phx-work

Work

Execute tasks from a plan file with checkpoint tracking and verification.

Usage

/phx-work .claude/plans/user-auth/plan.md
/phx-work .claude/plans/user-auth/plan.md --from P2-T3
/phx-work --skip-blockers
/phx-work  # Resumes most recent plan

Arguments

• <plan-file> -- Path to plan file (optional, auto-detects recent)
• --from <task-id> -- Resume from specific task (e.g., P2-T3)
• --skip-blockers -- Continue past blocked tasks
• --continue -- Resume IN_PROGRESS plan from checkboxes

Iron Laws (NON-NEGOTIABLE)

1. NEVER auto-proceed to /phx-review or any next workflow

phase -- always ask the user what to do next

1. AUTO-CONTINUE between plan phases -- when Phase N completes,

immediately start Phase N+1. Do NOT stop or ask for permission

between phases. Only stop at BLOCKERS or when ALL phases are done.

1. Plan checkboxes ARE the state -- [x] = done; [ ] = pending

unless the row is visibly tagged [BLOCKED]. No separate JSON state files.

Resume by reading the plan.

1. Verify after EVERY task -- never skip verification
2. Max 3 retries then BLOCKER -- don't keep retrying forever
3. Stage specific files -- never use git add -A or git add .
4. Read scratchpad BEFORE implementing -- scratchpad has dead-ends

and decisions that prevent rework. Step 2 is not optional.

1. Clarify ambiguous tasks -- ask the user rather than guessing

when a plan task's intent is unclear

Step 1: Research Decision

Ask the user for plans with >3 tasks:

> This plan has {count} remaining tasks across {count} phases.

>

> 1. Start working -- Begin immediately (familiar patterns)

> 2. Quick research -- Read source files first (~10 min)

> 3. Extensive research -- Web search + docs (~30 min)

Skip for plans with 3 or fewer simple tasks -- just start.

> Split warning: Plans with >10 tasks risk 2-3 context

> compactions. Suggest splitting via /phx-plan if not already.

Step 2: Check Context (MANDATORY)

Read scratchpad and compound docs before writing any code — skipping

this causes rework. Read .claude/plans/{slug}/scratchpad.md (short,

critical context) for dead-ends and decisions, then Grep .claude/solutions/

for solved patterns. Apply findings: skip dead-ends, follow decisions,

reuse patterns. Ask the user when a task's intent is ambiguous — never

guess, corrections are expensive.

Step 3: Load, Create Task List, and Resume

Read plan file, count [x] (completed) vs [ ] (remaining).

Select the first unchecked task not tagged [BLOCKED]. Stop if an unresolved

[BLOCKED] task precedes it unless --skip-blockers is explicit.

--skip-blockers skips only tagged blocked rows; --from <blocked-id>

explicitly retries that row and clears [BLOCKED] when starting.

Use the plan file as the portable task list. For every unchecked item,

preserve its - [ ] [Pn-Tm] row and ordering. At the start of a task, set its

phase to [IN_PROGRESS] and append a Started: entry to

.claude/plans/{slug}/progress.md. Mark the plan checkbox [x] only after

verification passes, then append the completion evidence to progress.md.

Dependencies remain explicit in phase order: do not start a later phase while

an earlier phase has unchecked non-blocked tasks. This checklist is the progress

UI, durable state, and resume mechanism; no runtime task API is required.

With --from P2-T3: Skip to that specific task.

Stale-plan check: if the plan predates this session (file mtime), spot-check

2-3 files it references before executing — assumptions may have drifted.

See references/resume-strategies.md for all resume modes.

Step 4: Execute Tasks

Execute each unchecked task (- [ ] [Pn-Tm][concern] Description):

1. Start task: mark its phase [IN_PROGRESS] and log the start in .claude/plans/{slug}/progress.md
2. Apply concern guidance from the annotation and its required verification (see references/execution-guide.md); it never selects a named worker
3. Implement the task
4. Verify: mix format + mix compile --warnings-as-errors

(at phase end, also run mix test <affected> — see tiers below)

1. Complete task: Mark checkbox [x] on pass, **append

implementation note** inline, and log verification evidence in progress.md. Example:

- [x] [P1-T3] Add user schema — citext for email, composite index on [user_id, status]

This survives context compaction; the plan is re-read on resume.

1. On failure: retry up to 3 times, then keep the row unchecked and

append [BLOCKED], optionally mark its phase [BLOCKED], record the

blocker in progress.md, write a DEAD-END to scratchpad, and stop by

default. Continue only when --skip-blockers was explicitly supplied

Parallel groups: Tasks under ### Parallel: may use native generic workers only when independent; otherwise execute them sequentially in the current session. See references/execution-guide.md

for the optional-worker pattern, sequential fallback, and checkpoint flow.

Verification tiers (scoped to minimize redundant runs):

• Per-task: mix compile --warnings-as-errors only

and mix format --check-formatted <changed_files>

• Per-phase: mix compile --warnings-as-errors + mix test <affected_files> + mix credo --strict

(scope tests: mix test test/path/to_affected_test.exs — NOT full suite)

• Per-feature: when Tidewave tools are independently configured and exposed, use a behavioral runtime smoke test; otherwise run a focused repository test and a local/manual smoke check (see execution-guide.md)
• Final gate: mix test (full suite — run ONCE at the end, not per-phase)

Token efficiency: Do NOT narrate each verification step. Execute

tool calls directly without "Let me now run..." preamble. Only narrate

when explaining a non-obvious decision or reporting a failure. When

several checkboxes complete together (parallel groups, resume catch-up),

batch them into ONE edit pass — never one Edit call per checkbox.

No hook is assumed. Run mix format explicitly during verification and

mix format --check-formatted <changed_files> before completing each task.

Step 5: Completion

Summarize results, then ask the user a normal conversational question:

> Implementation complete! {done}/{total} tasks finished.

> {count} files modified across {count} phases.

Options: 1. Run review (/phx-review) (Recommended),

1. Get a briefing (/phx-brief — understand what was built),
2. Create a git commit with the platform's native git workflow, 4. Continue manually.

If any task fixed a non-obvious bug, also mention /phx-compound

to capture the solution.

With blockers: list them, offer Replan (/phx-plan),

Review first (/phx-review), or Handle myself.

If blockers remain, auto-write HANDOFF to scratchpad:

### [HH:MM] HANDOFF: {plan name}
Status: {done}/{total} tasks. Blockers: {list}.
Next: {first unchecked task ID and description}.
Key decisions: {brief list from this session}.

Include context beyond checkboxes for fresh session resume.

NEVER auto-start /phx-review or any other phase.

Step 6: Check for Additional Plans

After completion, use Glob to find other plan files matching

.claude/plans/*/plan.md. If pending plans exist, inform the

user. Do NOT auto-start.

Integration

/phx-plan → /phx-work (YOU ARE HERE) → /phx-review → /phx-compound
                 ↑ ASK USER before each transition

References

• references/execution-guide.md -- Task routing, parallel execution, verification
• references/resume-strategies.md -- Resume modes and state persistence
• references/file-formats.md -- Plan and progress file formats
• references/error-recovery.md -- Error handling and blockers
• references/harness-patterns.md -- Critic-refiner pattern for debugging loops