focus

name	focus
description	Single-task execution loop (plan, execute, verify, hand off). Keeps one agent on one unit of work with a structured context handoff so progress survives across sessions.
scope	universal
ported-from	focus command (task-tracker mechanics made generic)

Focus: Single-Task Execution Loop

Enforces the discipline of plan → execute → verify → close on exactly one unit of work. The original is coupled to a specific task tracker; this version is tracker-agnostic: "the task" can be an issue, a tracker ID, a TODO entry, or a written description.

When to activate

• You have a concrete, scoped unit of work to implement.
• You're resuming work and need to pick up exactly where the last session left off.
• A workflow (e.g. implement-review) delegates the implementation phase here.

Arguments

[task | "description"] [--no-close]

• A task ID → work on that task.
• A description → treat it as a new task.
• No argument → list ready work and pick one.
• --no-close → run plan/execute/verify but leave finalization to the caller (used when a wrapping workflow writes its own completion record or routes to an external reviewer). Manual use rarely needs this.

Phase 0: Load context

Read the task: description, acceptance criteria, linked context, and any prior rejection reason. If resuming, reconstruct where the last session stopped from the task's notes and the working tree. Do not start coding until you can state what "done" looks like.

Phase 1: Plan

Produce a short, concrete plan: the files you'll touch, the order, and how you'll verify each piece. Keep it proportional to the task; a one-file fix gets a two-line plan.

Phase 2: Execute

Implement the plan step by step. Commit in logical units. If context fills up, write progress to the task and hand off to a fresh session rather than continuing in a degraded window; a clean context that re-reads the plan beats a full one that's lost the thread.

Phase 3: Verify

Check the work against the acceptance criteria using the actual diff, not your memory of what you implemented. Run the project's tests. Fix and re-verify until the criteria are demonstrably met.

Phase 4: Close (skip if --no-close)

Record what was done, key decisions, and a diff summary on the task. Mark it complete.

Context handoff contract

The point of focus is that work survives session boundaries cleanly: the task record + commits are the durable state, so a new session running this skill can pick up mid-task with no artifact clutter. Never leave half-state only in your context window.