Execute work package

Skill: Execute Work Packet

This skill standardizes execution/implementation once planning is gated.

It is a small, repeatable protocol:

1. BLUEPRINT: Subagent returns an Execution Blueprint (step list)
2. GATE: Primary approves (primary-internal)
3. EXECUTE: Fresh subagent implements and verifies
4. DIGEST: Subagent returns a compact digest (no raw logs/diffs)

This skill deliberately does not create new persistent artifacts in docs/ or plans/.

---

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• A plan/phase (or a major slice of a phase) already has a clear DoD and verification approach.
• You want to offload implementation to a subagent without causing primary context bloat.
• You want predictable, reviewable execution with a single explicit gate.

If your phase implementation plan is still vague or unverified against the repo, run author-and-verify-implementation-plan first.

Do not use this skill to:

• (Re-)do planning (scope, risks, alternatives) — that is Primary work.
• Generate documentation/planning artifacts — use generate-docs, create-plan, update-plan, update-docs.

---

Execution Model

Roles

• Primary (maintainer)

  • Owns scope/DoD/risk decisions and gating.
  • Chooses the work packet (phase or significant phase slice).
  • Owns Git operations (stage/commit/PR) unless explicitly delegated.
  • Updates plan/todo via update-plan as needed.

• Subagent (implementer)

  • Does execution only.
  • First returns a step list.
  • After approval, executes those steps and returns a digest.
  • Does not do Git operations.

Routing Matrix (Who does what)

• Writes: code files in the target repository (working tree changes) and runs verification commands.
• Does NOT write: plans/** or docs/** artifacts.
• Primary: owns gating/approval, Git operations, and any updates to plans/** (typically via update-plan).
• implementer: execution only (blueprint → execute → digest), no Git.
• doc-explorer: not used for this skill (unless you explicitly want docs/plan artifacts, in which case use the appropriate planning/doc skills).

Why docs/ and plans/ matter here

• plans/ provides the gated intent/DoD and references for what to implement.
• docs/ (if present) provides curated inventories (modules/features/symbols) so the subagent does not rediscover everything.

Transport

This skill supports three transport mechanisms. If l4l-oci MCP tools are available (check: do you have create_handle, generate_blueprint, submit_gate, execute_handle, get_digest tools?), always use Option A. Only fall back to B/C if MCP is not configured.

Pre-flight: Ensure l4l-oci server is running

Before using Option A, run the bundled helper:

skills/execute-work-package/scripts/start-l4l-oci.sh

Behavior:

• Uses L4L_OCI_ROOT (default: $HOME/git/l4l-oci)
• Starts python -m l4l_oci in background if needed
• Waits for MCP health to return ok
• Exports L4L_OCI_DEFAULT_MODEL=qwen-openrouter for startup unless already set

Prerequisites:

• OPENROUTER_API_KEY (or QWEN_API_KEY) must be available in the environment

Option A: MCP via l4l-oci (Default)

Use the l4l-oci MCP server. The primary calls MCP tools directly — no Agent spawning needed:

1. create_handle(project_root) → returns handle_id
2. generate_blueprint(handle_id, prompt) → async; poll with get_status(handle_id) until complete
3. get_blueprint(handle_id, format="markdown") → review the Execution Blueprint
4. submit_gate(handle_id, decision="accept"|"reject", notes=...) → explicit gate
5. execute_handle(handle_id) → async; poll with get_status(handle_id) until complete
6. get_digest(handle_id, format="markdown") → returns Execution Digest
7. cleanup_handle(handle_id) → optional cleanup

Benefits: state persistence across restarts, model decoupling (cheap Sub-LLM), scope enforcement, iterative blueprint refinement.

Additional tools: health() (service health check), list_handles() (list all active handles).

Option B: Stateful Subagent (OpenCode)

Original design using resumeSessionId to maintain subagent state between BLUEPRINT and EXECUTE:

• BLUEPRINT and EXECUTE use the same session (resumed via resumeSessionId)
• The subagent retains context from the BLUEPRINT phase

This is the native OpenCode pattern.

Option C: Fresh Agent (Claude Code / Cursor / Copilot)

BLUEPRINT and EXECUTE use separate Agent invocations (not SendMessage to resume):

• BLUEPRINT Agent: spawned with mode: auto, returns the step list, then terminates.
• EXECUTE Agent: spawned as a new Agent with the approved step list baked into the prompt. This avoids unreliable SendMessage-based resumption of idle agents.

The EXECUTE prompt must include the full approved step list and all references — the agent has no memory of the BLUEPRINT agent's context.

Platform Decision Table

Platform	Recommended	Fallback
Claude Code	Option A (MCP)	Option C (Fresh Agent)
Cursor	Option A (MCP)	Option C (Fresh Agent)
Copilot	Option A (MCP)	Option C (Fresh Agent)
Codex	Option C (Fresh Agent)	—
Windsurf	Option A (MCP)	Option C (Fresh Agent)
OpenCode	Option B (Stateful)	Option A (MCP)

---

Protocol

0) Primary inputs (for any work packet)

Before delegating:

• Ensure the work packet is already gated (scope/DoD decided).
• Provide an explicit task statement plus references to the relevant planning artifacts. The subagent should read these references itself (the primary does not need to paste content). Recommended references:
  • plans/<plan>/plan.md
  • plans/<plan>/phases/phase-N.md
  • plans/<plan>/implementation/phase-N-impl.md
  • plans/<plan>/todo.md (optional)
• If project documentation exists, also provide references to it so the subagent can use the curated inventories (symbols, modules, features) instead of rediscovering everything from scratch:
  • docs/overview.md (optional)
  • docs/modules/*.md (optional)
  • docs/features/*.md (optional)
• Provide a Verify Command if one is already decided. If not, the subagent proposes exactly one verify command in the BLUEPRINT (to be gated by the primary).

1) MODE: BLUEPRINT (Execution Blueprint)

Option A (MCP): Call create_handle(project_root), then generate_blueprint(handle_id, prompt). Poll get_status(handle_id) until complete, then get_blueprint(handle_id, format="markdown") to review.

Primary delegates to implementer with a prompt based on tpl-implementer-preflight-prompt.md.

Gate: Primary reviews the step list and either:

• Approves (GO)
• Requests revision (feedback)
• Aborts and replans

Invariant: explicit approval token

Primary provides an explicit approval token before execution (primary-internal gate). Example:

• APPROVE-WP1

If the user requests changes, the step list must be revised and re-approved with a new approval token.

2) Execute (new Agent)

Option A (MCP): Call submit_gate(handle_id, decision="accept") then execute_handle(handle_id). Poll get_status(handle_id) until complete, then get_digest(handle_id, format="markdown") for the digest.

Primary spawns a new implementer Agent with a prompt based on tpl-implementer-execute-prompt.md. The prompt includes the full approved step list, all references, and the verify command. Do NOT use SendMessage to resume the BLUEPRINT agent — spawn a fresh Agent instead.

Invariant: MODE lock

The execute prompt MUST start with a clear mode indicator:

• MODE: EXECUTE

and MUST include the approval token.

Option A (MCP): Skip the Agent spawn above. Call submit_gate → execute_handle → poll get_status → get_digest directly via MCP tools.

3) Digest back to Primary

Subagent responds with a compact digest:

• Outcome (succeeded/failed)
• Files changed (paths)
• Verification result (command + exit)
• If failure: only a small, relevant excerpt (no full logs)

4) Primary post-processing

Read the digest carefully. The subagent's verification result determines next steps:

• Verification passed: Spot-check with git diff --stat to confirm expected changes. Do not re-run the full test suite yourself – the subagent already did.
• Verification failed or incomplete: If additional testing is needed, spawn a new subagent with specific test instructions and relevant references. Do not run large test suites in the primary session.
• BLOCKED / no verification ran: Decide whether to provide missing input and re-delegate, or run a targeted check yourself.

Then:

• Updates plans/<plan>/todo.md and phase status via update-plan
• Commits / creates PR only when explicitly requested by the user

Optional but recommended (Primary):

• Before execute: capture baseline via git status / git diff --name-only
• After execute: confirm changes exist via git diff --stat

---

Output Contracts

Step List Contract (Subagent -> Primary)

Subagent returns an Execution Blueprint in the format of tpl-execution-blueprint.md.

The blueprint is expected to be concrete (file paths and/or symbol/component targets), not a restatement of plan text.

Mode: BLUEPRINT

In BLUEPRINT mode, the subagent must NOT:

• apply patches
• run commands
• claim that code was changed

Digest Contract (Subagent -> Primary)

Subagent MUST return only:

• Outcome: succeeded | failed
• Edits: list of files changed + 1-line note each
• Verify: command + exit code + (if failed) small excerpt
• Next: 1–3 bullets (or “ready for Primary Git/commit”)

Mode: EXECUTE

In EXECUTE mode, the subagent must:

• implement changes (typically via patch/apply_patch)
• run the verify command (via bash)
• if neither happened: return BLOCKED with a concrete reason

---

Rules

• Subagent must not run Git operations (commit, rebase, push).
• Skill-first: when this skill is invoked, follow its MODE + output contracts before doing anything else.
• Keep verification minimal: one explicit verify command unless the work packet DoD requires more. The verify command must exercise the changed behavior (e.g., run relevant tests, hit the affected endpoint, trigger the modified flow) — not just compile, lint, or type-check.
• No raw diffs or long logs in responses.
• If verify fails: apply minimal, targeted fixes (no refactors) and re-run verify. If still failing or a larger change is required, stop and report a digest with a minimal relevant excerpt.
• If the step list must change during execution: stop and ask Primary for a new gate.

---

Coding Standards

These apply to all code written during execution – by the implementer subagent or the primary.

1. No hardcoded defaults. Use configuration files or environment variables for values that may change across environments.
2. Analyze root cause. Don't patch symptoms. Understand why something is broken before changing code.
3. Minimal changes. Only touch what the work packet requires. Don't refactor adjacent code you weren't asked to change.
4. Preserve existing patterns. Match the conventions already established in the codebase (naming, structure, error handling).
5. No silent failures. Don't swallow errors or add fallbacks that hide problems. If something fails, it should be visible.
6. Respect the dependency boundary. Don't introduce new dependencies without explicit approval from the primary/user.

If docs/coding-standards.md exists in the target repo, read and follow it as well – project-specific standards take precedence.

---

Templates

• tpl-implementer-preflight-prompt.md — Primary -> Subagent (MODE: BLUEPRINT) prompt
• tpl-implementer-execute-prompt.md — Primary -> Subagent (MODE: EXECUTE) prompt (same task_id)
• tpl-execution-blueprint.md — canonical blueprint format (step list)
• tpl-execution-digest.md — canonical digest format