Prompt file imported from drewsephski/compound-engineering (.windsurf/workflows/work.md). Copyright stays with the author.

/work Workflow

Execute a plan with worktrees and task tracking.

When to Use

After you have an approved plan from /plan.

Steps

1. Create isolated worktree - Use git worktree add to create a parallel workspace
2. Set up the environment - Install dependencies, configure settings
3. Implement step by step - Follow the plan files in order
4. Run validations - Execute tests, linting, type checking after changes
5. Track progress - Update todo status as items complete
6. Handle issues - When something fails, adapt or escalate
7. Create PR - Open pull request when implementation is complete

Worktree Pattern

# Create worktree for feature
git worktree add ../project-feature-name feature-branch-name

# Work in isolation
cd ../project-feature-name

# Clean up when done
cd ../project-main
git worktree remove ../project-feature-name

Validation Checkpoints

After each significant change:

• Tests pass
• Linting clean
• Type checking passes
• No breaking changes to existing functionality

When to Intervene

• Tests failing repeatedly (3+ attempts)
• Agent clearly stuck on same issue
• Something fundamental was wrong in the original plan

Intervention Protocol

When you need to intervene:

1. Stop the current work
2. Update the plan (not the code)
3. Let the agent fix code based on updated plan
4. Resume from where it left off

Parallel Work

At Stage 4+, run multiple work streams:

• Feature A in worktree A
• Feature B in worktree B
• Bug fix in worktree C

Check in periodically. Review PRs as they complete.

Output

A pull request with:

• Implementation matching the plan
• Tests for new functionality
• Clean commit history
• Ready for review

Tips

• You don't need to watch every step
• Check in periodically to see progress
• Trust the plan - if the plan was good, execution will be good
• Worktrees keep your main workspace clean and allow parallel development