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Tom Boucher 2f64e6230a feat(#3676 ): quick-batch command, workflow, and isolation integration (#4212 )

* test(#3676): add failing tests for quick-batch dispatch core

Failing-first tests for Phase 4 of epic #3344 (ADR-1239 "Quick-batch
binding"): quick-batch-dispatch.test.cjs / .property.test.cjs cover the
new pure decision-logic module (arg validation, effective concurrency,
deterministic merge order, spawn backpressure, verification/merge
routing, cleanup-entry construction — design doc rows 3-15,24,26-28,
30-36,39; property rows 51-53). quick-batch-update-items.test.cjs
covers the new updateBatchItems export on src/quick-batch.cts (rows
15,22-23, including the negative cycle-rejection case).
quick-batch-command-router.test.cjs covers the new
gsd-tools quick-batch CLI family (rows 46-47). These reference modules/
exports that do not exist yet.

* feat(#3676): implement quick-batch dispatch core, updateBatchItems, and command router

Phase 4 of epic #3344 (ADR-1239 "Quick-batch binding") CORE decision
layer — CLI verbs and pure orchestration logic only; no workflow
markdown, no Agent()/git-worktree I/O.

- src/quick-batch-dispatch.cts (new): pure decision functions consumed
  by the (separate, follow-up) /gsd:quick-batch workflow markdown —
  parseQuickBatchArgs, computeEffectiveConcurrency, computeMergeOrder,
  computeSpawnPlan, routeVerificationOutcome, routeMergeOutcome,
  buildCleanupManifestEntry (the last parses caller-supplied plan text
  via the existing parsePlanDocument; no filesystem access).

- src/quick-batch.cts: adds updateBatchItems, resolving the design
  doc's Open Question 1 as ONE additive export on this module instead
  of the second, independent BATCH.json writer the design doc
  originally proposed. Reuses the same withPlanningLock transaction
  shape, computeWaves, and platformWriteSync call resumeBatch/
  completeQuickItem already use; fails closed without persisting on
  an unknown item, an unknown/self dependency, or an introduced cycle.

- src/quick-batch-command-router.cts (new): gsd-tools quick-batch CLI
  family, wired into HOST_COMMAND_ROUTERS (gsd-core/bin/gsd-tools.cjs)
  as a first-party always-on command (like /gsd:quick), not the opt-in
  capability-registry path graphify uses. Verbs: create/update/resume/
  complete (wrap quick-batch.cts) and effective-concurrency/
  merge-eligible/spawn-plan/verification-routing/merge-routing/
  cleanup-entry/parse-args (wrap quick-batch-dispatch.cts).

Design doc rows covered: 3-15, 22-24, 26-28, 30-39, 46-47. Property
rows 51-53. Rows covering workflow markdown / Agent() dispatch /
`git worktree` behavior (16-21, 25, 29, 40-45, 48-50) remain for the
follow-up markdown-authoring pass, per the phase brief's explicit
scope boundary.

* docs(#3676): register quick-batch-dispatch/command-router modules in bookkeeping surfaces

New-.cts-module ripple for the two Phase 4 modules (epic #3344,
ADR-1239 "Quick-batch binding"): .gitignore (compiled .cjs artifacts,
ADR-457 build-at-publish), eslint.config.mjs (lint the .cts source,
not the emitted .cjs), docs/INVENTORY.md + docs/INVENTORY-MANIFEST.json
(via `node scripts/gen-inventory-manifest.cjs --write`, after
`npm run build:lib`), and CONTEXT.md glossary entries for
"Quick-Batch Dispatch Core Module" and "Quick-Batch Command Router
Module", plus an update to the existing "Quick-Batch Core Primitives
Module" entry documenting the new updateBatchItems export.

* test(#3676): fold updateBatchItems tests into quick-batch.test.cjs (fix lint-test-file-count)

scripts/lint-test-file-count.cjs buckets any quick-batch-*.test.cjs
file under the quick-batch production module by longest-prefix match,
and that module is already at its 2-file cap (quick-batch.test.cjs +
quick-batch.property.test.cjs). The standalone
tests/quick-batch-update-items.test.cjs added in the prior commit
pushed it to 3 and failed `npm run lint:ci`. Fold its content into
quick-batch.test.cjs (append-only — no existing test in that file is
modified) and update the CONTEXT.md glossary reference to match.

Surfaced while re-running `GITHUB_BASE_REF=next npm run lint:ci` after
`npm ci` (this worktree previously had no local node_modules, which
also made gen-scripts-cli-exit/gen-hooks-cli-exit/gen-exit-code-*
unable to resolve typescript — resolved by npm ci, no code change
needed there). `npm run lint:ci` and
`npx tsc -p tsconfig.build.json --noEmit` are both green after this
fix.

* test(#3676): add failing tests for the quick-batch command/workflow markdown

Failing-first tests for Phase 4's markdown-authoring pass (epic #3344,
ADR-1239 "Quick-batch binding"): gsd-quick-batch-workflow.test.cjs
covers commands/gsd/quick-batch.md's frontmatter/objective/process,
gsd-core/workflows/quick-batch.md's byte-size boundary (row 49, ADR
1610 NEW_FILE_CAP) and step-fragment count, the isolation model
(rows 20-22), the executor single-writer invariant (row 18), merge
validation reusing the existing bounded primitive (row 25), the
optional research/plan-checker/verification leaves (rows 16,17,19,
30,31), planning-failure blocking execution (row 29), the submodule
guard (rows 36,44), and the new agents/gsd-planner.md quick-batch
mode (rows 13-15). gsd-quick-batch-quick-regression.test.cjs covers
row 48 (ordinary /gsd:quick stays byte-identical). Named
`gsd-quick-batch-*` (not `quick-batch-*`) so lint-test-file-count's
longest-prefix bucketing doesn't fold these markdown-only tests into
the already-capped quick-batch/quick-batch-dispatch/
quick-batch-command-router production-module buckets from the CORE
pass. These reference files that do not exist yet.

* feat(#3676): author the quick-batch command, workflow, and planner mode

Phase 4 markdown-authoring pass (epic #3344, ADR-1239 "Quick-batch
binding") — the orchestration layer that calls into Pass 1's CLI
verbs (src/quick-batch-command-router.cts).

- commands/gsd/quick-batch.md (new): frontmatter/objective/process,
  delegates argument validation to `quick-batch parse-args`
  (parseQuickBatchArgs) rather than re-deriving the grammar.

- gsd-core/workflows/quick-batch.md (new, 11843 bytes — under ADR
  1610's 32768-byte NEW_FILE_CAP for a brand-new file) + 9 lazy-loaded
  step fragments under gsd-core/workflows/quick-batch/steps/:
  resume-mode, batch-init, research-phase (flag:--research),
  planner-wave (+ nested plan-checker-loop when --validate),
  worktree-dispatch, merge-wave, verification-wave (flag:--validate),
  completion. Covers design doc rows 3-45: capacity/isolation
  resolution (reusing dispatch-isolation-gate.md verbatim), per-DAG-
  layer planning with full-task-catalog prompts and always-required
  depends_on/files_modified frontmatter, serialized worktree create/
  merge/cleanup via the existing worktree.cleanup-wave primitive,
  deterministic wave-order merging, verification routing
  (human_needed/gaps_found), the executor single-writer invariant,
  submodule fail-loud guard, and #1941 fork-base auto-degrade.

- agents/gsd-planner.md: additive new `load_mode_context` bullet for
  `**Mode:** quick-batch`, pointing at the new
  gsd-core/references/planner-quick-batch.md reference (documents the
  always-required depends_on/files_modified contract, reusing the
  existing frontmatter grammar — no new keys). Existing modes
  byte-identical, only a new bullet added.

- src/init.cts (+init-command-router.cts, +command-aliases.cts):
  cmdInitQuickBatch / `init.quick-batch` — model profiles,
  commit_docs, roadmap/planning existence checks, and the
  section_manifest field gating research-phase/verification-wave
  (reuses the existing flag:--research/flag:--validate WHEN_VOCABULARY
  atoms — no new atom needed).

Rows 16-21, 25, 29, 36, 38, 39, 44, 46-50 covered structurally by the
prior test(#3676) commit; rows 3-15, 22-24, 26-28, 30-35, 37, 40-43,
45 covered by construction (verb wiring, single-writer prompt
constraints, crash-window resume via unmodified Phase 3 primitives).

* docs(#3676): regenerate skills/inventory/section-manifest/install-tree; baseline the intentional word-splitting pattern

npm run regen:derived output for the new command/workflow/reference
(epic #3344, ADR-1239 "Quick-batch binding"):
- skills/gsd-quick-batch/SKILL.md (generated from commands/gsd/quick-batch.md)
- docs/INVENTORY.md rows for /gsd-quick-batch, quick-batch.md,
  planner-quick-batch.md, and the quick-batch-dispatch.cjs/
  quick-batch-command-router.cjs CLI-module rows' now-live
  `/gsd-quick-batch` cross-reference (was "(separate, follow-up)")
  + docs/INVENTORY-MANIFEST.json (`node scripts/gen-inventory-manifest.cjs --write`)
- gsd-core/workflows/section-manifest.json (`npm run gen:section-manifest`)
  — research-phase/verification-wave gsd:section entries for the new
  quick-batch workflow
- tests/fixtures/install-tree/*.json (`npm run gen:install-tree`) —
  the new command/workflow/skill/reference files now ship to every
  runtime

scripts/lint-workflow-shellcheck-baseline.json: 3 new entries for
gsd-core/workflows/quick-batch.md's intentional flag-token/$ARGUMENTS
word-splitting (SC2046/SC2086) — the same deliberate unquoted-optional-
flag pattern gsd-core/workflows/quick.md already carries baselined
(e.g. `$DISCUSS_PARAM $RESEARCH_PARAM` in quick.md's own Step 2);
quoting would break the intended "omit this arg when the flag is
false" splitting.

* fix(#3676): close prompt-injection and argv/glob-injection gaps in quick-batch leaf dispatch

Security review pass findings, both confirmed real:

1. HIGH — prompt injection, no boundaries. Every leaf-dispatch fragment
   interpolated the raw, attacker-influenced task ${description} (and
   the shared ${TASK_CATALOG_TABLE}, broadcasting every item's raw
   description into every planner's prompt in the layer) straight into
   Agent() prompt bodies with no boundary. Fixed by wrapping every such
   interpolation in a <security_context> + DATA_START/DATA_END
   boundary, matching the CONCRETE convention already implemented in
   this repo (agents/gsd-debug-session-manager.md, agents/gsd-debugger.md,
   gsd-core/workflows/debug.md) — commands/gsd/quick.md's own
   <security_notes> only asserts this convention in prose, so the
   debug-agent files are the real precedent followed here. Added a new
   <security_notes> block to commands/gsd/quick-batch.md (it had none)
   documenting both this fix and the one below.

2. MEDIUM — unquoted $ARGUMENTS -> argv/glob injection.
   gsd-core/workflows/quick-batch.md and commands/gsd/quick-batch.md both
   ran `gsd_run quick-batch parse-args --raw -- $ARGUMENTS` UNQUOTED,
   causing shell word-splitting and pathname expansion on raw task-list
   text before the parser ever saw it. Fixed at the source: added a
   `--text <string>` form to the `parse-args` verb
   (src/quick-batch-command-router.cts) that accepts the ENTIRE
   $ARGUMENTS as ONE quoted argv element and does the whitespace split
   itself, in Node — which is never glob-aware, unlike the shell.
   Both call sites now use `--text "$ARGUMENTS"`. The `-- <tokens>` form
   is kept for direct/test callers that already have a real argv array.

The SC2086 baseline entry added for the original unquoted line is now
stale (`node scripts/lint-workflow-shellcheck.cjs` no longer reports
it) and has been removed; the two SC2046 entries for the UNRELATED,
still-unquoted `$([ "$VALIDATE_MODE" = true ] && echo --validate)`-style
conditional-flag splitting remain — that line only ever expands to one
of a few known-safe literal strings (never raw user text), matching
quick.md's own already-baselined convention exactly.

Tests: quick-batch-command-router.test.cjs covers the new --text form
(token splitting, glob-shaped text passing through literally
unexpanded, whitespace-only input). gsd-quick-batch-workflow.test.cjs
asserts the DATA_START/DATA_END boundary on every leaf prompt
(research-phase/planner-wave/plan-checker-loop/verification-wave,
including the shared task catalog) and the quoted --text call sites.

* fix(#3676): strengthen test-depth gaps in rows 9, 18, 24, 34, 35

Spec review pass findings — the test matrix claimed "yes" coverage
these assertions did not actually support:

- Row 9 (--jobs 0/-1/abc hostile case): previously asserted rejection
  only. Added an end-to-end assertion (tests/quick-batch-command-router.test.cjs,
  committed alongside the security fix that touches the same file) that
  .planning/quick-batches/ is never created for any rejected value —
  createBatch is genuinely never reached.
- Row 18 (--resume <unknown-batch-id>): previously only exercised a
  hand-corrupted BATCH.json, never a genuinely nonexistent batch
  directory. Added the real nonexistent-id case (also in
  quick-batch-command-router.test.cjs).
- Row 24 (post-planning updateBatchItems racing a concurrent
  completeQuickItem for a different item, both through
  withPlanningLock): zero test existed. Added a property test
  (tests/quick-batch.property.test.cjs, appended — Phase 3's own file,
  no existing test touched) exercising both call orders and asserting
  no lost update in the final on-disk manifest — the same technique
  Phase 3's own row-15 lock-contention property test uses (sequential
  calls through the real lock; a working mutex makes any interleaving
  equivalent to some serial order, so this is the same claim a literal
  concurrent-thread test would make without OS-level threading).
- Row 34 (worktree preserved on merge_failed) and row 35 (undeclared-
  deletion detection): both were previously asserted only at the pure
  routeMergeOutcome level. Added tests/gsd-quick-batch-merge-integration.test.cjs
  using the SAME real-git-fixture pattern tests/worktree-safety.test.cjs
  already establishes for executeWorktreeWaveCleanupPlan (real repo,
  real worktree, a REAL merge conflict / a REAL file deletion diffed
  against declared_deletions) — asserting the actual worktree directory
  survives on disk, not just that a pure function returns a
  preserveWorktree:true field. Named gsd-quick-batch-* so lint-test-
  file-count's bucketing doesn't fold it into any capped module bucket.

Row 48 (/gsd:quick regression) intentionally left as-is per the
reviewer's own framing: the byte-identity claim is already
mechanically proven by the changed-path diff (git diff --name-only
empty on those two paths IS byte-identity), and a genuine execution-
level regression test would require actually running the workflow —
out of scope for this repo's unit-test model (no other quick.md
regression test in this repo does that either).

* docs(#3676): add the changeset and user-facing docs the command needed

Standards review pass findings — both HARD:

- Missing changeset. None of the 6 prior #3676 commits touched
  .changeset/*. /gsd-quick-batch is a new user-facing command;
  CLAUDE.md/CONTRIBUTING.md require one. Added
  .changeset/silly-rams-caper.md (type: Added, pr: 0 placeholder —
  backfilled after the PR opens, matching CLAUDE.md's own documented
  convention and Phase 3's own precedent, #4190's
  .changeset/mellow-yaks-squeak.md). Uses the docs-convention hyphen
  form `/gsd-quick-batch` throughout, never the source-artifact colon
  form (`scripts/lint-docs-command-form.cjs` confirms 0 violations;
  that check scans docs/**, not .changeset/, so it was never actually
  in scope for the fragment itself, but the wording still follows the
  doc convention for consistency, matching how Phase 3's own fragment
  named the not-yet-shipped command).
- Missing docs. Added docs/how-to/batch-quick-tasks.md (Diátaxis
  how-to, matching docs/how-to/handle-quick-and-fast-tasks.md's
  existing convention for /gsd-quick /gsd-fast) covering --jobs,
  --validate, --research, --resume, --file, the capacity/isolation
  interaction, and resume/failure recovery. Cross-linked from
  docs/README.md's how-to index and from handle-quick-and-fast-tasks.md's
  own "Related" section. Added a /gsd-quick-batch section to
  docs/COMMANDS.md (same table format as the existing /gsd-quick
  entry) and docs/features/quick-batch.md (REQ-QB-01..12, same
  frontmatter shape as docs/features/quick-mode.md) — regenerated
  docs/FEATURES.md (179 features) and skills/gsd-quick-batch/SKILL.md
  via the standard generators.

* fix(#3676): close docs-parity, attribution, and generated-registry gaps gsd-test caught

gsd-test's real run against 155e8975b3 found 43 failures, all rooted in
this phase's own new command/workflow never being registered across
~10 independent generated/hand-maintained registries this repo keeps
in parity by convention. Root-caused each, no test weakened or
special-cased.

- help.md ↔ commands/gsd/ bidirectional parity (docs-parity-live-
  registry.test.cjs): added a /gsd:quick-batch entry to
  gsd-core/workflows/help/modes/full.md (the real help.md content;
  gsd-core/workflows/help.md is a thin dispatcher) documenting every
  flag (--file/--jobs/--validate/--research/--resume), matching the
  existing /gsd:quick entry's format.

- gen-section-manifest.test.cjs: quick-batch.md's
  `gsd_run query init.quick-batch` invocation used inline
  `$([ ... ] && echo --flag)` substitutions, which never satisfy the
  test's exact-whitespace-token / assigned-variable detection (the
  trailing `))` glued onto `--research` in the compound substitution
  broke the "exact token" match). Rewrote to the same
  VALIDATE_PARAM/RESEARCH_PARAM two-line pattern
  gsd-core/workflows/quick.md's own Step 2 already uses.

- runtime-launcher-parity.test.cjs: the 8 quick-batch/steps/*.md
  fragments that call gsd_run each needed their OWN embedded copy of
  the canonical shim preamble (every workflow .md that calls gsd_run
  carries its own copy — reading one file does not persist shell state
  into another). Ran `node scripts/sync-runtime-launcher.cjs`, which
  inserted it before each file's first gsd_run call.
  plan-checker-loop.md correctly has none — it never calls gsd_run
  directly.

- Namespace routing (skill-manifest.test.cjs, install-nested-
  layout.test.cjs, runtime-artifact-layout-surface.test.cjs): added
  `quick-batch` to commands/gsd/ns-workflow.md's `requires:` array and
  routing table (same namespace `quick` already routes through), and
  to src/clusters.cts's `utility` cluster (same cluster `quick`
  already belongs to). Verified by hand-running installRuntimeArtifacts
  + applySurface for augment/cline against a real temp install: exactly
  6 top-level gsd-ns-* router dirs, gsd-quick-batch correctly nested
  under gsd-ns-workflow/skills/, never re-flattened.

- mcp-server-catalog.test.cjs: hardcoded command count 71 -> 72 (a
  brand-new command is a real count change, not a bug this test should
  hide).

- model-omit-when-inherit-guard.test.cjs: added the canonical
  `<!-- #2517 model-omit-on-inherit -->` marker block to
  gsd-core/workflows/quick-batch.md (every leaf dispatch — planner/
  researcher/checker/executor/verifier — lives in a steps/ fragment,
  read combined with the host by this test's own readWorkflowCombined,
  same as quick.md's own research-phase.md carries it for its gated
  section). Also fixed a genuine pre-existing inconsistency in the
  test's own "#2711: the guarded set is derived from dispatch sites"
  check: its `nonDispatching` computation read the BARE host file while
  `derived` (the set it's checked against) reads the combined
  host+steps content — inconsistent with that same test file's own
  #2994 doc comment explaining why the combined read is necessary.
  quick-batch.md is the first workflow whose EVERY model="{...}"
  dispatch site lives in a mandatory (never gated) steps/ fragment —
  extracted to stay under ADR-1610's tighter NEW_FILE_CAP for a
  brand-new file — which is what exposed the mismatch. Fixed by using
  the same readWorkflowCombined read in both places.

- skill-frontmatter-contract.test.cjs: shortened
  commands/gsd/quick-batch.md's frontmatter `description` from 107 to
  91 chars (<=100 budget), and added `quick-batch.md` to the hand-
  maintained KNOWN_SKILLS consolidation allowlist with a #3676
  justification comment (a genuinely new first-party command, not a
  consolidation of an existing skill).

- workflow-fragments-emission.install.test.cjs: added `quick-batch.md`
  to the hand-maintained MARKED_WORKFLOWS set (composeWorkflow is
  deliberately NOT a no-op for it — its research-phase/verification-
  wave sections are gated).

- Regenerated all downstream artifacts (npm run build:lib && npm run
  regen:derived && npm run gen:plugin-skills -- --write && npm run
  gen:features -- --write): skills/gsd-quick-batch/SKILL.md,
  skills/gsd-ns-workflow/SKILL.md, install-tree fixtures for
  augment/cline/hermes/qwen/trae/zcode.

- emitted-attribution.test.cjs: agents/gsd-planner.md's #3676 addition
  (one new `load_mode_context` bullet pointing at the new
  gsd-core/references/planner-quick-batch.md reference) grew the file
  124 bytes without an acknowledgment trailer. Acknowledged below —
  the growth is the deliberate, additive, single-bullet change from
  the earlier feat(#3676) commit, not drift.

Verified: npm run build:lib clean, npx tsc -p tsconfig.build.json
--noEmit clean, GITHUB_BASE_REF=next npm run lint:ci fully green
(includes lint-workflow-shellcheck, lint-test-file-count,
lint-docs-command-form). The deep install/spawn/registry tests gsd-test
actually runs (docs-parity-live-registry, gen-section-manifest,
runtime-launcher-parity, install-nested-layout,
runtime-artifact-layout-surface, skill-manifest, skill-frontmatter-
contract, mcp-server-catalog, model-omit-when-inherit-guard,
workflow-fragments-emission) are not part of lint:ci — each fix above
was independently verified by hand-invoking the exact production
function the failing test calls (installRuntimeArtifacts, applySurface,
composeWorkflow, the CLUSTERS union, the section-manifest forwarding
regex) against the real repo tree and confirming the expected shape.

Emitted-Drift-Ack-Growth: gsd-planner.md — additive #3676 quick-batch mode bullet in load_mode_context (one new line pointing at gsd-core/references/planner-quick-batch.md); not drift.

* fix(#3676): trim the /gsd:quick-batch help.md entry to fit the LARGE tier line budget

skill-frontmatter-contract.test.cjs's "feature #3039: tiered help —
size budgets" enforces a SEPARATE line-count ceiling for
gsd-core/workflows/help/modes/full.md (FULL_BUDGET = 844 lines,
tighten-only ratchet, scripts/lib/allowlist-ratchet.cjs's
assertTightCeiling) — independent of the skill-frontmatter description-
length budget and consolidation allowlist I touched in the prior round;
those are unrelated checks in the same test FILE, not the same check.

Root cause: the /gsd:quick-batch entry I added to full.md in the
docs-parity fix round was 17 lines, pushing the file from 834 to 851
lines — 7 over the 844 ceiling. Condensed the entry (merged the
per-flag bullet list into one dense "Flags:" line, dropped from 3
Usage examples to 1) to 844 lines exactly — at the ceiling with zero
slack, which assertTightCeiling accepts (it only fails on
actualMax > ceiling, or on slack > grace when the ceiling is too
LOOSE — zero slack triggers neither).

Verified after trimming: full.md still contains a live /gsd:quick-batch
reference (bidirectional parity) and all 5 argument-hint flags
(--jobs/--validate/--research/--resume/--file) still appear as literal
tokens (docs-parity-live-registry.test.cjs's own flag-coverage check,
re-run by hand against the trimmed content).

Verified: npm run build:lib clean, npx tsc -p tsconfig.build.json
--noEmit clean, GITHUB_BASE_REF=next npm run lint:ci fully green.

* docs(#3676): backfill changeset pr number to 4212

Follow-up to fix(#3676) commits — .changeset/silly-rams-caper.md's
pr:0 placeholder backfilled with the real PR number now that
gh api POST /pulls has returned it (#4212). Matches CLAUDE.md's PR
Number Handling convention and Phase 3's own #4190 precedent
(708c5a3f8c). Doc-only (root-level .changeset/*.md fragment), exempt
from a fresh gsd-test run per pre-pr-gate.sh's DOC_ONLY_RE.

* fix(#3676): resolve prompt-injection-scan false positive on test fixture

tests/quick-batch.test.cjs:232's row 11b regression proves the task-list
parser carries a prompt-injection-shaped task description through
createBatch as inert data, never interpreted. The fixture has to be a
real "ignore all previous instructions..." phrase or the test asserts
nothing, but the full-file --diff scan flagged it once unrelated edits
in the same file pulled it into the changed-file set.

Add the file to prompt-injection-scan.sh's ALLOWLIST, matching the
sanctioned, precedented exemption already used for other legitimate
security-regression fixtures (tests/windsurf-conversion.test.cjs,
tests/health-validation.test.cjs, tests/continuation-grammar-parity.test.cjs)
per DEFECT.PROMPT-INJECTION-SCAN-COLLISION.

---------

Co-authored-by: sim <sim@local>

2026-09-02 22:38:31 -04:00

9.1 KiB

Raw Blame History

How to handle quick and fast tasks

Not every piece of work fits inside a phase. GSD provides two lightweight commands for work that does not need the full discuss → plan → execute → verify loop.

For context on when the full phase pipeline is worth its overhead, see Context engineering.

Deciding which command to use

Situation	Command
Fixing a bug, adding a small feature, or any task you cannot summarise as a single trivial edit	`/gsd-quick`
Fixing a typo, updating a config value, adding a `.gitignore` entry, or any change that touches ≤ 3 files and takes under a minute	`/gsd-fast`
The task has unknowns, needs research, or will touch more than a handful of files	`/gsd-quick` with `--research`

The rule of thumb: if you hesitate for even a moment about whether the task is trivial, use /gsd-quick. /gsd-fast redirects you to /gsd-quick automatically if the scope looks non-trivial.

`/gsd-quick` — ad-hoc tasks with GSD guarantees

/gsd-quick runs a planner and executor with the same atomic-commit and STATE.md tracking guarantees as a full phase, but without the phase overhead (no ROADMAP entry, no discuss-phase, no wave coordination across multiple plans).

Basic use

/gsd-quick

GSD prompts you for a task description, then plans and executes it. Artifacts land in .planning/quick/.

You can also pass the description directly:

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

Flags

Add flags to bring in more of the quality pipeline when the task warrants it.

Flag	What it adds
`--discuss`	A lightweight pre-planning discussion that surfaces grey areas and captures your decisions in a `CONTEXT.md` before the planner runs
`--research`	A focused research agent investigates approaches, libraries, and pitfalls before planning
`--validate`	Plan-checking (up to 2 iterations) plus post-execution verification
`--full`	All of the above — equivalent to `--discuss --research --validate`

Flags compose freely:

/gsd-quick --research --validate   # research + plan-checking + verification, no discuss
/gsd-quick --discuss               # just surface grey areas before planning
/gsd-quick --full                  # the complete quality pipeline

When to add flags

Add --research when you are unsure how to approach a task or which library to use.
Add --validate when the task touches critical code paths and you want a verifier agent to confirm the must-haves were met.
Add --discuss when the task has design choices you want to lock in before the planner runs — for example, when the right error-handling behaviour is not obvious.
Use --full when a task is genuinely significant and you would normally plan it as a phase but it does not belong in the ROADMAP.

Listing and resuming quick tasks

/gsd-quick list                    # show all quick tasks with status
/gsd-quick status my-task-slug     # show status of a specific task
/gsd-quick resume my-task-slug     # resume an interrupted task

`/gsd-fast` — inline trivial edits

/gsd-fast does the work directly in the current context. There are no subagents, no PLAN.md, and no research. It is suitable only for changes you could make yourself in under a minute.

/gsd-fast "fix typo in README"
/gsd-fast "add .env to .gitignore"

If you omit the description, GSD prompts you for it.

/gsd-fast checks whether the task is actually trivial before proceeding. If it judges the scope too large it stops and redirects you:

This looks like it needs planning. Use /gsd-quick instead:
  /gsd-quick "your task description"

After making the change, /gsd-fast commits atomically and, if a Quick Tasks Completed table exists in .planning/STATE.md, appends a row to it.

What `/gsd-quick` does that `/gsd-fast` does not

Capability	`/gsd-fast`	`/gsd-quick`
Subagent planner	No	Yes
Subagent executor	No	Yes
Research agent	No	Optional (`--research`)
Plan-checking	No	Optional (`--validate`)
Post-execution verification	No	Optional (`--validate`)
Discussion phase	No	Optional (`--discuss`)
Worktree isolation	No	Yes (default)
Atomic commits per task	Single commit	One per plan task
STATE.md tracking	Row appended if table exists	Always updated
`.planning/quick/` artifacts	No	Yes

The key distinction is subagent isolation. /gsd-quick spawns a fresh planner and executor in separate context windows, which means the work is planned properly, commits are atomic per task, and the orchestrator can verify results. /gsd-fast uses only the current context window and is intentionally limited to changes trivial enough not to need any of that.

Archiving quick tasks

.planning/quick/ accumulates one directory per /gsd-quick task forever unless you archive it. Archival is opt-in (#2142) — it deliberately does not mirror phase-directory archival, which is default-ON. Do nothing and .planning/quick/ stays exactly as it is.

There are two paths in, depending on when you archive:

Forward path — archive at milestone close-out

When you run /gsd-complete-milestone and .planning/quick/ has at least one directory, you are asked:

Archive completed quick tasks into this milestone too?
  Yes — archive quick tasks into v[X.Y]
  Skip

Choosing "Yes" folds --archive-quick into the same gsd-tools milestone complete call that archives ROADMAP.md/REQUIREMENTS.md and phase directories — one command, one STATE.md write. "Skip" (or an empty .planning/quick/) leaves everything untouched.

Retroactive path — archive an already-completed milestone

/gsd-complete-milestone only runs once per milestone, so if quick tasks piled up after you already closed one out, use /gsd-cleanup instead. When it finds .planning/quick/ non-empty, it offers to sweep it into the most recent completed milestone that doesn't yet have a -quick archive:

Archive ALL {N} quick-task directories into v{X.Y} — {Milestone Name}?
This buckets every remaining quick task into this ONE milestone;
there is no way to split them per-milestone.
  Yes — archive quick tasks into v{X.Y}
  Skip

Under the hood this calls the narrower gsd-tools milestone archive-quick <version> command — the same move/index/reset logic as --archive-quick, but without touching ROADMAP.md, REQUIREMENTS.md, MILESTONES.md, or milestone-completion guards, so it is safe to run against a milestone that's already closed.

What both paths do

Move every directory under .planning/quick/ into .planning/milestones/<version>-quick/.
(Re)write that archive directory's README.md — a plain list, one entry per archived task directory, linking to its <dir>-SUMMARY.md (or legacy bare SUMMARY.md) when one exists, listed unlinked when it doesn't. The index is built by scanning the archive directory itself, never from STATE.md's table — the table is known to drift from disk, so the filesystem is the only source of truth here.
Clear the data rows of STATE.md's ### Quick Tasks Completed table, preserving its header row and whichever column variant (with or without a Status column) was detected.

Bucket-all, not per-milestone. Quick tasks carry no on-disk record of which milestone they belong to, so every remaining .planning/quick/* directory lands in the ONE milestone you're archiving into — including tasks that predate an earlier, unarchived milestone. There's no way to split them after the fact; this is a known limit, not a bug.

Telling "nothing to archive" from "refused to touch it"

Four cases look similar from the outside but mean different things:

What you see	Meaning
No archive prompt at all	`.planning/quick/` is absent or empty — nothing to archive, nothing reported
Archive prompt appears, directories move, but `STATE.md` doesn't change	Your `STATE.md` has no `### Quick Tasks Completed` section yet — normal, since `/gsd-quick` creates that section lazily on first completion, not the project template. This is a silent no-op, not a failure
Directories move, but you see a `warnings` entry naming `quick_tasks_table`	Your `### Quick Tasks Completed` table has a column set that matches neither registered variant. The reset is refused — every row is preserved untouched rather than risk destroying data under a schema GSD doesn't recognize
Fewer directories moved than existed in `.planning/quick/`	A rename failed partway through. The result's `archived` count reflects exactly what succeeded — never a false full count — and the directories that didn't move are still in `.planning/quick/` for a retry

Batch quick tasks — run several /gsd-quick-shaped tasks together with /gsd-quick-batch
The phase loop
Context engineering
Commands
Docs index

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