Working on Feature Skill

Orchestrates the per-feature workflow from spec through implementation.

When to Load

Load this skill when executing:

• /katachi:spec-feature <ID>
• /katachi:design-feature <ID>
• /katachi:plan-feature <ID>
• /katachi:implement-feature <ID>
• /katachi:retrofit-design <ID> (retrofit mode)

Key References

Guidance documents (how to write each document type):

• references/spec-template.md - How to write feature specifications
• references/design-template.md - How to write design rationale
• references/plan-template.md - How to write implementation plans

Document templates (actual templates to follow):

• references/feature-spec.md - Feature specification template
• references/feature-design.md - Design document template
• references/implementation-plan.md - Implementation plan template

Workflow

1. Pre-Check

Before starting any per-feature command:

# Check feature exists in FEATURES.md
feature = get_feature(FEATURE_ID)
if not feature:
    error("Feature not found in FEATURES.md")

# Check dependencies are complete (for design/plan/implement)
if command in ["design", "plan", "implement"]:
    deps = get_dependencies(FEATURE_ID)
    incomplete = [d for d in deps if not is_complete(d, required_phase)]
    if incomplete:
        warn(f"Dependencies not complete: {incomplete}")

2. Status Update (Start)

Update status when starting:

# spec-feature
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "⧗ Spec"

# design-feature
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "⧗ Design"

# plan-feature
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "⧗ Plan"

# implement-feature
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "⧗ Implementation"

3. Document Creation Workflow

For spec/design/plan commands:

1. Research Phase (Silent)

   • Read relevant context (FEATURES.md, DEPENDENCIES.md)
   • Read previous documents (spec before design, design before plan)
   • Read relevant ADRs and DES patterns
   • Research any libraries/APIs involved

2. Draft Proposal

   • Create complete document following template
   • Note uncertainties and assumptions
   • Base choices on research

3. Present for Review

   • Show complete document to user
   • Highlight uncertainties
   • Ask: "What needs adjustment?"

4. Iterate

   • Apply user corrections
   • Repeat until approved

5. Validate

   • Dispatch reviewer agent
   • Review findings with user
   • Apply accepted recommendations

6. Finalize

   • Write document to file
   • Update status

4. Agent Dispatch

Each command dispatches its reviewer agent:

Dispatch pattern:

Task(
    subagent_type="katachi:spec-reviewer",
    prompt=f"""
Review this feature specification:

## Feature Description (from FEATURES.md)
{feature_description}

## Completed Spec
{spec_content}

Provide structured critique following your review criteria.
"""
)

5. Status Update (Complete)

Update status when completing:

# After successful completion
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "✓ Spec"
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "✓ Design"
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "✓ Plan"
python scripts/features.py status set FEATURE-ID "✓ Implementation"

Implementation Specifics

For implement-feature

The implementation workflow is more autonomous:

1. Read all documentation silently

   • Plan, spec, design
   • Full ADR/DES documents (not just indexes)
   • Dependency code

2. Implement all steps autonomously

   • Follow plan without asking questions
   • Documentation is source of truth
   • Verify each step works before proceeding

3. Validate with code-reviewer

   • Dispatch agent after implementation
   • Fix ALL issues automatically
   • Re-run tests after fixes

4. Present for user review

   • Show what was implemented
   • Highlight any deviations
   • Note emergent patterns

5. Iterate based on feedback

   • Apply user corrections
   • Update documents if implementation differs

6. Surface patterns for DES

   • Present discovered patterns
   • User selects which to document

Pattern Detection

During implementation, watch for:

• Repeated code structures → Candidate for DES
• Cross-cutting concerns → Document in DES
• Emerging conventions → Standardize in DES
• Better approaches found → Update existing DES