

{ "status": "RATE_LIMITED", "resume_at": "<iso8601 reset time, else now+1h>", "rate_limit_reason": "<one line>", "updated_at": "<iso8601>" }

2. Write a one-line breadcrumb to .claude/state/rate-limit.txt: <resume_at>|<reason>. One cheap write — do it even if nothing else is possible.
3. Stop. Do not hammer the API. MAPLE resumes the pipeline when the window clears (manual [r], or auto when armed).

Session Context

On startup, read .claude/state/sessions.json if it exists:

{ "claude": "<uuid>", "opencode": "<id>", "copilot": "<id>" }

Use the matching session ID when resuming work within an existing agent session.

State File Reference

All state in .claude/state/. TUI and skill share these files.

.claude/state/maple.json

Field	Owner	Values
taffy	skill	workflow/skill/agent name
stage	skill	current stage name
status	skill	RUNNING, PAUSED, DONE, FAILED
awaiting_approval	skill	local MAPLE stage name (e.g., spec-kit = Specification Knowledge & Integration Toolkit) or null — not an external package reference
pipeline	skill	standard if running 8-phase
started_at	skill	ISO 8601
updated_at	skill	ISO 8601
resume_at	skill/TUI	ISO 8601 — when the rate-limit window clears
rate_limit_reason	skill/TUI	one-line cause
harness	TUI	which harness ran this pipeline (for resume)
auto_resume	TUI	true when auto-resume is armed
state	TUI	running or exited
ts	TUI	ISO 8601

Merge-not-overwrite: read existing file, update only owned fields, re-write.

.claude/state/approval-pending.txt

Skill writes stage name. TUI deletes when user presses [a].

.claude/state/rate-limit.txt

Skill/agent writes <resume_at>|<reason>. TUI reads, promotes maple.json to RATE_LIMITED, and deletes the file.

.claude/state/sessions.json

TUI writes harness→session-ID map. Skill reads for session resume.

Skip Conditions

• spike/* and chore/* branches: skip Spec-Kit stages, run implementation stages.
• Stage when: ui:true on a ui: false story: skip silently, log [pipeline-runner] SKIP stage=<name> reason=ui:false unless quick-launch override is active (force_ui=true, launch_source=maple-x).