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GSD User Guide

A detailed reference for workflows, troubleshooting, and configuration. For quick-start setup, see the README.

Table of Contents

Workflow Diagrams

Full Project Lifecycle

  ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
  │                   NEW PROJECT                    │
  │  /gsd:new-project                                │
  │  Questions -> Research -> Requirements -> Roadmap│
  └─────────────────────────┬────────────────────────┘
                            │
             ┌──────────────▼─────────────┐
             │      FOR EACH PHASE:       │
             │                            │
             │  ┌────────────────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd:discuss-phase │    │  <- Lock in preferences
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd:ui-phase      │    │  <- Design contract (frontend)
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd:plan-phase    │    │  <- Research + Plan + Verify
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd:execute-phase │    │  <- Parallel execution
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │  ┌──────────▼─────────┐    │
             │  │ /gsd:verify-work   │    │  <- Manual UAT
             │  └──────────┬─────────┘    │
             │             │              │
             │     Next Phase?────────────┘
             │             │ No
             └─────────────┼──────────────┘
                            │
            ┌───────────────▼──────────────┐
            │  /gsd:audit-milestone        │
            │  /gsd:complete-milestone     │
            └───────────────┬──────────────┘
                            │
                   Another milestone?
                       │          │
                      Yes         No -> Done!
                       │
               ┌───────▼──────────────┐
               │  /gsd:new-milestone  │
               └──────────────────────┘

Planning Agent Coordination

  /gsd:plan-phase N
         │
         ├── Phase Researcher (x4 parallel)
         │     ├── Stack researcher
         │     ├── Features researcher
         │     ├── Architecture researcher
         │     └── Pitfalls researcher
         │           │
         │     ┌──────▼──────┐
         │     │ RESEARCH.md │
         │     └──────┬──────┘
         │            │
         │     ┌──────▼──────┐
         │     │   Planner   │  <- Reads PROJECT.md, REQUIREMENTS.md,
         │     │             │     CONTEXT.md, RESEARCH.md
         │     └──────┬──────┘
         │            │
         │     ┌──────▼───────────┐     ┌────────┐
         │     │   Plan Checker   │────>│ PASS?  │
         │     └──────────────────┘     └───┬────┘
         │                                  │
         │                             Yes  │  No
         │                              │   │   │
         │                              │   └───┘  (loop, up to 3x)
         │                              │
         │                        ┌─────▼──────┐
         │                        │ PLAN files │
         │                        └────────────┘
         └── Done

Validation Architecture (Nyquist Layer)

During plan-phase research, GSD now maps automated test coverage to each phase requirement before any code is written. This ensures that when Claude's executor commits a task, a feedback mechanism already exists to verify it within seconds.

The researcher detects your existing test infrastructure, maps each requirement to a specific test command, and identifies any test scaffolding that must be created before implementation begins (Wave 0 tasks).

The plan-checker enforces this as an 8th verification dimension: plans where tasks lack automated verify commands will not be approved.

Output: {phase}-VALIDATION.md -- the feedback contract for the phase.

Disable: Set workflow.nyquist_validation: false in /gsd:settings for rapid prototyping phases where test infrastructure isn't the focus.

Retroactive Validation (/gsd:validate-phase)

For phases executed before Nyquist validation existed, or for existing codebases with only traditional test suites, retroactively audit and fill coverage gaps:

  /gsd:validate-phase N
         |
         +-- Detect state (VALIDATION.md exists? SUMMARY.md exists?)
         |
         +-- Discover: scan implementation, map requirements to tests
         |
         +-- Analyze gaps: which requirements lack automated verification?
         |
         +-- Present gap plan for approval
         |
         +-- Spawn auditor: generate tests, run, debug (max 3 attempts)
         |
         +-- Update VALIDATION.md
               |
               +-- COMPLIANT -> all requirements have automated checks
               +-- PARTIAL -> some gaps escalated to manual-only

The auditor never modifies implementation code — only test files and VALIDATION.md. If a test reveals an implementation bug, it's flagged as an escalation for you to address.

When to use: After executing phases that were planned before Nyquist was enabled, or after /gsd:audit-milestone surfaces Nyquist compliance gaps.

UI Design Contract

Why

AI-generated frontends are visually inconsistent not because Claude Code is bad at UI but because no design contract existed before execution. Five components built without a shared spacing scale, color contract, or copywriting standard produce five slightly different visual decisions.

/gsd:ui-phase locks the design contract before planning. /gsd:ui-review audits the result after execution.

Commands

Command Description
/gsd:ui-phase [N] Generate UI-SPEC.md design contract for a frontend phase
/gsd:ui-review [N] Retroactive 6-pillar visual audit of implemented UI

Workflow: /gsd:ui-phase

When to run: After /gsd:discuss-phase, before /gsd:plan-phase — for phases with frontend/UI work.

Flow:

  1. Reads CONTEXT.md, RESEARCH.md, REQUIREMENTS.md for existing decisions
  2. Detects design system state (shadcn components.json, Tailwind config, existing tokens)
  3. shadcn initialization gate — offers to initialize if React/Next.js/Vite project has none
  4. Asks only unanswered design contract questions (spacing, typography, color, copywriting, registry safety)
  5. Writes {phase}-UI-SPEC.md to phase directory
  6. Validates against 6 dimensions (Copywriting, Visuals, Color, Typography, Spacing, Registry Safety)
  7. Revision loop if BLOCKED (max 2 iterations)

Output: {padded_phase}-UI-SPEC.md in .planning/phases/{phase-dir}/

Workflow: /gsd:ui-review

When to run: After /gsd:execute-phase or /gsd:verify-work — for any project with frontend code.

Standalone: Works on any project, not just GSD-managed ones. If no UI-SPEC.md exists, audits against abstract 6-pillar standards.

6 Pillars (scored 1-4 each):

  1. Copywriting — CTA labels, empty states, error states
  2. Visuals — focal points, visual hierarchy, icon accessibility
  3. Color — accent usage discipline, 60/30/10 compliance
  4. Typography — font size/weight constraint adherence
  5. Spacing — grid alignment, token consistency
  6. Experience Design — loading/error/empty state coverage

Output: {padded_phase}-UI-REVIEW.md in phase directory with scores and top 3 priority fixes.

Configuration

Setting Default Description
workflow.ui_phase true Generate UI design contracts for frontend phases
workflow.ui_safety_gate true plan-phase prompts to run /gsd:ui-phase for frontend phases

Both follow the absent=enabled pattern. Disable via /gsd:settings.

shadcn Initialization

For React/Next.js/Vite projects, the UI researcher offers to initialize shadcn if no components.json is found. The flow:

  1. Visit ui.shadcn.com/create and configure your preset
  2. Copy the preset string
  3. Run npx shadcn init --preset {paste}
  4. Preset encodes the entire design system — colors, border radius, fonts

The preset string becomes a first-class GSD planning artifact, reproducible across phases and milestones.

Registry Safety Gate

Third-party shadcn registries can inject arbitrary code. The safety gate requires:

  • npx shadcn view {component} — inspect before installing
  • npx shadcn diff {component} — compare against official

Controlled by workflow.ui_safety_gate config toggle.

Screenshot Storage

/gsd:ui-review captures screenshots via Playwright CLI to .planning/ui-reviews/. A .gitignore is created automatically to prevent binary files from reaching git. Screenshots are cleaned up during /gsd:complete-milestone.

Execution Wave Coordination

  /gsd:execute-phase N
         │
         ├── Analyze plan dependencies
         │
         ├── Wave 1 (independent plans):
         │     ├── Executor A (fresh 200K context) -> commit
         │     └── Executor B (fresh 200K context) -> commit
         │
         ├── Wave 2 (depends on Wave 1):
         │     └── Executor C (fresh 200K context) -> commit
         │
         └── Verifier
               └── Check codebase against phase goals
                     │
                     ├── PASS -> VERIFICATION.md (success)
                     └── FAIL -> Issues logged for /gsd:verify-work

Brownfield Workflow (Existing Codebase)

  /gsd:map-codebase
         │
         ├── Stack Mapper     -> codebase/STACK.md
         ├── Arch Mapper      -> codebase/ARCHITECTURE.md
         ├── Convention Mapper -> codebase/CONVENTIONS.md
         └── Concern Mapper   -> codebase/CONCERNS.md
                │
        ┌───────▼──────────┐
        │ /gsd:new-project │  <- Questions focus on what you're ADDING
        └──────────────────┘

Command Reference

Core Workflow

Command Purpose When to Use
/gsd:new-project Full project init: questions, research, requirements, roadmap Start of a new project
/gsd:new-project --auto @idea.md Automated init from document Have a PRD or idea doc ready
/gsd:discuss-phase [N] Capture implementation decisions Before planning, to shape how it gets built
/gsd:ui-phase [N] Generate UI design contract After discuss-phase, before plan-phase (frontend phases)
/gsd:plan-phase [N] Research + plan + verify Before executing a phase
/gsd:execute-phase <N> Execute all plans in parallel waves After planning is complete
/gsd:verify-work [N] Manual UAT with auto-diagnosis After execution completes
/gsd:ui-review [N] Retroactive 6-pillar visual audit After execution or verify-work (frontend projects)
/gsd:audit-milestone Verify milestone met its definition of done Before completing milestone
/gsd:complete-milestone Archive milestone, tag release All phases verified
/gsd:new-milestone [name] Start next version cycle After completing a milestone

Navigation

Command Purpose When to Use
/gsd:progress Show status and next steps Anytime -- "where am I?"
/gsd:resume-work Restore full context from last session Starting a new session
/gsd:pause-work Save context handoff Stopping mid-phase
/gsd:help Show all commands Quick reference
/gsd:update Update GSD with changelog preview Check for new versions
/gsd:join-discord Open Discord community invite Questions or community

Phase Management

Command Purpose When to Use
/gsd:add-phase Append new phase to roadmap Scope grows after initial planning
/gsd:insert-phase [N] Insert urgent work (decimal numbering) Urgent fix mid-milestone
/gsd:remove-phase [N] Remove future phase and renumber Descoping a feature
/gsd:list-phase-assumptions [N] Preview Claude's intended approach Before planning, to validate direction
/gsd:plan-milestone-gaps Create phases for audit gaps After audit finds missing items
/gsd:research-phase [N] Deep ecosystem research only Complex or unfamiliar domain

Brownfield & Utilities

Command Purpose When to Use
/gsd:map-codebase Analyze existing codebase Before /gsd:new-project on existing code
/gsd:quick Ad-hoc task with GSD guarantees Bug fixes, small features, config changes
/gsd:debug [desc] Systematic debugging with persistent state When something breaks
/gsd:add-todo [desc] Capture an idea for later Think of something during a session
/gsd:check-todos List pending todos Review captured ideas
/gsd:settings Configure workflow toggles and model profile Change model, toggle agents
/gsd:set-profile <profile> Quick profile switch Change cost/quality tradeoff
/gsd:reapply-patches Restore local modifications after update After /gsd:update if you had local edits

Configuration Reference

GSD stores project settings in .planning/config.json. Configure during /gsd:new-project or update later with /gsd:settings.

Full config.json Schema

{
  "mode": "interactive",
  "granularity": "standard",
  "model_profile": "balanced",
  "planning": {
    "commit_docs": true,
    "search_gitignored": false
  },
  "workflow": {
    "research": true,
    "plan_check": true,
    "verifier": true,
    "nyquist_validation": true,
    "ui_phase": true,
    "ui_safety_gate": true
  },
  "git": {
    "branching_strategy": "none",
    "phase_branch_template": "gsd/phase-{phase}-{slug}",
    "milestone_branch_template": "gsd/{milestone}-{slug}"
  }
}

Core Settings

Setting Options Default What it Controls
mode interactive, yolo interactive yolo auto-approves decisions; interactive confirms at each step
granularity coarse, standard, fine standard Phase granularity: how finely scope is sliced (3-5, 5-8, or 8-12 phases)
model_profile quality, balanced, budget, inherit balanced Model tier for each agent (see table below)

Planning Settings

Setting Options Default What it Controls
planning.commit_docs true, false true Whether .planning/ files are committed to git
planning.search_gitignored true, false false Add --no-ignore to broad searches to include .planning/

Note: If .planning/ is in .gitignore, commit_docs is automatically false regardless of the config value.

Workflow Toggles

Setting Options Default What it Controls
workflow.research true, false true Domain investigation before planning
workflow.plan_check true, false true Plan verification loop (up to 3 iterations)
workflow.verifier true, false true Post-execution verification against phase goals
workflow.nyquist_validation true, false true Validation architecture research during plan-phase; 8th plan-check dimension
workflow.ui_phase true, false true Generate UI design contracts for frontend phases
workflow.ui_safety_gate true, false true plan-phase prompts to run /gsd:ui-phase for frontend phases

Disable these to speed up phases in familiar domains or when conserving tokens.

Git Branching

Setting Options Default What it Controls
git.branching_strategy none, phase, milestone none When and how branches are created
git.phase_branch_template Template string gsd/phase-{phase}-{slug} Branch name for phase strategy
git.milestone_branch_template Template string gsd/{milestone}-{slug} Branch name for milestone strategy

Branching strategies explained:

Strategy Creates Branch Scope Best For
none Never N/A Solo development, simple projects
phase At each execute-phase One phase per branch Code review per phase, granular rollback
milestone At first execute-phase All phases share one branch Release branches, PR per version

Template variables: {phase} = zero-padded number (e.g., "03"), {slug} = lowercase hyphenated name, {milestone} = version (e.g., "v1.0").

Model Profiles (Per-Agent Breakdown)

Agent quality balanced budget inherit
gsd-planner Opus Opus Sonnet Inherit
gsd-roadmapper Opus Sonnet Sonnet Inherit
gsd-executor Opus Sonnet Sonnet Inherit
gsd-phase-researcher Opus Sonnet Haiku Inherit
gsd-project-researcher Opus Sonnet Haiku Inherit
gsd-research-synthesizer Sonnet Sonnet Haiku Inherit
gsd-debugger Opus Sonnet Sonnet Inherit
gsd-codebase-mapper Sonnet Haiku Haiku Inherit
gsd-verifier Sonnet Sonnet Haiku Inherit
gsd-plan-checker Sonnet Sonnet Haiku Inherit
gsd-integration-checker Sonnet Sonnet Haiku Inherit

Profile philosophy:

  • quality -- Opus for all decision-making agents, Sonnet for read-only verification. Use when quota is available and the work is critical.
  • balanced -- Opus only for planning (where architecture decisions happen), Sonnet for everything else. The default for good reason.
  • budget -- Sonnet for anything that writes code, Haiku for research and verification. Use for high-volume work or less critical phases.
  • inherit -- All agents use the current session model. Best when switching models dynamically (for example OpenCode /model).

Usage Examples

New Project (Full Cycle)

claude --dangerously-skip-permissions
/gsd:new-project            # Answer questions, configure, approve roadmap
/clear
/gsd:discuss-phase 1        # Lock in your preferences
/gsd:ui-phase 1             # Design contract (frontend phases)
/gsd:plan-phase 1           # Research + plan + verify
/gsd:execute-phase 1        # Parallel execution
/gsd:verify-work 1          # Manual UAT
/gsd:ui-review 1            # Visual audit (frontend phases)
/clear
/gsd:discuss-phase 2        # Repeat for each phase
...
/gsd:audit-milestone        # Check everything shipped
/gsd:complete-milestone     # Archive, tag, done

New Project from Existing Document

/gsd:new-project --auto @prd.md   # Auto-runs research/requirements/roadmap from your doc
/clear
/gsd:discuss-phase 1               # Normal flow from here

Existing Codebase

/gsd:map-codebase           # Analyze what exists (parallel agents)
/gsd:new-project            # Questions focus on what you're ADDING
# (normal phase workflow from here)

Quick Bug Fix

/gsd:quick
> "Fix the login button not responding on mobile Safari"

Resuming After a Break

/gsd:progress               # See where you left off and what's next
# or
/gsd:resume-work            # Full context restoration from last session

Preparing for Release

/gsd:audit-milestone        # Check requirements coverage, detect stubs
/gsd:plan-milestone-gaps    # If audit found gaps, create phases to close them
/gsd:complete-milestone     # Archive, tag, done

Speed vs Quality Presets

Scenario Mode Granularity Profile Research Plan Check Verifier
Prototyping yolo coarse budget off off off
Normal dev interactive standard balanced on on on
Production interactive fine quality on on on

Mid-Milestone Scope Changes

/gsd:add-phase              # Append a new phase to the roadmap
# or
/gsd:insert-phase 3         # Insert urgent work between phases 3 and 4
# or
/gsd:remove-phase 7         # Descope phase 7 and renumber

Troubleshooting

"Project already initialized"

You ran /gsd:new-project but .planning/PROJECT.md already exists. This is a safety check. If you want to start over, delete the .planning/ directory first.

Context Degradation During Long Sessions

Clear your context window between major commands: /clear in Claude Code. GSD is designed around fresh contexts -- every subagent gets a clean 200K window. If quality is dropping in the main session, clear and use /gsd:resume-work or /gsd:progress to restore state.

Plans Seem Wrong or Misaligned

Run /gsd:discuss-phase [N] before planning. Most plan quality issues come from Claude making assumptions that CONTEXT.md would have prevented. You can also run /gsd:list-phase-assumptions [N] to see what Claude intends to do before committing to a plan.

Execution Fails or Produces Stubs

Check that the plan was not too ambitious. Plans should have 2-3 tasks maximum. If tasks are too large, they exceed what a single context window can produce reliably. Re-plan with smaller scope.

Lost Track of Where You Are

Run /gsd:progress. It reads all state files and tells you exactly where you are and what to do next.

Need to Change Something After Execution

Do not re-run /gsd:execute-phase. Use /gsd:quick for targeted fixes, or /gsd:verify-work to systematically identify and fix issues through UAT.

Model Costs Too High

Switch to budget profile: /gsd:set-profile budget. Disable research and plan-check agents via /gsd:settings if the domain is familiar to you (or to Claude).

Working on a Sensitive/Private Project

Set commit_docs: false during /gsd:new-project or via /gsd:settings. Add .planning/ to your .gitignore. Planning artifacts stay local and never touch git.

GSD Update Overwrote My Local Changes

Since v1.17, the installer backs up locally modified files to gsd-local-patches/. Run /gsd:reapply-patches to merge your changes back.

Subagent Appears to Fail but Work Was Done

A known workaround exists for a Claude Code classification bug. GSD's orchestrators (execute-phase, quick) spot-check actual output before reporting failure. If you see a failure message but commits were made, check git log -- the work may have succeeded.

Recovery Quick Reference

Problem Solution
Lost context / new session /gsd:resume-work or /gsd:progress
Phase went wrong git revert the phase commits, then re-plan
Need to change scope /gsd:add-phase, /gsd:insert-phase, or /gsd:remove-phase
Milestone audit found gaps /gsd:plan-milestone-gaps
Something broke /gsd:debug "description"
Quick targeted fix /gsd:quick
Plan doesn't match your vision /gsd:discuss-phase [N] then re-plan
Costs running high /gsd:set-profile budget and /gsd:settings to toggle agents off
Update broke local changes /gsd:reapply-patches

Project File Structure

For reference, here is what GSD creates in your project:

.planning/
  PROJECT.md              # Project vision and context (always loaded)
  REQUIREMENTS.md         # Scoped v1/v2 requirements with IDs
  ROADMAP.md              # Phase breakdown with status tracking
  STATE.md                # Decisions, blockers, session memory
  config.json             # Workflow configuration
  MILESTONES.md           # Completed milestone archive
  research/               # Domain research from /gsd:new-project
  todos/
    pending/              # Captured ideas awaiting work
    done/                 # Completed todos
  debug/                  # Active debug sessions
    resolved/             # Archived debug sessions
  codebase/               # Brownfield codebase mapping (from /gsd:map-codebase)
  phases/
    XX-phase-name/
      XX-YY-PLAN.md       # Atomic execution plans
      XX-YY-SUMMARY.md    # Execution outcomes and decisions
      CONTEXT.md          # Your implementation preferences
      RESEARCH.md         # Ecosystem research findings
      VERIFICATION.md     # Post-execution verification results
      XX-UI-SPEC.md       # UI design contract (from /gsd:ui-phase)
      XX-UI-REVIEW.md     # Visual audit scores (from /gsd:ui-review)
  ui-reviews/             # Screenshots from /gsd:ui-review (gitignored)