Claude-Code-Workflow/.claude/workflows/workflow-architecture.md

Workflow Architecture

Overview

This document defines the complete workflow system architecture using a JSON-only data model, marker-based session management, and unified file structure with dynamic task decomposition.

Key Design Decisions

• JSON files are the single source of truth - All markdown documents are read-only generated views
• Marker files for session tracking - Ultra-simple active session management
• Unified file structure definition - Same structure template for all workflows, created on-demand
• Dynamic task decomposition - Subtasks created as needed during execution
• On-demand file creation - Directories and files created only when required
• Agent-agnostic task definitions - Complete context preserved for autonomous execution

Session Management

Active Session Marker System

Ultra-Simple Active Tracking: .workflow/.active-[session-name]

.workflow/
├── WFS-oauth-integration/         # Session directory (paused)
├── WFS-user-profile/             # Session directory (paused)
├── WFS-bug-fix-123/              # Session directory (completed)
└── .active-WFS-user-profile      # Marker file (indicates active session)

Marker File Benefits:

• Zero Parsing: File existence check is atomic and instant
• Atomic Operations: File creation/deletion is naturally atomic
• Visual Discovery: ls .workflow/.active-* shows active session immediately
• Simple Switching: Delete old marker + create new marker = session switch

Session Operations

Detect Active Session

active_session=$(find .workflow -name ".active-*" | head -1)
if [ -n "$active_session" ]; then
  session_name=$(basename "$active_session" | sed 's/^\.active-//')
  echo "Active session: $session_name"
fi

Switch Session

find .workflow -name ".active-*" -delete && touch .workflow/.active-WFS-new-feature

Individual Session Tracking

Each session directory contains workflow-session.json:

{
  "session_id": "WFS-[topic-slug]",
  "project": "feature description",
  "type": "simple|medium|complex", 
  "current_phase": "PLAN|IMPLEMENT|REVIEW",
  "status": "active|paused|completed",
  "progress": {
    "completed_phases": ["PLAN"],
    "current_tasks": ["IMPL-1", "IMPL-2"]
  }
}

Data Model

JSON-Only Architecture

JSON files (.task/IMPL-*.json) are the only authoritative source of task state. All markdown documents are read-only generated views.

• Task State: Stored exclusively in JSON files
• Documents: Generated on-demand from JSON data
• No Synchronization: Eliminates bidirectional sync complexity
• Performance: Direct JSON access without parsing overhead

Hierarchical Task System

Maximum Depth: 2 levels (IMPL-N.M format)

IMPL-1              # Main task
IMPL-1.1            # Subtask of IMPL-1 (dynamically created)
IMPL-1.2            # Another subtask of IMPL-1
IMPL-2              # Another main task
IMPL-2.1            # Subtask of IMPL-2 (dynamically created)

Task Status Rules:

• Container tasks: Parent tasks with subtasks (cannot be directly executed)
• Leaf tasks: Only these can be executed directly
• Status inheritance: Parent status derived from subtask completion

Task JSON Schema

All task files use this simplified 5-field schema:

{
  "id": "IMPL-1.2",
  "title": "Implement JWT authentication",
  "status": "pending|active|completed|blocked|container",

  "meta": {
    "type": "feature|bugfix|refactor|test|docs",
    "agent": "code-developer|planning-agent|code-review-test-agent"
  },

  "context": {
    "requirements": ["JWT authentication", "OAuth2 support"],
    "focus_paths": ["src/auth", "tests/auth", "config/auth.json"],
    "acceptance": ["JWT validation works", "OAuth flow complete"],
    "parent": "IMPL-1",
    "depends_on": ["IMPL-1.1"],
    "inherited": {
      "from": "IMPL-1",
      "context": ["Authentication system design completed"]
    },
    "shared_context": {
      "auth_strategy": "JWT with refresh tokens"
    }
  },

  "flow_control": {
    "pre_analysis": [
      {
        "step": "...",
        "action": "...",
        "command": "..."
      }
    ],
    "implementation_approach": {
      "task_description": "Implement comprehensive JWT authentication system with secure token management and validation middleware. Reference [inherited.context] from parent task [parent] for architectural consistency. Apply [shared_context.auth_strategy] across authentication modules. Focus implementation on [focus_paths] directories following established patterns.",
      "modification_points": [
        "Add JWT token generation in login handler (src/auth/login.ts:handleLogin:75-120) following [shared_context.auth_strategy]",
        "Implement token validation middleware (src/middleware/auth.ts:validateToken) referencing [inherited.context] design patterns",
        "Add refresh token mechanism for session management using [shared_context] token strategy",
        "Update user authentication flow to support JWT tokens in [focus_paths] modules"
      ],
      "logic_flow": [
        "User login request → validate credentials → generate JWT token using [shared_context.auth_strategy] → store refresh token",
        "Protected route access → extract JWT from headers → validate token against [inherited.context] schema → allow/deny access",
        "Token expiry handling → use refresh token following [shared_context] strategy → generate new JWT → continue session",
        "Logout process → invalidate refresh token → clear client-side tokens in [focus_paths] components"
      ]
    },
    "target_files": [
      "src/auth/login.ts:handleLogin:75-120",
      "src/middleware/auth.ts:validateToken"
    ]
  }
}

Focus Paths Field Details

The focus_paths field within context specifies concrete project paths relevant to the task implementation:

Focus Paths Format

• Array of strings: ["folder1", "folder2", "specific_file.ts"]
• Concrete paths: Use actual directory/file names without wildcards
• Mixed types: Can include both directories and specific files
• Relative paths: From project root (e.g., src/auth, not ./src/auth)

Path Selection Strategy

• Directories: Include relevant module directories (e.g., src/auth, tests/auth)
• Specific files: Include files explicitly mentioned in requirements (e.g., config/auth.json)
• Avoid wildcards: Use concrete paths discovered via get_modules_by_depth.sh
• Focus scope: Only include paths directly related to task implementation

Examples

// Authentication system task
"focus_paths": ["src/auth", "tests/auth", "config/auth.json", "src/middleware/auth.ts"]

// UI component task
"focus_paths": ["src/components/Button", "src/styles", "tests/components"]

// Database migration task
"focus_paths": ["migrations", "src/models", "config/database.json"]

Flow Control Field Details

The flow_control field serves as a universal process manager for task execution with comprehensive flow orchestration:

pre_analysis - Flexible Context Gathering

核心定位: 纯上下文获取阶段，为实现准备充分信息

四种灵活获取方式:

• 文档引用: bash(cat 相关文档路径) - 直接读取项目文档
• 搜索命令: bash(grep/rg/find等) - 灵活搜索代码模式
• CLI分析: bash(gemini/codex分析命令) - 深度分析理解
• 自由探索: Agent自主使用Read、Grep、Search等工具

设计原则:

• 步骤数量自由: 1-N步，按需求复杂度决定
• 命令组合灵活: 支持任意bash管道组合
• 够用即可: 不要过度设计，获取足够上下文即可

基本步骤结构:

• step: 步骤标识
• action: 步骤描述
• command: 执行命令（支持变量引用）
• output_to: 存储结果的变量名（可选）
• on_error: 错误处理策略

Context Flow Management

• Variable Accumulation: Each step can reference outputs from previous steps via [variable_name]
• Context Inheritance: Steps can use dependency summaries and parent task context
• Pipeline Processing: Results flow sequentially through the analysis chain

Variable Reference Format

• Context Variables: Use [variable_name] to reference step outputs
• Task Properties: Use [depends_on], [focus_paths] to reference task JSON properties
• Bash Compatibility: Avoids conflicts with bash ${} variable expansion

Path Reference Format

• Session-Specific: Use .workflow/WFS-[session-id]/ for commands within active session context
• Cross-Session: Use .workflow/*/ only when accessing multiple sessions (rare cases)
• Relative Paths: Use .summaries/ when executing from within session directory

Supported Context Acquisition Methods

• Document Retrieval: bash(cat) - Read CLAUDE.md, README and other documentation
• Pattern Search: bash(rg), bash(grep), bash(find) - Search for code patterns
• Deep Analysis: bash(gemini-wrapper) - Understand existing architecture and patterns
• Autonomous Exploration: Flexible combination of Read, Grep, Search and other tools
• Pipeline Combinations: Any bash command pipelines, supporting complex information processing

Flexible Command Combination Examples

Basic Search:

rg "auth|login" --type ts    # Search authentication-related code
find . -name "*test*" | head  # Find test files
cat CLAUDE.md               # Read project specifications

Dependency Task Summary References:

# Reference completed task summary documents
cat .workflow/WFS-[session-id]/.summaries/IMPL-1.1-summary.md

# Batch read dependency task summaries
for dep in IMPL-1.1 IMPL-1.2; do
  cat .workflow/WFS-[session-id]/.summaries/${dep}-summary.md 2>/dev/null
done

Combined Analysis:

rg "interface.*Auth" | head -20                    # Find interface definitions
find src -name "*.ts" | xargs rg -l "login"       # Find related files
gemini-wrapper -p "analyze existing auth patterns"  # Deep analysis

Flexibility Principles:

• Combine commands based on task requirements, don't mechanically copy examples
• Simple tasks may only need 1-2 search commands
• Complex tasks can design multi-step context accumulation
• Fully utilize the powerful combination capabilities of pipeline commands
• Reasonably reference prerequisite task summary documents as context

Error Handling Strategies

• skip_optional: Continue execution, step result is empty
• fail: Stop execution, mark task as failed
• retry_once: Retry step once, then fail if still unsuccessful
• manual_intervention: Pause execution for manual review

Flexible Design Examples

Simple Tasks (1-2 step context gathering):

"pre_analysis": [
  {
    "step": "check_patterns",
    "action": "Search existing patterns",
    "command": "bash(rg 'login|auth' src/ | head -10)"
  }
]

Medium Tasks (Multi-step context accumulation):

"pre_analysis": [
  {
    "step": "load_dependencies",
    "action": "Read dependency task summaries",
    "command": "bash(cat .workflow/WFS-[session-id]/.summaries/IMPL-1.1-summary.md)",
    "output_to": "dependency_context"
  },
  {
    "step": "read_docs",
    "action": "Read project specifications",
    "command": "bash(cat CLAUDE.md)",
    "output_to": "project_rules"
  },
  {
    "step": "find_similar",
    "action": "Find similar implementations",
    "command": "bash(rg 'class.*Service' src/)",
    "output_to": "existing_services"
  }
]

Important: These are references only, please design flexibly based on actual task requirements, don't mechanically copy.

implementation_approach - Implementation Method Definition

Core Purpose: Based on context gathered from pre_analysis, describe specific implementation strategies and methods

Four Design Principles:

1. Context Driven: Fully utilize all context information collected during pre_analysis phase
2. Pattern Following: Implement based on discovered existing code patterns and project conventions
3. Precise Targeting: Clearly specify files, functions and code locations that need modification
4. Clear Logic: Describe clear implementation flow and business logic

Field Descriptions:

• task_description: Comprehensive description, referencing context variables and inherited information
• modification_points: Specific code modification points, precise to files and functions
• logic_flow: Business logic flow, describing implementation execution sequence
• target_files: Target file list, format as file:function:lines

Benefits of Flow Control

• Universal Process Manager: Handles any type of analysis or implementation flow
• Context Accumulation: Builds comprehensive context through step chain
• Error Recovery: Granular error handling at step level
• Command Flexibility: Supports any executable command or agent
• Dependency Integration: Automatic loading of prerequisite task results

File Structure

Unified File Structure

All workflows use the same file structure definition regardless of complexity. Directories and files are created on-demand as needed, not all at once during initialization.

Complete Structure Reference

.workflow/WFS-[topic-slug]/
├── workflow-session.json        # Session metadata and state (REQUIRED)
├── [.brainstorming/]           # Optional brainstorming phase (created when needed)
├── [.chat/]                    # CLI interaction sessions (created when analysis is run)
│   ├── chat-*.md              # Saved chat sessions
│   └── analysis-*.md          # Analysis results
├── IMPL_PLAN.md                # Planning document (REQUIRED)
├── TODO_LIST.md                # Progress tracking (REQUIRED)
├── [.summaries/]               # Task completion summaries (created when tasks complete)
│   ├── IMPL-*.md              # Main task summaries
│   └── IMPL-*.*.md            # Subtask summaries
└── .task/                      # Task definitions (REQUIRED)
    ├── IMPL-*.json             # Main task definitions
    └── IMPL-*.*.json           # Subtask definitions (created dynamically)

Creation Strategy

• Initial Setup: Create only workflow-session.json, IMPL_PLAN.md, TODO_LIST.md, and .task/ directory
• On-Demand Creation: Other directories created when first needed:
  • .brainstorming/ → When brainstorming phase is initiated
  • .chat/ → When CLI analysis commands are executed
  • .summaries/ → When first task is completed
• Dynamic Files: Subtask JSON files created during task decomposition

File Naming Conventions

Session Identifiers

Format: WFS-[topic-slug]

WFS Prefix Meaning:

• WFS = WorkFlow Session
• Identifies directories as workflow session containers
• Distinguishes workflow sessions from other project directories

Naming Rules:

• Convert topic to lowercase with hyphens (e.g., "User Auth System" → WFS-user-auth-system)
• Add -NNN suffix only if conflicts exist (e.g., WFS-payment-integration-002)
• Maximum length: 50 characters including WFS- prefix

Document Naming

• workflow-session.json - Session state (required)
• IMPL_PLAN.md - Planning document (required)
• TODO_LIST.md - Progress tracking (auto-generated when needed)
• Chat sessions: chat-analysis-*.md
• Task summaries: IMPL-[task-id]-summary.md

Document Templates

IMPL_PLAN.md Template

Generated based on task complexity and requirements. Contains overview, requirements, and task structure.

Notes for Future Tasks: [Any important considerations, limitations, or follow-up items]

Summary Document Purpose:

• Context Inheritance: Provides structured context for dependent tasks
• Integration Guidance: Offers clear integration points and usage instructions
• Quality Assurance: Documents testing and validation performed
• Decision History: Preserves rationale for implementation choices
• Dependency Chain: Enables automatic context accumulation through task dependencies

TODO_LIST.md Template

# Tasks: [Session Topic]

## Task Progress
▸ **IMPL-001**: [Main Task Group] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-001.json)
  - [ ] **IMPL-001.1**: [Subtask] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-001.1.json)
  - [x] **IMPL-001.2**: [Subtask] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-001.2.json) | [✅](./.summaries/IMPL-001.2.md)
  
- [x] **IMPL-002**: [Simple Task] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-002.json) | [✅](./.summaries/IMPL-002.md)

▸ **IMPL-003**: [Main Task Group] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-003.json)
  - [ ] **IMPL-003.1**: [Subtask] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-003.1.json)
  - [ ] **IMPL-003.2**: [Subtask] → [📋](./.task/IMPL-003.2.json)

## Status Legend
- `▸` = Container task (has subtasks)
- `- [ ]` = Pending leaf task  
- `- [x]` = Completed leaf task
- Maximum 2 levels: Main tasks and subtasks only

## Notes
[Optional notes]

Agent Integration

Agent Assignment

Based on task type and title keywords:

• Planning tasks → planning-agent
• Implementation → code-developer
• Testing → code-review-test-agent
• Review → review-agent

Execution Context

Agents receive complete task JSON plus workflow context:

{
  "task": { /* complete task JSON */ },
  "workflow": {
    "session": "WFS-user-auth",
    "phase": "IMPLEMENT"
  }
}

Data Operations

Session Initialization

# Create minimal required structure
mkdir -p .workflow/WFS-topic-slug/.task
echo '{"session_id":"WFS-topic-slug",...}' > .workflow/WFS-topic-slug/workflow-session.json
echo '# Implementation Plan' > .workflow/WFS-topic-slug/IMPL_PLAN.md
echo '# Tasks' > .workflow/WFS-topic-slug/TODO_LIST.md

Task Creation

echo '{"id":"IMPL-1","title":"New task",...}' > .task/IMPL-1.json

Directory Creation (On-Demand)

# Create directories only when needed
mkdir -p .brainstorming     # When brainstorming is initiated
mkdir -p .chat              # When analysis commands are run
mkdir -p .summaries         # When first task completes

Task Updates

jq '.status = "active"' .task/IMPL-1.json > temp && mv temp .task/IMPL-1.json

Document Generation

# Generate TODO_LIST.md from current JSON state
generate_todo_list_from_json .task/

Complexity Classification

Task Complexity Rules

Complexity is determined by task count and decomposition needs:

Complexity	Task Count	Hierarchy Depth	Decomposition Behavior
Simple	<5 tasks	1 level (IMPL-N)	Direct execution, minimal decomposition
Medium	5-15 tasks	2 levels (IMPL-N.M)	Moderate decomposition, context coordination
Complex	>15 tasks	2 levels (IMPL-N.M)	Frequent decomposition, multi-agent orchestration

Simple Workflows

Characteristics: Direct implementation tasks with clear, limited scope

• Examples: Bug fixes, small feature additions, configuration changes
• Task Decomposition: Usually single-level tasks, minimal breakdown needed
• Agent Coordination: Direct execution without complex orchestration

Medium Workflows

Characteristics: Feature implementation requiring moderate task breakdown

• Examples: New features, API endpoints with integration, database schema changes
• Task Decomposition: Two-level hierarchy when decomposition is needed
• Agent Coordination: Context coordination between related tasks

Complex Workflows

Characteristics: System-wide changes requiring detailed decomposition

• Examples: Major features, architecture refactoring, security implementations, multi-service deployments
• Task Decomposition: Frequent use of two-level hierarchy with dynamic subtask creation
• Agent Coordination: Multi-agent orchestration with deep context analysis

Automatic Assessment & Upgrades

• During Creation: System evaluates requirements and assigns complexity
• During Execution: Can upgrade (Simple→Medium→Complex) but never downgrade
• Override Allowed: Users can specify higher complexity manually

Validation and Error Handling

Task Integrity Rules

1. ID Uniqueness: All task IDs must be unique
2. Hierarchical Format: Must follow IMPL-N[.M] pattern (maximum 2 levels)
3. Parent References: All parent IDs must exist as JSON files
4. Depth Limits: Maximum 2 levels deep
5. Status Consistency: Status values from defined enumeration
6. Required Fields: All 5 core fields must be present (id, title, status, meta, context, flow_control)
7. Focus Paths Structure: context.focus_paths array must contain valid project paths
8. Flow Control Format: flow_control.pre_analysis must be array with step, action, command fields
9. Dependency Integrity: All context.depends_on task IDs must exist as JSON files

Session Consistency Checks

# Validate active session integrity
active_marker=$(find .workflow -name ".active-*" | head -1)
if [ -n "$active_marker" ]; then
  session_name=$(basename "$active_marker" | sed 's/^\.active-//')
  session_dir=".workflow/$session_name"

  if [ ! -d "$session_dir" ]; then
    echo "⚠️ Orphaned active marker, removing..."
    rm "$active_marker"
  fi
fi

Recovery Strategies

• Missing Session Directory: Remove orphaned active marker
• Multiple Active Markers: Keep newest, remove others
• Corrupted Session File: Recreate from template
• Broken Task Hierarchy: Reconstruct parent-child relationships