Workbench SDD

Use this skill when a task needs to move from a fuzzy request into executable work.

This is the default workbench planning protocol unless the issue explicitly says the task is a quick fix, emergency repair, or direct verification run.

Pipeline

Move work through these stages:

1. Raw Requirement
   • Capture the user's literal request.
   • Separate confirmed facts from assumptions.
   • Name the owner, expected output, and known constraints.
2. Product Design
   • Define the user-facing behavior, success criteria, non-goals, and edge cases.
   • Keep the scope narrow unless the user asks for expansion.
3. Technical Design
   • Identify the runtime owner, data path, files, commands, integrations, and risk surface.
   • Prefer existing stable routes over new infrastructure.
4. Task List
   • Convert the design into bounded tasks with owner, evidence, and verification criteria.
   • Keep tasks executable by one agent unless the issue explicitly asks for parallel work.
   • Mark GOAL_MODE: yes when the owner must keep the objective alive across turns until verified.
5. Execution And Verification
   • Execute only the assigned slice.
   • Verify on the real path.
   • Report evidence before claiming done.

Stage Gate Rules

• Do not jump from an ambiguous raw request directly to implementation.
• Do not expand blast radius just because more agents or tokens are available.
• If a stage is already answered by issue text or prior comments, cite that evidence and move forward.
• If the task is blocked by a missing decision, state the smallest decision needed.
• If the task is low-risk and obvious, compress the stages into a short SDD card instead of creating ceremony.
• If the user says "go", "continue", or an equivalent approval after a reviewed stage, record that as the gate approval context before proceeding.
• When a stage has both proxy and agent-authored artifacts, use the complete agent-authored artifact as primary and keep the proxy comment as trace evidence.
• If an issue is marked GOAL_MODE: yes, the Task List must include GOAL_LOCK, closeout gates, and operator-call conditions before execution starts.

Comment Structure

Each SDD stage is a structured issue comment, not an issue status. Use this header for every stage artifact:

SDD_STAGE: [Raw Requirement / Product Design / Technical Design / Task List / Execution And Verification]
OWNER: [one agent or human owner]
STATUS: READY_FOR_REVIEW / APPROVED / BLOCKED
REVIEWER: Workbench Supervisor or designated reviewer
EVIDENCE: [files, commands, issue/comment IDs, or artifacts checked]
HANDOFF_SUMMARY: [five lines or fewer: what the next agent needs without rereading full history]
SCOPED_EVIDENCE: [exact comment IDs, run IDs, commit hashes, files, or artifact paths to inspect]
ANTI_OVER_READ: [sources to skip unless needed, such as full issue lists or full comment history]

Put the stage-specific artifact after the header. Keep discussion replies separate from stage artifacts so the comment history remains scannable.

Every SDD stage comment must literally include the exact uppercase field names HANDOFF_SUMMARY, SCOPED_EVIDENCE, and ANTI_OVER_READ in the header. Do not substitute semantic equivalents such as "Evidence", "Skipped", "Context", or prose bullets. Every SDD review comment must literally include VERDICT_SUMMARY. The next agent should be able to start from the handoff summary alone and deep-read only the listed SCOPED_EVIDENCE.

Stage Gate Mechanics

• Supervisor review happens between stages with VERDICT: PASS / FLAG / BLOCK.
• PASS allows the next stage to start.
• FLAG means the current stage needs a targeted correction before handoff.
• BLOCK means the stage cannot proceed until the smallest blocking decision or missing input is resolved.
• Issue statuses stay coarse: todo before work starts, in_progress while any SDD stage is active, in_review after execution is ready for final review, and done only after accepted evidence.

Bypass Rules

• Workbench Admin may use SDD_BYPASS: quick-fix for low-risk, obvious changes where a full SDD sequence would add noise.
• Workbench Admin may use SDD_BYPASS: emergency for time-critical repair work.
• Bypass is not allowed for high-risk, ambiguous, multi-system, or public/private boundary changes.
• A bypassed issue still needs one clear owner, explicit scope, verification evidence, and Supervisor review before closure.

Execution Handoff

• The Task List stage names the execution owner, exact files/resources, non-goals, approval gates, and verification commands.
• For GOAL_MODE: yes, the Task List also names required build/test/help-smoke/docs-or-report/git-status gates and the conditions for calling the operator.
• Execution owners implement only their assigned slice and do not create follow-on work unless explicitly requested.
• T8 or smoke-test work remains separate when the task list says it depends on a committed repo batch.
• Completion reports include changed files, verification output, residual risks, commit hash or artifact link, work directory, and branch.
• Live skill or agent-binding changes must have a backup and post-change verification before final PASS.
• If a run reaches evidence-ready state but does not post a stage artifact, the conductor may post a proxy artifact using run-message evidence and mark it as proxy/recovery evidence.

Output Contract

For planning or routing, return:

• SDD_STAGE: current stage.
• CONFIRMED: facts and constraints.
• ASSUMPTIONS: assumptions that still matter.
• NEXT_TASKS: owner-scoped tasks.
• VERIFICATION: evidence required to close.

For execution, return:

• what changed,
• what was verified,
• what remains risky or blocked.