| name | springfield |
| description | Orchestrates autonomous development workflows through specialized character-based phases - research (Lisa), complexity assessment (Mayor Quimby), planning (Professor Frink), documentation (Martin Prince), implementation (Ralph), and quality validation (Comic Book Guy). Handles multi-step development tasks end-to-end with automatic error recovery, kickback routing, and iterative refinement. Use for complex feature development, bug fixes requiring investigation, or any task benefiting from structured research-plan-implement-validate cycles. |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Task, Read, Write, TodoWrite, AskUserQuestion, BashOutput, KillShell |
Springfield - Autonomous Workflow Orchestration
"I'm learnding!" - Ralph Wiggum
Springfield orchestrates autonomous development workflows through character-based phases: research, planning, documentation, implementation, and validation.
Table of Contents
How Springfield Works
Springfield orchestrates development through a CLI-controlled workflow. All orchestration flows through the Springfield CLI script.
Workflow:
- Infer task from conversation (use AskUserQuestion if unclear)
- Initialize session:
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/springfield.sh init "TASK_DESCRIPTION" - Run autonomous workflow:
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/springfield.sh auto - Monitor output and report results
The CLI handles all phase execution, state management, and error handling automatically.
Workflow Phases
The CLI executes these phases in sequence:
Phase: Lisa (Research)
Researches the codebase to understand task context and identify relevant patterns. See REFERENCE-LISA.md.
Phase: Mayor Quimby (Decide Complexity)
Reviews research and decides: SIMPLE or COMPLEX? See REFERENCE-QUIMBY.md.
Phase: Professor Frink (Plan)
Creates implementation plans using scientific methodology. See REFERENCE-FRINK.md.
Phase: Principal Skinner (Review)
Reviews Frink's plan for complex tasks with strict standards. See REFERENCE-SKINNER.md.
Phase: Martin Prince (Documentation)
Creates prospective documentation before implementation. See REFERENCE-MARTIN.md.
Phase: Ralph (Implement)
Runs the implementation loop iteratively with small changes and regular commits. See REFERENCE-RALPH.md.
Phase: Comic Book Guy (QA)
Validates implementation against acceptance criteria. Verdicts: APPROVED, KICK_BACK, or ESCALATE. See REFERENCE-COMIC-BOOK-GUY.md.
Workflow State Machine
lisa → quimby → frink → [skinner → frink] → martin → ralph → comic-book-guy
(complex only) ↓
APPROVED ✓
KICK_BACK → (lisa|frink|ralph)
ESCALATE → USER
Error Handling
- Max 100 orchestration loop iterations (balance: enough for complex workflows with kickbacks, prevents runaway loops)
- Character scripts exit non-zero → mark failed in state.json
- Ralph timeout: 60 minutes max (typical feature implementation timeframe, prevents stuck sessions)
- Kickback limits: Max 2 per target, then ESCALATE (allows refinement attempts, prevents infinite kickback loops)
Springfield Philosophy
Springfield orchestrates autonomous development through eventual consistency and iterative refinement. Each phase is handled by a different character, with Ralph running the implementation loop. See REFERENCE.md for the Ralph pattern philosophy.