| name | st-full-workflow |
| description | Use when the user asks to run the complete end-to-end Strikethroo workflow for a work order in one shot in this repository — triggers include full workflow, end-to-end, plan and execute, do everything, run the whole strikethroo workflow. Do not use when the user wants only one stage (create a plan, generate tasks, or execute a blueprint); use the dedicated skill for that stage instead. |
st-full-workflow
Drive the complete end-to-end Strikethroo workflow from initial plan creation through final blueprint execution and archival. The skill is assistant-agnostic and self-contained: every script it invokes lives under this skill's scripts/ directory and is referenced by relative path.
Critical Rule
Execute all three steps sequentially without waiting for user input between them. This is a fully automated orchestration workflow. Progress indicators are for user visibility only and do not pause execution.
Inputs
The user supplies the work order conversationally. Treat it as the only authoritative source of intent. Do not invent answers to clarifying questions — prompt the user instead.
Context Passing Between Steps
Information flows through the workflow via structured output parsing:
- Step 1 → Step 2: Extract the numeric
Plan ID from the Step 1 structured summary output. Use this exact ID to drive Step 2.
- Step 2 → Step 3: Extract the
Tasks count from the Step 2 structured summary output. Use this count for progress tracking during Step 3.
Do not proceed to the next step until the structured output from the current step has been successfully parsed.
Progress Indicators
Display progress indicators at key transition points to provide visual feedback without interrupting execution:
⬛⬜⬜ 33% — Step 1: Plan Creation Complete
⬛⬛⬜ 66% — Step 2: Task Generation Complete
⬛⬛⬛ 100% — Step 3: Blueprint Execution Complete
These indicators are purely informational. Do not pause or wait for user input when displaying them.
Operating Procedure
Step 1: Plan Creation
Progress: ⬛⬜⬜ 33% - Step 1/3: Starting Plan Creation
1. Locate the strikethroo root
Run scripts/find-strikethroo-root.cjs from the user's working directory.
The script walks up looking for .ai/strikethroo/.init-metadata.json and
prints the absolute path of the resolved root on success.
If the script exits non-zero, the working directory is not inside an
initialized strikethroo workspace. Stop and ask the user to run the project
initializer (e.g. npx strikethroo init) before continuing. Do
not attempt to execute the full workflow outside of a valid root.
For every subsequent step, treat the path printed by this script as <root>.
2. Load project context
Read <root>/config/STRIKETHROO.md for directory structure conventions. Read <root>/config/hooks/PRE_PLAN.md and execute its instructions before proceeding. Read <root>/config/templates/PLAN_TEMPLATE.md so the plan conforms to the project's template.
3. Analyze the work order
Identify:
- Objective and end goal.
- Scope and explicit boundaries.
- Success criteria.
- Dependencies, prerequisites, and blockers.
- Technical requirements and constraints.
4. Clarification loop
If any critical context is missing, ask the user targeted questions. Loop until no further questions remain. Explicitly confirm whether backwards compatibility is required. Never invent answers.
If the user declines to clarify a blocking question, stop and report the plan as needing clarification. Do not produce a partial plan.
5. Allocate the next plan ID
Run scripts/get-next-plan-id.cjs to obtain the next available plan ID. The script prints a single integer.
Compute the zero-padded form for directory naming ({padded-id}--{slug}) and use the unpadded integer in the plan frontmatter and the final summary.
6. Emit the plan
Write the plan to:
<root>/plans/{padded-id}--{slug}/plan-{padded-id}--{slug}.md
The output must conform to <root>/config/templates/PLAN_TEMPLATE.md, including required YAML frontmatter fields (id, summary, created). Avoid time estimates, task lists, or code samples — those belong to the later task-generation step.
The <slug> is derived from the plan summary: lowercase, alphanumeric and hyphens only, collapsed, trimmed.
7. Run post-plan hook
Execute <root>/config/hooks/POST_PLAN.md after the plan file is written.
8. Emit the Step 1 structured summary
Conclude Step 1 with exactly this block:
---
Plan Summary:
- Plan ID: [numeric-id]
- Plan File: [absolute-path-to-plan-file]
Parse the Plan ID value from this output and pass it to Step 2.
Progress: ⬛⬜⬜ 33% - Step 1/3: Plan Creation Complete
Step 2: Task Generation
Progress: ⬛⬜⬜ 33% - Step 2/3: Starting Task Generation
Using the Plan ID extracted from Step 1:
1. Resolve the plan
Run scripts/validate-plan-blueprint.cjs <plan-id> planFile to obtain the absolute path of the plan file. If the script exits non-zero, stop and report the error. Do not guess a different ID.
2. Load project context
Read these files in order:
<root>/config/STRIKETHROO.md — directory conventions.
- The plan body at the path returned above — this is the contract for what tasks must exist.
<root>/config/templates/TASK_TEMPLATE.md — every task file must conform to this template.
3. Analyze and decompose the plan
Read the entire plan. Identify all concrete deliverables explicitly stated.
Decompose each deliverable into atomic tasks only when genuinely needed.
Task minimization (mandatory):
- Create only the minimum number of tasks necessary. Target a 20–30%
reduction from comprehensive lists by questioning the necessity of each
candidate.
- Direct Implementation Only: a task corresponds to an explicit
requirement, not a "nice-to-have".
- DRY Task Principle: each task has a unique, non-overlapping purpose.
- Question Everything: for each task, ask "Is this absolutely necessary
to meet the plan objectives?"
- Avoid Gold-plating: resist comprehensive features the plan does not
require.
Antipatterns to avoid:
- Separating "error handling" from the main implementation when it can be
inline.
- Splitting trivially small operations into multiple tasks (e.g. "validate
input" + "process input" as separate units).
- Adding tasks for "future extensibility" or "best practices" the plan does
not mention.
- Comprehensive test suites for trivial functionality.
4. Apply granularity and skill rules
Each task must be:
- Single-purpose — one clear deliverable.
- Atomic — cannot be meaningfully split further.
- Skill-specific — executable by an agent with 1–2 technical skills.
- Verifiable — has explicit acceptance criteria that include at least one
concrete, runnable verification step (a command plus its expected output, or
another observable signal). Never settle for a vague "works correctly".
Skill assignment (kebab-case, automatically inferred from the task's
technical requirements):
- 1 skill — single-domain task (e.g.
["css"], ["vitest"]).
- 2 skills — complementary domains (e.g.
["api-endpoints", "database"],
["react-components", "vitest"]).
- 3+ skills indicates the task should be broken down further.
5. Test philosophy: "write a few tests, mostly integration"
When generating test tasks, keep this constraint:
Definition. Meaningful tests verify custom business logic, critical paths,
and edge cases specific to this application. Test your code, not the
framework or library.
When TO write tests:
- Custom business logic and algorithms.
- Critical user workflows and data transformations.
- Edge cases and error conditions for core functionality.
- Integration points between components.
- Complex validation logic or calculations.
When NOT to write tests:
- Third-party library functionality.
- Framework features.
- Simple CRUD operations without custom logic.
- Trivial getters/setters or static configuration.
- Obvious functionality that would break immediately if incorrect.
Test task creation rules:
- Combine related test scenarios into a single task (e.g. "Test user
authentication flow" not separate tasks for login, logout, validation).
- Favor integration and critical-path coverage over per-method unit tests.
- Avoid one test task per CRUD operation.
- Question whether simple functions need a dedicated test task.
If any test task is generated, restate this section verbatim or near-verbatim
in that task's "Implementation Notes" so the executing agent applies it.
6. Dependency analysis
For each task, identify:
- Hard dependencies — tasks that MUST complete before this one can start.
- Soft dependencies — tasks that SHOULD complete for optimal execution.
A task B depends on A if B requires A's output or artifacts, modifies code created by A, or tests functionality implemented by A. Validate that the final dependency graph is acyclic.
7. Complexity analysis
For every candidate task, assign a complexity_score (integer 1–10) before
writing any file. Base the score on these four dimensions:
| Score | Skill breadth | Acceptance-criteria clarity | Integration surface | Decomposition depth |
|---|
| 1–3 | One well-known skill | Criteria are concrete and observable | None or a single file/module | No further split possible |
| 4–5 | One primary skill plus a familiar adjacent skill | Criteria are clear with few edge cases | One component or API boundary | Already atomic |
| 6–7 | Two distinct skills, or one skill with ambiguous requirements | Criteria need clarification or have multiple edge cases | Multiple components or contracts | Could still be split |
| 8–10 | Three or more skills, or cross-cutting design decisions | Criteria are vague, unknown, or depend on unresolved choices | Wide integration surface or external systems | Must be decomposed further |
Pre-emission sanity rules — apply these before any task is written:
- 3+ skills assigned → split the task into smaller tasks, each with 1–2 skills.
- Vague acceptance criteria → sharpen them until they include at least one
concrete, runnable verification step.
- Trivially small adjacent tasks → merge them into a single task.
- Score ≥ 8 → decompose further; do not emit as-is.
- Score 6–7 → either sharpen criteria or split; do not emit without an
explicit reason.
Required frontmatter:
- Every emitted task MUST include
complexity_score (integer 1–10).
- Optionally include
complexity_notes when the score needs justification,
such as "Ambiguous API contract" or "Decomposed from a higher-score parent".
Loop-back rule:
After applying split, sharpen, or merge, re-run dependency analysis and
re-score the adjusted tasks. Repeat this loop no more than three times. If
complexity is still unresolved after three passes, stop and surface the
blocker to the user.
8. Allocate task IDs
Run scripts/get-next-task-id.cjs <plan-id> to obtain the first available task ID. Allocate subsequent IDs by incrementing in-process. Use the unpadded integer in the task frontmatter id field and the zero-padded form ({padded-id}--{slug}) for the filename.
The slug derives from a short task title: lowercase, alphanumeric and hyphens only, collapsed, trimmed.
9. Emit the task files
Write each task to:
<root>/plans/<plan-dir-name>/tasks/{padded-id}--{slug}.md
Each file must conform to <root>/config/templates/TASK_TEMPLATE.md,
including required frontmatter fields:
id (integer)
group (string)
dependencies (array of task IDs, possibly empty)
status — pending for new tasks
created (YYYY-MM-DD)
skills (array of 1–2 kebab-case skills)
Required additional frontmatter:
complexity_score (integer 1–10, required on every emitted task)
Optional frontmatter:
complexity_notes (string) — include when the score needs justification,
such as "Decomposed from a cross-cutting parent task" or "Ambiguous API
contract".
execution_profile (string) — optional durable routing profile metadata.
Omit it during initial task emission; the routing helper writes it only
after validating the complete task-to-profile mapping.
The body sections (Objective, Skills Required, Acceptance Criteria, Technical
Requirements, Input Dependencies, Output Artifacts, Implementation Notes)
must be filled with task-specific content. Place detailed implementation
guidance inside a <details> block under "Implementation Notes" — write it
so a non-thinking LLM could execute the task from that section alone.
10. Validation checklist
Before declaring task generation complete, verify:
- Each task has 1–2 appropriate technical skills assigned and inferred from
its objectives.
- Dependencies form an acyclic graph; no orphan or circular references.
- Task IDs are unique, sequential, and start from the value returned by
get-next-task-id.cjs.
- Groups are consistent and meaningful.
- Every task's Acceptance Criteria includes at least one concrete, runnable
verification step (command + expected output / observable signal), not a
vague "works correctly".
- Every explicitly stated deliverable in the plan is covered.
- No redundant or overlapping tasks.
- Minimization applied (20–30% reduction target).
- Test tasks focus on business logic, not framework functionality.
- No gold-plating: only plan requirements are addressed.
- After writing the task files, run
scripts/validate-plan-blueprint.cjs <plan-id> complexityScoresValid. Stop
unless it prints yes; if it prints no, run
scripts/validate-plan-blueprint.cjs <plan-id> invalidComplexityTasks to see
which files are missing, non-integer, or out-of-range, fix them, and re-run.
Every generated task must carry an integer complexity_score from 1 to 10.
- Add
complexity_notes only when a score needs explanation (typically atomic
tasks scoring greater than 4).
11. Route task execution
Read <root>/config/hooks/TASK_EXECUTION_ROUTING.md and follow its
instructions together with this procedure:
- Run
scripts/route-task-execution.cjs profiles <plan-id> and interpret
its JSON result. On no-config or disabled, routing is off: skip the
remaining routing steps and continue. On invalid-config, stop and
surface the errors to the user — do not generate the blueprint.
- Classify every task in the plan's
tasks/ directory against the
configured profile descriptions. For tasks generated in this run, use the
task content already in your context — objective, acceptance criteria,
technical requirements, skills, and complexity_score; do not reread
the emitted task files to reconstruct information you already hold. If
the plan carried task files from an earlier generation run, read those
files (and only those) to classify them — the mapping must cover every
task in the plan. Assign each task ID exactly one configured profile
name. Never invent a profile name, model, or harness.
- Write the complete task-ID-to-profile mapping as a JSON object to a
temporary file, for example
{"1": "routine", "2": "demanding"}.
- Run
scripts/route-task-execution.cjs apply <plan-id> <mapping-file>. The
helper validates the mapping (every task exactly once, only configured
profiles), writes one execution_profile frontmatter field per task, and
verifies the written files. Target selection and resolver execution happen
later at task dispatch, never during generation.
- On
routed, delete the temporary mapping file and continue. On any
failure result (invalid-assignments, invalid-tasks,
routing-failure, infrastructure-failure), stop
and surface the JSON errors to the user. Never proceed to blueprint
generation with partially routed tasks.
Profile names are durable routing labels. Persist them only through the
helper's execution_profile field; never hand-write a concrete execution
target into task frontmatter or task bodies.
12. Run the POST_TASK_GENERATION_ALL hook
Read <root>/config/hooks/POST_TASK_GENERATION_ALL.md and follow its instructions. Run it only after routing succeeded or reported routing off. This typically requires:
- Appending an Execution Blueprint section to the plan document, including a Mermaid dependency diagram and explicit phase groupings.
- Use
<root>/config/templates/BLUEPRINT_TEMPLATE.md for structure.
13. Emit the Step 2 structured summary
Conclude Step 2 with exactly this block:
---
Task Generation Summary:
- Plan ID: [numeric-id]
- Tasks: [count]
- Status: Ready for execution
Parse the Tasks count from this output and pass it to Step 3 for progress tracking.
Progress: ⬛⬛⬜ 66% - Step 2/3: Task Generation Complete
Step 3: Blueprint Execution
Progress: ⬛⬛⬜ 66% - Step 3/3: Starting Blueprint Execution
Using the Plan ID from the previous phases:
1. Resolve the plan and validate readiness
Run scripts/validate-plan-blueprint.cjs <plan-id> planFile to obtain the plan file path. Also query:
planDir — absolute path of the plan directory
taskCount — number of existing task files
blueprintExists — yes or no
If the script exits non-zero, stop and report the error.
2. Auto-generate tasks and blueprint if missing
If taskCount is 0 or blueprintExists is no:
- Notify the user: "Tasks or execution blueprint not found. Generating tasks automatically..."
- Execute the full task generation procedure from Step 2 for this plan ID.
- After generation completes, re-run
scripts/validate-plan-blueprint.cjs <plan-id> planFile (and the other fields) to refresh the resolved paths and counts.
- If generation still leaves the plan without tasks or a blueprint, stop and report failure. Do not attempt execution without a valid blueprint.
3. Optionally create a feature branch
Run scripts/create-feature-branch.cjs <plan-id> once before phase execution. Branch creation is best-effort: when the script reports that it skipped creation (for example, not on main/master), continue on the current branch and do not retry or create a branch manually. When the script exits with an error (for example, uncommitted changes on main/master), halt and report the error. Do not treat a skipped branch as a failure or spend effort working around a skip.
4. Load execution blueprint
Read these files in order:
<root>/config/STRIKETHROO.md — directory conventions and project context.
- The plan document.
- The plan's Execution Blueprint section — this defines the phase groupings and task dispatch order.
<root>/config/shared/verification-gate.md — apply in the phase loop below.
5. Execute phases in order
Use an internal task or todo tracker to monitor progress. For each phase defined in the Execution Blueprint:
5a. Phase pre-execution
Run scripts/check-phase-readiness.cjs <plan-id> <phase-number>. If the script exits non-zero, halt the phase and report the blocking issues before continuing.
Read <root>/config/hooks/PRE_PHASE.md and execute its instructions before starting the phase.
5b. Task dispatch
Identify all tasks scheduled for this phase whose dependencies are fully satisfied. Read <root>/config/hooks/PRE_TASK_ASSIGNMENT.md and follow its instructions for agent selection before dispatching tasks.
Resolve every selected task's execution route first. Invoke one resolver per selected
task simultaneously in a single parallel tool operation:
scripts/dispatch-task-execution.cjs resolve <task-file> <current-harness> <workspace> <plan-id> <task-id>
Resolvers never launch external processes. After interpreting all route results, issue
all external-override executions and all native Task-tool agents together in one
parallel tool operation. External execution uses:
scripts/dispatch-task-execution.cjs execute <handoff> <task-file> <current-harness> <workspace> <plan-id> <task-id>
<handoff> is the exact opaque handoff string returned by that task's
external-override resolver result. Never reconstruct it, reuse it for another
task, or rerun resolution after launches begin. Execute validates the handoff
and does not reread routing configuration, so configuration changes cannot
alter an already selected target.
This two-step protocol is mandatory: do not execute external tasks during route
resolution, do not serialize external commands, and do not wait for external completion
before launching ready native agents. If an execute-time pre-flight returns fallback,
record its reason and immediately launch the ordinary native path without override prose.
<current-harness> is the exact supported harness identifier running this
skill and <workspace> is the project working directory. Interpret its JSON
result before choosing a route: native-default uses ordinary native dispatch;
native-override uses native dispatch with explicit exact-model prose and
reasoning-effort prose only when returned; fallback visibly records its
reason then uses ordinary native dispatch with no override prose;
launched-success has already completed externally and receives normal status
and evidence review; launched-failure is a failed task and must enter the
existing error-hook/status path without any native retry; infrastructure-failure
is also a failed task, must be marked failed, and must run
<root>/config/hooks/POST_ERROR_DETECTION.md without native retry. The command
always emits exactly one JSON line; exit code 2 identifies entrypoint/infrastructure
failure while exit code 1 identifies a launched task failure.
Deploy all remaining native agents simultaneously using your internal Task tool. Each agent MUST:
- Read and execute
<root>/config/hooks/PRE_TASK_EXECUTION.md before starting any implementation work.
- Execute the task according to its requirements.
- Monitor execution progress and capture outputs and artifacts.
- Update task status in real-time.
Maximize parallelism within each phase. Run every task that is ready at the same time.
5c. Phase completion verification
Ensure every task in the phase has status completed. Collect and review all task outputs. Document any issues or exceptions encountered.
Do not accept a subagent's report of success as proof. Apply the evidence gate in <root>/config/shared/verification-gate.md before marking the phase complete. Do not mark a phase complete on an unverified claim.
5d. Phase post-execution
Read <root>/config/hooks/POST_PHASE.md and execute its instructions. Do not proceed to the next phase until this hook succeeds.
Update the phase status to completed in the plan's Execution Blueprint section.
Repeat for the next phase until all phases are complete.
6. Post-execution validation
Read <root>/config/hooks/POST_EXECUTION.md and execute its instructions. If validation fails, halt execution. The plan remains in plans/ for debugging.
Before declaring execution complete, apply the evidence gate in <root>/config/shared/verification-gate.md to the plan's Success Criteria and Self Validation steps.
7. Append execution summary
Append an execution summary section to the plan document using the format described in <root>/config/templates/EXECUTION_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE.md. Populate:
- Status: Completed Successfully
- Completed Date: current date
- Results: brief summary of deliverables
- Noteworthy Events: all decisions, issues, and outcomes encountered during execution. If none occurred, state "No significant issues encountered."
- Necessary follow-ups: any follow-up actions or optimizations
8. Archive the plan
Move the completed plan directory from <root>/plans/<plan-folder> to <root>/archive/<plan-folder>.
Preserve the entire folder structure (including all tasks and subdirectories) to maintain referential integrity. If the move fails, log the error but do not fail the overall execution — the implementation work is complete.
Progress: ⬛⬛⬛ 100% - Step 3/3: Blueprint Execution Complete
Failure Modes
- No strikethroo root found. Stop and instruct the user to initialize the project. Do not write any files or execute any tasks.
- User refuses to answer a clarifying question that blocks planning in Step 1. Report
needs-clarification and stop. Do not produce a partial plan.
- Plan ID script fails. Re-check the resolved root and re-run. If it continues to fail, surface stderr to the user and stop — do not guess an ID.
- Plan directory already exists for the allocated ID in Step 1. Re-run the next-plan-id script and retry once. If the conflict persists, stop and report.
- Plan ID does not resolve in Step 2 or 3. Stop and surface the script's stderr. Do not guess a different ID.
- Execution routing fails in Step 2. Surface the routing helper's JSON errors and stop before blueprint generation. Do not guess profile assignments, hand-write
execution_profile, or continue with partially routed tasks.
- Missing blueprint after auto-generation in Step 3. If automatic task generation fails to produce tasks or a blueprint, stop and report failure. Do not attempt execution without a blueprint.
- Hook failure during execution. If
PRE_PHASE.md, POST_PHASE.md, or POST_EXECUTION.md fails, halt execution. The plan remains in plans/ for debugging and potential re-execution.
- Execution errors. If a task fails, read
<root>/config/hooks/POST_ERROR_DETECTION.md, document the error in Noteworthy Events, halt the phase, and request user direction before continuing.
Execution Summary
Conclude with exactly this block as the final output:
---
Execution Summary:
- Plan ID: [numeric-id]
- Status: Archived
- Location: [absolute path to archive directory]
---
The summary is consumed by downstream automation; keep the format exact.