NW-EXECUTE: Atomic Task Execution

Wave: EXECUTION_WAVE | Agent: Dispatched agent (specified by caller)

Overview

Dispatch a single roadmap step to an agent. Orchestrator extracts step context from roadmap so agent never loads the full roadmap.

Syntax

/nw-execute @{agent} "{feature-id}" "{step-id}"

Context Files Required

• docs/feature/{feature-id}/deliver/roadmap.json

  — Orchestrator reads once, extracts step context

• docs/feature/{feature-id}/deliver/execution-log.json

  — Agent appends only (never reads)

Rigor Profile Integration

Before dispatching the agent, read rigor config from

.nwave/des-config.json

(key:

rigor

). If absent, use standard defaults.

• agent_model

  : Pass as

  model

  parameter to Agent tool. If

  "inherit"

  , omit

  model

  (inherits from session).

• tdd_phases

  : If

  ["RED_UNIT", "GREEN"]

  (lean), modify the TDD_PHASES section in the DES template to only include those 2 phases. Remove PREPARE/RED_ACCEPTANCE/COMMIT instructions.

• refactor_pass

  : If

  false

  , skip COMMIT phase refactoring instructions.

Dispatcher Workflow

1. Parse Parameters — Extract agent name, feature ID, and step ID from invocation. Gate: all three parameters present and non-empty.
2. Load Rigor Profile — Read

   .nwave/des-config.json

   key

   rigor

   (default: standard if absent). Gate: config loaded or default applied.
3. Validate Context Files — Confirm

   docs/feature/{feature-id}/deliver/roadmap.json

   and

   execution-log.json

   exist. Gate: both files present; report path-not-found if missing.
4. Extract Step Context — Grep roadmap for

   step_id: "{step-id}"

   with ~50 lines context. Gate: step found; report available step IDs if missing.
5. Invoke Agent — Call Agent tool with DES template below, applying rigor model and phases from step 2. Gate: Agent tool called, not executed inline.

Agent Invocation

@{agent}

Use this DES template verbatim. Fill

{placeholders}

from roadmap. Without DES markers, hooks cannot validate.

<!-- DES-VALIDATION : required -->
<!-- DES-PROJECT-ID : {feature-id} -->
<!-- DES-STEP-ID : {step-id} -->

# DES_METADATA
Step: {step-id}
Feature: {feature-id}
Command: /nw-execute

# AGENT_IDENTITY
Agent: {agent-name}

# SKILL_LOADING
Before starting TDD phases, read your skill files for methodology guidance.
Skills path: ~/.claude/skills/nw-{skill-name}/SKILL.md
Always load at PREPARE: tdd-methodology.md, quality-framework.md
Load on-demand per phase as specified in your Skill Loading Strategy table.

# TASK_CONTEXT
{step context from roadmap - name|description|acceptance_criteria|test_file|scenario_name|quality_gates|implementation_notes|dependencies|estimated_hours|deliverables|files_to_modify}

# DESIGN_CONTEXT
{Summary of architectural decisions relevant to this step, extracted by the orchestrator from docs/product/architecture/brief.md and wave-decisions.md. Include: component structure, dependency boundaries, technology choices, and any design constraints that affect implementation. If no design artifacts exist, write "No design artifacts available — use project conventions."}

# TDD_PHASES
Execute in order:
0. PREPARE - Load context, verify prerequisites
1. RED_ACCEPTANCE - Activate or write acceptance test (PRIMARY TBU DEFENSE)
   If TASK_CONTEXT includes test_file: locate it, remove @skip/@ignore/@pending/xit/.skip/[Ignore] marker
   from the target scenario, run it — must fail for business logic reason (not import/syntax error).
   If no test_file in TASK_CONTEXT: write a new failing acceptance test from acceptance_criteria.
   PORT-TO-PORT PRINCIPLE: The acceptance test exercises the scenario through
   the driving port (application service, orchestrator, CLI handler, API controller),
   not a decomposed helper or internal class. A correctly-written port-to-port test
   makes TBU structurally impossible — if a new function were missing or unwired,
   THIS test stays RED. That is the entire point: GREEN is unreachable without wiring.
   Litmus test: "If I delete the call-site that wires the new code, does this test fail?"
   If no → the test is at the wrong level. Fix it before proceeding.
2. RED_UNIT - Write failing unit test (or integration test for adapter/infrastructure
   code — adapters use real infrastructure, never mocked unit tests)
3. GREEN - Minimal code to pass tests
   After GREEN: run FULL test suite. If all pass, proceed to COMMIT immediately.
   Smell test: if any new function is only called from test code, your acceptance
   test is at the wrong abstraction level — go back to RED_ACCEPTANCE and fix it.
   Never move to new task or stop without committing green code.
4. COMMIT - Stage and commit with conventional message
   Include git trailer: `Step-ID: {step-id}` (required for DES verification)
   Example:

feat(feature-id): implement feature X

Step-ID: 02-01

# QUALITY_GATES
- All tests pass before COMMIT
- No skipped phases without blocked_by reason
- Coverage maintained or improved

# OUTCOME_RECORDING
After ACTUALLY EXECUTING each phase, record via DES CLI:

 PYTHONPATH=$HOME/.claude/lib/python $(command -v python3 || command -v python) -m des.cli.log_phase \
   --project-dir docs/feature/{feature-id}/deliver \
   --step-id {step-id} \
   --phase {PHASE_NAME} \
   --status EXECUTED \
   --data PASS

For SKIPPED phases (genuinely not applicable):

 PYTHONPATH=$HOME/.claude/lib/python $(command -v python3 || command -v python) -m des.cli.log_phase \
   --project-dir docs/feature/{feature-id}/deliver \
   --step-id {step-id} \
   --phase {PHASE_NAME} \
   --status SKIPPED \
   --data "NOT_APPLICABLE: reason"

CLI enforces real UTC timestamps and validates phase names.
Do NOT manually edit execution-log.json.
Use the DES CLI to record phase outcomes and create log files.
Python resolution: `$(command -v python3 || command -v python)` — works on macOS (python3 only), Linux, and Windows.

CRITICAL: Only the executing agent calls the CLI.
Orchestrator MUST NEVER write phase entries — only the agent that performed the work. A log entry without actual execution is a **violation that DES detects and that will cause integrity verification to fail**, blocking finalize.

# RECORDING_INTEGRITY
Valid Skip Prefixes: NOT_APPLICABLE, BLOCKED_BY_DEPENDENCY, APPROVED_SKIP, CHECKPOINT_PENDING
Anti-Fraud Rules:
- NEVER write EXECUTED for phases you did not actually perform
- NEVER invent timestamps — DES CLI generates real UTC timestamps
- DES audits all entries; integrity violations block finalize

# BOUNDARY_RULES
- Only modify files listed in step's files_to_modify
- Do not load roadmap.json
- Do not modify execution-log.json structure (append only)
- NEVER write execution-log entries for phases you did not execute

# TIMEOUT_INSTRUCTION
Target: 30 turns max. If approaching limit, COMMIT current progress.
If GREEN complete (all tests pass), MUST commit before returning — even at turn limit.

Configuration:

• subagent_type: extracted agent name
• Turn limits are defined in each agent's

  maxTurns

  frontmatter field (not as a tool parameter)

Error Handling

1. Invalid Agent — Report available agents from the agent registry. Gate: error message returned, no invocation attempted.
2. Missing Context Files — Report exact path not found for roadmap or execution-log. Gate: clear path reported.
3. Step Not in Roadmap — Report available step IDs from roadmap. Gate: list of valid IDs returned.
4. Dependency Failure — Explain which blocking tasks are incomplete. Gate: blocking step IDs named explicitly.

Resume vs Restart

When subagent times out:

Last Completed Phase	Action	Rationale
GREEN (or later)	Resume	Only COMMIT remains (~5 turns)
RED_UNIT with partial GREEN	Resume	Preserves implementation progress
PREPARE or RED_ACCEPTANCE	Restart	Little context worth replaying

Resume costs ~50% more tokens/call due to context replay (measured: 3.7K vs 2.5K tokens/call). For <5 remaining turns, resume is efficient. For 15+ turns, restart is cheaper.

Examples

/nw-execute @nw-software-crafter "des-us007-boundary-rules" "02-01"
/nw-execute @nw-researcher "auth-upgrade" "01-01"
/nw-execute @nw-software-crafter "des-us007" "03-01"  # retry after failure

TDD_PHASES

<!-- Schema v4.0 — canonical source: TDDPhaseValidator.MANDATORY_PHASES --> <!-- Build system injects mandatory phases from step-tdd-cycle-schema.json -->

{{MANDATORY_PHASES}}

Success Criteria

• Agent invoked via Agent tool (dispatcher does not execute the work)
• Step context extracted from roadmap and passed in prompt
• Agent appended phase events to execution-log.json
• Agent did not load roadmap.json

Next Wave

Handoff To: /nw-review for post-execution review Deliverables: Updated execution-log.json|implementation artifacts|git commits