Flow Navigator

Navigate Flow framework projects using the dashboard-first pattern. This Skill helps you understand project structure, locate current work, and guide users through their Flow workflow.

When to Use This Skill

Activate when the user asks questions like:

• "Where am I in the project?"
• "What should I work on next?"
• "Show me the current status"
• "What's left to do?"
• "Where are we in the plan?"
• "What's the progress?"

Dashboard-First Navigation Pattern

Golden Rule: Always start with DASHBOARD.md before diving into details.

Step 1: Read DASHBOARD.md

Start here for every navigation request:

Read .flow/DASHBOARD.md

The dashboard contains:

• Current Work section → Shows active phase/task/iteration
• Progress Overview section → Shows all phases with status markers
• Key Decisions section → Important architectural choices
• Success Criteria section → What "done" looks like

Step 2: Parse Current Work

Extract the active work location:

## 📍 Current Work
- **Phase**: [Phase 2 - Implementation](phase-2/)
- **Task**: [Task 3 - API Integration](phase-2/task-3.md)
- **Iteration**: [Iteration 2 - Error Handling] 🚧 IMPLEMENTING

This tells you:

• Current phase number and name
• Current task number and file path
• Current iteration status

Step 3: Read Task File (Only When Needed)

When to read task files:

• User asks for specific details about current task
• User wants to see action items or implementation notes
• User needs to understand iteration goals

When to stay at dashboard level:

• User only wants high-level status
• User asks "what's next" (dashboard shows this)
• Quick progress checks

Pattern:

Read .flow/phase-N/task-M.md

Step 4: Use Status Markers

Understand progress through markers:

• ✅ COMPLETE - Work finished and verified
• 🚧 IN PROGRESS - Currently being worked on
• ⏳ PENDING - Not started yet
• 🎨 READY - Brainstorming complete, ready to implement
• ❌ CANCELLED - Decided not to do this
• 🔮 FUTURE - Deferred to later version

Common Navigation Patterns

Pattern 1: "What should I do next?"

1. Read DASHBOARD.md
2. Check "Current Work" section
3. If iteration is 🚧 IMPLEMENTING: "Continue working on [iteration name]"
4. If no active work: Check next ⏳ PENDING task/iteration

Pattern 2: "Where are we in the plan?"

1. Read DASHBOARD.md
2. Count completed vs total tasks/iterations
3. Report: "Phase X in progress, Y/Z tasks complete"
4. Highlight current focus from "Current Work"

Pattern 3: "Show me the current status"

1. Read DASHBOARD.md
2. Report from "Current Work" section
3. Show active iteration with status marker
4. List immediate next steps

Pattern 4: "What's left to do?"

1. Read DASHBOARD.md "Progress Overview"
2. Count ⏳ PENDING items across all phases
3. Provide breakdown: "X tasks, Y iterations remaining"
4. Optionally list high-level task names

Multi-File Architecture

Flow projects use this structure:

.flow/
├── DASHBOARD.md          # Start here - high-level view
├── PLAN.md               # Architecture, scope, decisions
├── phase-1/
│   ├── task-1.md         # Detailed task breakdown
│   ├── task-2.md
│   └── task-3.md
├── phase-2/
│   └── task-1.md
└── phase-3/
    └── task-1.md

Navigation hierarchy:

1. DASHBOARD.md → Overview, current work, progress
2. PLAN.md → Architecture decisions, scope boundaries
3. phase-N/task-M.md → Detailed iterations, action items, implementation notes

Read-Only Philosophy

This Skill is for navigation, not modification.

✅ DO:

• Read files to understand structure
• Parse status markers
• Report progress to user
• Suggest next steps

❌ DON'T:

• Modify DASHBOARD.md or task files
• Update status markers
• Add/remove tasks
• Make architectural changes

When user wants changes: Guide them to appropriate actions:

• To start working on a task: Help them understand what task to begin
• To begin iteration implementation: Verify they're ready (brainstorming complete)
• To mark iteration done: Verify all work is complete first
• Read-only skill: Cannot modify files, only show status and suggest next steps

Examples

Example 1: Quick Status Check

User: "What's next?"

Response:
1. Read .flow/DASHBOARD.md
2. Parse "Current Work" section
3. Report: "You're on Phase 2, Task 3, Iteration 2 (Error Handling) 🚧 IN PROGRESS.

   Current focus: Implementing retry logic with exponential backoff.

   Next step: Complete this iteration, then move to Iteration 3 (Logging)."

Example 2: Progress Overview

User: "Show me where we are in the plan"

Response:
1. Read .flow/DASHBOARD.md
2. Count completion:
   - Phase 1: ✅ COMPLETE (3/3 tasks)
   - Phase 2: 🚧 IN PROGRESS (1/4 tasks complete)
   - Phase 3: ⏳ PENDING

3. Report: "Phase 2 in progress. Completed 4 of 10 total iterations.

   Currently implementing: Task 3, Iteration 2 (Error Handling)

   Remaining work: 2 iterations in current task, then 3 more tasks in Phase 2, plus Phase 3."

Example 3: Lost User

User: "I'm confused, where am I?"

Response:
1. Read .flow/DASHBOARD.md
2. Show clear location:
   "You're in the **Flow Framework Agent Skills** project.

   📍 Current Location:
   - Phase: Phase 2 - Core Skills Implementation
   - Task: Task 1 - flow-navigator Skill
   - Iteration: Iteration 1 - SKILL.md creation 🚧 IMPLEMENTING

   What you're doing: Creating the navigation Skill file with dashboard-first instructions.

   Files you're working in: framework/skills/flow-navigator/SKILL.md"

Best Practices

1. Always read DASHBOARD.md first - Never skip straight to task files
2. Respect status markers - They're the source of truth for progress
3. Stay high-level by default - Only dive into details when asked
4. Use exact marker symbols - Don't paraphrase (✅ not "done", 🚧 not "working")
5. Reference file paths - Help user understand multi-file structure
6. Suggest next actions - Guide user on what to do next based on context

References

• Dashboard-first approach: Read DASHBOARD.md to understand current position
• Status markers: DEVELOPMENT_FRAMEWORK.md lines 1872-1968
• Multi-file architecture: DEVELOPMENT_FRAMEWORK.md lines 105-179
• Quick Reference Guide: DEVELOPMENT_FRAMEWORK.md lines 1-353