Mk workflow orchestrator

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Workflow Orchestrator

<!-- Canonical source: references/workflow-phases.md (no separate workflow.yaml ships in this bundle) -->

Priority: CRITICAL — Use for complex feature implementations.

Only activates on session start for complex-feature intent. If the cook skill was explicitly invoked in this session, do not activate — mk:cook owns the pipeline. See AGENTS.md (Delegation & subagents)"Orchestrator Entry Point Rule".

Canonical Lifecycle

references/workflow-phases.md is the sole source for phase sequence, gates, leads, and required outputs. This adapter must not restate phase details — load that reference for execution.

On a non-trivial task, route to mk:plan-creator; proceed only after Gate 1. Fasttrack accepts only a pre-approved spec. Gate 2 remains human approval before an explicit ship request.

When to Use

USE for: New features, complex implementations, tasks >2 hours, multi-file changes, tasks requiring TDD.

DON'T use for: Bug fixes → mk:fix, quick refactors → direct edit, config changes → direct edit, simple questions → just answer.

Pre-Execution Checklist

1. agent-detector → Select lead agent (MANDATORY)
2. Load context → Read canonical .meowkit/memory/fixes.json + .meowkit/memory/architecture-decisions.json (Phase 0 Orient; fall back to matching .md views only when JSON is absent)
3. Show agent banner at start of response
4. Verify task complexity — if simple, suggest lighter approach
5. Challenge requirements → Ask clarifying questions before Phase 1

Process

See the phase-contract conventions for input/output expectations per phase. (Loaded by mk:agent-detector Step 0b at session start.)

1. Run pre-execution checklist — select lead agent, load memory, show agent banner, verify complexity, challenge requirements.

2. Detect workflow mode — check for fasttrack: prefix or Agent Teams trigger; if present load references/fasttrack-and-teams.md. Otherwise proceed with standard 7-phase flow.

3. Execute the canonical lifecycle — load references/workflow-phases.md and follow it directly; do not duplicate or override its phase ordering, TDD rules, required outputs, or gates.

4. At each phase boundary — check token budget (warn at 75%, handoff at 90%). Show what comes next before continuing. Save state via workflow:handoff if context is near limit. Also delegate to project-manager after each phase transition per the post-phase-delegation conventions Rule 1 (background, non-blocking — include "Run in the background" in the prompt). Skipped when MEOWKIT_PM_AUTO=off.

Only the canonical gates authorize transition. Shipping and reflection require explicit user direction; they do not auto-run after review.

References

Reference	When to load	Content
workflow-phases.md	Steps 2-6 — executing phases	Phase details, transition rules, approval gates, token budgets, TDD rules
fasttrack-and-teams.md	Only if fasttrack trigger or Agent Teams enabled	Fast-track mode, spec validation, Agent Teams composition, state management

Key Rules

• TDD is OPT-IN (post-migration): default mode skips Phase 2 RED gate; enable with --tdd or MEOWKIT_TDD=1. In TDD mode the cycle is RED → GREEN → REFACTOR.
• KISS: Simple over complex, standard patterns over custom
• Token budget: Target ≤30K for full workflow. Warn at 75%, handoff at 90%.
• State: workflow:handoff saves, workflow:resume <id> continues
• ALWAYS show what's next after each phase

Related Rules

• AGENTS.md (Gates) — Gate 1 (Plan) and Gate 2 (Review) hard-stop conditions enforced by this orchestrator
• AGENTS.md (Data & injection boundary) — DATA vs INSTRUCTIONS boundary; applies to all file/tool output processed during orchestration

Gotchas

• Parallel agents editing same file: Two sub-task modify the same source file simultaneously → Define exclusive file ownership before spawning parallel agents
• Token budget exceeded mid-workflow: Complex 7-phase workflow runs out of context → Check remaining context at each phase boundary; escalate if < 20% remaining