Workflow Skill Designer

Meta-skill for creating structured workflow skills following the orchestrator + phases pattern. Generates complete skill packages with SKILL.md as coordinator and phases/ folder for execution details.

Architecture Overview

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Workflow Skill Designer                                         │
│  → Analyze requirements → Design orchestrator → Generate phases  │
└───────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                │
    ┌───────────┼───────────┬───────────┐
    ↓           ↓           ↓           ↓
┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐
│ Phase 1 │ │ Phase 2 │ │ Phase 3 │ │ Phase 4 │
│ Require │ │  Orch   │ │ Phases  │ │ Valid   │
│ Analysis│ │ Design  │ │ Design  │ │ & Integ │
└─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ └─────────┘
     ↓           ↓           ↓           ↓
  workflow    SKILL.md    phases/     Complete
  config     generated   0N-*.md     skill pkg

Target Output Structure

The skill this meta-skill produces follows this structure:

.claude/skills/{skill-name}/
├── SKILL.md                    # Orchestrator: coordination, data flow, TodoWrite
├── phases/
│   ├── 01-{phase-name}.md      # Phase execution detail (full content)
│   ├── 02-{phase-name}.md
│   ├── ...
│   └── 0N-{phase-name}.md
├── specs/                      # [Optional] Domain specifications
└── templates/                  # [Optional] Reusable templates

Core Design Patterns

Patterns extracted from successful workflow skill implementations (workflow-plan, project-analyze, etc.):

Pattern 1: Orchestrator + Progressive Loading

SKILL.md = Pure coordinator. Contains:

• Architecture diagram (ASCII)
• Execution flow with Ref: phases/0N-xxx.md markers
• Phase Reference Documents table (read on-demand)
• Data flow between phases
• Core rules and error handling

Phase files = Full execution detail. Contains:

• Complete agent prompts, bash commands, code implementations
• Validation checklists, error handling
• Input/Output specification
• Next Phase link

Key Rule: SKILL.md references phase docs via Ref: markers. Phase docs are read only when that phase executes, not all at once.

Pattern 2: TodoWrite Attachment/Collapse

Phase starts:
  → Sub-tasks ATTACHED to TodoWrite (in_progress + pending)
  → Orchestrator executes sub-tasks sequentially

Phase ends:
  → Sub-tasks COLLAPSED back to high-level summary (completed)
  → Next phase begins

Pattern 3: Inter-Phase Data Flow

Phase N output → stored in memory/variable → Phase N+1 input
                  └─ or written to session file for persistence

Each phase receives outputs from prior phases via:

• In-memory variables (sessionId, contextPath, etc.)
• Session directory files (.workflow/active/{sessionId}/...)
• Planning notes (accumulated constraints document)

Pattern 4: Conditional Phase Execution

Phase N output contains condition flag
  ├─ condition met → Execute Phase N+1
  └─ condition not met → Skip to Phase N+2

Pattern 5: Input Structuring

User input (free text) → Structured format before Phase 1:

GOAL: [objective]
SCOPE: [boundaries]
CONTEXT: [background/constraints]

Pattern 6: Interactive Preference Collection (SKILL.md Responsibility)

Workflow preferences (auto mode, force explore, etc.) MUST be collected via AskUserQuestion in SKILL.md before dispatching to phases. Phases reference these as workflowPreferences.{key} context variables.

Anti-Pattern: Command-line flags (--yes, -e, --explore) parsed within phase files via $ARGUMENTS.includes(...).

// CORRECT: In SKILL.md (before phase dispatch)
const prefResponse = AskUserQuestion({
  questions: [
    { question: "是否跳过确认？", header: "Auto Mode", options: [
      { label: "Interactive (Recommended)", description: "交互模式" },
      { label: "Auto", description: "跳过所有确认" }
    ]}
  ]
})
workflowPreferences = { autoYes: prefResponse.autoMode === 'Auto' }

// CORRECT: In phase files (reference only)
const autoYes = workflowPreferences.autoYes

// WRONG: In phase files (flag parsing)
const autoYes = $ARGUMENTS.includes('--yes') || $ARGUMENTS.includes('-y')

Pattern 7: Direct Phase Handoff

When one phase needs to invoke another phase within the same skill, read and execute the phase document directly. Do NOT use Skill() routing back through SKILL.md.

// CORRECT: Direct handoff (executionContext already set)
Read("phases/02-lite-execute.md")
// Execute with executionContext (Mode 1)

// WRONG: Skill routing (unnecessary round-trip)
Skill(skill="workflow-lite-plan", args="--in-memory")

Pattern 8: Phase File Hygiene

Phase files are internal execution documents. They MUST NOT contain:

Prohibited	Reason	Correct Location
Flag parsing ($ARGUMENTS.includes(...))	Preferences collected in SKILL.md	SKILL.md via AskUserQuestion
Invocation syntax (/skill-name "...")	Not user-facing docs	Removed or SKILL.md only
Conversion provenance (Source: Converted from...)	Implementation detail	Removed
Skill routing for inter-phase (Skill(skill="..."))	Use direct phase read	Direct Read("phases/...")

Pattern 9: Compact Recovery (Phase Persistence)

Multi-phase workflows span long conversations. Context compression (compact) will naturally summarize earlier phase documents. The strategy uses 双重保险: TodoWrite 跟踪 active phase 保护其不被压缩，sentinel 作为兜底在压缩发生时触发恢复。

Design principle: TodoWrite in_progress = active phase → protect from compact | Sentinel = re-read fallback if protection fails.

Double insurance mechanism:

Layer	Role	Mechanism
1. Active Phase Protection	预防	TodoWrite in_progress 标记当前 phase → compact 时保留该 phase 完整内容，不压缩
2. Sentinel Re-read	恢复	Phase 文件嵌入标识符 → 若仍被压缩，检测到 sentinel-only 状态时立即 re-read

When to apply: 任何通过 direct handoff (Pattern 7) 跨 phase 执行的场景，尤其是后续 phase 包含复杂执行协议（多 Step、agent 调度、CLI 编排）时。

---

Layer 1: Active Phase Protection (TodoWrite 联动)

TodoWrite 已经跟踪每个 phase 的执行状态。利用此信息驱动 compact 策略：

TodoWrite status → Compact behavior:
  ┌─ completed  → ✅ 可压缩（已完成，不再需要完整内容）
  ├─ in_progress → 🛡️ 禁止压缩（正在执行，必须保留完整协议）
  └─ pending    → ✅ 可压缩（尚未加载，无内容）

SKILL.md Execution Flow 中标注 compact 联动:

## Execution Flow

> **⚠️ COMPACT DIRECTIVE**: Context compression MUST check TodoWrite phase status.
> The phase currently marked `in_progress` is the active execution phase — preserve its FULL content.
> Only compress phases marked `completed` or `pending`.

Phase 1: Requirements Analysis    ← TodoWrite tracks status
   └─ Ref: phases/01-xxx.md
Phase 2: Execution Engine         ← TodoWrite tracks status
   └─ Ref: phases/02-xxx.md
...

TodoWrite 状态转换 时自动更新 compact 保护范围:

Phase 1: in_progress 🛡️  →  completed ✅   (compact 可压缩 Phase 1)
Phase 2: pending ✅       →  in_progress 🛡️ (compact 保护 Phase 2)

---

Layer 2: Sentinel Re-read (兜底恢复)

即使有 Layer 1 保护，compact 仍可能在极端场景（超长上下文、多轮 agent 调度）下压缩 active phase。Sentinel 确保恢复能力：

Phase 文件顶部嵌入 sentinel:

> **📌 COMPACT SENTINEL [Phase N: {phase-name}]**
> This phase contains {M} execution steps (Step N.1 — N.{M}).
> If you can read this sentinel but cannot find the full Step protocol below, context has been compressed.
> Recovery: `Read("phases/0N-xxx.md")`

Sentinel 设计特点：

• 结构化、醒目 → compact 会将其作为关键信息保留在摘要中
• 包含 step 数量 → 提供自检依据（"应该看到 M 个 Step，但只有摘要"）
• 包含 re-read 路径 → 无需查表即可恢复

---

Phase Reference Table (整合双重保险)

| Phase | Document | Purpose | Compact |
|-------|----------|---------|---------|
| 1 | phases/01-xxx.md | Planning | TodoWrite 驱动 |
| 2 | phases/02-xxx.md | Execution | TodoWrite 驱动 + 🔄 sentinel |

**Compact Rules**:
1. **TodoWrite `in_progress`** → 保留完整内容，禁止压缩
2. **TodoWrite `completed`** → 可压缩为摘要
3. **🔄 sentinel fallback** → 带此标记的 phase 包含 compact sentinel；若 compact 后仅存 sentinel 而无完整 Step 协议，**必须立即 `Read("phases/0N-xxx.md")` 恢复后再继续**

---

Checkpoint (执行步骤前双重验证)

> **⚠️ CHECKPOINT**: Before proceeding, verify:
> 1. This phase is TodoWrite `in_progress` (active phase protection)
> 2. Full protocol (Step N.X — N.{M}) is in active memory, not just sentinel
> If only sentinel remains → `Read("phases/0N-xxx.md")` now.

Handoff 注释

// Phase N is tracked by TodoWrite — active phase protection applies.
// Sentinel fallback: if compressed despite protection, re-read triggers automatically.
Read("phases/0N-xxx.md")

Execution Flow

Phase 1: Requirements Analysis
   └─ Ref: phases/01-requirements-analysis.md
      ├─ Input source: commands, descriptions, user interaction
      └─ Output: workflowConfig (phases, data flow, agents, conditions)

Phase 2: Orchestrator Design (SKILL.md)
   └─ Ref: phases/02-orchestrator-design.md
      ├─ Input: workflowConfig
      └─ Output: .claude/skills/{name}/SKILL.md

Phase 3: Phase Files Design
   └─ Ref: phases/03-phase-design.md
      ├─ Input: workflowConfig + source content
      └─ Output: .claude/skills/{name}/phases/0N-*.md

Phase 4: Validation & Integration
   └─ Ref: phases/04-validation.md
      └─ Output: Validated skill package

Phase Reference Documents (read on-demand):

Phase	Document	Purpose
1	phases/01-requirements-analysis.md	Analyze workflow requirements from various sources
2	phases/02-orchestrator-design.md	Generate SKILL.md with orchestration patterns
3	phases/03-phase-design.md	Generate phase files preserving full execution detail
4	phases/04-validation.md	Validate structure, references, and integration

Input Sources

This meta-skill accepts workflow definitions from multiple sources:

Source	Description	Example
Existing commands	Convert .claude/commands/ orchestrator + sub-commands	plan.md + session/start.md + tools/*.md
Text description	User describes workflow in natural language	"Create a 3-phase code review workflow"
Requirements doc	Structured requirements file	requirements.md with phases/agents/outputs
Existing skill	Refactor/redesign an existing skill	Restructure a flat skill into phases

Frontmatter Conversion Rules

When converting from command format to skill format:

Command Field	Skill Field	Transformation
name	name	Prefix with group: plan → workflow-plan
description	description	Append trigger phrase: Triggers on "xxx"
argument-hint	(removed)	Arguments handled in Input Processing section
examples	(removed)	Examples moved to inline documentation
allowed-tools	allowed-tools	Expand wildcards: Skill(*) → Skill, add commonly needed tools
group	(removed)	Embedded in name prefix

Orchestrator Content Mapping

What goes into SKILL.md vs what goes into phase files:

SKILL.md (Coordinator)

Section	Content	Source
Frontmatter	name, description, allowed-tools	Command frontmatter (converted)
Architecture Overview	ASCII diagram of phase flow	Derived from execution structure
Key Design Principles	Coordination rules	Extracted from command coordinator role
Execution Flow	Phase sequence with Ref: markers + Phase Reference table	Command execution process
Core Rules	Orchestration constraints	Command core rules
Input Processing	Structured format conversion	Command input processing
Data Flow	Inter-phase data passing	Command data flow
TodoWrite Pattern	Attachment/collapse lifecycle	Command TodoWrite sections
Post-Phase Updates	Planning notes / state updates between phases	Command inter-phase update code
Error Handling	Failure recovery	Command error handling
Coordinator Checklist	Pre/post phase actions	Command coordinator checklist
Related Commands	Prerequisites and follow-ups	Command related commands

Phase Files (Execution Detail)

Content	Rule
Full agent prompts	Preserve verbatim from source command
Bash command blocks	Preserve verbatim
Code implementations	Preserve verbatim
Validation checklists	Preserve verbatim
Error handling details	Preserve verbatim
Input/Output spec	Add if not present in source
Phase header	Add # Phase N: {Name}
Objective section	Add ## Objective with bullet points
Next Phase link	Add ## Next Phase with link to next

Critical Rule: Phase files must be content-faithful to their source. Do NOT summarize, abbreviate, or simplify. The phase file IS the execution instruction - every bash command, every agent prompt, every validation step must be preserved.

SKILL.md Template

---
name: {skill-name}
description: {description}. Triggers on "{trigger1}", "{trigger2}".
allowed-tools: {tools}
---

# {Title}

{One-paragraph description of what this skill does and what it produces.}

## Architecture Overview

{ASCII diagram showing phases and data flow}

## Key Design Principles

1. **{Principle}**: {Description}
...

## Interactive Preference Collection

Collect workflow preferences via AskUserQuestion before dispatching to phases:
{AskUserQuestion code with preference derivation → workflowPreferences}

## Auto Mode Defaults

When `workflowPreferences.autoYes === true`: {auto-mode behavior}.

## Execution Flow

{Phase sequence with Ref: markers}

**Phase Reference Documents** (read on-demand when phase executes):

| Phase | Document | Purpose | Compact |
|-------|----------|---------|---------|
| 1 | [phases/01-xxx.md](phases/01-xxx.md) | ... | TodoWrite 驱动 |
| N | [phases/0N-xxx.md](phases/0N-xxx.md) | ... | TodoWrite 驱动 + 🔄 sentinel |
...

**Compact Rules**:
1. **TodoWrite `in_progress`** → 保留完整内容，禁止压缩
2. **TodoWrite `completed`** → 可压缩为摘要
3. **🔄 sentinel fallback** → 带此标记的 phase 包含 compact sentinel；若 compact 后仅存 sentinel 而无完整 Step 协议，必须立即 `Read()` 恢复

## Core Rules

1. {Rule}
...

## Input Processing

{How user input is converted to structured format}

## Data Flow

{Inter-phase data passing diagram}

## TodoWrite Pattern

{Attachment/collapse lifecycle description with examples}

## Post-Phase Updates

{State updates between phases}

## Error Handling

{Failure recovery rules}

## Coordinator Checklist

{Pre/post phase action list}

## Related Commands

{Prerequisites and follow-ups}

Phase File Template

# Phase N: {Phase Name}

> **📌 COMPACT SENTINEL [Phase N: {phase-name}]**
> This phase contains {M} execution steps (Step N.1 — N.{M}).
> If you can read this sentinel but cannot find the full Step protocol below, context has been compressed.
> Recovery: `Read("phases/0N-xxx.md")`
> _(Include for phases marked 🔄 in SKILL.md Phase Reference table — see Pattern 9)_

{One-sentence description of this phase's goal.}

## Objective

- {Goal 1}
- {Goal 2}

## Execution

### Step N.1: {Step Name}

{Full execution detail: commands, agent prompts, code}

### Step N.2: {Step Name}

> **⚠️ CHECKPOINT**: Before proceeding, verify:
> 1. This phase is TodoWrite `in_progress` (active phase protection)
> 2. Full protocol (Step N.X — N.{M}) is in active memory, not just sentinel
> If only sentinel remains → `Read("phases/0N-xxx.md")` now.
> _(Add checkpoints before critical execution steps: agent dispatch, CLI launch, review — see Pattern 9)_

{Full execution detail}

## Output

- **Variable**: `{variableName}` (e.g., `sessionId`)
- **File**: `{output file path}`
- **TodoWrite**: Mark Phase N completed, Phase N+1 in_progress

## Next Phase

Return to orchestrator, then auto-continue to [Phase N+1: xxx](0N+1-xxx.md).

Design Decision Framework

When designing a new workflow skill, answer these questions:

Question	Impact	Example
How many phases?	Directory structure	3-7 phases typical
Which phases are conditional?	Orchestrator logic	"Phase 3 only if conflict_risk >= medium"
What data flows between phases?	Data Flow section	sessionId, contextPath, configFlags
Which phases use agents?	Phase file complexity	Agent prompts need verbatim preservation
What's the TodoWrite granularity?	TodoWrite Pattern	Some phases have sub-tasks, others are atomic
Is there a planning notes pattern?	Post-Phase Updates	Accumulated state document across phases
What's the error recovery?	Error Handling	Retry once then report, vs rollback
Does it need preference collection?	Interactive Preference Collection	Collect via AskUserQuestion in SKILL.md, pass as workflowPreferences
Does phase N hand off to phase M?	Direct Phase Handoff (Pattern 7)	Read phase doc directly, not Skill() routing
Will later phases run after long context?	Compact Recovery (Pattern 9)	Add sentinel + checkpoints, mark 🔄 in Phase Reference table