Workflow prompt guide

Workflow Prompt Guide

Use this guide when you need a concise human-to-agent prompt. It is organized by intent: what you are asking the agent to do now.

Use the numbered workflows for operating rules:

• 01-start-here.md: session startup, CLI resolution, workspace-root discovery, read-only navigation, command boundaries, and manual-exception preflight.
• 02-plan-from-spec.md: planning-layer creation, full-set scaffolding, prompt/template use, action-verb conventions, path and directory handoff detail, and planning metadata rules.
• 03-implement-from-task.md: task readiness, implementation handoff, task-scoped validation, paired task artifact updates, and implementation closeout.
• 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md: implementation-summary evidence, milestone reconciliation, follow-up extraction, structural-pressure rollup, and review closure.

Agent priority order:

1. Read .day-shift/agents.md first for the repository-level agent contract.
2. Use the matching .agent-lifecycle-guide.md when executing a task, milestone, phase, or slice lifecycle.
3. Use this guide only to compose the human-facing prompt; use numbered workflows for procedure.

Agent Orientation Command

<day-shift-cli> agent is the read-only agent orientation command. Use it at the start of an automation-agent session to show the repository contract, entrypoint guidance, and command envelope before the agent chooses workflow-specific commands.

agent orient is the full-orientation alias, and agent remind is the shorter correction-focused reminder for sessions that have drifted from the repository contract.

Quick Routing

Do not advance from spec to slice, slice to phase, phase to milestone, or milestone to task unless the user explicitly requested that lifecycle step or an existing workflow command selected it as the active write.

Intent gates:

• Source-spec-only: create spec, capture spec, draft spec, revise spec, update spec.
• Planning advancement: plan from spec, create slice, start planning, create next planning layer, scaffold slice.

Review, navigation, second pass, review, harden, hardening, improve, improvement, and completeness requests are read-only or selected-artifact edit work by default. They do not create downstream planning artifacts unless the user explicitly asks for lifecycle advancement; use <day-shift-cli> slice new --spec-id <id> through .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md when explicit planning advancement is intended.

For validation and review findings, preserve the reported no-write state and shared findings taxonomy from .day-shift/references/validation-and-review.md; use this guide only to route the next explicit prompt or command.

For command-surface questions, use <day-shift-cli> commands inventory --format json as read-only machine-readable evidence before inferring availability, write posture, selected-artifact requirements, registry-only entries, or mixed-posture family behavior. Use command help for exact flags after the inventory identifies the relevant callable subcommand.

For shared reporting-alignment coverage, keep selected family, surface mode, no-write state, shared findings taxonomy, family-specific evidence lanes, and adjacent-family evidence policy explicit so future diff, list, show, review, audit, and validation-smoke surfaces reuse the same model.

For runtime evidence gates, preserve execution_mode from task definition through implementation summary, milestone reconciliation, and phase review. New task scaffolds default to execution_mode: runtime. Switch to contract only for contract-only evidence or planning work that does not require a runtime behavior change. Switch to hybrid only when the task must carry both runtime implementation evidence and contract or handoff evidence to complete the task or milestone. Contract work can close on frozen contract evidence without runtime claims, while runtime and hybrid work requires Runtime Delta targets, runtime changed paths, executable validation evidence, or a structured validation exception for a blocked validation command; review and validation findings remain evidence-only and never authorize repairs, status mutation, or artifact creation by themselves.

I want to…	Use section	Operating workflow
Figure out what to do next	Orientation Prompts	01-start-here.md
Create a missing planning artifact	Build Prompts	02-plan-from-spec.md
Update an existing planning artifact	Revise Prompts	02-plan-from-spec.md
Create the next child artifact	Plan The Next Layer	02-plan-from-spec.md
Check readiness or satisfaction	Review Prompts	depends on layer
Implement code from a task	Implementation Prompts	03-implement-from-task.md
Record evidence or reconcile	Summary And Reconciliation Prompts	04-summarize-and-reconcile.md
Handle an urgent interruption	Emergent Work Prompts	01-start-here.md, then 02-plan-from-spec.md

Prompt Anatomy

Prefer labeled inputs followed by one plain-language request.

Workflow: [Relative Path To Workflow]
Prompt: [Relative Path To Prompt]
Artifact: [Relative Path To Artifact]

[One direct request.]

Use explicit paths when changing behavior, resolving ambiguity, checking a specific prompt, or asking the agent to update an existing artifact. Use commands when the next step is command-supported and deterministic.

Example:

Command: <day-shift-cli> planning inventory --scope .day-shift/planning/05-planning-artifacts
Command: <day-shift-cli> workflow explain --artifact .day-shift/planning/05-planning-artifacts/phases/04-metadata-update-utilities/overview.md

Use the read-only guidance surfaces first when the next write-capable command is unclear. Treat their output as navigation and evidence only, then recommend the next explicit update, build, or sync command if one is needed.

Orientation Prompts

Find The Next Action

Use when: the active artifact or next valid workflow step is unclear.

Workflow: 01-start-here.md

Command: <day-shift-cli> planning next-action --artifact [Relative Path To Artifact]
Command: <day-shift-cli> workflow explain --artifact [Relative Path To Artifact]

Use read-only navigation to identify the next valid workflow step. Report the recommended next action and stop before any write.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: use the section reported by planning next-action or workflow explain; if more context is needed first, use Inventory Current Planning State.

Inventory Current Planning State

Use when: you need the current hierarchy, missing artifacts, or paired evidence status before deciding what to do.

Workflow: 01-start-here.md

Command: <day-shift-cli> planning inventory --scope [Relative Path To Planning Scope]
Command: <day-shift-cli> planning gap-report --scope [Relative Path To Planning Scope]

Inspect the current planning state and report gaps, likely next steps, and anything that should remain read-only evidence.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Find The Next Action, then follow the reported build, next, review, or recertify section.

Build Prompts

Build A Specification

Use when: a source spec needs to be created from source material before planning.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md
Spec source: [Relative Path To Spec File]

Build the specification from the source material.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Specification if the spec needs readiness review, or Spec To Slice when it is ready for slice planning.

Build A Slice Overview

Use when: the slice overview is missing and needs to be created from selected spec evidence.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.build.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]

Build the slice overview.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Slice if the slice needs readiness review, or Slice To Phase when it is ready for phase planning.

Build A Phase Overview

Use when: the phase overview is missing and needs to be created from an existing slice overview.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.build.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Build the phase overview.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Phase if the phase needs readiness review, or Phase To Milestone when it is ready for milestone planning.

Build A Milestone Overview

Use when: the milestone overview is missing and needs to be created from an existing phase overview.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.build.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]

Build the milestone overview.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Milestone if the milestone needs readiness review, or Milestone To Task when it is ready for task planning.

Build A Task Definition

Use when: the task definition is missing and needs to be created from an existing milestone overview.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.build.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Build the task definition.

After updating the task definition, use the readiness-review procedure from `02-plan-from-spec.md` and include the result plus any required metadata corrections before finalizing the task build response.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Task if implementation readiness needs a hard review gate, or Implement One Task when the task is ready to implement.

Revise Prompts

Revise A Specification

Use when: an existing source spec is stale, incomplete, or needs clearer scope before planning.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md
Spec source: [Relative Path To Existing Spec File]

Revise the existing specification in place. Preserve useful source context, update stale scope, and keep the result ready for downstream planning.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Specification to confirm readiness, Recertify A Specification Before Slice Planning if active-registry disposition is unclear, or Spec To Slice when planning should proceed.

Revise A Slice Overview

Use when: an existing slice overview is stale or needs a clearer planning boundary.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.build.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Existing Slice Overview]

Revise the existing slice overview in place. Preserve traceability and update only the sections needed to reflect current scope.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Slice to confirm readiness, Recertify A Slice if active planning disposition is unclear, or Slice To Phase when phase planning should proceed.

Revise A Phase Overview

Use when: an existing phase overview is stale or needs milestone decomposition updates.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.build.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Existing Phase Overview]

Revise the existing phase overview in place. Preserve traceability and update the milestone plan only where current evidence requires it.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Phase to confirm readiness, Recertify A Phase if active planning disposition is unclear, or Phase To Milestone when milestone planning should proceed.

Revise A Milestone Overview

Use when: an existing milestone overview is stale or needs task decomposition updates.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.build.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Existing Milestone Overview]

Revise the existing milestone overview in place. Preserve traceability and update the task plan only where current evidence requires it.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Milestone to confirm readiness, Recertify A Milestone if active planning disposition is unclear, or Milestone To Task when task planning should proceed.

Revise A Task Definition

Use when: an existing task definition is stale, incomplete, or not yet implementation-ready.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.build.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Existing Task Definition]

Revise the existing task definition in place.

After updating the task definition, use the readiness-review procedure from `02-plan-from-spec.md` and include the result plus any required metadata corrections before finalizing the task revision response.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Task to confirm implementation readiness, Recertify A Task if active implementation disposition is unclear, or Implement One Task when implementation should proceed.

Plan The Next Layer

Spec To Slice

Use when: a registered source spec is ready to become a planning slice.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.next.md
Spec source: [Relative Path To Spec File Or Spec Directory]

Create the next planning layer from this specification. Use the command-supported workflow from `02-plan-from-spec.md`, preserve traceability, and keep the content at slice-overview depth.

For multi-spec slices, preserve each source in upstream.specs instead of collapsing them into one synthetic reference.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Slice To Phase; use Review A Slice first only when the new slice needs readiness review.

Slice To Phase

Use when: a standard slice overview is ready for one phase or its declared phase set.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.next.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Create the next phase from the slice overview.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Phase To Milestone; use Review A Phase first only when the new phase needs readiness review.

Slice To Full Phase Set

Use when: all declared phases in a slice should be scaffolded.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.next.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]

Create all phases listed in the slice overview by iterating the standard phase-creation contract for each listed phase, creating the `phases/` directory if needed, and keeping traceability back to the source specs and index metadata.

This is a slice-local full-set request: it creates phase overviews only.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Phase To Full Milestone Set when the phase should be fully scaffolded, or Execute A Full Phase Cycle when the agent should coordinate the full phase lifecycle.

Slice To Lightweight Task

Use when: the slice declares planning_depth: lightweight and the lightweight boundary still holds.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.build.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.build.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]
Task definition: [Relative Path To Lightweight Task Definition]

Create a direct lightweight task under the slice, initialize the paired lightweight implementation summary, preserve traceability to the slice overview, and do not invent phase or milestone coordinates.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Task if the lightweight task needs readiness review, or Implement One Task when implementation should proceed.

Phase To Milestone

Use when: a phase overview is ready for one milestone or its declared milestone set.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.next.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Create the next milestone from the phase overview, keep it focused on acceptance-checkpoint scope rather than task execution detail, initialize the milestone `reconciliation.md` placeholder, and preserve traceability back to the phase and upstream planning artifacts.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Milestone To Task; use Review A Milestone first only when the new milestone needs readiness review.

Phase To Full Milestone Set

Use when: all declared milestones in a phase should be scaffolded.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.next.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Create all milestones listed in the phase overview by iterating the standard milestone-creation contract for each listed milestone, creating the phase `milestones/` directory if needed, and keeping traceability back to the source specs and index metadata.

This is a phase-local full-set request: it creates milestone overviews and milestone-level reconciliation placeholders only.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Execute A Full Milestone Cycle when the agent should coordinate task scaffolding, implementation, evidence capture, and reconciliation for each milestone.

Milestone To Task

Use when: a milestone overview is ready for one task or its declared task set.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.next.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]

Create the next task directory from the milestone overview, keep the task implementation-sized, initialize both `task-definition.md` and `implementation-summary.md`, and preserve traceability back to the milestone and upstream planning artifacts.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Task if the new task needs readiness review, or Implement One Task when implementation should proceed.

Milestone To Full Task Set

Use when: all declared tasks in a milestone should be scaffolded.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.next.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]

Create all tasks listed in the milestone overview by iterating the standard task-creation contract for each listed task, creating that directory if needed, using ordered task directory names, and keeping traceability back to the source specs and index metadata.

This is a milestone-local full-set request: it creates task definitions and paired implementation-summary placeholders only.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Implement The Next Ready Task In A Milestone, or Review A Task first when the first active task needs a hard readiness gate.

Review Prompts

Review A Specification

Use when: a spec needs readiness review before planning, or satisfaction review after downstream work exists.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.review.md
Spec source: [Relative Path To Spec File Or Spec Directory]

Review for planning readiness.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.review.md
Spec source: [Relative Path To Spec File Or Spec Directory]
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]

Review against downstream evidence.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify A Specification Before Slice Planning if the review finds stale active-scope or registry questions, or Spec To Slice when explicit slice planning should proceed.

Recertify A Specification Before Slice Planning

Use when: an older active spec may be stale because implementation, workflow direction, or downstream planning changed.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.recertify.md
Spec source: [Relative Path To Spec File Or Spec Directory]
Spec index: .day-shift/specs/index.json

Recertify this specification against current implementation, workflow direction, and downstream planning evidence. Recommend whether it should remain active, be updated, be collapsed, be deferred, be marked superseded, or be removed from the active spec registry.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Revise A Specification if source-spec edits are needed, Review A Specification if readiness needs confirmation, or Spec To Slice when the active spec is ready for slice planning.

Recertify A Slice

Use when: a slice overview may be stale before phase planning, after downstream evidence exists, or after upstream spec direction changed.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.recertify.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]

Recertify this slice against current upstream specs, implementation behavior, workflow direction, and downstream phase, milestone, task, implementation, and reconciliation evidence. Recommend whether it should remain active, be updated, collapsed, split, deferred, completed, superseded, or removed from active planning input.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Revise A Slice Overview if slice edits are needed, Review A Slice if readiness or satisfaction needs confirmation, or Slice To Phase when phase planning should proceed.

Review A Slice

Use when: a slice needs readiness review before phase planning, or satisfaction review after downstream planning exists.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.review.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]

Review for planning readiness.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/slice.review.md
Slice overview: [Relative Path To Slice Overview]

Review against downstream evidence.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify A Slice if the review finds stale active-scope questions, or Slice To Phase when explicit phase planning should proceed.

Recertify A Phase

Use when: a phase overview may be stale before milestone planning, after milestone evidence exists, or after parent slice direction changed.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.recertify.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Recertify this phase against the parent slice, current implementation behavior, workflow direction, and downstream milestone, task, implementation, and reconciliation evidence. Recommend whether it should remain active, be updated, collapsed, split, deferred, completed, superseded, or removed from active planning input.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Revise A Phase Overview if phase edits are needed, Review A Phase if readiness or satisfaction needs confirmation, or Phase To Milestone when milestone planning should proceed.

Review A Phase

Use when: a phase needs readiness review before milestone planning, or satisfaction review after milestone evidence exists.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.review.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Review for planning readiness.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/phase.review.md
Phase overview: [Relative Path To Phase Overview]

Review the phase against milestone evidence. Determine whether the completed milestone set satisfies the phase acceptance criteria, identify missing or stale milestone evidence, and report any remaining phase-level follow-up work.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify A Phase if the review finds stale active-scope questions, or Phase To Milestone when explicit milestone planning should proceed.

Recertify A Milestone

Use when: a milestone overview may be stale before task planning, after task evidence exists, or after parent phase direction changed.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.recertify.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]

Recertify this milestone against the parent phase, current implementation behavior, workflow direction, and downstream task, implementation, and reconciliation evidence. Recommend whether it should remain active, be updated, collapsed, split, deferred, completed, superseded, or removed from active planning input.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Revise A Milestone Overview if milestone edits are needed, Review A Milestone if readiness or satisfaction needs confirmation, or Milestone To Task when task planning should proceed.

Review A Milestone

Use when: a milestone needs readiness review before task planning, or satisfaction review after task and reconciliation evidence exists.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.review.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]

Review for planning readiness.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/milestone.review.md
Milestone overview: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview]

Review against downstream evidence.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify A Milestone if the review finds stale active-scope questions, or Milestone To Task when explicit task planning should proceed.

Recertify A Task

Use when: a task definition may be stale before implementation, after sibling work changed the plan, or after implementation already satisfied or superseded the task.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.recertify.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Recertify this task against the parent milestone, current implementation behavior, sibling task evidence, its paired implementation summary, and any task-level reconciliation exception. Recommend whether it should remain active, be updated, collapsed, split, deferred, completed, superseded, or removed from active implementation input.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Revise A Task Definition if task edits are needed, Review A Task if readiness or satisfaction needs confirmation, or Implement One Task when implementation should proceed.

Review A Task

Use when: a task needs readiness review, or implementation evidence needs comparison against the task definition.

Workflow: 03-implement-from-task.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.review.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Review for implementation readiness using the readiness-review procedure from `03-implement-from-task.md`. Include the result and stop after the readiness review; do not implement yet.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.review.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Review the task definition against the completed implementation evidence. Confirm whether the declared scope, implementation target paths, acceptance criteria, validation expectations, and open questions were actually satisfied, and explain any remaining gaps or follow-up work.

Readiness review is not authorization to implement. If you want a hard review boundary, say stop there, do not implement yet, or wait for review.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify A Task if the review finds stale active-scope questions, or Implement One Task when explicit implementation should proceed.

Implementation Prompts

Implement One Task

Use when: one task definition is ready and the human wants code changes.

Workflow: 03-implement-from-task.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/03-implement-from-task.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.next.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Use the readiness review from the implementation workflow when it can reduce manual inspection. Then implement this task, run the listed validation when feasible, update the existing implementation-summary.md in the same task directory, and use the supported metadata sync/update command so the originating task-definition.md no longer remains in a ready state.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Build Or Update An Implementation Summary if the summary needs evidence refresh, or Review An Implementation Summary when the implementation summary should be checked before reconciliation.

Implement The Next Ready Task In A Milestone

Use when: the milestone is the human’s context and the agent should choose the next ready task.

Workflow: 03-implement-from-task.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/03-implement-from-task.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.next.md
Milestone directory: [Relative Path To Milestone Directory]

Find the next task marked ready to implement, implement it from its `task-definition.md`, update its `implementation-summary.md` with changed paths, validation results, and any discovered work, and use the supported metadata sync/update command for originating task definition metadata after completion.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Implement The Next Ready Task In A Milestone again for the next ready sibling task, or Reconcile A Milestone when all milestone task summaries are completed and non-placeholder.

Implement With Validation Caveat

Use when: implementation should proceed, but some validation may be unavailable.

Workflow: 03-implement-from-task.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/03-implement-from-task.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/task.next.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Implement the task. If any validation command cannot be run, say why, describe the residual risk, recommend the next validation command, still update `implementation-summary.md` with what was and was not verified, and use the supported metadata sync/update command for originating task definition metadata when implementation closes out.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review An Implementation Summary to check the caveated summary, or Recertify An Implementation Summary after validation evidence changes.

Execute A Full Phase Cycle

Use when: the agent should coordinate milestone scaffolding, milestone execution, milestone reconciliation, and phase evidence review.

Workflow: phase.agent-lifecycle-guide.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/phase.agent-lifecycle-guide.md
Phase: [Relative Path To Phase Overview Or Phase Directory]
Mode: implement

Execute the phase with the `full-cycle-strict` profile from `.day-shift/workflows/phase.agent-lifecycle-guide.md`. That profile owns declared-only scaffolding, ordered milestone delegation, safe link materialization, task closeout, reconciliation build/review/re-open gates, final phase validation, read-only phase review by default, and explicit blocked/discovered-work reporting.

If unresolved questions appear during milestone or task creation, resolve them from repository evidence when possible. Stop before the next write or implementation gate when the answer would materially change scope, sequencing, target paths, acceptance criteria, dependencies, validation, or rollback.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Phase for phase evidence review after milestone reconciliation, or Recertify A Phase if the phase may have gone stale during execution.

Execute A Full Milestone Cycle

Use when: the agent should coordinate task scaffolding, task execution, evidence capture, and milestone reconciliation.

Workflow: milestone.agent-lifecycle-guide.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/milestone.agent-lifecycle-guide.md
Milestone: [Relative Path To Milestone Overview Or Milestone Directory]
Mode: implement

Execute this milestone as a full cycle: scaffold only the declared tasks, run link validation and safe link materialization updates after task scaffold or overview body changes, treating link-materialize dry-run `candidateCount > 0` as the signal to run the matching `--write` command when writes are authorized and `previewChangedPaths` stays inside the selected artifact scope, execute each task in declared order through the task lifecycle, capture task evidence, run final milestone link validation before reconciliation, reconcile the milestone only after every task summary is completed and non-placeholder, run reconciliation build and review, re-open `reconciliation.md` to verify non-placeholder acceptance-criteria review, validation review, final notes, completed-task summary links, and a stated milestone verdict, and report blocked or discovered work explicitly.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Milestone for milestone evidence review after reconciliation, or Recertify A Milestone if the milestone may have gone stale during execution.

Summary And Reconciliation Prompts

Build Or Update An Implementation Summary

Use when: implementation happened and the paired task summary needs execution evidence.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.build.md
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]
Implementation summary: [Relative Path To Implementation Summary]

Create or update the implementation summary from the completed or partial implementation, mapping results back to acceptance criteria and validation evidence.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review An Implementation Summary to check whether the summary can feed milestone reconciliation.

Review An Implementation Summary

Use when: you need to know whether milestone reconciliation can proceed.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.review.md
Implementation summary: [Relative Path To Implementation Summary]

Review the implementation summary against its task definition and observed changes, and say whether reconciliation can proceed.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify An Implementation Summary if the summary is stale or contradicted, or Reconcile A Milestone when milestone reconciliation should proceed.

Recertify An Implementation Summary

Use when: an implementation summary may be stale because code, validation, task scope, or reconciliation evidence changed after the summary was written.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.recertify.md
Implementation summary: [Relative Path To Implementation Summary]
Task definition: [Relative Path To Task Definition]

Recertify this implementation summary against the paired task definition, current changed files, validation evidence, and milestone reconciliation state. Recommend whether the summary remains accurate, needs correction, should collapse or split evidence, needs revalidation, is superseded, or is closeout-ready.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Build Or Update An Implementation Summary if summary corrections are needed, Review An Implementation Summary if closeout-readiness needs confirmation, or Reconcile A Milestone when reconciliation should proceed.

Reconcile A Milestone

Use when: every declared task under the milestone has a completed, non-placeholder implementation summary.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/04-summarize-and-reconcile.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.next.md
Milestone directory: [Relative Path To Milestone Directory]

Review the milestone, use the completed task `implementation-summary.md` files under that milestone as the implementation source of truth, and update milestone-level `reconciliation.md` with acceptance-criteria review, validation review, discovered work, and follow-up tasks.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review Reconciliation to check closure quality, or Review A Milestone to review the milestone against completed reconciliation evidence.

Reconcile Partial Milestone Progress

Use when: milestone evidence needs a review artifact, but the milestone should not be accepted.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/04-summarize-and-reconcile.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/implementation.next.md
Milestone directory: [Relative Path To Milestone Directory]

Review the milestone, keep the reconciliation status accurate through the supported reconciliation update command when available, record residual risk, unfinished tasks, and cross-task gaps, and do not mark the milestone accepted without review evidence.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review Reconciliation to check the partial reconciliation, or Implement The Next Ready Task In A Milestone for the next unfinished task.

Review Reconciliation

Use when: a reconciliation artifact needs closure-quality review.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/reconciliation.review.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/reconciliation.review.md
Reconciliation artifact: [Relative Path To Reconciliation Artifact]

Review the reconciliation artifact for status accuracy, closure quality, traceability, review concerns, and whether the work should be accepted, deferred, or reviewed further.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify Reconciliation if reconciliation evidence is stale or contradicted, Extract Follow-Up Work if follow-up work should be extracted, or Review A Milestone for parent milestone satisfaction review.

Recertify Reconciliation

Use when: a reconciliation artifact may be stale because implementation, validation, residual-work classification, parent planning state, or follow-up references changed.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/reconciliation.recertify.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/reconciliation.recertify.md
Reconciliation artifact: [Relative Path To Reconciliation Artifact]

Recertify this reconciliation artifact against parent planning context, implementation summaries, current validation evidence, accepted residual work, and follow-up planning state. Recommend whether it remains accurate, needs correction, should collapse or split evidence, needs revalidation, is superseded, or has follow-up work ready for a separate planning action.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Reconcile A Milestone if reconciliation corrections are needed, Review Reconciliation if closure quality needs confirmation, or Extract Follow-Up Work when follow-up extraction should proceed.

Extract Follow-Up Work

Use when: reconciliation may contain backlog candidates, planning updates, validation actions, or user decisions.

Workflow: 04-summarize-and-reconcile.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/reconciliation.next.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/reconciliation.next.md
Reconciliation artifact: [Relative Path To Reconciliation Artifact]

Review the reconciliation artifact and report follow-up tasks, backlog candidates, planning updates, validation actions, and items that still need user decisions. Do not create follow-up artifacts in this pass.

Follow-up extraction is read-only by default. If the follow-up requires new phases, milestones, or tasks, report the candidate artifact structure and stop unless a separate explicit planning prompt or approved scaffold plan asks for those writes.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: the matching planning section for the recommended follow-up layer, usually Phase To Milestone, Milestone To Task, or Build A Task Definition; use Review Reconciliation first if follow-up evidence is unclear.

Emergent Work Prompts

Capture An Emergent Spec

Use when: the issue is time-sensitive, blocks ongoing work, or represents a real operating failure and needs a new emergent spec.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md
Spec source: .day-shift/specs/00-emergent/00-YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md

Build the emergent specification from the report. Preserve urgency, source, and scope boundaries.

Use chat-first intake when the report is short. Use .day-shift/specs/00-emergent/evidence-capture/ only for bulky raw notes, logs, or multi-part source material.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Specification if the emergent spec needs readiness review, or Plan An Emergent Slice when emergent slice planning should proceed.

Revise An Emergent Spec

Use when: an existing emergent spec needs clearer scope, updated evidence, or corrected urgency before planning continues.

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md

Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.build.md
Spec source: .day-shift/specs/00-emergent/00-YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md

Revise the existing emergent specification in place. Preserve the original report context, update stale evidence, and keep urgency, source, and scope boundaries explicit.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Recertify A Specification Before Slice Planning if active emergent disposition is unclear, Review A Specification if readiness needs confirmation, or Plan An Emergent Slice when planning should proceed.

Plan An Emergent Slice

Use when: the emergent spec exists and should enter the normal planning tree.

Workflow: 02-plan-from-spec.md Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.next.md

Workflow: .day-shift/workflows/02-plan-from-spec.md
Prompt: .day-shift/prompts/user/specification.next.md
Spec source: .day-shift/specs/00-emergent/00-YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>.md

Create the next planning layer from the emergent specification at `.day-shift/planning/00-emergent-<slug>/slice-overview.md`. Use the command-supported workflow from `02-plan-from-spec.md`.

After the emergent issue is captured and routed into planning, continue through the normal planning, implementation, and reconciliation prompts at the appropriate depth.

Likely next workflow-guide prompt: Review A Slice if the emergent slice needs readiness review, or Slice To Phase when phase planning should proceed.

Prompt Snippets

Stop After Review

Review this artifact and stop there. Do not update files, scaffold child artifacts, or begin implementation until I explicitly ask for the next step.

Read-Only Navigation

Use read-only navigation and validation commands only. Report the likely next action and any blockers, but do not create, repair, reconcile, sync, or mutate artifacts.

Explicit Write

Use the command-supported workflow first. If the CLI does not support this write or fails, name the skipped command and the allowed manual exception before making any manual artifact edit.

Stay In Existing Task Directory

Use the selected `task-definition.md` as the source of truth for the active task directory. Update the paired `implementation-summary.md` in that same directory and do not create alternate closeout notes elsewhere.