msd-core/.planning/PROJECT.md

GSD Quick Mode

What This Is

A fast-path command (/gsd:quick) for GSD that executes small tasks with the same guarantees (atomic commits, STATE.md tracking, ROADMAP.md integration) but skips optional verification agents. Reduces agent spawns from 5-8 to 2 (planner + executor) for tasks where the user already knows what to do.

Core Value

Same guarantees, 50-70% fewer tokens for simple tasks.

Requirements

Validated

(None yet — ship to validate)

Active

• /gsd:quick "description" command executes end-to-end
• Creates decimal phase (3.1, 3.2) in ROADMAP.md
• Spawns gsd-planner (unchanged, just skips researcher/checker)
• Spawns gsd-executor for each plan
• Handles multiple plans with wave-based parallel execution
• Commits only files it edits/creates (not entire working dir)
• Updates STATE.md with "Quick Tasks Completed" table
• Updates STATE.md "Last activity" line
• Marks decimal phase complete in ROADMAP.md
• Errors if no ROADMAP.md exists
• /gsd:resume-work handles decimal phases (3.1, 3.2)
• help.md updated with quick command
• README.md updated with quick mode section
• GSD-STYLE.md updated with quick mode patterns

Out of Scope

• --plan-only flag — MVP is always execute
• --after N flag — always inserts after current phase
• --standalone flag — requires active project, no exceptions
• Node.js helper scripts — Claude handles decimal parsing inline
• Git status warnings — commits only its own files anyway
• Planner modifications — planner unchanged, orchestrator skips agents
• gsd-verifier — verification skipped by design
• Requirements mapping — quick tasks are ad-hoc
• /gsd:squash-quick — future enhancement if fragmentation becomes a problem

Context

GSD's current flow spawns 5-8 agents for every task:

1. gsd-phase-researcher (research)
2. gsd-planner (planning)
3. gsd-plan-checker (verification loop, 2-6 spawns)
4. gsd-executor (execution)
5. gsd-verifier (verification)

For simple tasks like "transition cards to table layout", only planner + executor are needed. The research, checker loops, and verifier add no value when the user knows exactly what to do.

Quick mode is the normal flow with 3 agent types removed:

• No gsd-phase-researcher
• No gsd-plan-checker
• No gsd-verifier

Everything else stays the same: same planner, same executor, same artifacts, same commits, same state tracking.

Constraints

• Integration: Must use decimal phases for ROADMAP.md integration (borrowing from /gsd:insert-phase)
• Compatibility: Must work with /gsd:resume-work for failed quick tasks
• Artifacts: Same artifacts as full mode (PLAN.md, SUMMARY.md)

Key Decisions

Decision	Rationale	Outcome
No planner changes	Quick mode is orchestrator-level, not agent-level	— Pending
Decimal phases required	Maintains full traceability and state integrity	— Pending
No flags for MVP	Simplest possible interface	— Pending
Parallel wave execution	Matches execute-phase behavior for multi-plan tasks	— Pending
Quick Tasks table in STATE.md	Better tracking than just Last activity	— Pending
Error if no ROADMAP	Maintains state integrity, no standalone mode	— Pending

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Last updated: 2025-01-19 after initialization