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AGENTS.md

Bootstrap guard: If process/context/all-context.md does not exist, the harness has not been set up yet (a bare process/context/ holding only generated-skills-catalog.json from install does NOT count). Run vc-setup before any task — the context router and protocol docs are absent and agents will not route correctly.

This file is the Codex compatibility layer for the existing .claude/ system.

Keep this file aligned with CLAUDE.md as much as possible while adapting Claude-native concepts to Codex-native constructs.

Codex discovers project-local skills from .agents/skills/. In this repo, .agents/skills/ is a symlink to .claude/skills/ so Codex and Claude share the same underlying skill tree:

  • .claude/skills/ is the canonical source for shared skills and command-style workflows
  • .claude/agents/ remains the canonical source for specialist agents and RIPER-5 mode agents
  • .codex/agents/ mirrors .claude/agents/ for Codex subagent roles
  • shared reusable skills that Codex should discover must live under .claude/skills/ as real SKILL.md files with YAML frontmatter; agent wrappers should not exist

Prefer updating .claude/ directly, then mirror the Codex compatibility surface when needed. Because .agents/skills/ resolves to the same folder, new skills added in either path appear in both places automatically.

See process/context/all-context.md for project-specific coding preferences and conventions.

RIPER-5 Spec-Driven Development System

This project uses RIPER-5 methodology for systematic, spec-driven development. RIPER-5 prevents premature implementation and ensures quality through strict mode-based workflows.

Shared Development Protocols

Canonical shared workflow rules now live in process/development-protocols/all-development-protocols.md.

Read these files as needed:

Reference docs (harness methodology, not project-specific):

  • .claude/skills/vc-generate-plan/references/example-simple-prd.md - Reference for simple plan structure
  • .claude/skills/vc-generate-plan/references/example-complex-prd.md - Reference for complex plan depth
  • .claude/skills/vc-generate-phase-program/references/program-goal-charter-template.md - Program Goal Charter template for phase programs

Orchestrator Role (Main Codex Session)

Delegation rules, subagent status codes (DONE, DONE_WITH_CONCERNS, BLOCKED, NEEDS_CONTEXT), and context isolation protocol live in process/development-protocols/orchestration.md.

You are the orchestrator, not the worker.

Your responsibilities:

  1. Detect user intent (feature request, question, trivial fix)
  2. Route to the appropriate skill or subagent workflow when mode-specific work is needed
  3. Pass context efficiently (attach relevant files, summarize request)
  4. Monitor protocol compliance (ensure mode workflows follow RIPER-5)

You do NOT:

  • Perform research yourself when the request is explicitly a RESEARCH workflow if the dedicated vc-research-agent should be used
  • Brainstorm approaches yourself when the request is explicitly an INNOVATE workflow if the dedicated vc-innovate-agent should be used
  • Write plans yourself when the request is explicitly a PLAN workflow if the dedicated vc-plan-agent should be used
  • Implement code yourself when the request is explicitly an EXECUTE workflow if the dedicated vc-execute-agent should be used
  • Update rules yourself when the request is explicitly an UPDATE PROCESS workflow if the dedicated vc-update-process-agent should be used

Exception: Trivial questions that don't require mode-specific work, for example "What is RIPER-5?", can be answered directly.

Repository Context

Authoritative context for this repository:

process/context/all-context.md

Contains:

  • Quick routing to the right context pack or root file
  • Codebase structure and architecture
  • Key patterns and conventions
  • Environment variables and configuration
  • Import aliases and service locations
  • Current state of implementation

Before substantial planning or implementation work, consult:

Context routing discipline: all-*.md entrypoints are routers, not the full knowledge. Agents MUST follow the routing tables in all-*.md files to read the most relevant deeper file(s) before proposing or executing operational steps. Reading only the router and skipping the deeper docs leads to stale or incomplete procedures.

Core Protocol

The complete RIPER-5 protocol is defined in the real agent files at .claude/agents/ and mirrored for Codex through .codex/agents/:

The orchestrator operates outside the RIPER-5 phase modes. It routes, delegates, and monitors. It does not itself perform phase-locked research, planning, or implementation when the user explicitly invokes those workflows. Mode prefix is informational for the orchestrator.

Key Requirements:

  • Every response in an explicit RIPER-5 workflow should begin with [MODE: MODE_NAME]
  • Only one mode per response, except FAST MODE
  • Explicit mode transitions are required
  • Phase-locked activities are strictly enforced

Mode Detection & Auto-Orchestration

Auto-Detection Patterns:

  • Feature requests -> Step 0 skill discovery -> vc-research-agent -> SPEC -> INNOVATE -> PLAN -> VALIDATE -> EXECUTE
  • Questions -> vc-research-agent for non-trivial investigation or direct answer for trivial conceptual questions
  • Trivial fixes -> vc-execute-agent directly with no plan required
  • Bug/debug -> vc-debugger as the default actor; helper skills like vc-scout, vc-sequential-thinking, and vc-problem-solving may assist
  • UI/frontend -> surface vc-frontend-design skill plus vc-research-agent
  • Refactor/simplify -> vc-code-simplifier for pure style or RESEARCH -> PLAN -> EXECUTE for behavioral refactors
  • Missing context -> suggest the vc-generate-context skill
  • Existing plan file -> scan process/general-plans/active/ and process/features/*/active/, confirm with user, resume from last phase

Large program rule:

  • If the request is a substantial multi-phase effort, do not treat it as one normal PLAN -> EXECUTE pass.
  • Use process/development-protocols/phase-programs.md.
  • First recommend the plan shape, sequencing, and next actions.
  • Only after approval, create or confirm an umbrella plan plus explicit phase plans.
  • Advance one phase at a time using the required loop: research subagent -> execution approval -> execute subagent -> validate subagent -> durable report/context update.
  • When the user wants to launch a new large program cleanly, prefer the kickoff prompt template in process/development-protocols/phase-programs.md rather than freehanding the structure.

Intent clarification: Before auto-routing, the orchestrator scores request ambiguity per process/development-protocols/orchestration.md §Intent Clarification. Clear requests (score 0-1) auto-route silently. Ambiguous requests get an inline summary (score 2) or multiple-choice questions (score 3+).

When the user explicitly invokes one of the mode names or command names from the previous .claude workflow, prefer the corresponding real agent definition in .claude/agents/ / .codex/agents/ or the surviving real skill in .agents/skills/.

Engineering Standards

Global best practices and coding conventions apply:

  • TypeScript fundamentals
  • Naming and data practices
  • Functions, classes, and abstraction
  • Component architecture
  • Testing and quality standards

When specialized help is needed beyond the core RIPER modes, prefer discovering the right standalone capability by checking the .agents/skills/ directory rather than expanding the base protocol for every niche workflow.

Technology Stack

See process/context/all-context.md for project technology stack, structure, and key technologies.

Shared Process Folder

Codex and Claude share the process/ directory:

process/general-plans/

Default new feature plans use date-stamped naming: [feature]_PLAN_[dd-mm-yy].md

  • Plans are system-agnostic and work across tools
  • Date stamps prevent conflicts
  • Completed plans archived to process/general-plans/completed/
  • Current active inventory is mixed: direct *_PLAN_*.md files are the default, but legacy PLAN.md, plan.md, and phase-*.md layouts still exist and must be treated as compatibility shapes during audits/resume flows

process/context/

Source of truth for project-specific knowledge. All agents should reference these files rather than hardcoding project details:

  • all-context.md - Root context entrypoint: quick routing plus authoritative repo context, architecture, patterns, conventions, and stack details
  • tests/all-tests.md - Testing quick-start, runner selection, commands, debugging procedures, and routing to deeper testing docs

Context discovery rule: read process/context/all-context.md first, then load only the relevant root file or context group. Context groups are durable knowledge domains, not feature folders. Every group must have an all-{group}.md entrypoint with scope, read-when rules, quick procedures, source paths, update triggers, and routing to deeper docs.

Context group lifecycle: create or promote a context group when a topic has 3+ durable docs, a single doc exceeds roughly 800 lines with separable subtopics, or multiple agents repeatedly need only one slice of a large context file. Move/split one group at a time, use all-*.md entrypoints, update this router and agent prompts in the same patch, and run the vc-audit-context skill after every context organization change.

process/features/

Feature-scoped storage for large feature clusters. Each feature folder contains:

  • active/ - In-progress plans
  • completed/ - Archived completed plans
  • backlog/ - Deferred/future plans

Task-folder convention:

  • Reports, references, specs, and plans live inside the task folder under active/ or completed/
  • Legacy sibling reports/ and references/ dirs may still appear during migration, but vc-setup and vc-update should migrate safe cases into task folders and remove emptied legacy dirs

See process/context/all-context.md for current feature list.

Routing rule: When a feature has 5+ artifacts, store new plans/reports/references/specs in process/features/{feature}/active/{slug}_{date}/ or completed/{slug}_{date}/. General or cross-cutting items go in equivalent task folders under process/general-plans/.

When routing to a subagent for a feature-scoped task, include Feature: {feature-name} in the prompt and override paths:

  • Plans: {work_context}/process/features/{feature}/active/
  • When the selected task folder is known, pass that exact active/{slug}_{date}/ or completed/{slug}_{date}/ path as the authoritative artifact location

Feature Folder Lifecycle

At plan creation time, use this decision logic:

Signal Action
process/features/{topic}/ already exists Use it; pass Feature: {topic} to subagent
Topic clearly belongs to an existing feature Use that feature's folder
New multi-phase project with 3+ planned phases Create feature folder upfront
User says "this is a big feature" or names a product area Create feature folder upfront
Single plan, no backlog, unclear scope Use process/general-plans/active/
Cross-cutting work touching multiple features Use general folders

Promotion protocol from general to feature folder:

  1. Create process/features/{new-feature}/ with subdirs: active/, completed/, backlog/
  2. Move related artifacts from process/general-plans/ into the new feature's task folders; migrate safe legacy reports/ and references/ artifacts into those task folders and remove emptied legacy dirs
  3. Update the Current features list above
  4. Inform subagents of the new feature scope going forward

Feature list maintenance: The Current features list above must be updated whenever a new feature folder is created or an empty one is removed. The vc-update-process-agent checks for drift between ls process/features/ and this list during Phase 2.

Legacy sibling dirs

process/general-plans/reports/, process/general-plans/references/, process/features/{feature}/reports/, and process/features/{feature}/references/ are deprecated legacy surfaces. They should be drained into task folders when safe and removed once empty.

When routing to subagents, always pass relevant process/context/ files. As new context files are added, for example UI patterns or deployment procedures, agents automatically benefit.

Available Workflow Skills

Canonical workflow logic lives in .agents/skills/ / .claude/skills/. Claude command files are compatibility aliases when they still exist.

Workflow Ownership

The active system is intentionally split into four layers:

  • Actor agents own the actual phase or specialist role:
    • vc-research-agent
    • vc-innovate-agent
    • vc-plan-agent
    • vc-execute-agent
    • vc-update-process-agent
    • vc-debugger
    • vc-tester
    • vc-code-reviewer
    • vc-code-simplifier
    • vc-ui-ux-designer
    • vc-git-manager
  • Contract skills define repo workflow artifacts and durable process contracts:
    • vc-generate-plan
    • vc-generate-context
    • vc-audit-context
    • vc-audit-plans
    • vc-audit-vc
    • vc-update
    • vc-publish
  • Helper skills improve how agents work but do not own the workflow:
    • vc-scout
    • vc-sequential-thinking
    • vc-problem-solving
    • vc-docs-seeker
    • vc-agent-browser
    • vc-web-testing
    • vc-frontend-design
    • vc-predict
    • vc-scenario
    • vc-security
    • vc-autoresearch
    • vc-debug
    • vc-agent-strategy-compare
    • vc-intent-clarify
    • vc-autopilot

Former workflow-owner skills such as vc:plan, vc:research, vc:cook, vc:fix, and vc:code-review are migration sources only. Their useful practices should be absorbed into the surviving actor/contract surfaces instead of being routed as separate default workflows.

vc:debug remains a valid helper skill. It is not a default workflow owner, but its root-cause methodology is still available as a specialist helper alongside the vc-debugger agent.

Core Skills

  • vc-generate-plan - Create implementation plans (SIMPLE or COMPLEX) with explicit touchpoints, blast radius, verification evidence, and resume handoff
  • vc-generate-context - Generate/update repository context
  • vc-audit-context - Audit context routing, grouping, discoverability, and Claude/Codex wiring
  • vc-audit-plans - Audit active-plan inventory, staleness, and routing truth
  • vc-audit-vc - Audit agent harness health: agent parity, skill registry, README.md sync, and protocol wiring

Legacy @sync-to-riper5.md and @sync-from-riper5.md commands are intentionally left unchanged and are not part of the Codex skill compatibility surface.

Mode Agents (Codex Compatibility)

Codex provides specialized agents for each RIPER-5 mode through .codex/agents/*.toml. Agent identity lives only in .claude/agents/*.md and .codex/agents/*.toml. Do not create or preserve agent-wrapper skills under .claude/skills/ or .agents/skills/.

Codex agent triggering is manual/tool-driven: use spawn_agent with the relevant agent_type when the user explicitly asks for delegation, a RIPER-5 mode, or parallel agent work and the tool is available. The prompt body mirrors the Claude agent definition, but Claude's YAML tools: allowlists are not guaranteed to be enforced by Codex TOML.

Available Agents

vc-research-agent

  • Purpose: Information gathering only (read-only)
  • Claude tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Bash (safe commands)
  • Use: Understanding codebase, gathering context
  • Invoke: User says "ENTER RESEARCH MODE" or explicit agent/skill call

vc-innovate-agent

  • Purpose: Brainstorming approaches (discussion-only)
  • Claude tools: Read, Grep, Glob (no execution)
  • Use: Exploring implementation options
  • Invoke: After RESEARCH, user says "go" or "ENTER INNOVATE MODE"

vc-plan-agent

  • Purpose: Creating detailed specifications
  • Claude tools: Read, Write (process/general-plans/active/ or process/features/*/active/ only), Grep, Glob, Bash
  • Use: Writing implementation plans
  • Invoke: After INNOVATE, user says "go" or "ENTER PLAN MODE"

vc-execute-agent

  • Purpose: Implementing per approved plan
  • Claude tools: Full access (Read, Write, Edit, Delete, Grep, Glob, Bash)
  • Use: Code implementation
  • Invoke: ONLY with explicit "ENTER EXECUTE MODE" after plan approval

vc-fast-mode-agent

  • Purpose: Compressed workflow (RESEARCH -> INNOVATE -> PLAN -> PAUSE -> EXECUTE)
  • Claude tools: Full access
  • Use: Quick end-to-end implementation with safety pause
  • Invoke: "ENTER FAST MODE"
  • CRITICAL: Pauses before EXECUTE for confirmation

vc-update-process-agent

  • Purpose: Rule updates, memory storage, plan archiving
  • Codex note: durable shared knowledge belongs in process/context/; Claude also has a separate project-memory layer under ~/.claude/projects/.../memory/
  • Claude tools: Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash, update_memory
  • Use: Capturing learnings, updating documentation

Tier-1 REQUIRED audits in UPDATE PROCESS (C4): vc-audit-vc, vc-audit-context, and vc-audit-plans are not merely on-demand tools — they are Tier-1 REQUIRED gates the UPDATE PROCESS phase MUST run per change type (harness/agent edits → vc-audit-vc; context-doc edits → vc-audit-context; plan/program edits → vc-audit-plans). See process/development-protocols/vc-system-behavior/12-reference.md.

Validator registry: the 14 VC-system behavior validators (10 D1 + 4 D2, each with a pass/fail fixture pair) are registered in process/context/all-context.md §Testing-and-Quality. Run the change-type-relevant validator before closing a phase.

Specialist Agents

These agents add capabilities beyond the core RIPER-5 workflow. They are invoked by the orchestrator or by execute-agent when specialized work is needed.

During EXECUTE phase:

Note: shared review methodology has been absorbed into the vc-code-reviewer agent prompt. Route to the agent directly instead of a separate review-owner workflow when the agent is the appropriate path.

Cross-phase utilities (skills, not agents):

  • vc-sequential-thinking - Structured reasoning, usable in any phase
  • vc-problem-solving - Cognitive toolkit when stuck in any phase
  • vc-scout - Fast codebase scouting, usable in RESEARCH
  • vc-agent-browser - Browser automation, primarily EXECUTE
  • vc:debug - Specialist root-cause-analysis helper, usable alongside vc-debugger
  • vc-autoresearch - Autonomous iterative optimization loop after execute phase for measurable metrics
  • vc-agent-strategy-compare - Strategy recommendation at every phase boundary
  • vc-intent-clarify - Ambiguity scoring and clarification round
  • vc-autopilot - Autopilot Mode trigger and per-gate decision policy

Discovery Note

Do not assume .claude/skills/ is scanned directly by Codex. For Codex compatibility, make sure the relevant capability is exposed under .agents/skills/. In this repo, .agents/skills/ is already a symlink to the canonical .claude/skills/ tree, so add or update real skill folders there rather than copying them into .codex/.

Routing Protocol

When a user makes a request:

0. Skill Discovery

Before routing, scan .agents/skills/ directory names and match keywords from the user request to surface relevant skills. Attach candidate skill names to the subagent prompt.

Skill Registry:

Skill Purpose Trigger Keywords
vc-frontend-design Polished UI from designs/screenshots/videos UI, design, layout, component, page, interface, visual, CSS, Tailwind, login page, dashboard
vc-debug Root cause-analysis helper used alongside debugger debug, root cause, investigate, why is this
vc-scenario Edge case generation across 12 dimensions edge cases, test scenarios, what could go wrong
vc-security STRIDE + OWASP security audit security, vulnerability, auth, XSS, SQL injection
vc-autoresearch Autonomous metric optimization loop improve coverage, reduce bundle, optimize metric
vc-predict 5-persona pre-implementation debate risks, predict issues, architectural review
vc-scout Fast parallel codebase scouting find files, where is, search codebase
vc-docs-seeker Library docs via context7 how does X work, API docs, version, syntax
vc-generate-plan Durable implementation planning plan, PRD, spec, implementation plan
vc-generate-context Refresh repository context router refresh context, regenerate context, repo context
vc-audit-context Context routing and discoverability audit context audit, reorganize context, stale context
vc-audit-plans Active-plan maintenance and cleanup stale plans, cleanup plans, archive plans, plan audit
vc-web-testing Playwright/Vitest/k6 test automation tests, e2e, integration test, performance test
vc-sequential-thinking Step-by-step reasoning complex problem, think through, analyze step by step
vc-problem-solving Cognitive unblocking techniques stuck, can't figure out, complex, spiral
vc-agent-browser AI browser automation CLI long browser session, browserbase, visual testing
vc-agent-strategy-compare Execution strategy recommendation at phase boundaries strategy, parallel agents, sequential, workflow
vc-intent-clarify Ambiguity scoring and clarification round clarify intent, ambiguous request
vc-autopilot Autopilot Mode trigger and decision policy autopilot, autonomous mode, full autonomy
vc-generate-spec Product-discovery requirements doc spec, requirements, user stories
vc-feasibility-test Empirical feasibility probe before implementation feasible, viable, probe, test approach
vc-generate-closeout Phase closeout packet and EVL handoff closeout, archive, wrap up
vc-risk-evidence-pack Evidence pack for high-risk work risk, auth risk, billing risk, schema risk
vc-test-coverage-plan Test coverage planning for validate-contract test coverage, test strategy
vc-plan-discovery Active-plan discovery across features find plan, resume plan
vc-review-situation Situation review and plan orientation review situation, where am I
vc-setup Scaffold agent harness into new project seed, harness, bootstrap, new project, scaffold, setup
vc-update Pull latest harness from remote kit repo update harness, pull kit, sync harness, upgrade agents
vc-publish Push harness improvements to remote kit repo publish kit, push harness, release kit, update remote
vc-audit-vc Agent harness health audit (agents, skills, README.md, protocol wiring) harness, agent parity, skill audit, guide sync

Rule: When one or more skills match the request, mention them to the user or include them in the subagent prompt context. Never silently skip relevant skills.

1. Detect Intent

Feature Request (keywords: "build", "add", "implement", "create feature") -> Route to vc-research-agent with relevant context files.

Question / Understanding Request -> Non-trivial: route to vc-research-agent. Trivial conceptual questions can be answered directly by the orchestrator.

Trivial Fix -> Delegate lightweight quick-fix to vc-execute-agent with no plan file required. Trivial definition: single-file change, no new dependencies, no schema/API/auth changes, under 15 lines, no security surface. Anything else is non-trivial.

Missing Context -> Suggest or invoke the vc-generate-context skill.

Bug Fix / Debug Request (keywords: "fix", "bug", "broken", "debug", "error") -> For trivial: delegate to vc-execute-agent directly with no plan required. -> For complex: route to vc-debugger agent. Surface helper skills like vc-scout, vc-sequential-thinking, or vc-problem-solving when they are useful to the investigation.

Existing Plan File Present -> Resume from relevant phase; do not recreate plan.

UI / Frontend Request (keywords: "page", "component", "design", "layout", "interface", "UI") -> Surface vc-frontend-design skill alongside vc-research-agent. Invoke vc-ui-ux-designer agent during EXECUTE phase for implementation.

Documentation Question (keywords: "how does X work", "API docs", "syntax", "version") -> Activate vc-docs-seeker skill before routing to vc-research-agent.

Plan / Context Maintenance -> Surface vc-generate-plan, vc-generate-context, vc-audit-context, or vc-audit-plans directly when the user is asking for saved plan artifacts, context refresh, context reorganization, or active-plan cleanup.

Refactor / Simplify (keywords: "refactor", "clean up", "simplify", "reorganize") -> Pure style/readability with a named file and no behavior change: route directly to vc-code-simplifier agent. -> Behavioral or architectural refactor: full RESEARCH -> PLAN -> EXECUTE, then vc-code-simplifier as cleanup.

Debug / Root Cause (keywords: "debug", "why", "root cause", "investigate") -> vc-debugger agent is the default owner. Helper skills like vc-scout, vc-sequential-thinking, and vc-problem-solving may be layered in when they help the investigation.

When multiple intents match, use this precedence:

  1. Existing plan file in process/general-plans/active/ or process/features/*/active/ -> always resume first
  2. Explicit mode command (ENTER X MODE) -> obey immediately
  3. Bug/debug -> debugging routing before feature routing
  4. Feature request -> RIPER-5 flow
  5. UI specialization -> surface vc-frontend-design alongside any of the above
  6. Docs question -> surface vc-docs-seeker alongside any of the above

When still ambiguous, ask the user one clarifying question before routing.

2. Gather Context

Before routing to subagent, pass relevant process/context/ files:

  • process/context/all-context.md - always pass or consult first for context routing
  • process/context/all-context.md - always pass for architecture/stack awareness
  • process/context/tests/all-tests.md - pass when routing to vc-tester, vc-debugger, or vc-execute-agent
  • process/general-plans/active/ and process/features/*/active/ - check for existing plans to avoid duplication
  • Relevant code paths - summarize succinctly, don't dump entire files

Routing depth rule: all-*.md files are routers. After reading the router, subagents MUST follow its routing table to load the deeper file(s) relevant to their task before proposing or executing operational steps.

3. Route to Subagent

Choose based on current phase:

  • Initial understanding -> vc-research-agent
  • Exploring options -> vc-innovate-agent
  • Creating spec -> vc-plan-agent
  • Implementing approved plan -> vc-execute-agent
  • Fast workflow -> vc-fast-mode-agent
  • Capturing learnings -> vc-update-process-agent

4. Monitor Compliance

Ensure subagent:

  • Uses correct mode prefix
  • Stays within tool restrictions or documented Codex equivalents
  • Doesn't skip phases
  • Produces expected artifacts

Phase Transition Rules

RESEARCH -> INNOVATE:

  • Requires sufficient context gathered
  • User confirms with "go" or explicit mode command
  • If user responds with implementation intent but no "go", ask: "Do you want to proceed to INNOVATE or skip directly to PLAN?"

INNOVATE -> PLAN:

  • Requires approach discussion completed
  • User confirms with "go" or explicit mode command
  • vc-innovate-agent must produce a brief decision summary with chosen approach, rejected alternatives, and rationale before PLAN begins

PLAN -> EXECUTE:

  • Requires written plan file
  • User reviews and explicitly says "ENTER EXECUTE MODE"

Orchestrator preflight before spawning vc-execute-agent: Confirm exactly one plan file is selected. Pass the plan file path explicitly in the subagent prompt. If multiple plans exist in process/general-plans/active/ or process/features/*/active/, ask the user which one to use. Never let vc-execute-agent infer the plan from ambient state.

EXECUTE -> UPDATE PROCESS:

  • After non-trivial implementation complete, always surface a cleanup checkpoint
  • UPDATE PROCESS still requires explicit user command.
  • After vc-execute-agent reports DONE, the orchestrator should present a short closeout packet:
    • selected plan path
    • closeout classification
    • what was finished
    • what was verified versus still unverified
    • what cleanup/context capture remains
    • uncommitted file count and git-manager offer (when worktree is dirty)
    • commit-checkpoint recommendation:
      • invoke vc-git-manager before UPDATE PROCESS when validated execution changes are ready to split into a logical code/test commit
      • defer the commit checkpoint until after UPDATE PROCESS when the remaining changes are mainly process/, .claude/, .codex/, or AGENTS.md
    • the single best next valid state
  • Then ask one explicit next-step question such as:
    • Implementation complete. The selected plan appears ready for cleanup. Enter UPDATE PROCESS mode to archive the plan and capture learnings?
    • or Implementation is code-complete but still testing. Keep the plan in active for now, or enter UPDATE PROCESS mode anyway?
    • or Implementation deviated from plan. Return to PLAN or enter UPDATE PROCESS mode to reconcile?
  • If the next phase or follow-up is already known, name that exact plan path in the closeout summary so the user does not have to rediscover it.
  • If the worktree has uncommitted changes from this execution, offer: "Invoke vc-git-manager for logical commit splitting before UPDATE PROCESS?" Pass the touched_files list (files the vc-execute-agent reported changing) as context so vc-git-manager can scope its analysis.
  • If a phase is well-tested and genuinely validated, prefer surfacing a commit checkpoint instead of letting the work drift uncommitted while broader follow-up phases begin.
  • If execution revealed a concrete missing downstream lane, route UPDATE PROCESS to create the follow-up phase plan or backlog artifact and update the umbrella/parent plan instead of leaving the next step only in chat.
  • If cleanup is skipped and active-plan debt builds up, recommend vc-audit-plans as a follow-up maintenance step
  • Drift signal scoring for UPDATE PROCESS urgency:
    • Count: (a) total files touched, (b) any .claude/, .codex/, README.md, AGENTS.md, or process/development-protocols/ changes, (c) session involved 3+ memory-worthy observations
    • LOW (0-1 signals): include "UPDATE PROCESS available if you want." in closeout
    • MEDIUM (2 signals): include "Recommend UPDATE PROCESS -- significant changes detected."
    • HIGH (3+ signals): include "Strongly recommend UPDATE PROCESS -- harness/protocol files touched."

Parallel Fan-Out

At each phase transition above, invoke vc-agent-strategy-compare for the next phase's strategy recommendation. See process/development-protocols/orchestration.md for the checkpoint summary.

Key Principles

Phase Locking

Each mode has strict boundaries:

  • RESEARCH: Read-only, gather facts
  • INNOVATE: Discuss possibilities, no decisions
  • PLAN: Write spec only, no implementation
  • EXECUTE: Implement approved plan only
  • UPDATE PROCESS: Document learnings, archive

Safety

  • Never skip directly to implementation for substantial work
  • Never modify files in RESEARCH or INNOVATE
  • Never start EXECUTE without explicit approval
  • Always preserve user agency at phase transitions

Efficiency

  • Use subagents to isolate context when the user explicitly asks for delegation, parallel agent work, or a mode-specific agent
  • Pass only relevant files
  • Summarize rather than duplicate
  • Reuse existing plans and context

Success Metrics

Token Efficiency: Subagents use separate contexts, reducing token usage compared to main conversation context.

Phase Safety: Claude tool restrictions and Codex mode instructions reduce accidental violations, for example RESEARCH should not modify files.

Cross-Agent Compatibility: Plans and context files work consistently in Claude Code and Codex.

Quick Start

First Time:

  1. Verify RIPER-5 rules loaded; orchestrator may declare [MODE: ORCHESTRATOR]
  2. Run the vc-generate-context skill if process/context/all-context.md doesn't exist
  3. Start with a feature request or question

Typical Feature Workflow:

  1. Describe feature -> Orchestrator routes to vc-research-agent
  2. Say "go" -> Orchestrator routes to vc-innovate-agent
  3. Say "go" -> Orchestrator routes to vc-plan-agent and creates plan in process/general-plans/active/
  4. Review plan carefully
  5. Say "ENTER EXECUTE MODE" -> Orchestrator routes to vc-execute-agent
  6. After completion, optionally "ENTER UPDATE PROCESS MODE" -> Orchestrator routes to vc-update-process-agent

Quick Iteration (FAST MODE):

  1. Say "ENTER FAST MODE - [feature description]"
  2. Review generated plan; vc-fast-mode-agent pauses
  3. Say "ENTER EXECUTE MODE" to continue implementation within vc-fast-mode-agent

Troubleshooting

Rules not loading: Verify process/development-protocols/ exists and that the hook/config path resolution still points to the canonical protocol files.

Subagent not found: Ensure agent files exist in .claude/agents/ and mirrored TOML exists in .codex/agents/. Shared skills should exist under .claude/skills/ through the .agents/skills/ symlink, but agent wrappers should not exist there.

Plan conflicts: Date-stamped filenames should prevent overwrites; check git status.

Tool restrictions not working: Claude uses tools field in agent YAML frontmatter. Codex TOML mirrors prompts but may not enforce identical tool allowlists.

Cross-agent issues: Claude Code and Codex must use the same process/ folder structure.

Resources

  • Agent Definitions: .claude/agents/*.md
  • Codex Agent Mirrors: .codex/agents/*.toml
  • Workflow Skills: real reusable skills under .claude/skills/*/SKILL.md, exposed to Codex through .agents/skills/
  • Plans: process/general-plans/active/ (active general), process/general-plans/{completed,backlog,reports,references}/ (general archives/supporting artifacts), process/features/*/active/ (feature-scoped)
  • Features: process/features/
  • Context: process/context/all-context.md router plus relevant process/context/ files/groups

Porting Notes

This file intentionally preserves the original CLAUDE.md workflow while adapting it to Codex-native constructs:

  • AGENTS.md for top-level repository instructions
  • .agents/skills/ for mode and command workflows
  • .codex/agents/ for Codex subagent role mirrors
  • .codex/config.toml for project-level Codex configuration

The authoritative historical source remains: