// Executes plans.json tasks — solo, parallel, or breezing team mode. Use when implementing tasks or running the work loop.
| name | harness-work |
| description | Executes plans.json tasks — solo, parallel, or breezing team mode. Use when implementing tasks or running the work loop. |
| when_to_use | implement task, run task, execute plans, work on task, run all tasks, parallel workers, breezing |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write","Edit","Grep","Glob","Bash","Task"] |
| argument-hint | [all|task-number|range|--codex|--opencode|--parallel N|--commit|--resume id|--breezing|--auto-mode|--advisor|--no-advisor] |
| effort | high |
| model | sonnet |
Unified execution skill for Harness. Consolidates the following legacy skills:
work — plans.json task implementation (auto scope detection)impl — Feature implementation (task-based)breezing — Full team auto-executionparallel-workflows — Parallel workflow optimizationci — CI failure recovery| User Input | Subcommand | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
harness-work | auto | Auto-selects based on task count (see below) |
harness-work all | auto | Executes all incomplete tasks in auto mode |
harness-work 3 | solo | Immediately executes task 3 only |
harness-work --parallel 5 | parallel | Forces parallel execution with 5 workers |
harness-work --codex | codex | Delegates to Codex CLI (explicit only) |
harness-work --opencode | opencode | Delegates to OpenCode CLI (explicit only) |
harness-work --breezing | breezing | Forces team execution |
When no explicit mode flag (--parallel, --breezing, --codex, --opencode) is provided,
the optimal mode is automatically selected based on the number of target tasks:
| Target Task Count | Auto-Selected Mode | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| 1 task | Solo | Minimal overhead. Direct implementation is fastest |
| 2-3 tasks | Parallel (Task tool) | Threshold where Worker isolation benefits emerge |
| 4+ tasks | Breezing | Lead coordination + Worker parallelism + Reviewer independence is effective |
--parallel N → Parallel mode (regardless of task count)--breezing → Breezing mode (regardless of task count)--codex → Codex mode (regardless of task count)--opencode → OpenCode mode (regardless of task count)--codex activates only when explicitly specified. Not auto-selected because Codex CLI may not be installed in some environments--codex can be combined with other modes: --codex --breezing → Codex + Breezing--opencode activates only when explicitly specified. Not auto-selected because opencode-plugin-cc may not be installed in some environments| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
all | Target all incomplete tasks | - |
N or N-M | Task number/range specification | - |
--parallel N | Number of parallel workers | auto |
--sequential | Force sequential execution | - |
--codex | Delegate implementation to Codex CLI (explicit only, not auto-selected) | false |
--opencode | Delegate implementation to OpenCode via opencode-plugin-cc (explicit only, not auto-selected) | false |
--commit | Commit after each task is done (default: off) | false |
--resume <id|latest> | Resume previous session | - |
--breezing | Lead/Worker/Reviewer team execution | false |
--no-tdd | Skip TDD phase | false |
--no-simplify | Skip Auto-Refinement | false |
--auto-mode | Explicitly enable Auto Mode rollout. Only considered when the parent session's permission mode is compatible | false |
--advisor | Enable advisor consultation (overrides config) | from config |
--no-advisor | Disable advisor consultation | false |
Token Optimization (v2.1.69+): For lightweight tasks that don't involve git operations, enable
includeGitInstructions: falsein plugin settings to reduce prompt token usage.
1-Hour Prompt Cache (breezing sessions > 30 min):
source "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/enable-1h-cache.sh"before starting. ExportsANTHROPIC_CACHE_CONTROL=max-age=3600so all spawned Workers, Reviewers, and hooks share a cached system prompt — reduces token cost and latency across long sessions.
Note: A lightweight drift check (
bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/plans-drift-check.sh") runs before the scope dialog regardless of which option the user chooses. If stale markers are detected, the dialog is preceded by a drift summary and a confirmation prompt.
harness-work
How far do you want to go?
1) Next task: The next incomplete task from plans.json → Execute in Solo mode
2) All (recommended): Complete all remaining tasks → Auto-select mode based on task count
3) Specify numbers: Enter task numbers (e.g., 3, 5-7) → Auto-select mode based on count
If arguments are provided, execute immediately (skip dialog):
harness-work all → All tasks, auto mode selectionharness-work 3-6 → 4 tasks, so Breezing is auto-selectedClaude Code v2.1.68 sets medium effort (◐) as default for Opus 4.6.
v2.1.72 removed the max level, simplifying to 3 levels: low(○)/medium(◐)/high(●).
/effort auto resets to default.
For complex tasks, use the ultrathink keyword to enable high effort (●).
At task start, the following scores are summed, and ultrathink is injected when the threshold reaches 3 or above:
| Factor | Condition | Score |
|---|---|---|
| File count | 4+ files to be changed | +1 |
| Directory | Includes core/, guardrails/, security/ | +1 |
| Keywords | Contains architecture, security, design, migration | +1 |
| Failure history | Agent memory contains failure records for the same task | +2 |
| Explicit specification | PM template includes ultrathink notation | +3 (auto-adopted) |
When score >= 3, prepend ultrathink to the Worker spawn prompt.
The same logic applies in breezing mode (managed centrally by harness-work).
| Mode | Reference | When |
|---|---|---|
| Solo | references/solo-mode.md | 1 task (auto) or any task number |
| Parallel | references/parallel-mode.md | 2-3 tasks (auto) or --parallel N |
| Breezing | references/breezing-mode.md | 4+ tasks (auto) or --breezing |
| Codex | references/codex-work.md | --codex explicit only |
| OpenCode | references/opencode-work.md | --opencode explicit only |
| Ralph | harness-ralph-loop skill | Task has [ralph] marker — pre-dispatch, any mode |
[ralph]marker pre-dispatch rule: Before any standard worker dispatch (solo or breezing), harness-work checks the task description for the[ralph]marker. If present, it delegates toharness-ralph-loopinstead of the standard worker flow. Ralph tasks serialize within a session (only one Ralph loop runs at a time). Seereferences/solo-mode.mdandreferences/breezing-mode.mdfor dispatch details.
| Topic | Reference |
|---|---|
| NG rules (plans.json ownership via harness plan-cli, no embedded git, no nested spawn) | references/worker-ng-rules.md |
| Self-review gate (worker-report.v1 schema + Lead validation) | references/worker-self-review.md |
| Universal violations session injection | references/universal-violations.md |
| Testing anti-patterns (mocks, test-only methods, incomplete stubs) | references/testing-anti-patterns.md |
| Topic | Reference |
|---|---|
| Review loop (Codex exec / Reviewer fallback, verdict criteria, fix cycle) | references/review-loop.md |
| CI failure handling (3-strike auto-fix loop) | references/ci-failure.md |
| Automatic re-ticketing of failed tasks | references/re-ticketing.md |
| Template | Description |
|---|---|
templates/worker-report.v1.json | Worker self-review JSON schema (SR-1 through SR-5) |
templates/completion-report.md | Rich Completion Report skeleton (solo + breezing formats) |
.claude/harness/plans.json is the sole source of truth for task status. All reads via harness plan-cli list/get, all writes via harness plan-cli update. See harness/references/cli-reference.md. The native Claude Code task list is not mirrored.
harness-plan — Plan the tasks to executeharness-sync — Sync implementation with plans.jsonharness-review — Review implementationsharness-release — Version bump and releaseOrchestrates the full powerball-harness plugin release with build, validation, version bump, CHANGELOG, tag, and GitHub Release. Use when releasing this plugin.
Plans and tracks tasks in .claude/harness/plans.json. Use when creating plans, adding tasks, updating markers, checking progress, or brainstorming an idea into tasks.
Periodic housekeeping and session lifecycle management. Use when performing cleanup, pruning, or session commands.
Runs iterate-until-pass loops with ralph-worker agents in a worktree. Use when running [ralph]-marked tasks or looping until verify passes.
Initializes and configures Harness in a project — CI, memory, duo workflow, Codex. Use when setting up a new project or adding Harness configuration.
Manages SSOT memory — decisions.md, patterns.md, and cross-session learnings. Use when recording decisions, searching memory, or promoting learnings.