msd-core/docs/USER-GUIDE.md

GSD User Guide

A detailed reference for workflows, troubleshooting, and configuration. For quick-start setup, see the README.

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Table of Contents

• End-to-End Walkthrough
• Workflow Diagrams
• UI Design Contract
• Spiking & Sketching
• Backlog & Threads
• Workstreams
• Security
• Command And Configuration Reference
• Usage Examples
• Troubleshooting
• Recovery Quick Reference

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End-to-End Walkthrough

This walkthrough shows how GSD phases connect for a typical single-phase project — a small Node.js REST API that validates webhook signatures. Follow it to understand what each command does, what it creates, and how the next command consumes it.

1. Create the project

/gsd-new-project

GSD asks questions about your idea, spawns parallel research agents, extracts requirements, and creates a roadmap. You approve the roadmap before any code is written.

Example output (abridged):

> What are you building?
  A webhook signature validator middleware for Express apps.

> Who's the user?
  Backend developers integrating third-party webhooks (Stripe, GitHub, Shopify).

[Research agents run in parallel...]
[Requirements extracted...]

Roadmap (1 phase):
  Phase 1 — Core middleware: HMAC-SHA256 signature validation,
             timing-safe compare, configurable tolerance window.

Approve? [y/n]

What gets created:

.planning/
  PROJECT.md          # "Webhook validator middleware — Express, HMAC-SHA256..."
  REQUIREMENTS.md     # REQ-001: Validate signature header; REQ-002: Timing-safe...
  ROADMAP.md          # Phase 1 status: pending
  STATE.md            # Session memory, current position

ROADMAP.md excerpt:

## Phase 1 — Core middleware
**Status:** pending
**Goal:** HMAC-SHA256 signature validation with timing-safe compare and a
configurable replay-protection tolerance window.
**Requirements:** REQ-001, REQ-002, REQ-003

2. Discuss and plan the phase

/gsd-discuss-phase 1

GSD reads the phase goal and asks about your implementation preferences before any planning happens. This is where you shape how it builds — not just what it builds.

> How should invalid signatures be handled?
  Reject immediately with 401, log the raw header for debugging.

> Should the tolerance window be configurable per-route or global?
  Global config, but allow per-route override via middleware options.

> Any library preferences for HMAC?
  Node built-in crypto only — no extra dependencies.

What gets created: .planning/phases/01-core-middleware/CONTEXT.md

CONTEXT.md excerpt:

## Implementation Decisions
- Invalid signatures → 401, log raw header
- Tolerance window → global default, per-route override via options object
- HMAC library → Node built-in crypto (no external deps)
- Error format → { error: "invalid_signature", ts: <epoch> }

Now plan the phase:

/gsd-plan-phase 1

GSD spawns four parallel research agents (stack, features, architecture, pitfalls), then a planner reads CONTEXT.md + research findings and creates atomic task plans. A plan-checker verifies each plan achieves the phase goal before saving.

What gets created:

.planning/phases/01-core-middleware/
  RESEARCH.md         # Findings: crypto.timingSafeEqual docs, replay attack patterns...
  01-01-PLAN.md       # Task: create validateSignature() core function
  01-02-PLAN.md       # Task: Express middleware wrapper + error handling

01-01-PLAN.md excerpt:

<task type="auto">
  <name>Create validateSignature core function</name>
  <files>src/validate.js, src/validate.test.js</files>
  <action>
    Use crypto.createHmac('sha256', secret).update(rawBody).digest('hex').
    Compare with crypto.timingSafeEqual() — never === or ==.
    Accept tolerance window in ms; reject if |timestamp - now| exceeds it.
  </action>
  <verify>npm test -- --grep "validateSignature"</verify>
  <done>All timing-safe comparison tests pass; replay outside window returns false</done>
</task>

3. Execute

/gsd-execute-phase 1

GSD groups plans into waves (parallel where independent, sequential where dependent), spawns a fresh 200k-context executor per plan, and commits each task atomically.

Wave 1 (parallel):
  [Executor A] → 01-01-PLAN.md (core function)  ✓ committed
  [Executor B] → 01-02-PLAN.md (middleware)      ✓ committed

[Verifier] Checking codebase against phase goals...
  REQ-001 validateSignature() ✓
  REQ-002 timing-safe compare ✓
  REQ-003 tolerance window    ✓
  Status: PASS

Git history after execution:

a1b2c3d feat(01-01): implement validateSignature with timingSafeEqual
d4e5f6g feat(01-02): add Express middleware wrapper and 401 error format
h7i8j9k chore(01): phase 1 verification — all requirements met

What gets created:

.planning/phases/01-core-middleware/
  01-01-SUMMARY.md    # "Implemented validateSignature(), 47 lines, tests passing"
  01-02-SUMMARY.md    # "Middleware wraps validator, logs raw header on 401"
  VERIFICATION.md     # REQ-001 ✓, REQ-002 ✓, REQ-003 ✓ — PASS

STATE.md is updated automatically to reflect the new phase status:

## Current Position
Phase 1 — Core middleware: executed, pending verify

4. Verify

/gsd-verify-work 1

GSD extracts testable deliverables from the phase goal and walks you through them one at a time.

[1/3] Can you require the middleware and pass it to an Express route?
> yes

[2/3] Does a request with a valid signature return 200?
> yes

[3/3] Does a request with an invalid signature return 401 with { error: "invalid_signature" }?
> no — I'm getting a 500 instead

[Diagnosing...]
Root cause: middleware catches crypto.timingSafeEqual TypeError when
buffers are different lengths. Fix: normalize to same length before compare.

Fix plan created: .planning/phases/01-core-middleware/01-03-PLAN.md
Run /gsd-execute-phase 1 to apply.

After re-running execute and re-verifying:

All 3 checks passed. Phase 1 verified.

What gets created: .planning/phases/01-core-middleware/UAT.md

What's next

Once a phase is verified, ship it:

/gsd-ship 1          # Creates a PR with auto-generated body

For multi-phase projects, repeat the loop:

/gsd-discuss-phase 2
/gsd-plan-phase 2
/gsd-execute-phase 2
/gsd-verify-work 2

Or let GSD figure out the next step automatically:

/gsd-next

When all phases are done:

/gsd-audit-milestone     # Verify all requirements shipped
/gsd-complete-milestone  # Archive, tag release

Relevant flags covered in this walkthrough:

Flag	Command	When to use
--auto	/gsd-new-project	Skip interactive questions, ingest from a PRD file
--research	/gsd-quick	Add a research agent to an ad-hoc task
--validate	/gsd-quick	Add plan-checking and post-execution verification
--chain	/gsd-discuss-phase	Auto-chain discuss → plan → execute without stopping
--skip-research	/gsd-plan-phase	Skip research agents when the domain is already familiar
--draft	/gsd-ship	Create a draft PR instead of a ready-for-review one

For the full command reference with all flags, see docs/COMMANDS.md. For configuration options (model profiles, workflow agents, git branching), see docs/CONFIGURATION.md.

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Workflow Diagrams

Full Project Lifecycle

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │                   NEW PROJECT                    │
  │  /gsd-new-project                                │
  │  Questions -> Research -> Requirements -> Roadmap│
  └─────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                            │
             ┌──────────────▼─────────────┐
             │      FOR EACH PHASE:       │
             │                            │
             │  ┌────────────────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd-discuss-phase │    │  <- Lock in preferences
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd-ui-phase      │    │  <- Design contract (frontend)
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd-plan-phase    │    │  <- Research + Plan + Verify
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd-execute-phase │    │  <- Parallel execution
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd-verify-work   │    │  <- Manual UAT
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd-ship          │    │  <- Create PR (optional)
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │     Next Phase?────────────┘
             │             │ No
             └─────────────┼──────────────┘
                            │
            ┌───────────────▼──────────────┐
            │  /gsd-audit-milestone        │
            │  /gsd-complete-milestone     │
            └───────────────┬──────────────┘
                            │
                   Another milestone?
                       │          │
                      Yes         No -> Done!
                       │
               ┌───────▼──────────────┐
               │  /gsd-new-milestone  │
               └──────────────────────┘

Planning Agent Coordination

  /gsd-plan-phase N
         │
         ├── Phase Researcher (x4 parallel)
         │     ├── Stack researcher
         │     ├── Features researcher
         │     ├── Architecture researcher
         │     └── Pitfalls researcher
         │           │
         │     ┌──────▼──────┐
         │     │ RESEARCH.md │
         │     └──────┬──────┘
         │            │
         │     ┌──────▼──────┐
         │     │   Planner   │  <- Reads PROJECT.md, REQUIREMENTS.md,
         │     │             │     CONTEXT.md, RESEARCH.md
         │     └──────┬──────┘
         │            │
         │     ┌──────▼───────────┐     ┌────────┐
         │     │   Plan Checker   │────>│ PASS?  │
         │     └──────────────────┘     └───┬────┘
         │                                  │
         │                             Yes  │  No
         │                              │   │   │
         │                              │   └───┘  (loop, up to 3x)
         │                              │
         │                        ┌─────▼──────┐
         │                        │ PLAN files │
         │                        └────────────┘
         └── Done

Validation Architecture (Nyquist Layer)

During plan-phase research, GSD now maps automated test coverage to each phase requirement before any code is written. This ensures that when Claude's executor commits a task, a feedback mechanism already exists to verify it within seconds.

The researcher detects your existing test infrastructure, maps each requirement to a specific test command, and identifies any test scaffolding that must be created before implementation begins (Wave 0 tasks).

The plan-checker enforces this as an 8th verification dimension: plans where tasks lack automated verify commands will not be approved.

Output: {phase}-VALIDATION.md -- the feedback contract for the phase.

Disable: Set workflow.nyquist_validation: false in /gsd-settings for rapid prototyping phases where test infrastructure isn't the focus.

Retroactive Validation (/gsd-validate-phase)

For phases executed before Nyquist validation existed, or for existing codebases with only traditional test suites, retroactively audit and fill coverage gaps:

  /gsd-validate-phase N
         |
         +-- Detect state (VALIDATION.md exists? SUMMARY.md exists?)
         |
         +-- Discover: scan implementation, map requirements to tests
         |
         +-- Analyze gaps: which requirements lack automated verification?
         |
         +-- Present gap plan for approval
         |
         +-- Spawn auditor: generate tests, run, debug (max 3 attempts)
         |
         +-- Update VALIDATION.md
               |
               +-- COMPLIANT -> all requirements have automated checks
               +-- PARTIAL -> some gaps escalated to manual-only

The auditor never modifies implementation code — only test files and VALIDATION.md. If a test reveals an implementation bug, it's flagged as an escalation for you to address.

When to use: After executing phases that were planned before Nyquist was enabled, or after /gsd-audit-milestone surfaces Nyquist compliance gaps.

Assumptions Discussion Mode

By default, /gsd-discuss-phase asks open-ended questions about your implementation preferences. Assumptions mode inverts this: GSD reads your codebase first, surfaces structured assumptions about how it would build the phase, and asks only for corrections.

Enable: Set workflow.discuss_mode to 'assumptions' via /gsd-settings.

How it works:

1. Reads PROJECT.md, codebase mapping, and existing conventions
2. Generates a structured list of assumptions (tech choices, patterns, file locations)
3. Presents assumptions for you to confirm, correct, or expand
4. Writes CONTEXT.md from confirmed assumptions

When to use:

• Experienced developers who already know their codebase well
• Rapid iteration where open-ended questions slow you down
• Projects where patterns are well-established and predictable

See docs/workflow-discuss-mode.md for the full discuss-mode reference.

Decision Coverage Gates

The discuss-phase captures implementation decisions in CONTEXT.md under a <decisions> block as numbered bullets (- **D-01:** …). Two gates — added for issue #2492 — ensure those decisions survive into plans and shipped code.

Plan-phase translation gate (blocking). After planning, GSD refuses to mark the phase planned until every trackable decision appears in at least one plan's must_haves, truths, or body. The gate names each missed decision by id (D-07: …) so you know exactly what to add, move, or reclassify.

Verify-phase validation gate (non-blocking). During verification, GSD searches plans, SUMMARY.md, modified files, and recent commit messages for each trackable decision. Misses are logged to VERIFICATION.md as a warning section; verification status is unchanged. The asymmetry is deliberate — the blocking gate is cheap at plan time but hostile at verify time.

Writing decisions the gate can match. Two match modes:

1. Strict id match (recommended). Cite the decision id anywhere in a plan that implements it — must_haves.truths: ["D-12: bit offsets exposed"], a bullet in the plan body, a frontmatter comment. This is deterministic and unambiguous.
2. Soft phrase match (fallback). If a 6+-word slice of the decision text appears verbatim in any plan or shipped artifact, it counts. This forgives paraphrasing but is less reliable.

Opting a decision out. If a decision genuinely should not be tracked — an implementation-discretion note, an informational capture, a decision already deferred — mark it one of these ways:

• Move it under the ### Claude's Discretion heading inside <decisions>.
• Tag it in its bullet: - **D-08 [informational]:** …, - **D-09 [folded]:** …, - **D-10 [deferred]:** ….

Disabling the gates. Set workflow.context_coverage_gate: false in .planning/config.json (or via /gsd-settings) to skip both gates silently. Default is true.

---

UI Design Contract

Why

AI-generated frontends are visually inconsistent not because Claude Code is bad at UI but because no design contract existed before execution. Five components built without a shared spacing scale, color contract, or copywriting standard produce five slightly different visual decisions.

/gsd-ui-phase locks the design contract before planning. /gsd-ui-review audits the result after execution.

Commands

Command	Description
/gsd-ui-phase [N]	Generate UI-SPEC.md design contract for a frontend phase
/gsd-ui-review [N]	Retroactive 6-pillar visual audit of implemented UI

Workflow: /gsd-ui-phase

When to run: After /gsd-discuss-phase, before /gsd-plan-phase — for phases with frontend/UI work.

Flow:

1. Reads CONTEXT.md, RESEARCH.md, REQUIREMENTS.md for existing decisions
2. Detects design system state (shadcn components.json, Tailwind config, existing tokens)
3. shadcn initialization gate — offers to initialize if React/Next.js/Vite project has none
4. Asks only unanswered design contract questions (spacing, typography, color, copywriting, registry safety)
5. Writes {phase}-UI-SPEC.md to phase directory
6. Validates against 6 dimensions (Copywriting, Visuals, Color, Typography, Spacing, Registry Safety)
7. Revision loop if BLOCKED (max 2 iterations)

Output: {padded_phase}-UI-SPEC.md in .planning/phases/{phase-dir}/

Workflow: /gsd-ui-review

When to run: After /gsd-execute-phase or /gsd-verify-work — for any project with frontend code.

Standalone: Works on any project, not just GSD-managed ones. If no UI-SPEC.md exists, audits against abstract 6-pillar standards.

6 Pillars (scored 1-4 each):

1. Copywriting — CTA labels, empty states, error states
2. Visuals — focal points, visual hierarchy, icon accessibility
3. Color — accent usage discipline, 60/30/10 compliance
4. Typography — font size/weight constraint adherence
5. Spacing — grid alignment, token consistency
6. Experience Design — loading/error/empty state coverage

Output: {padded_phase}-UI-REVIEW.md in phase directory with scores and top 3 priority fixes.

Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
workflow.ui_phase	true	Generate UI design contracts for frontend phases
workflow.ui_safety_gate	true	plan-phase prompts to run /gsd-ui-phase for frontend phases

Both follow the absent=enabled pattern. Disable via /gsd-settings.

shadcn Initialization

For React/Next.js/Vite projects, the UI researcher offers to initialize shadcn if no components.json is found. The flow:

1. Visit ui.shadcn.com/create and configure your preset
2. Copy the preset string
3. Run npx shadcn init --preset {paste}
4. Preset encodes the entire design system — colors, border radius, fonts

The preset string becomes a first-class GSD planning artifact, reproducible across phases and milestones.

Registry Safety Gate

Third-party shadcn registries can inject arbitrary code. The safety gate requires:

• npx shadcn view {component} — inspect before installing
• npx shadcn diff {component} — compare against official

Controlled by workflow.ui_safety_gate config toggle.

Screenshot Storage

/gsd-ui-review captures screenshots via Playwright CLI to .planning/ui-reviews/. A .gitignore is created automatically to prevent binary files from reaching git. Screenshots are cleaned up during /gsd-complete-milestone.

---

Spiking & Sketching

Use /gsd-spike to validate technical feasibility before planning, and /gsd-sketch to explore visual direction before designing. Both store artifacts in .planning/ and integrate with the project-skills system via their wrap-up companions.

When to Spike

Spike when you're uncertain whether a technical approach is feasible or want to compare two implementations before committing a phase to one of them.

/gsd-spike                              # Interactive intake — describes the question, you confirm
/gsd-spike "can we stream LLM tokens through SSE"
/gsd-spike --quick "websocket vs SSE latency"

Each spike runs 2–5 experiments. Every experiment has:

• A Given / When / Then hypothesis written before any code
• Working code (not pseudocode)
• A VALIDATED / INVALIDATED / PARTIAL verdict with evidence

Results land in .planning/spikes/NNN-name/README.md and are indexed in .planning/spikes/MANIFEST.md.

Once you have signal, run /gsd-spike-wrap-up to package the findings into .claude/skills/spike-findings-[project]/ — future sessions will load them automatically via project-skills discovery.

When to Sketch

Sketch when you need to compare layout structures, interaction models, or visual treatments before writing any real component code.

/gsd-sketch                             # Mood intake — explores feel, references, core action
/gsd-sketch "dashboard layout"
/gsd-sketch --quick "sidebar navigation"
/gsd-sketch --text "onboarding flow"    # For non-Claude runtimes (Codex, Gemini, etc.)

Each sketch answers one design question with 2–3 variants in a single index.html you open directly in a browser — no build step. Variants use tab navigation and shared CSS variables from themes/default.css. All interactive elements (hover, click, transitions) are functional.

After picking a winner, run /gsd-sketch-wrap-up to capture the visual decisions into .claude/skills/sketch-findings-[project]/.

Spike → Sketch → Phase Flow

/gsd-spike "SSE vs WebSocket"     # Validate the approach
/gsd-spike-wrap-up                # Package learnings

/gsd-sketch "real-time feed UI"   # Explore the design
/gsd-sketch-wrap-up               # Package decisions

/gsd-discuss-phase N              # Lock in preferences (now informed by spike + sketch)
/gsd-plan-phase N                 # Plan with confidence

---

Backlog & Threads

Backlog Parking Lot

Ideas that aren't ready for active planning go into the backlog using 999.x numbering, keeping them outside the active phase sequence.

/gsd-add-backlog "GraphQL API layer"     # Creates 999.1-graphql-api-layer/
/gsd-add-backlog "Mobile responsive"     # Creates 999.2-mobile-responsive/

Backlog items get full phase directories, so you can use /gsd-discuss-phase 999.1 to explore an idea further or /gsd-plan-phase 999.1 when it's ready.

Review and promote with /gsd-review-backlog — it shows all backlog items and lets you promote (move to active sequence), keep (leave in backlog), or remove (delete).

Seeds

Seeds are forward-looking ideas with trigger conditions. Unlike backlog items, seeds surface automatically when the right milestone arrives.

/gsd-plant-seed "Add real-time collab when WebSocket infra is in place"

Seeds preserve the full WHY and WHEN to surface. /gsd-new-milestone scans all seeds and presents matches.

Storage: .planning/seeds/SEED-NNN-slug.md

Persistent Context Threads

Threads are lightweight cross-session knowledge stores for work that spans multiple sessions but doesn't belong to any specific phase.

/gsd-thread                              # List all threads
/gsd-thread fix-deploy-key-auth          # Resume existing thread
/gsd-thread "Investigate TCP timeout"    # Create new thread

Threads are lighter weight than /gsd-pause-work — no phase state, no plan context. Each thread file includes Goal, Context, References, and Next Steps sections.

Threads can be promoted to phases (/gsd-add-phase) or backlog items (/gsd-add-backlog) when they mature.

Storage: .planning/threads/{slug}.md

---

Workstreams

Workstreams let you work on multiple milestone areas concurrently without state collisions. Each workstream gets its own isolated .planning/ state, so switching between them doesn't clobber progress.

When to use: You're working on milestone features that span different concern areas (e.g., backend API and frontend dashboard) and want to plan, execute, or discuss them independently without context bleed.

Commands

Command	Purpose
/gsd-workstreams create <name>	Create a new workstream with isolated planning state
/gsd-workstreams switch <name>	Switch active context to a different workstream
/gsd-workstreams list	Show all workstreams and which is active
/gsd-workstreams complete <name>	Mark a workstream as done and archive its state

How It Works

Each workstream maintains its own .planning/ directory subtree. When you switch workstreams, GSD swaps the active planning context so that /gsd-progress, /gsd-discuss-phase, /gsd-plan-phase, and other commands operate on that workstream's state. Active context is session-scoped when the runtime exposes a stable session identifier, which prevents one terminal or AI instance from repointing another instance's STATE.md.

This is lighter weight than /gsd-new-workspace (which creates separate repo worktrees). Workstreams share the same codebase and git history but isolate planning artifacts.

---

Security

Defense-in-Depth (v1.27)

GSD generates markdown files that become LLM system prompts. This means any user-controlled text flowing into planning artifacts is a potential indirect prompt injection vector. v1.27 introduced centralized security hardening:

Path Traversal Prevention: All user-supplied file paths (--text-file, --prd) are validated to resolve within the project directory. macOS /var → /private/var symlink resolution is handled.

Prompt Injection Detection: The security.cjs module scans for known injection patterns (role overrides, instruction bypasses, system tag injections) in user-supplied text before it enters planning artifacts.

Runtime Hooks:

• gsd-prompt-guard.js — Scans Write/Edit calls to .planning/ for injection patterns (always active, advisory-only)
• gsd-workflow-guard.js — Warns on file edits outside GSD workflow context (opt-in via hooks.workflow_guard)

CI Scanner: prompt-injection-scan.test.cjs scans all agent, workflow, and command files for embedded injection vectors. Run as part of the test suite.

---

Execution Wave Coordination

  /gsd-execute-phase N
         │
         ├── Analyze plan dependencies
         │
         ├── Wave 1 (independent plans):
         │     ├── Executor A (fresh 200K context) -> commit
         │     └── Executor B (fresh 200K context) -> commit
         │
         ├── Wave 2 (depends on Wave 1):
         │     └── Executor C (fresh 200K context) -> commit
         │
         └── Verifier
               ├── Check codebase against phase goals
               ├── Test quality audit (disabled tests, circular patterns, assertion strength)
               │
               ├── PASS -> VERIFICATION.md (success)
               └── FAIL -> Issues logged for /gsd-verify-work

Brownfield Workflow (Existing Codebase)

  /gsd-map-codebase
         │
         ├── Stack Mapper     -> codebase/STACK.md
         ├── Arch Mapper      -> codebase/ARCHITECTURE.md
         ├── Convention Mapper -> codebase/CONVENTIONS.md
         └── Concern Mapper   -> codebase/CONCERNS.md
                │
        ┌───────▼──────────┐
        │ /gsd-new-project │  <- Questions focus on what you're ADDING
        └──────────────────┘

---

Code Review Workflow

Phase Code Review

After executing a phase, run a structured code review before UAT:

/gsd-code-review 3               # Review all changed files in phase 3
/gsd-code-review 3 --depth=deep  # Deep cross-file review (import graphs, call chains)

The reviewer scopes files automatically using SUMMARY.md (preferred) or git diff fallback. Findings are classified as Critical, Warning, or Info in {phase}-REVIEW.md.

/gsd-code-review-fix 3           # Fix Critical + Warning findings atomically
/gsd-code-review-fix 3 --auto    # Fix and re-review until clean (max 3 iterations)

Autonomous Audit-to-Fix

To run an audit and fix all auto-fixable issues in one pass:

/gsd-audit-fix                   # Audit + classify + fix (medium+ severity, max 5)
/gsd-audit-fix --dry-run         # Preview classification without fixing

Code Review in the Full Phase Lifecycle

The review step slots in after execution and before UAT:

/gsd-execute-phase N   ->  /gsd-code-review N  ->  /gsd-code-review-fix N  ->  /gsd-verify-work N

---

Exploration & Discovery

Socratic Exploration

Before committing to a new phase or plan, use /gsd-explore to think through the idea:

/gsd-explore                           # Open-ended ideation
/gsd-explore "caching strategy"        # Explore a specific topic

The exploration session guides you through probing questions, optionally spawns a research agent, and routes output to the appropriate GSD artifact: note, todo, seed, research question, requirements update, or new phase.

Codebase Intelligence

For queryable codebase insights without reading the entire codebase, enable the intel system:

{ "intel": { "enabled": true } }

Then build the index:

/gsd-intel refresh             # Analyze codebase and write .planning/intel/ files
/gsd-intel query auth          # Search for a term across all intel files
/gsd-intel status              # Check freshness of intel files
/gsd-intel diff                # See what changed since last snapshot

Intel files cover stack, API surface, dependency graph, file roles, and architecture decisions.

Quick Scan

For a focused assessment without full /gsd-map-codebase overhead:

/gsd-scan                      # Quick tech + arch overview
/gsd-scan --focus quality      # Quality and code health only
/gsd-scan --focus concerns     # Risk areas and concerns

---

Command And Configuration Reference

• Command Reference: see docs/COMMANDS.md for every stable command's flags, subcommands, and examples. The authoritative shipped-command roster lives in docs/INVENTORY.md.
• Configuration Reference: see docs/CONFIGURATION.md for the full config.json schema, every setting's default and provenance, the per-agent model-profile table (including the inherit option for non-Claude runtimes), git branching strategies, and security settings.
• Discuss Mode: see docs/workflow-discuss-mode.md for interview vs assumptions mode.

This guide intentionally does not re-document commands or config settings: maintaining two copies previously produced drift (workflow.discuss_mode's default, claude_md_path's default, the model-profile table's agent coverage). The single-source-of-truth rule is enforced mechanically by the drift-guard tests anchored on docs/INVENTORY.md.

---

Usage Examples

New Project (Full Cycle)

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
/gsd-new-project            # Answer questions, configure, approve roadmap
/clear
/gsd-discuss-phase 1        # Lock in your preferences
/gsd-ui-phase 1             # Design contract (frontend phases)
/gsd-plan-phase 1           # Research + plan + verify
/gsd-execute-phase 1        # Parallel execution
/gsd-verify-work 1          # Manual UAT
/gsd-ship 1                 # Create PR from verified work
/gsd-ui-review 1            # Visual audit (frontend phases)
/clear
/gsd-next                   # Auto-detect and run next step
...
/gsd-audit-milestone        # Check everything shipped
/gsd-complete-milestone     # Archive, tag, done
/gsd-session-report         # Generate session summary

New Project from Existing Document

/gsd-new-project --auto @prd.md   # Auto-runs research/requirements/roadmap from your doc
/clear
/gsd-discuss-phase 1               # Normal flow from here

Existing Codebase

/gsd-map-codebase           # Analyze what exists (parallel agents)
/gsd-new-project            # Questions focus on what you're ADDING
# (normal phase workflow from here)

Post-execute drift detection (#2003). After every /gsd-execute-phase, GSD checks whether the phase introduced enough structural change (new directories, barrel exports, migrations, or route modules) to make .planning/codebase/STRUCTURE.md stale. If it did, the default behavior is to print a one-shot warning suggesting the exact /gsd-map-codebase --paths … invocation to refresh just the affected subtrees. Flip the behavior with:

/gsd-settings workflow.drift_action auto-remap       # remap automatically
/gsd-settings workflow.drift_threshold 5             # tune sensitivity

The gate is non-blocking: any internal failure logs and the phase continues.

Quick Bug Fix

/gsd-quick
> "Fix the login button not responding on mobile Safari"

Resuming After a Break

/gsd-progress               # See where you left off and what's next
# or
/gsd-resume-work            # Full context restoration from last session

Preparing for Release

/gsd-audit-milestone        # Check requirements coverage, detect stubs
/gsd-plan-milestone-gaps    # If audit found gaps, create phases to close them
/gsd-complete-milestone     # Archive, tag, done

Speed vs Quality Presets

Scenario	Mode	Granularity	Profile	Research	Plan Check	Verifier
Prototyping	yolo	coarse	budget	off	off	off
Normal dev	interactive	standard	balanced	on	on	on
Production	interactive	fine	quality	on	on	on

Skipping discuss-phase in autonomous mode: When running in yolo mode with well-established preferences already captured in PROJECT.md, set workflow.skip_discuss: true via /gsd-settings. This bypasses the discuss-phase entirely and writes a minimal CONTEXT.md derived from the ROADMAP phase goal. Useful when your PROJECT.md and conventions are comprehensive enough that discussion adds no new information.

Mid-Milestone Scope Changes

/gsd-add-phase              # Append a new phase to the roadmap
# or
/gsd-insert-phase 3         # Insert urgent work between phases 3 and 4
# or
/gsd-remove-phase 7         # Descope phase 7 and renumber

Multi-Project Workspaces

Work on multiple repos or features in parallel with isolated GSD state.

# Create a workspace with repos from your monorepo
/gsd-new-workspace --name feature-b --repos hr-ui,ZeymoAPI

# Feature branch isolation — worktree of current repo with its own .planning/
/gsd-new-workspace --name feature-b --repos .

# Then cd into the workspace and initialize GSD
cd ~/gsd-workspaces/feature-b
/gsd-new-project

# List and manage workspaces
/gsd-list-workspaces
/gsd-remove-workspace feature-b

Each workspace gets:

• Its own .planning/ directory (fully independent from source repos)
• Git worktrees (default) or clones of specified repos
• A WORKSPACE.md manifest tracking member repos

---

Troubleshooting

Programmatic CLI (gsd-sdk query vs gsd-tools.cjs)

For automation and copy-paste from docs, prefer gsd-sdk query with a registered subcommand (see CLI-TOOLS.md — SDK and programmatic access and QUERY-HANDLERS.md). The legacy node $HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs CLI remains supported for dual-mode operation.

CLI-only (not in the query registry): graphify, from-gsd2 / gsd2-import — call gsd-tools.cjs (see QUERY-HANDLERS.md). Two different state JSON shapes in the legacy CLI: state json (frontmatter rebuild) vs state load (config + state_raw + flags). gsd-sdk query today: both state.json and state.load resolve to the frontmatter-rebuild handler — use node …/gsd-tools.cjs state load when you need the CJS state load shape. See CLI-TOOLS.md and QUERY-HANDLERS.

STATE.md Out of Sync

If STATE.md shows incorrect phase status or position, use the state consistency commands (CJS-only until ported to the query layer):

node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" state validate          # Detect drift between STATE.md and filesystem
node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" state sync --verify     # Preview what sync would change
node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" state sync              # Reconstruct STATE.md from disk

These commands are new in v1.32 and replace manual STATE.md editing.

Read-Before-Edit Infinite Retry Loop

Some non-Claude runtimes (Cline, Augment Code) may enter an infinite retry loop when an agent attempts to edit a file it hasn't read. The gsd-read-before-edit.js hook (v1.32) detects this pattern and advises reading the file first. If your runtime doesn't support PreToolUse hooks, add this to your project's CLAUDE.md:

## Edit Safety Rule
Always read a file before editing it. Never call Edit or Write on a file you haven't read in this session.

"Project already initialized"

You ran /gsd-new-project but .planning/PROJECT.md already exists. This is a safety check. If you want to start over, delete the .planning/ directory first.

Context Degradation During Long Sessions

Clear your context window between major commands: /clear in Claude Code. GSD is designed around fresh contexts -- every subagent gets a clean 200K window. If quality is dropping in the main session, clear and use /gsd-resume-work or /gsd-progress to restore state.

Plans Seem Wrong or Misaligned

Run /gsd-discuss-phase [N] before planning. Most plan quality issues come from Claude making assumptions that CONTEXT.md would have prevented. You can also run /gsd-list-phase-assumptions [N] to see what Claude intends to do before committing to a plan.

Discuss-Phase Uses Technical Jargon I Don't Understand

/gsd-discuss-phase adapts its language based on your USER-PROFILE.md. If the profile indicates a non-technical owner — learning_style: guided, jargon listed as a frustration trigger, or explanation_depth: high-level — gray area questions are automatically reframed in product-outcome language instead of implementation terminology.

To enable this: run /gsd-profile-user to generate your profile. The profile is stored at ~/.claude/get-shit-done/USER-PROFILE.md and is read automatically on every /gsd-discuss-phase invocation. No other configuration is required.

Execution Fails or Produces Stubs

Check that the plan was not too ambitious. Plans should have 2-3 tasks maximum. If tasks are too large, they exceed what a single context window can produce reliably. Re-plan with smaller scope.

Lost Track of Where You Are

Run /gsd-progress. It reads all state files and tells you exactly where you are and what to do next.

Need to Change Something After Execution

Do not re-run /gsd-execute-phase. Use /gsd-quick for targeted fixes, or /gsd-verify-work to systematically identify and fix issues through UAT.

Model Costs Too High

Switch to budget profile: /gsd-set-profile budget. Disable research and plan-check agents via /gsd-settings if the domain is familiar to you (or to Claude).

Tuning model cost by phase (models) — added in v1.40

If you've heard "use Opus for planning, Sonnet for verification" and want to apply that without learning the agent taxonomy, add a models block to .planning/config.json:

{
  "model_profile": "balanced",
  "models": {
    "planning": "opus",
    "discuss": "opus",
    "research": "sonnet",
    "execution": "opus",
    "verification": "sonnet",
    "completion": "sonnet"
  }
}

The six slots (planning / discuss / research / execution / verification / completion) accept tier aliases (opus, sonnet, haiku, inherit). Each slot covers a group of agents — for example, setting models.research = "sonnet" applies to gsd-phase-researcher, gsd-codebase-mapper, gsd-research-synthesizer, and the other research agents in one shot.

Need a per-agent exception? Add model_overrides alongside — it wins over models:

{
  "models": { "research": "sonnet" },
  "model_overrides": {
    "gsd-codebase-mapper": "haiku"
  }
}

That gives sonnet to all research agents except the codebase mapper, which runs haiku for the cheap-but-broad fan-out scan.

For the full mapping table and resolution-precedence rules, see Per-Phase-Type Models in the configuration reference.

Cheap-by-default with dynamic_routing — added in v1.40

If you've been paying Opus rates everywhere as insurance against a single hard verification, dynamic routing flips it: every agent starts on a cheaper tier and escalates only when the orchestrator marks a soft failure (verification inconclusive, plan-check FLAG, etc.).

{
  "dynamic_routing": {
    "enabled": true,
    "tier_models": {
      "light":    "haiku",
      "standard": "sonnet",
      "heavy":    "opus"
    },
    "escalate_on_failure": true,
    "max_escalations": 1
  }
}

Each agent has a default tier (light, standard, or heavy). On the first attempt, GSD picks tier_models[default_tier]. If the orchestrator detects a soft failure, it re-spawns once at the next tier up. max_escalations caps total retries so a runaway loop can't burn through your budget.

Concretely:

• gsd-codebase-mapper (default light) → first attempt = haiku. If escalated → sonnet.
• gsd-verifier (default standard) → first attempt = sonnet. If escalated → opus.
• gsd-planner (default heavy) → always opus. No tier above; can't escalate further.

To turn it off, set dynamic_routing.enabled: false (the default) — behavior is identical to today.

For the full agent → tier mapping and resolution-precedence rules, see Dynamic Routing in the configuration reference.

Trim MCP servers to reduce per-turn cost (the biggest lever GSD doesn't own)

Before tuning model_profile or models.<phase_type>, audit which MCP servers your harness has enabled. Every enabled MCP server injects its tool schema into every turn — heavyweight servers like browser/playwright tools or platform-specific helpers can cost 20k+ tokens each, often dwarfing whatever GSD's resolver can save.

This is a harness setting, not a GSD setting. The toggle lives in .claude/settings.json:

{
  "enabledMcpjsonServers": ["context7"],
  "disabledMcpjsonServers": ["playwright", "mac-tools"]
}

Quick audit before a long phase:

• Are any browser / playwright tools enabled when this phase has no UI work?
• Are any platform-specific tools (Mac-tools, Windows-tools, OS-specific) enabled when not needed?
• Are any project-specific MCPs from a different project still enabled here?

Each disabled server removes its schema from every subsequent turn for the rest of the session. Trimming MCPs compounds with model_profile tuning — both levers are additive, and MCP savings show up immediately across every subagent the orchestrator spawns.

For the full audit, harness reference, and the composition note with model_profile, see MCP Tool Schema Cost in the bundled context-budget.md reference.

Using Non-Claude Runtimes (Codex, OpenCode, Gemini CLI, Kilo)

If you installed GSD for a non-Claude runtime, the installer already configured model resolution so all agents use the runtime's default model. No manual setup is needed. Specifically, the installer sets resolve_model_ids: "omit" in your config, which tells GSD to skip Anthropic model ID resolution and let the runtime choose its own default model.

To assign different models to different agents on a non-Claude runtime, add model_overrides to .planning/config.json with fully-qualified model IDs that your runtime recognizes:

{
  "resolve_model_ids": "omit",
  "model_overrides": {
    "gsd-planner": "o3",
    "gsd-executor": "o4-mini",
    "gsd-debugger": "o3"
  }
}

The installer auto-configures resolve_model_ids: "omit" for Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Kilo, and Codex. If you're manually setting up a non-Claude runtime, add it to .planning/config.json yourself.

Switching from Claude to Codex with one config change (#2517)

If you want tiered models on Codex without writing a large model_overrides block, set runtime: "codex" and pick a profile:

{
  "runtime": "codex",
  "model_profile": "balanced"
}

GSD will resolve each agent's tier (opus/sonnet/haiku) to the Codex-native model and reasoning effort defined in the runtime tier map (gpt-5.4 xhigh / gpt-5.3-codex medium / gpt-5.4-mini medium). The Codex installer embeds both model and model_reasoning_effort into each agent's TOML automatically. To override a single tier, add model_profile_overrides.codex.<tier>. See Runtime-Aware Profiles.

See the Configuration Reference for the full explanation.

Installing for Cline

Cline uses a rules-based integration — GSD installs as .clinerules rather than slash commands.

# Global install (applies to all projects)
npx get-shit-done-cc --cline --global

# Local install (this project only)
npx get-shit-done-cc --cline --local

Global installs write to ~/.cline/. Local installs write to ./.cline/. No custom slash commands are registered — GSD rules are loaded automatically by Cline from the rules file.

Installing for CodeBuddy

CodeBuddy uses a skills-based integration.

npx get-shit-done-cc --codebuddy --global

Skills are installed to ~/.codebuddy/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.md.

Installing for Qwen Code

Qwen Code uses the same open skills standard as Claude Code 2.1.88+.

npx get-shit-done-cc --qwen --global

Skills are installed to ~/.qwen/skills/gsd-*/SKILL.md. Use the QWEN_CONFIG_DIR environment variable to override the default install path.

Using Claude Code with Non-Anthropic Providers (OpenRouter, Local)

If GSD subagents call Anthropic models and you're paying through OpenRouter or a local provider, switch to the inherit profile: /gsd-set-profile inherit. This makes all agents use your current session model instead of specific Anthropic models. See also /gsd-settings → Model Profile → Inherit.

Working on a Sensitive/Private Project

Set commit_docs: false during /gsd-new-project or via /gsd-settings. Add .planning/ to your .gitignore. Planning artifacts stay local and never touch git.

GSD Update Overwrote My Local Changes

Since v1.17, the installer backs up locally modified files to gsd-local-patches/. Run /gsd-update --reapply to merge your changes back.

Cannot Update via npm

If npx get-shit-done-cc fails due to npm outages or network restrictions, see docs/manual-update.md for a step-by-step manual update procedure that works without npm access.

Workflow Diagnostics (/gsd-forensics)

When a workflow fails in a way that isn't obvious -- plans reference nonexistent files, execution produces unexpected results, or state seems corrupted -- run /gsd-forensics to generate a diagnostic report.

What it checks:

• Git history anomalies (orphaned commits, unexpected branch state, rebase artifacts)
• Artifact integrity (missing or malformed planning files, broken cross-references)
• State inconsistencies (ROADMAP status vs. actual file presence, config drift)

Output: A diagnostic report written to .planning/forensics/ with findings and suggested remediation steps.

Executor Subagent Gets "Permission denied" on Bash Commands

GSD's gsd-executor subagents need write-capable Bash access to a project's standard tooling — git commit, bin/rails, bundle exec, npm run, uv run, and similar commands. Claude Code's default ~/.claude/settings.json only allows a narrow set of read-only git commands, so a fresh install will hit "Permission to use Bash has been denied" the first time an executor tries to make a commit or run a build tool.

Fix: add the required patterns to ~/.claude/settings.json.

The patterns you need depend on your stack. Copy the block for your stack and add it to the permissions.allow array.

Required for all stacks (git + gh)

"Bash(git add:*)",
"Bash(git commit:*)",
"Bash(git merge:*)",
"Bash(git worktree:*)",
"Bash(git rebase:*)",
"Bash(git reset:*)",
"Bash(git checkout:*)",
"Bash(git switch:*)",
"Bash(git restore:*)",
"Bash(git stash:*)",
"Bash(git rm:*)",
"Bash(git mv:*)",
"Bash(git fetch:*)",
"Bash(git cherry-pick:*)",
"Bash(git apply:*)",
"Bash(gh:*)"

Rails / Ruby

"Bash(bin/rails:*)",
"Bash(bin/brakeman:*)",
"Bash(bin/bundler-audit:*)",
"Bash(bin/importmap:*)",
"Bash(bundle:*)",
"Bash(rubocop:*)",
"Bash(erb_lint:*)"

Python / uv

"Bash(uv:*)",
"Bash(python:*)",
"Bash(pytest:*)",
"Bash(ruff:*)",
"Bash(mypy:*)"

Node / npm / pnpm / bun

"Bash(npm:*)",
"Bash(npx:*)",
"Bash(pnpm:*)",
"Bash(bun:*)",
"Bash(node:*)"

Rust / Cargo

"Bash(cargo:*)"

Example ~/.claude/settings.json snippet (Rails project):

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Write",
      "Edit",
      "Bash(git add:*)",
      "Bash(git commit:*)",
      "Bash(git merge:*)",
      "Bash(git worktree:*)",
      "Bash(git rebase:*)",
      "Bash(git reset:*)",
      "Bash(git checkout:*)",
      "Bash(git switch:*)",
      "Bash(git restore:*)",
      "Bash(git stash:*)",
      "Bash(git rm:*)",
      "Bash(git mv:*)",
      "Bash(git fetch:*)",
      "Bash(git cherry-pick:*)",
      "Bash(git apply:*)",
      "Bash(gh:*)",
      "Bash(bin/rails:*)",
      "Bash(bin/brakeman:*)",
      "Bash(bin/bundler-audit:*)",
      "Bash(bundle:*)",
      "Bash(rubocop:*)"
    ]
  }
}

Per-project permissions (scoped to one repo): If you prefer to allow these patterns for a single project rather than globally, add the same permissions.allow block to .claude/settings.local.json in your project root instead of ~/.claude/settings.json. Claude Code checks project-local settings first.

Interactive guidance: When an executor is blocked mid-phase, it will identify the exact pattern needed (e.g. "Bash(bin/rails:*)") so you can add it and re-run /gsd-execute-phase.

Subagent Appears to Fail but Work Was Done

A known workaround exists for a Claude Code classification bug. GSD's orchestrators (execute-phase, quick) spot-check actual output before reporting failure. If you see a failure message but commits were made, check git log -- the work may have succeeded.

Parallel Execution Causes Build Lock Errors

If you see pre-commit hook failures, cargo lock contention, or 30+ minute execution times during parallel wave execution, this is caused by multiple agents triggering build tools simultaneously. GSD handles this automatically since v1.26 — parallel agents use --no-verify on commits and the orchestrator runs hooks once after each wave. If you're on an older version, add this to your project's CLAUDE.md:

## Git Commit Rules for Agents
All subagent/executor commits MUST use `--no-verify`.

To disable parallel execution entirely: /gsd-settings → set parallelization.enabled to false.

Windows: Installation Crashes on Protected Directories

If the installer crashes with EPERM: operation not permitted, scandir on Windows, this is caused by OS-protected directories (e.g., Chromium browser profiles). Fixed since v1.24 — update to the latest version. As a workaround, temporarily rename the problematic directory before running the installer.

---

Recovery Quick Reference

Problem	Solution
Lost context / new session	/gsd-resume-work or /gsd-progress
Phase went wrong	git revert the phase commits, then re-plan
Need to change scope	/gsd-add-phase, /gsd-insert-phase, or /gsd-remove-phase
Milestone audit found gaps	/gsd-plan-milestone-gaps
Something broke	/gsd-debug "description" (add --diagnose for analysis without fixes)
STATE.md out of sync	state validate then state sync
Workflow state seems corrupted	/gsd-forensics
Quick targeted fix	/gsd-quick
Plan doesn't match your vision	/gsd-discuss-phase [N] then re-plan
Costs running high	/gsd-set-profile budget and /gsd-settings to toggle agents off
Update broke local changes	/gsd-update --reapply
Want session summary for stakeholder	/gsd-session-report
Don't know what step is next	/gsd-next
Parallel execution build errors	Update GSD or set parallelization.enabled: false

---

Project File Structure

For reference, here is what GSD creates in your project:

.planning/
  PROJECT.md              # Project vision and context (always loaded)
  REQUIREMENTS.md         # Scoped v1/v2 requirements with IDs
  ROADMAP.md              # Phase breakdown with status tracking
  STATE.md                # Decisions, blockers, session memory
  config.json             # Workflow configuration
  MILESTONES.md           # Completed milestone archive
  HANDOFF.json            # Structured session handoff (from /gsd-pause-work)
  research/               # Domain research from /gsd-new-project
  reports/                # Session reports (from /gsd-session-report)
  todos/
    pending/              # Captured ideas awaiting work
    done/                 # Completed todos
  debug/                  # Active debug sessions
    resolved/             # Archived debug sessions
  spikes/                 # Feasibility experiments (from /gsd-spike)
    NNN-name/             # Experiment code + README with verdict
    MANIFEST.md           # Index of all spikes
  sketches/               # HTML mockups (from /gsd-sketch)
    NNN-name/             # index.html (2-3 variants) + README
    themes/
      default.css         # Shared CSS variables for all sketches
    MANIFEST.md           # Index of all sketches with winners
  codebase/               # Brownfield codebase mapping (from /gsd-map-codebase)
  phases/
    XX-phase-name/
      XX-YY-PLAN.md       # Atomic execution plans
      XX-YY-SUMMARY.md    # Execution outcomes and decisions
      CONTEXT.md          # Your implementation preferences
      RESEARCH.md         # Ecosystem research findings
      VERIFICATION.md     # Post-execution verification results
      XX-UI-SPEC.md       # UI design contract (from /gsd-ui-phase)
      XX-UI-REVIEW.md     # Visual audit scores (from /gsd-ui-review)
  ui-reviews/             # Screenshots from /gsd-ui-review (gitignored)