Cook

Cook - Smart Feature Implementation

End-to-end implementation with automatic workflow detection.

Principles: YAGNI, KISS, DRY | Token efficiency | Concise reports

Usage

/ck:cook <natural language task OR plan path>

IMPORTANT: If no flag is provided, the skill will use the interactive mode by default for the workflow.

Optional flags to select the workflow mode:

• --interactive: Full workflow with user input (default)
• --fast: Skip research, scout→plan→code
• --parallel: Multi-agent execution
• --no-test: Skip testing step
• --auto: Auto-approve all steps

Example:

/ck:cook "Add user authentication to the app" --fast
/ck:cook path/to/plan.md --auto

<HARD-GATE> Do NOT write implementation code until a plan exists and has been reviewed. This applies regardless of task simplicity. "Simple" tasks are where unexamined assumptions waste the most time. Exception: `--fast` mode skips research but still requires a plan step. User override: If user explicitly says "just code it" or "skip planning", respect their instruction. </HARD-GATE>

Anti-Rationalization

Thought	Reality
"This is too simple to plan"	Simple tasks have hidden complexity. Plan takes 30 seconds.
"I already know how to do this"	Knowing ≠ planning. Write it down.
"Let me just start coding"	Undisciplined action wastes tokens. Plan first.
"The user wants speed"	Fastest path = plan → implement → done. Not: implement → debug → rewrite.
"I'll plan as I go"	That's not planning, that's hoping.
"Just this once"	Every skip is "just this once." No exceptions.

Smart Intent Detection

Input Pattern	Detected Mode	Behavior
Path to plan.md or phase-*.md	code	Execute existing plan
Contains "fast", "quick"	fast	Skip research, scout→plan→code
Contains "trust me", "auto"	auto	Auto-approve all steps
Lists 3+ features OR "parallel"	parallel	Multi-agent execution
Contains "no test", "skip test"	no-test	Skip testing step
Default	interactive	Full workflow with user input

See references/intent-detection.md for detection logic.

Process Flow (Authoritative)

flowchart TD
    A[Intent Detection] --> B{Has plan path?}
    B -->|Yes| F[Load Plan]
    B -->|No| C{Mode?}
    C -->|fast| D[Scout → Plan → Code]
    C -->|interactive/auto| E[Research → Review → Plan]
    E --> F
    D --> F
    F --> G[Review Gate]
    G -->|approved| H[Implement]
    G -->|rejected| E
    H --> I[Review Gate]
    I -->|approved| J{--no-test?}
    J -->|No| K[Test]
    J -->|Yes| L[Finalize]
    K --> L
    L --> M[Report + Journal]

This diagram is the authoritative workflow. Prose sections below provide detail for each node. If prose conflicts with this flow, follow the diagram.

Workflow Overview

[Intent Detection] → [Research?] → [Review] → [Plan] → [Review] → [Implement] → [Review] → [Test?] → [Review] → [Finalize]

Default (non-auto): Stops at [Review] gates for human approval before each major step. Auto mode (--auto): Skips human review gates, implements all phases continuously. Claude Tasks: Utilize TaskCreate, TaskUpdate, TaskGet, TaskList during implementation step. Fallback: These are CLI-only tools — unavailable in VSCode extension. If they error, use TodoWrite for progress tracking instead.

Mode	Research	Testing	Review Gates	Phase Progression
interactive	✓	✓	User approval at each step	One at a time
auto	✓	✓	Auto if score≥9.5	All at once (no stops)
fast	✗	✓	User approval at each step	One at a time
parallel	Optional	✓	User approval at each step	Parallel groups
no-test	✓	✗	User approval at each step	One at a time
code	✗	✓	User approval at each step	Per plan

Step Output Format

✓ Step [N]: [Brief status] - [Key metrics]

Blocking Gates (Non-Auto Mode)

Human review required at these checkpoints (skipped with --auto):

• Post-Research: Review findings before planning
• Post-Plan: Approve plan before implementation
• Post-Implementation: Approve code before testing
• Post-Testing: 100% pass + approve before finalize

Always enforced (all modes):

• Testing: 100% pass required (unless no-test mode)
• Code Review: User approval OR auto-approve (score≥9.5, 0 critical)
• Finalize (MANDATORY - never skip):
  1. project-manager subagent → run full plan sync-back (all completed tasks/steps across all phase-XX-*.md, not only current phase), then update plan.md status/progress
  2. docs-manager subagent → update ./docs if changes warrant
  3. TaskUpdate → mark all Claude Tasks complete after sync-back verification (skip if Task tools unavailable)
  4. Ask user if they want to commit via git-manager subagent
  5. Run /ck:journal to write a concise technical journal entry upon completion

Required Subagents (MANDATORY)

Phase	Subagent	Requirement
Research	researcher	Optional in fast/code
Scout	ck:scout	Optional in code
Plan	planner	Optional in code
UI Work	ui-ux-designer	If frontend work
Testing	tester, debugger	MUST spawn
Review	code-reviewer	MUST spawn
Finalize	project-manager, docs-manager, git-manager	MUST spawn all 3

CRITICAL ENFORCEMENT:

• Steps 4, 5, 6 MUST use Task tool to spawn subagents
• DO NOT implement testing, review, or finalization yourself - DELEGATE
• If workflow ends with 0 Task tool calls, it is INCOMPLETE
• Pattern: Task(subagent_type="[type]", prompt="[task]", description="[brief]")

References

• references/intent-detection.md - Detection rules and routing logic
• references/workflow-steps.md - Detailed step definitions for all modes
• references/review-cycle.md - Interactive and auto review processes
• references/subagent-patterns.md - Subagent invocation patterns