Worktracker decomposition

WORKTRACKER Decomposition Skill

Transform monolithic WORKTRACKER files into multi-file hub-and-spoke architectures for surviving context rot.

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Purpose

The WORKTRACKER Decomposition skill provides automated analysis and transformation of large, monolithic work tracking files into a Hub and Spoke architecture. This pattern addresses Context Rot - the phenomenon where LLM performance degrades as context windows fill.

The Problem

As work tracking files grow beyond ~500 lines:

• Context consumption increases (less room for actual work)
• Navigation becomes difficult (finding active work requires scrolling)
• Compaction vulnerability increases (key state lost after context compaction)
• Parallel work blocked (single file means sequential updates only)

The Solution

The Hub and Spoke pattern:

• Hub (WORKTRACKER.md): <150 line navigation index with status dashboard
• Spokes (work/*.md): Detailed phase files, each self-contained
• Progressive Detail: Active work gets maximum detail, completed work stays minimal

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Commands

Analyze WORKTRACKER

Analyze a WORKTRACKER file to assess whether decomposition is needed.

@worktracker-decompose analyze <path>

Arguments:

• path: Path to WORKTRACKER.md file (required)

Example:

@worktracker-decompose analyze projects/PROJ-002/WORKTRACKER.md

Output:

WORKTRACKER Analysis Report
===========================

File: projects/PROJ-002/WORKTRACKER.md
Size: 847 lines

Trigger Status:
  [X] HARD TRIGGER: Size exceeds 800 lines (847)
  [X] SOFT TRIGGER: Size exceeds 500 lines
  [ ] Pain indicators detected

Structure Detected:
  - 6 numbered phases found
  - 2 cross-cutting categories (BUGS, TECHDEBT)
  - 3 phases completed, 1 in progress

Phase Breakdown:
  | Phase | Lines | Status |
  |-------|-------|--------|
  | Phase 1 | 120 | DONE |
  | Phase 2 | 145 | DONE |
  | Phase 3 | 98 | DONE |
  | Phase 4 | 234 | IN_PROGRESS |
  | Phase 5 | 45 | PENDING |
  | Phase 6 | 30 | PENDING |
  | BUGS | 75 | - |
  | TECHDEBT | 100 | - |

RECOMMENDATION: Decomposition recommended
  - File exceeds hard trigger threshold
  - Multiple completed phases can be archived minimally
  - Active phase will benefit from dedicated file

Run '@worktracker-decompose execute <path>' to proceed.

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Execute Decomposition

Execute the decomposition process, transforming the monolithic file into hub-and-spoke structure.

@worktracker-decompose execute <path> [--dry-run] [--backup]

Arguments:

• path: Path to WORKTRACKER.md file (required)
• --dry-run: Preview changes without writing files (default: false)
• --backup: Create backup commit before decomposition (default: true)

Example:

@worktracker-decompose execute projects/PROJ-002/WORKTRACKER.md

Output:

WORKTRACKER Decomposition
=========================

Pre-Flight Checks:
  [X] Backup created: git commit abc123f
  [X] Phase boundaries identified
  [X] Cross-cutting categories identified
  [X] Active work phase confirmed

Creating Structure:
  [X] Created: work/
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-01-SETUP.md (98 lines)
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-02-IMPLEMENTATION.md (112 lines)
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-03-TESTING.md (76 lines)
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-04-DEPLOYMENT.md (189 lines) <- ACTIVE
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-05-MONITORING.md (42 lines)
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-06-DOCUMENTATION.md (28 lines)
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-BUGS.md (62 lines)
  [X] Created: work/PHASE-TECHDEBT.md (85 lines)

Transforming Hub:
  [X] Replaced: WORKTRACKER.md (847 -> 109 lines)
  [X] Added: Navigation Graph
  [X] Added: Quick Status Dashboard
  [X] Added: Session Resume Protocol

Post-Decomposition:
  [X] All navigation links verified
  [X] Session context sections added to active files
  [X] Git commit created: "docs: restructure WORKTRACKER to multi-file format"

Summary:
  Before: 1 file, 847 lines
  After: 9 files, 801 total lines (109 hub + 692 spokes)
  Hub reduction: -87%

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Validate Decomposition

Validate an existing decomposed structure for completeness and correctness.

@worktracker-decompose validate <path>

Arguments:

• path: Path to project directory containing WORKTRACKER.md and work/ folder

Example:

@worktracker-decompose validate projects/PROJ-002/

Output:

WORKTRACKER Validation Report
=============================

Hub Validation (WORKTRACKER.md):
  [X] Size under limit: 109 lines (< 150)
  [X] Navigation graph present
  [X] Quick status dashboard present
  [X] Session resume protocol present
  [X] All phase links valid

Spoke Validation (work/):
  [X] PHASE-01-SETUP.md
      - Navigation section: OK
      - Task summary: OK
      - Back link: OK
  [X] PHASE-02-IMPLEMENTATION.md
      - Navigation section: OK
      - Task summary: OK
      - Back link: OK
  ...

Cross-References:
  [X] Hub -> Spoke links: 8/8 valid
  [X] Spoke -> Hub links: 8/8 valid
  [X] Spoke -> Spoke links: 12/12 valid

Session Context:
  [X] Active phase (PHASE-04) has session context section
  [!] Warning: PHASE-05-MONITORING.md missing session context (pending phase, optional)

Result: VALID (1 warning)

---

Add Phase

Add a new phase file to an existing decomposed structure.

@worktracker-decompose add-phase <path> --name "<Phase Name>" [--number N]

Arguments:

• path: Path to project directory (required)
• --name: Name of the new phase (required)
• --number: Phase number (default: next sequential number)

Example:

@worktracker-decompose add-phase projects/PROJ-002/ --name "Security Audit"

Output:

Adding Phase: Phase 7 - Security Audit
======================================

Created: work/PHASE-07-SECURITY-AUDIT.md
  - Template populated
  - Navigation links added
  - Empty task summary ready

Updated: WORKTRACKER.md
  - Added to quick status dashboard
  - Navigation graph unchanged (auto-discovered)

Updated: work/PHASE-06-DOCUMENTATION.md
  - Added "Phase 7 ->" navigation link

Ready for use. Add tasks with @worktracker create --phase 7

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Add Category

Add a new cross-cutting category file.

@worktracker-decompose add-category <path> --name "<Category Name>"

Arguments:

• path: Path to project directory (required)
• --name: Name of the category (required, e.g., SECURITY, PERFORMANCE)

Example:

@worktracker-decompose add-category projects/PROJ-002/ --name "Security"

Output:

Adding Category: SECURITY
=========================

Created: work/PHASE-SECURITY.md
  - Template populated for security issues
  - Navigation to hub added
  - Empty summary table ready

Updated: WORKTRACKER.md
  - Added to quick status dashboard under "Support" section

Ready for use. Add security items manually or with @worktracker create --type security

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Trigger Criteria

Trigger	Threshold	Action
Soft Trigger	WORKTRACKER.md > 500 lines	Consider decomposition
Hard Trigger	WORKTRACKER.md > 800 lines	Decomposition required
Pain Indicator	Difficulty finding active work	Decomposition recommended
Compaction Failure	Lost state after context compaction	Decomposition urgent

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File Types Created

Type	Pattern	Purpose
Sequential Phase	PHASE-{NN}-{NAME}.md	Numbered phase work tracking
Cross-Cutting Category	PHASE-{CATEGORY}.md	Bugs, tech debt, discoveries
Initiative	INITIATIVE-{NAME}.md	Complex multi-phase work
Implementation Domain	PHASE-IMPL-{DOMAIN}.md	Detailed implementation tasks

---

Templates

Phase File Template

# Phase N: {Title}

> **Status**: {EMOJI} {STATUS} ({PERCENT}%)
> **Goal**: {One-line goal description}

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## Navigation

| Link | Description |
|------|-------------|
| [<- WORKTRACKER](../WORKTRACKER.md) | Back to index |
| [<- Phase N-1](PHASE-{N-1}-*.md) | Previous phase |
| [Phase N+1 ->](PHASE-{N+1}-*.md) | Next phase |

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## Task Summary

| Task ID | Title | Status | Subtasks | Output |
|---------|-------|--------|----------|--------|

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## {TASK-ID}: {Task Title} {STATUS_EMOJI}

{Task details}

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## Session Context

### For Resuming Work
1. Check task summary for current status
2. Read active task section for details
3. Check dependencies before starting

### Key Files to Know

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|

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## Document History

| Date | Author | Changes |
|------|--------|---------|

Hub Template

# Work Tracker - {PROJECT_ID}

**Last Updated**: {TIMESTAMP}
**Project ID**: {PROJECT_ID}

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## Navigation Graph

{ASCII diagram of hub-and-spoke structure}

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## Quick Status Dashboard

| Phase | File | Status | Progress |
|-------|------|--------|----------|

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## Current Focus

**Active Phase**: Phase {X}
**Active Task**: {TASK-ID}
**Next Steps**: {Brief description}

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## Session Resume Protocol

When resuming work on this project:

1. Check **Current Focus** (above) for active task
2. Navigate to the **Phase File** for detailed breakdown
3. Read **Session Context** section in phase file
4. Check **Dependencies** before starting work
5. Update this file's timestamp after each session

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Integration

With Work Tracker Skill

The decomposition skill integrates with the main Work Tracker skill:

@worktracker create "New task" --phase 4    # Creates task in PHASE-04 file
@worktracker list --phase 4                 # Lists tasks from PHASE-04 file

With Git

All decomposition operations create atomic commits:

docs({project}): restructure WORKTRACKER to multi-file graph format

Restructured work tracking for multi-session and parallel work:
- WORKTRACKER.md is now an index with navigation graph
- Created work/ directory with per-phase files
- Added session context for compaction survival

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <[email protected]>

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References

• Runbook: projects/PROJ-001-plugin-cleanup/runbooks/RUNBOOK-002-worktracker-decomposition.md
• Purpose Catalog: projects/PROJ-001-plugin-cleanup/work/PURPOSE-CATALOG.md
• Synthesis: projects/PROJ-001-plugin-cleanup/synthesis/DOC-001-synthesis.md
• Pattern Origin: Commit 4882948 in PROJ-001-plugin-cleanup

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Best Practices

1. Analyze before decomposing - Ensure the file truly needs decomposition
2. Create backup commits - Always have a rollback point
3. Use dry-run first - Preview changes before executing
4. Validate after decomposition - Ensure all links work
5. Add session context to active phases - Enable context recovery
6. Keep hub under 150 lines - Maintain the purpose of the pattern
7. Progressive detail - Active work gets maximum detail, completed stays minimal