| name | getting-started |
| description | Use at the start of every conversation and when deciding how to approach a task. Routes to the appropriate phase of the Discover → Execute → Verify flow. |
Getting Started
Code-flow is a thinking discipline for any code change. One process — Discover → Execute → Verify — whether the work is a new feature, a bug fix, a refactor, or tech debt.
Subagent Guard
If you were dispatched as a subagent or teammate for a specific task, stop here. Do not activate the full workflow. You have a focused job — do it and report back. The orchestrator handles the big picture.
Only activate these skills when you are the top-level agent in a conversation with the user.
Where Are You?
Check the project state to figure out where in the flow you are:
| Signal | You're in... | Skill |
|---|
| No spec file exists | Discover | discover |
| Spec file exists but implementation is incomplete | Execute | execute |
| Implementation matches the spec, needs verification | Verify | verify |
| User describes a new problem, feature, or bug | Discover | discover |
| User says "let's build this" with a clear spec | Execute | execute |
| User says "is this ready?" or "review this" | Verify | verify |
When in doubt, start with Discover. Exploring the problem before acting is never wasted time.
Tech Debt Check
Before starting any work, check the sprint counter in CLAUDE.md:
- If this sprint should be a tech debt sprint per the project's cadence, say so. Scope the work to items in
TECH-DEBT.md.
- If
TECH-DEBT.md doesn't exist yet, create it.
- If there's no sprint counter in
CLAUDE.md yet, ask the user to set one up.
The Flow
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Discover │ ──▶ │ Execute │ ──▶ │ Verify │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘
▲ │ │
└───────────────┘ │
(amend spec) │
▼
Ready to ship
- Discover → explore, prototype, iterate, crystallize into a spec
- Execute → build from the spec, autonomously with guardrails
- Verify → correctness + quality + review, then "ready to ship"
Phase transitions are gated by the spec:
- Discover → Execute: spec exists and user approved it
- Execute → Verify: all spec items implemented
- Surprises during Execute: amend the spec, don't restart Discover
Code-flow ends at "ready to ship." What happens after (PR, merge, deploy) is outside this flow.