dough-execute-plan · diff

git:20260922.7e7bbcc to git:20260922.1cd6ea6

17 added, 18 removed. Audit A to A.

---

name: dough-execute-plan

description: >-

Executes one selected story or bounded retrospective correction through an

executable plan, or one authorized planless slice from a selected simple story

or a contextual instruction, with independent refactoring, delivery, and

asynchronous CI repair. Use to execute a plan, run slices, execute a canonical

story when the caller explicitly skips slice planning, or execute a small

instruction from context without a story or plan. Does not decide story scope

or quick-path eligibility. `--trunk` selects Trunk Mode; omitted mode keeps

Story Branch Mode. `--skip-retro` skips the automatic planned-execution

retrospective. `--replan` and `--no-replan` choose whether an oversized attempt

may continue through planning.

---

# Execute planned or planless work

Execute the selected work through its existing plan. An explicit current instruction

may instead authorize one planless quick slice: an understood canonical feature story,

or a contextual instruction with no story or plan. The coordinator owns delivery;

implementation agents return uncommitted changes.

## Establish execution context

Identify the execution source before changing project state:

- **Planned:** require an executable plan. For a feature story, read its seed section.

For a bounded correction, require the complete correction input in the plan under

[planning scope and lifecycle](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#choose-the-planning-level);

do not require or create a seed.

- **Quick:** require an explicit current instruction that authorizes planless

execution. The source is either a canonical feature story with understood goal,

scope, key examples, and no blocking decision, plus the instruction to skip slice

planning; or a contextual instruction that supplies the objective, known

expectations, remaining uncertainty, and authority. A seed alone or apparent story

size cannot select this path. Corrections require plans. Do not fabricate a story,

plan, or queue entry when the instruction is otherwise sufficient.

Name missing authority or source context and stop before backlog changes, delegation,

or implementation. Successful quick execution keeps scope, decisions, progress, and

proof in the conversation; create no plan, completion note, or substitute record.

A contextual instruction may leave expectations unresolved. Carry its goal and

uncertainty, resolve what a behavior change requires, and allow an evidenced

no-change conclusion through the explained-empty-change path.

Use [planning level](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#choose-the-planning-level)

for source ownership, [proof ownership](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#own-executable-proof)

when mapping or accepting proof, and [active-plan refinement](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#refine-the-active-plan)

for plan updates. Retain completed plans, source history, and review evidence for

retrospective and [story wrap-up](../dough-story-wrap-up/SKILL.md); quick work retains

its source, conversation, and execution identity. Use [slice decomposition](../dough-story-decomposition/references/problem-decomposition.md#decompose-slices)

for Behavior/Structure types and [slice sizing](../dough-story-decomposition/references/problem-decomposition.md#size-and-escalate-slices)

for budgets and learning escalation.

At startup, obtain enough authoritative context to select and delegate the first slice.

Reuse instructions while their sources and applicability assumptions remain unchanged.

Resolve project context at the first boundary that needs it:

- execution-source kind, slice target, hard limit, and exceptions;

[replanning permission](references/execution-decisions.md#choose-replanning-permission);

integration checkout and branch for a queue claim, using the project's configured integration branch or `main` when none is supplied;

execution mode and location: default Story Branch Mode; `--trunk` or a clear

equivalent selects Trunk Mode; explicit caller selection uses the current

branch. Resolve contradictions before changing state. Mode never creates

execution authority; for planned work, plan path and status vocabulary;

- backlog path and selected entry for work selected from **Backlog list**;

- selective formatter and commit hook contract before taking queued work and its claim commit;

- navigation, focused tests, runtime wrapper, and workflow precedence for the selected slice;

- authorized push destination before delivery; for Story Branch or Trunk Mode, also

[trunk publication's Preconditions](references/trunk-publication.md#preconditions) before

selecting the owned workspace and taking queued work, and before publishing a

queue claim, validated increment, or owned repair — those preconditions resolve

publication inputs and defer shared-checkout access and preservation to

[maintain the default checkout](references/maintain-default-checkout.md);

- generation triggers and commands when affected; and

- [refactor context](../dough-post-change-refactor/SKILL.md) before refactor delegation.

Missing context stops its affected boundary, including first-slice delegation when

needed there. Other invoking tools, including GSD, retain this slice delivery contract;

a phase or task cannot replace a slice.

Before first implementation delegation, read [delegation](references/delegation.md)

and the common reassessment/human-judgment rules, [replanning

permission](references/execution-decisions.md#choose-replanning-permission), plus

currently triggered sections of [execution decisions](references/execution-decisions.md).

Before accepting a return, read [proof acceptance](references/wrap-up.md#accept-proof);

before delivery, read [delivery](references/wrap-up.md#deliver-the-change). Before

arming observation, read [CI observation](references/ci-monitor.md) and only the

current host's notification adapter. Arm from the execution checkout against the

authorized target branch; do not wait for CI. Before creating the execution workspace, read

[execution location](references/execution-location.md). Before a queue claim,

validated increment, or owned repair publication, read

[trunk publication](references/trunk-publication.md).

Use [targeted retrieval and disposable research](references/disposable-research.md)

for omitted/truncated passages or bounded investigations; another step alone needs no reload.

## Take queued work

- The Taken edit is a same-branch commit in the checkout that holds it: the owned

- execution workspace for Story Branch and Trunk Mode, or the resolved integration

- checkout for caller-selected current-branch work. That commit moves an entry to

- **Taken** with nothing to merge, rebase, or cherry-pick from another ref, so the

- edit itself needs none of the installed product backlog Git adapters or

- [reconcile product backlog Git operations](../dough-product-backlog/references/merge-conflicts.md).

- Publishing that claim from the owned workspace may be a real rebase, for Story

- Branch or Trunk Mode alike, covered by

- [trunk publication](references/trunk-publication.md#resolve-a-publication-rebase-conflict).

- Current-branch mode never publishes a claim, so it never rebases or merges this

- commit.

After resolving execution source and authority, inspect the backlog before

plan-status changes, observer recovery/startup, delegation, or implementation.

For Story Branch and Trunk Mode, select or reuse the owned workspace under

[execution location](references/execution-location.md) before the Taken commit,

using fetched remote trunk as the base. Current-branch work uses the checkout

- it already recorded and creates no worktree. The Taken commit in that checkout

- is the backlog change.

+ it already recorded and creates no worktree. The claim is a same-branch backlog

+ commit in that checkout; it needs no backlog Git integration adapter.

Before the Taken commit, resolve selective formatting and that commit's hook

contract. An absent or understood check-only hook permits the transition. An

unknown, mutating, failing, or disputed hook stops it with the queue unchanged

until safely resolved through execution decisions. Resolution runs neither

delivery formatting nor hook-owned lint; obtain push/CI context only when

another current boundary needs it. Keep a workspace already selected when the

hook stops the commit.

For Story Branch or Trunk Mode, also resolve

[trunk publication's Preconditions](references/trunk-publication.md#preconditions) —

the claim's publication authority and authorized push destination — before

selecting the workspace or moving the entry. Reuse permission already

established for this execution. An unresolved precondition stops the move with

the backlog, index, and refs unchanged, and starts no implementation.

[Default-checkout access](references/maintain-default-checkout.md#establish-access-before-local-mutation)

applies when this claim or a later refresh mutates that checkout. Caller-selected

current-branch work keeps its existing contract and gains no new publication

authority here.

- Then follow [take queued work](../dough-product-backlog/SKILL.md#take-queued-work-for-execution)

- in the checkout that holds the claim ([execution and resume](../dough-product-backlog/references/record-preparation.md#execution-and-resume)). An ambiguous move stops implementation.

+ For a queued planned feature story, invoke the installed writer from the

+ product-backlog skill directory in the checkout that holds the claim:

+ ```text

+ node <installed>/scripts/product-backlog.mjs take --identity <story-id> --plan <plan-path>

+ ```

+ The writer owns the move and canonical plan link. Follow its

+ [take contract](../dough-product-backlog/SKILL.md#take-queued-work-for-execution)

+ and [execution and resume](../dough-product-backlog/references/record-preparation.md#execution-and-resume);

+ do not construct the entry or record preparation state during Take. A refusal

+ or ambiguous move stops implementation.

Resume a remote **Taken** entry when retained execution context and publication

provenance agree this execution owns it. Preserve its position without

duplication. Work absent from both active lists needs no fabricated entry.

Planning/refinement never takes work. Leave taken work through pauses,

failures, completion, and retrospective; wrap-up removes it.

For a queue claim, preflight the checkout that will hold the commit: verify its

branch, backlog path, tracked/staged changes, and that the isolated claim commit

is the only staged backlog change. Ambiguous branch or ownership leaves the

queue unchanged; apply

[preserve pending local work](references/maintain-default-checkout.md#preserve-pending-local-work)

rather than stashing, resetting, overwriting, or silently unstaging existing

work. Queued current-branch execution requires the resolved integration branch;

otherwise stop before changing the backlog.

After moving, stage only the backlog path, inspect the staged diff, and commit

the claim in that checkout. Claim setup may record provisional identity;

complete it before dispatch. Staging/commit failure stops isolated execution:

preserve and report backlog/index state and any workspace already selected.

No-change cases produce no empty claim commit.

Story Branch Mode and Trunk Mode both publish that commit's SHA from the owned

workspace per

[trunk publication](references/trunk-publication.md#publish-a-queue-claim)

before implementation; do not invent a second publication procedure for either

- mode. Only a confirmed published revision starts implementation. Prepare

- required project commands after that confirmation under

+ mode. Publication may require its defined rebase conflict procedure. Only a

+ confirmed published revision starts implementation. Prepare required project

+ commands after that confirmation under

[execution location](references/execution-location.md). Publication and later

preparation failure follow those references: no implementation and no new claim.

## Choose the execution location

Follow [execution location](references/execution-location.md) for mode,

workspace creation, project-command readiness, reuse of host-established

preparation for the selected checkout, retained identity, execution resume, push

destination, and checkout-bound runtime. That reference applies the shared

checkout ownership lifecycle for selection, local checkout role, and target

selection.

## Continue or recover at an execution boundary

Planned work uses the existing plan and conversation under

[execution and resume state](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#write-an-executable-plan).

Quick work uses its source and conversation, without a recovery artifact. Retain the

resolved replanning permission with that context. During uninterrupted

work, reuse decisions, accepted proof, and delivery progress while their sources,

assumptions, and covered boundaries hold. After confirmed push, obtain only newly relevant

next-slice detail; a slice transition alone needs no full recovery read.

After interruption or a changed observation from Git, agents, or observer coverage, verify

execution identity first and reconcile only affected worktree/index, branch/commits,

implementation/refactor return, and exact observer identity. Preserve unrelated or ambiguously

owned work. Reuse proof only while promise, boundary, implementation, setup, and observations match.

Resume at the first delivery obligation not established by evidence. An incomplete

or oversized return still needs [oversized-slice handling](references/oversized-slice.md)

before proof acceptance. Otherwise implementation returns still need proof

acceptance/refactoring; completed refactors need remaining delivery;

uncommitted plan edits need staging/commit. Classify an interrupted claim,

increment, or repair with

[interrupted publication](references/trunk-publication.md#resume-an-interrupted-publication)

before any further commit or push. Plan status or a compact report proves none

of those later boundaries. When pushed commit, retained delivery result, and

required registration agree, select the next dependency-ready slice.

Missing/contradictory execution identity requires the recovery decision above.

## Execute the next slice

1. In the execution checkout, use the plan's current statuses, decisions, learnings,

proof, and selected existing-solution finding/evidence when present. Read retained state

on initial entry/recovery; reuse valid readings during continuation. For quick work,

reread the source and conversation's scope, decisions, progress, proof, and remaining

uncertainty; it is the only slice, with no separate state artifact. Confirm current

execution authority. Recover an existing CI observer before considering a new one.

2. Select the next unfinished dependency-ready planned slice, or the one quick slice. Apply

[execution decisions](references/execution-decisions.md); for behavior/state removal or

disablement, also run the [destructive later-outcome check](references/destructive-later-outcome-check.md).

3. When planned refinement is needed and learning escalation permits, invoke

[slice-plan refinement](../dough-slice-plan-refinement/SKILL.md) in place, then restart

at step 1, unless replanning is disabled; then apply

[oversized-slice decisions](references/oversized-slice.md)

and stop without retry. If quick work no longer fits one coherent slice, apply

[oversized-slice decisions](references/oversized-slice.md).

A no-replan return stops without planning or retry. When replanning is allowed, use

[ordinary slice planning](../dough-slice-planning/SKILL.md) for remaining work,

and restart as planned execution. Before

delegating a change that invalidates a required

pre-change observation, apply [proof ownership](../dough-story-refinement/references/planning.md#own-executable-proof):

reuse an adequate baseline with known matching revision/environment/selection conditions,

or obtain it first. Missing/failed prerequisites stop only dependent work. Apply on entry

and resume without a new startup audit or repeated recovery read. Otherwise delegate

under [delegation](references/delegation.md).

4. On return, recheck execution decisions; handle incomplete/oversized work there before

delivery, including a no-replan overrun. Otherwise [accept proof](references/wrap-up.md#accept-proof) and confirm

uncommitted work or an explained empty change.

5. Run [delivery](references/wrap-up.md#deliver-the-change) end to end. That

delivery publishes through

[increment and repair publication](references/trunk-publication.md#publish-an-execution-increment-or-repair).

After successful delivery, restart for remaining planned slices; a delivered

quick slice has no successor.

Planned slices may run concurrently only with disjoint file changes, mutable state, and

plan writes. Quick execution has one slice. Each slice completes coordinator-owned delivery

before a dependent slice starts.

## Finish or stop

Follow [finish or stop](references/finish-or-stop.md) for observer shutdown, completion

reporting and its markers, automatic retrospective invocation, and incomplete-work reporting.