Vrau Workflow

Red Flags - STOP If You're Thinking This

Thought	Reality
"The brainstorm is detailed enough to skip planning"	Brainstorm ≠ Plan. NEVER skip phases.
"I can just implement this directly"	Implementation requires an APPROVED PLAN. No exceptions.
"The changes are simple/already done"	Sunk cost. Delete it, follow the workflow.
"I'll track to the issue later"	Track NOW or you'll forget. No batching.
"I know what phase this is in"	VERIFY with files. Don't assume.
"Review isn't necessary for this"	Review is ALWAYS necessary. No exceptions.
"I can review my own work"	NO. You wrote it = you CANNOT review it. Spawn separate agent.
"I'll check it myself before spawning reviewer"	That's self-review. Spawn reviewer INSTEAD.

If any of these thoughts occur: STOP. Re-read this skill. Follow the workflow exactly.

CRITICAL SAFETY RULE

NEVER COMMIT TO MAIN BRANCH

Before doing ANYTHING, check current branch:

git branch --show-current

If on main/master:

1. STOP immediately
2. Create a new branch OR use worktree
3. NEVER proceed with commits on main

This is non-negotiable. No exceptions. Ever.

On Start

1. Scan docs/designs/ for folders matching YYYY-MM-DD-*
2. If none: start new workflow (see below)
3. If one: auto-select, detect state, ask about worktree/branch (see Resuming Workflow below), invoke correct phase
4. If multiple: ask user which to resume (or start new, or delete old), then ask about worktree/branch (see Resuming Workflow below), invoke correct phase

New Workflow Setup

1. Ask user for task description
2. Ask: Track with GitHub Issue?
   • Yes → run /start-job command, set Tracking Mode: GitHub
   • No → set Tracking Mode: None
3. Ask: Worktree or new branch?
   • Worktree → use superpowers:using-git-worktrees
   • New branch → git checkout -b <workflow-name> and git push -u origin <workflow-name>
4. Update main first: git checkout main && git pull
5. Create worktree OR branch based on choice
6. Create folder docs/designs/YYYY-MM-DD-<slug>/
7. Create README.md with Tracking Mode and issue number (if any)
8. Commit, push
9. Invoke vrau:brainstorm

Resuming Workflow

When resuming an existing workflow:

1. Update main first: git checkout main && git pull
2. Ask: Worktree or new branch?
   • Worktree → use superpowers:using-git-worktrees
   • New branch → git checkout -b <workflow-name>-<phase> and git push -u origin <workflow-name>-<phase>
3. Create/go to existent worktree OR branch based on choice
4. Proceed to invoke correct phase

Why: User must choose worktree/branch preference every time they resume work. Never assume.

State Detection

Check files in docs/designs/<workflow>/:

• Only README.md → brainstorm phase
• Has design/*.md, no plan/*.md → plan phase
• Has plan/*.md → execute phase
• If unclear → ASK USER

For Tracking Mode: GitHub - can also check issue comments for status updates.

For Tracking Mode: None - vrau asks user to confirm detected state before proceeding.

Mandatory Phase Order

Brainstorm → Plan → Execute
    ↓          ↓        ↓
 (review)  (review)  (review)
    ↓          ↓        ↓
  merge     merge     merge

PHASES CANNOT BE SKIPPED. This is not negotiable.

• Brainstorm MUST be reviewed and merged before Plan
• Plan MUST be reviewed and merged before Execute
• A "detailed brainstorm" is still NOT a plan
• "Simple changes" still require the full workflow

REVIEW MUST BE FRESH EYES:

• You wrote it = you CANNOT review it
• Always spawn a SEPARATE agent for review
• Use Task tool with vrau:vrau-reviewer for brainstorm/plan review
• Use superpowers:requesting-code-review for code review

Routing

Based on state detection, invoke the CORRECT phase:

• Only README.md → invoke vrau:brainstorm (Phase 1)
• Has design/*.md, no plan/*.md → invoke vrau:plan (Phase 2)
• Has plan/*.md → invoke vrau:execute (Phase 3)

NEVER skip phases:

• If only brainstorm exists → MUST do plan next, not execute
• If no plan exists → CANNOT execute, even if brainstorm is "detailed"
• Each phase has its own review gate that MUST pass