Claude-Code-Workflow/GETTING_STARTED.md

🚀 Claude Code Workflow (CCW) - Getting Started Guide

Welcome to Claude Code Workflow (CCW) v4.5.0! This guide will help you get up and running in 5 minutes and experience AI-driven automated software development with our latest workflow system optimizations.

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⏱️ 5-Minute Quick Start

Let's build a "Hello World" web application from scratch with a simple example.

Step 1: Install CCW

First, make sure you have installed CCW according to the Installation Guide.

Step 2: Start a Workflow Session

Think of a "session" as a dedicated project folder. CCW will store all files related to your current task here.

/workflow:session:start "My First Web App"

You will see that the system has created a new session, for example, WFS-my-first-web-app.

Step 3: Create an Execution Plan

Now, tell CCW what you want to do. CCW will analyze your request and automatically generate a detailed, executable task plan.

/workflow:plan "Create a simple Express API that returns Hello World at the root path"

This command kicks off a fully automated planning process, which includes:

1. Context Gathering: Analyzing your project environment.
2. Agent Analysis: AI agents think about the best implementation path.
3. Task Generation: Creating specific task files (in .json format).

Step 4: Execute the Plan

Once the plan is created, you can command the AI agents to start working.

/workflow:execute

You will see CCW's agents (like @code-developer) begin to execute tasks one by one. It will automatically create files, write code, and install dependencies.

Step 5: Check the Status

Want to know the progress? You can check the status of the current workflow at any time.

/workflow:status

This will show the completion status of tasks, the currently executing task, and the next steps.

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🧠 Core Concepts Explained

Understanding these concepts will help you use CCW more effectively:

• Workflow Session

  Like an independent sandbox or project space, used to isolate the context, files, and history of different tasks. All related files are stored in the .workflow/WFS-<session-name>/ directory.

• Task

  An atomic unit of work, such as "create API route" or "write test case." Each task is a .json file that defines the goal, context, and execution steps in detail.

• Agent

  An AI assistant specialized in a specific domain. For example:

  • @code-developer: Responsible for writing and implementing code.
  • @test-fix-agent: Responsible for running tests and automatically fixing failures.
  • @ui-design-agent: Responsible for UI design and prototype creation.
  • @cli-execution-agent: Responsible for autonomous CLI task handling (v4.5.0+).

• Workflow

  A series of predefined, collaborative commands used to orchestrate different agents and tools to achieve a complex development goal (e.g., plan, execute, test-gen).

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🛠️ Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Developing a New Feature (as shown above)

This is the most common use case, following the "start session → plan → execute" pattern.

# 1. Start a session
/workflow:session:start "User Login Feature"

# 2. Create a plan
/workflow:plan "Implement JWT-based user login and registration"

# 3. Execute
/workflow:execute

Scenario 2: UI Design

CCW has powerful UI design capabilities, capable of generating complex UI prototypes from simple text descriptions.

# 1. Start a UI design workflow
/workflow:ui-design:explore-auto --prompt "A modern, clean admin dashboard login page with username, password fields and a login button"

# 2. View the generated prototype
# After the command finishes, it will provide a path to a compare.html file. Open it in your browser to preview.

Scenario 3: Fixing a Bug

CCW can help you analyze and fix bugs.

# 1. Use the bug-index command to analyze the problem
/cli:mode:bug-index "Incorrect success message even with wrong password on login"

# 2. The AI will analyze the relevant code and generate a fix plan. You can then execute this plan.
/workflow:execute

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🔧 Workflow-Free Usage: Standalone Tools

Beyond the full workflow mode, CCW provides standalone CLI tools and commands suitable for quick analysis, ad-hoc queries, and routine maintenance tasks.

Direct CLI Tool Invocation

CCW supports direct invocation of external AI tools (Gemini, Qwen, Codex) through a unified CLI interface without creating workflow sessions.

Code Analysis

Quickly analyze project code structure and architectural patterns:

# Code analysis with Gemini
/cli:analyze --tool gemini "Analyze authentication module architecture"

# Code quality analysis with Qwen
/cli:analyze --tool qwen "Review database model design for best practices"

Interactive Chat

Direct interactive dialogue with AI tools:

# Chat with Gemini
/cli:chat --tool gemini "Explain React Hook use cases"

# Discuss implementation with Codex
/cli:chat --tool codex "How to optimize this query performance"

Specialized Analysis Modes

Use specific analysis modes for in-depth exploration:

# Architecture planning mode
/cli:mode:plan --tool gemini "Design a scalable microservices architecture"

# Deep code analysis
/cli:mode:code-analysis --tool qwen "Analyze utility functions in src/utils/"

# Bug analysis mode
/cli:mode:bug-index --tool gemini "Analyze potential causes of memory leak"

Semantic Tool Invocation

Users can tell Claude to use specific tools through natural language, and Claude will understand the intent and automatically execute the appropriate commands.

Semantic Invocation Examples

Describe needs directly in conversation using natural language:

Example 1: Code Analysis

User: "Use gemini to analyze the modular architecture of this project"
→ Claude will automatically execute gemini-wrapper for analysis

Example 2: Document Generation

User: "Use gemini to generate API documentation with all endpoint descriptions"
→ Claude will understand the need and automatically invoke gemini's write mode

Example 3: Code Implementation

User: "Use codex to implement user login functionality"
→ Claude will invoke the codex tool for autonomous development

Advantages of Semantic Invocation

• Natural Interaction: No need to memorize complex command syntax
• Intelligent Understanding: Claude selects appropriate tools and parameters based on context
• Automatic Optimization: Claude automatically adds necessary context and configuration

Memory Management: CLAUDE.md Updates

CCW uses a hierarchical CLAUDE.md documentation system to maintain project context. Regular updates to these documents are critical for ensuring high-quality AI outputs.

Full Project Index Rebuild

Suitable for large-scale refactoring, architectural changes, or first-time CCW usage:

# Rebuild entire project documentation index
/update-memory-full

# Use specific tool for indexing
/update-memory-full --tool gemini   # Comprehensive analysis (recommended)
/update-memory-full --tool qwen     # Architecture focus
/update-memory-full --tool codex    # Implementation details

When to Execute:

• During project initialization
• After major architectural changes
• Weekly routine maintenance
• When AI output drift is detected

Incremental Related Module Updates

Suitable for daily development, updating only modules affected by changes:

# Update recently modified related documentation
/update-memory-related

# Specify tool for update
/update-memory-related --tool gemini

When to Execute:

• After feature development completion
• After module refactoring
• After API interface updates
• After data model modifications

Memory Quality Impact

Update Frequency	Result
❌ Never update	Outdated API references, incorrect architectural assumptions, low-quality output
⚠️ Occasional updates	Partial context accuracy, potential inconsistencies
✅ Timely updates	High-quality output, precise context, correct pattern references

CLI Tool Initialization

When using external CLI tools for the first time, initialization commands provide quick configuration:

# Auto-configure all tools
/cli:cli-init

# Configure specific tools only
/cli:cli-init --tool gemini
/cli:cli-init --tool qwen

This command will:

• Analyze project structure
• Generate tool configuration files
• Set up .geminiignore / .qwenignore
• Create context file references

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Advanced Usage: Agent Skills

Agent Skills are modular, reusable capabilities that extend the AI's functionality. They are stored in the .claude/skills/ directory and are invoked through specific trigger mechanisms.

How Skills Work

• Model-Invoked: Unlike slash commands, you don't call Skills directly. The AI decides when to use a Skill based on its understanding of your goal.
• Contextual: Skills provide specific instructions, scripts, and templates to the AI for specialized tasks.
• Trigger Mechanisms:
  • Conversational Trigger: Use -e or --enhance flag in natural conversation to trigger the prompt-enhancer skill
  • CLI Command Enhancement: Use --enhance flag in CLI commands for prompt refinement (this is a CLI feature, not a skill trigger)

Examples

Conversational Trigger (activates prompt-enhancer skill):

User: "Analyze authentication module -e"
→ AI uses prompt-enhancer skill to expand the request

CLI Command Enhancement (built-in CLI feature):

# The --enhance flag here is a CLI parameter, not a skill trigger
/cli:analyze --enhance "check for security issues"

Important Note: The -e flag works in natural conversation, but --enhance in CLI commands is a separate enhancement mechanism, not the skill system.

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Advanced Usage: UI Design Workflow

CCW includes a powerful, multi-phase workflow for UI design and prototyping, capable of generating complete design systems and interactive prototypes from simple descriptions or reference images.

Key Commands

• /workflow:ui-design:explore-auto: An exploratory workflow that generates multiple, distinct design variations based on a prompt.
• /workflow:ui-design:imitate-auto: A replication workflow that creates high-fidelity prototypes from reference URLs.

Example: Generating a UI from a Prompt

You can generate multiple design options for a web page with a single command:

# This command will generate 3 different style and layout variations for a login page.
/workflow:ui-design:explore-auto --prompt "A modern, clean login page for a SaaS application" --targets "login" --style-variants 3 --layout-variants 3

After the workflow completes, it provides a compare.html file, allowing you to visually review and select the best design combination.

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❓ Troubleshooting

• Problem: Prompt shows "No active session found"

  Reason: You haven't started a workflow session, or the current session is complete. Solution: Use /workflow:session:start "Your task description" to start a new session.

• Problem: Command execution fails or gets stuck

  Reason: It could be a network issue, AI model limitation, or the task is too complex. Solution:

  1. First, try using /workflow:status to check the current state.
  2. Check the log files in the .workflow/WFS-<session-name>/.chat/ directory for detailed error messages.
  3. If the task is too complex, try breaking it down into smaller tasks and then use /workflow:plan to create a new plan.

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📚 Next Steps for Advanced Learning

Once you've mastered the basics, you can explore CCW's more powerful features:

1. Test-Driven Development (TDD): Use /workflow:tdd-plan to create a complete TDD workflow. The AI will first write failing tests, then write code to make them pass, and finally refactor.

2. Multi-Agent Brainstorming: Use /workflow:brainstorm:auto-parallel to have multiple AI agents with different roles (like System Architect, Product Manager, Security Expert) analyze a topic simultaneously and generate a comprehensive report.

3. Custom Agents and Commands: You can modify the files in the .claude/agents/ and .claude/commands/ directories to customize agent behavior and workflows to fit your team's specific needs.

Hope this guide helps you get started smoothly with CCW!