Conductor New Track

Overview

This skill facilitates the "Plan before you build" philosophy. It ensures that every task starts with clear requirements (spec.md) and a structured, actionable execution path (plan.md) that respects the project's established workflow. The entire track creation process runs within Plan Mode, providing a controlled environment for file creation and modification.

When to Use

• When a user says "Start a new feature," "Fix a bug," or "I have a new task."
• Before any implementation code is written.

Workflow

1. Setup Check: Verify Conductor is set up and load project context (Product Definition, Tech Stack, Workflow).
2. Enter Plan Mode: Call enter_plan_mode tool before proceeding. Get track description if not provided via args.
3. Interactive Spec: Ask targeted questions to define success. Batch up to 4 related questions in a single ask_user tool call. Questions are classified as Additive (brainstorming/scope, multiSelect: true) or Exclusive Choice (foundational decisions, multiSelect: false). Draft spec.md and get user approval via embedded content review.
4. Plan Generation: Create a phased to-do list based on the spec and the project's workflow.md. Inject Phase Completion Tasks if defined in the workflow. Draft plan.md and get user approval via embedded content review.
5. Artifact Scaffolding: Create the track directory and initialize index, metadata, spec, and plan files. Ensure unique short names by checking existing tracks.
6. Exit Plan Mode: Call exit_plan_mode tool with the path to the track's index.md.
7. Registry Registration: Append the new track to the project's tracks.md in the format - [ ] **Track: <Description>** and commit the changes.

Implementation Details

Refer to the following protocols for detailed procedural instructions:

• Resolution Protocol: references/resolution-protocol.md - How to find and verify Conductor artifacts.
• Track Planning Protocol: references/track-planning.md - The interactive process for generating specs and plans, including Plan Mode handling.

Mandatory Constraints

• Plan Mode Execution: The entire newTrack process MUST run within Plan Mode. Enter via enter_plan_mode at the start and exit via exit_plan_mode after artifacts are created. Only write_file, replace, and authorized run_shell_command are permitted. All file paths MUST use conductor/ relative paths. Redirection (> or >>) is strictly prohibited in run_shell_command during Plan Mode.
• Question Classification: Every question MUST be classified as either Additive (multiSelect: true, for brainstorming and scope definition) or Exclusive Choice (multiSelect: false, for foundational singular decisions). Each question MUST include: header (max 16 chars), type, multiSelect (for choice type), options with label and description, and placeholder (for text type).
• Batch Questioning: Streamline the process by batching up to 4 related questions in a single ask_user tool call.
• Workflow Alignment: Plans MUST include TDD tasks (Write Tests -> Implement) and Phase Completion meta-tasks if required by the project workflow.
• Unique IDs: Verify that the track's short name is unique before generating the full ID.
• Git Hygiene: Every new track creation MUST conclude with a commit of the tracks.md file.