Test kitchen

Test Kitchen

Parallel implementation framework with two gate skills:

Skill	Gate	Trigger
test-kitchen:omakase-off	Entry	FIRST on any build/create/implement request
test-kitchen:cookoff	Exit	At design→implementation transition

Flow

"Build X" / "Create Y" / "Implement Z"
    ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  OMAKASE-OFF (entry gate)           │
│  Wraps brainstorming                │
│                                     │
│  Choice:                            │
│  1. Brainstorm together             │
│  2. Omakase (3-5 parallel designs)  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
    ↓
[Brainstorming / Design phase]
    ↓
Design complete, "let's implement"
    ↓
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  COOKOFF (exit gate)                │
│  Wraps implementation               │
│                                     │
│  Choice:                            │
│  1. Cookoff (2-5 parallel agents)   │
│  2. Single subagent                 │
│  3. Local implementation            │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
    ↓
[Implementation]

Key Insight

Skills need aggressive triggers to work. They can't passively detect "uncertainty" or "readiness" - they must claim specific moments in the conversation flow.

• Omakase-off: Claims the BUILD/CREATE moment (before brainstorming)
• Cookoff: Claims the IMPLEMENT moment (after design)

When Each Triggers

Omakase-off (Three Triggers)

Trigger 1: BEFORE brainstorming

• "I want to build...", "Create a...", "Implement...", "Add a feature..."
• ANY signal to start building something
• Offers choice: Brainstorm together OR Omakase (parallel designs)

Trigger 2: DURING brainstorming (slot detection)

• 2+ uncertain responses on architectural decisions
• "not sure", "don't know", "either works", "you pick", "no preference"
• Offers to explore detected slots in parallel

Trigger 3: Explicitly requested

• "try both approaches", "explore both", "omakase"
• "implement both variants", "let's see which is better"

Cookoff

• "Let's implement"
• "Looks good, let's build"
• "Ready to code"
• Design doc just committed
• ANY signal to move from design to code

Omakase Mode (Skip Brainstorming)

If user picks "Omakase" at the entry gate:

1. Quick context gathering (1-2 questions)
2. Generate 3-5 best architectural approaches
3. Implement ALL in parallel
4. Tests pick the winner
5. Skip detailed brainstorming entirely

Best for: "I'm flexible, show me options in working code"

Cookoff Mode (Parallel Implementation)

If user picks "Cookoff" at the exit gate:

1. Each agent reads the same design doc
2. Each agent creates their OWN implementation plan
3. All implement in parallel
4. Compare results, pick winner

Best for: "I want to see different implementation approaches"

Key Distinction

	Omakase-off	Cookoff
Gate	Entry (before/during brainstorming)	Exit (after design)
Question	HOW to explore?	HOW to implement?
Parallel on	Different DESIGNS	Same design, different PLANS
Triggers	Build request, indecision detection, explicit	"let's implement" signal
Skips	Brainstorming (optional via short-circuit)	Nothing - always after design

Slot Detection (During Brainstorming)

When omakase-off delegates to brainstorming, it passively tracks architectural decisions where user shows uncertainty:

Detection signals:

• "not sure", "don't know", "either works", "both sound good"
• "you pick", "whatever you think", "no preference"
• User defers 2+ decisions in a row

Slot classification:

Type	Examples	Worth exploring?
Architectural	Storage engine, framework, auth method	Yes - different code paths
Trivial	File location, naming, config format	No - easy to change

At end of brainstorming:

• If architectural slots exist → offer parallel exploration
• If no slots → hand off to cookoff for implementation