<quick_start> Basic usage:

/apex add authentication middleware

Recommended workflow (autonomous with save):

/apex -a -s implement user registration

Flags:

• -a (auto): Skip confirmations
• -s (save): Save outputs to .claude/output/apex/
• -e (economy): No subagents, save tokens

See <parameters> for complete flag list. </quick_start>

Disable flags (turn OFF):

Short	Long	Description
-A	--no-auto	Disable auto mode
-S	--no-save	Disable save mode
-E	--no-economy	Disable economy mode
-B	--no-branch	Disable branch mode

Autonomous (skip confirmations)

/apex -a add auth middleware

Save outputs

/apex -a -s add auth middleware

Resume previous task

/apex -r 01-auth-middleware /apex -r 01 # Partial match

Economy mode (save tokens)

/apex -e add auth middleware

Interactive flag config

/apex -i add auth middleware

Disable flags (uppercase)

/apex -A add auth middleware # Disable auto

</examples>

<parsing_rules>
**Flag parsing:**

1. Defaults loaded from `steps/step-00-init.md` `<defaults>` section
2. Command-line flags override defaults (enable with lowercase `-x`, disable with uppercase `-X`)
3. Flags removed from input, remainder becomes `{task_description}`
4. Task ID generated as `NN-kebab-case-description`

For detailed parsing algorithm, see `steps/step-00-init.md`.
</parsing_rules>

</parameters>

<output_structure>
**When `{save_mode}` = true:**

All outputs saved to PROJECT directory (where Claude Code is running):

.claude/output/apex/{task-id}/ ├── 00-context.md # Params, user request, timestamp ├── 01-analyze.md # Analysis findings ├── 02-plan.md # Implementation plan ├── 03-execute.md # Execution log └── 04-validate.md # Validation results

**00-context.md structure:**
```markdown
# APEX Task: {task_id}

**Created:** {timestamp}
**Task:** {task_description}

## Flags
- Auto mode: {auto_mode}
- Save mode: {save_mode}
- Economy mode: {economy_mode}

## User Request
{original user input}

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] AC1: {inferred criterion}
- [ ] AC2: {inferred criterion}

</output_structure>

<resume_workflow> Resume mode (-r {task-id}):

When provided, step-00 will:

1. Locate the task folder in .claude/output/apex/
2. Restore state from 00-context.md
3. Find the last completed step
4. Continue from the next step

Supports partial matching (e.g., -r 01 finds 01-add-auth-middleware).

For implementation details, see steps/step-00-init.md. </resume_workflow>

<state_variables> Persist throughout all steps:

Variable	Type	Description
{task_description}	string	What to implement (flags removed)
{feature_name}	string	Kebab-case name without number (e.g., add-auth-middleware)
{task_id}	string	Full identifier with number (e.g., 01-add-auth-middleware)
{acceptance_criteria}	list	Success criteria (inferred or explicit)
{auto_mode}	boolean	Skip confirmations, use recommended options
{save_mode}	boolean	Save outputs to .claude/output/apex/
{economy_mode}	boolean	No subagents, direct tool usage only
{branch_mode}	boolean	Verify not on main, create branch if needed
{interactive_mode}	boolean	Configure flags interactively
{resume_task}	string	Task ID to resume (if -r provided)
{output_dir}	string	Full path to output directory
{branch_name}	string	Created branch name (if branch_mode)

</state_variables>

<entry_point>

FIRST ACTION: Load steps/step-00-init.md

Step 00 handles:

• Flag parsing (-a, -x, -s, -r, --test)
• Resume mode detection and task lookup
• Output folder creation (if save_mode)
• 00-context.md creation (if save_mode)
• State variable initialization

After initialization, step-00 loads step-01-analyze.md.

</entry_point>

<step_files> Progressive loading - only load current step:

Step	File	Purpose
00	steps/step-00-init.md	Parse flags, create output folder, initialize state
01	steps/step-01-analyze.md	Smart context gathering with 1-10 parallel agents based on complexity
02	steps/step-02-plan.md	File-by-file implementation strategy
03	steps/step-03-execute.md	Todo-driven implementation
04	steps/step-04-validate.md	Self-check, validation, and workflow completion

</step_files>

<execution_rules>

• Load one step at a time - Only load the current step file
• ULTRA THINK before major decisions
• Persist state variables across all steps
• Follow next_step directive at end of each step
• Save outputs if {save_mode} = true (append to step file)
• Use parallel agents for independent exploration tasks

🧠 Smart Agent Strategy in Analyze Phase

The analyze phase (step-01) uses adaptive agent launching (unless economy_mode):

Available agents:

• explore-codebase - Find existing patterns, files, utilities
• explore-docs - Research library docs (use when unfamiliar with API)
• websearch - Find approaches, best practices, gotchas

Launch 1-10 agents based on task complexity:

Complexity	Agents	When
Simple	1-2	Bug fix, small tweak
Medium	2-4	New feature in familiar stack
Complex	4-7	Unfamiliar libraries, integrations
Major	6-10	Multiple systems, many unknowns

BE SMART: Analyze what you actually need before launching. Don't over-launch for simple tasks, don't under-launch for complex ones.

</execution_rules>

<save_output_pattern> When {save_mode} = true:

Step-00 runs scripts/setup-templates.sh to initialize all output files from templates/ directory.

Each step then:

1. Run scripts/update-progress.sh {task_id} {step_num} {step_name} "in_progress"
2. Append findings/outputs to the pre-created step file
3. Run scripts/update-progress.sh {task_id} {step_num} {step_name} "complete"

Template system benefits:

• Reduces token usage by ~75% (1,350 tokens saved per workflow)
• Templates in templates/ directory (not inline in steps)
• Scripts handle progress tracking automatically
• See templates/README.md for details

</save_output_pattern>

<success_criteria>

• Each step loaded progressively
• All validation checks passing
• Outputs saved if {save_mode} enabled
• Clear completion summary provided </success_criteria>