phase-detector

Phase Detector

Analyze a task file to determine its current development phase.

Key Concept

Phases apply to TASKS, not projects. A project has requirements (gathered once), then contains multiple tasks. Each task independently progresses through phases.

Activation

Activate when:

• Invoked by project-orchestrator agent
• Checking status of a specific task
• "What phase is this task in?"
• Determining next action for a task

Phase Definitions (Per Task)

Phase	Focus	Code?
1 - Research	Understand requirements, research solutions	NO
2 - Architecture	Design approach, patterns, decisions	NO
3 - Implementation	Build with TDD, interactive coding	YES

Workflow

1. Identify Task

Get task name from:

• User request
• Current in_progress task
• project_state.md "Current Task" field

2. Locate Task Directory (v3.0.0)

Check for task directory at:

{project_path}/implementation_process/in_progress/{task_name}/

If not found, check:

{project_path}/implementation_process/completed/{task_name}/

If neither exists, check for v2.x single file (backward compatibility):

{project_path}/implementation_process/in_progress/{task_name}.md
{project_path}/implementation_process/completed/{task_name}.md

If nothing found, task hasn't started yet → Phase 0 (Not Started)

3. Analyze Task Content

v3.0.0 Folder Structure:

Use Bash to check for phase files:

# Check which phase files exist
[ -f "{task_name}/task.md" ] && echo "tracker"
[ -f "{task_name}/research.md" ] && echo "research"
[ -f "{task_name}/architecture.md" ] && echo "architecture"
[ -f "{task_name}/implementation.md" ] && echo "implementation"

Then use Read on {task_name}/task.md to check:

Phase 1 Complete Indicators:

• research.md file exists
• Phase Status shows "[x] Phase 1: Research"
• Link to research.md present

Phase 2 Complete Indicators:

• architecture.md file exists
• Phase Status shows "[x] Phase 2: Architecture"
• Link to architecture.md present

Phase 3 Progress Indicators:

• implementation.md file exists
• Phase Status shows "[ ] Phase 3: Implementation" (in progress)
• Some acceptance criteria may be checked

v2.x Single File (backward compatibility):

If single .md file found, check for sections:

• ## Research section exists → Phase 1 complete
• ## Architecture section exists → Phase 2 complete
• ## Implementation section exists → Phase 3 in progress

4. Determine Phase

Task file doesn't exist?
→ Phase 0: Not Started - "Create task and begin research"

Task file exists but no Research section?
→ Phase 1: Research - "Research this task"

Research complete but no Architecture section?
→ Phase 2: Architecture - "Design architecture for this task"

Architecture complete?
→ Phase 3: Implementation - "Implement this task"

All checkboxes complete?
→ Done - "Complete this task"

5. Return Result

Format output as:

## Task Phase: {task_name}

**Phase:** {0/1/2/3} - {Not Started/Research/Architecture/Implementation}
**Status:** {Not Started/In Progress/Complete}

### Evidence
| Section | Found | Content |
|---------|-------|---------|
| Research | Yes/No | {summary or "Empty"} |
| Architecture | Yes/No | {summary or "Empty"} |
| Implementation | Yes/No | {progress or "Empty"} |

### Next Action
{What to do next for this task}

### Command
{Suggested command to run}

Project-Level Status

When checking overall project status, summarize all tasks:

## Project: {project_name}

### Requirements
{Complete / Not gathered}

### Task Summary
| Task | Phase | Status | Next Action |
|------|-------|--------|-------------|
| {task1} | 3 | In Progress | Continue implementation |
| {task2} | 1 | In Progress | Complete research |
| {task3} | 0 | Queued | Start research |

### Completed Tasks
- {task_a} ✓
- {task_b} ✓

Edge Cases

Situation	Handling
No task specified	List all tasks with their phases
Task not found	Offer to create it
Task in completed/	Report as done
Multiple tasks in progress	Show all, ask which to focus on

Stop Points

STOP if:

• No task specified and multiple tasks exist (ask which one)
• Task file has unexpected structure
• Phase is ambiguous (ask user to clarify)