msd-core/docs/how-to/work-in-parallel-with-workstreams.md

How to work on multiple areas in parallel with workstreams

Goal: Run concurrent work on different milestone areas — backend API, frontend dashboard, infrastructure, or any other concern — without planning state from one area bleeding into another.

Prerequisites: An active MSD Core project (.planning/ROADMAP.md exists). If not, run /msd-new-project first.

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What workstreams are

A workstream is an isolated planning context within a single codebase. Each workstream gets its own .planning/workstreams/<name>/ subtree containing independent STATE.md, ROADMAP.md, REQUIREMENTS.md, and phases/ directories. The codebase itself — source code, git history, and branches — is shared across all workstreams.

.planning/
├── PROJECT.md          ← shared
├── config.json         ← shared
├── codebase/           ← shared
└── workstreams/
    ├── backend-api/
    │   ├── STATE.md
    │   ├── ROADMAP.md
    │   ├── REQUIREMENTS.md
    │   └── phases/
    └── frontend-dash/
        ├── STATE.md
        ├── ROADMAP.md
        ├── REQUIREMENTS.md
        └── phases/

When a workstream is active, every MSD command — /msd-progress, /msd-discuss-phase, /msd-plan-phase, /msd-execute-phase — reads from and writes to that workstream's directory. Switching workstreams redirects all of those commands to a different subtree without touching the source tree.

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Create a workstream

/msd-workstreams create backend-api

MSD creates the workstream directory under .planning/workstreams/backend-api/ and seeds it with a skeleton STATE.md and ROADMAP.md. The workstream is not automatically activated — you switch to it explicitly.

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List workstreams

/msd-workstreams list

Shows all workstreams and which one is currently active in your session.

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Switch to a workstream

/msd-workstreams switch backend-api

From this point forward, all MSD workflow commands operate in the backend-api context. The switch is session-scoped: when multiple Claude Code terminals are open on the same repo, each session can hold a different active workstream without interfering with the others.

The statusline's MSD-state segment (milestone, phase, progress) reflects whichever workstream resolves as active — the same MSD_WORKSTREAM env var / stored pointer precedence every workstream-aware command uses. If no workstream can be resolved in a workstream-mode project, the segment shows no active workstream rather than disappearing silently.

Once switched, drive the normal phase workflow:

/msd-discuss-phase 1
/msd-plan-phase 1
/msd-execute-phase 1
/msd-verify-work 1

To work on another area, switch workstreams in a second terminal:

/msd-workstreams switch frontend-dash
/msd-discuss-phase 1
/msd-plan-phase 1

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Check progress across all workstreams

/msd-workstreams progress

Prints a cross-workstream summary — phase status, current position, and outstanding work for every workstream — without requiring you to switch between them.

For detailed status on a single workstream:

/msd-workstreams status backend-api

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Resume work in a workstream

After a context reset or a new session, restore your position:

/msd-workstreams resume backend-api

This activates the workstream and restores your last known position within it, equivalent to switching and then running /msd-resume-work.

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Archive a completed workstream

When a workstream's milestone work is done:

/msd-workstreams complete backend-api

MSD marks the workstream as archived and moves it out of the active listing. The planning artifacts are preserved under .planning/workstreams/backend-api/ for audit purposes.

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Scope a single command to a workstream without switching

If you need to run one command against a specific workstream without changing your session's active context, use the --ws flag:

/msd-progress --ws frontend-dash
/msd-plan-phase 2 --ws backend-api

--ws takes highest priority in the resolution order and does not alter the session-scoped pointer.

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When to use workstreams instead of workspaces

Choose workstreams when:

• All the work lives in the same repository and shares the same git history
• You want to plan or discuss different concern areas (API, UI, infra) concurrently without one workstream's STATE.md overwriting another's
• You do not need a separate branch per workstream at creation time (though you can branch as normal within each workstream's execution)
• The overhead of creating full git worktrees is not justified by the isolation you need

Choose workspaces instead when:

• You are working across multiple repositories (e.g., hr-ui and ZeymoAPI)
• You need the isolation of a separate git worktree or clone per feature — fully independent branches, lock files, and build artefacts
• You want to run /msd-new-project independently in each workspace with a wholly separate .planning/ root, not a subdirectory of the main repo's .planning/

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Related

• Isolate work with workspaces
• The phase loop
• Commands
• docs index