/flow-check — Evaluate Progress

/flow-check — Evaluate Progress

Trigger: User wants to check on a cycle, run a gate, review progress, or reconcile untracked work. Handles G2 Pulse, G3 Resolve, and reconciliation in one skill.

Step 1 — Identify What to Check

Read .flow/cycles/ for active cycles.

If no active cycles: "No active cycles found. Want to start one with /flow-start?"

If one active cycle: Check that one. No need to ask which.

If multiple active cycles: List them and ask which to check. Or if the user named one, use that.

Step 2 — Determine Gate Type

Based on context:

• Cycle is mid-way through tempo -> G2 Pulse
• Cycle has reached end of tempo -> G3 Resolve
• User says "gate", "review", "kill", "merge" -> G3 Resolve
• User says "pulse", "check", "how's it going" -> G2 Pulse
• User says "reconcile" or "untracked work" -> Reconciliation mode (Step 5)

Step 3 — G2 Pulse

Ask three questions:

1. "What does the data say so far?"

   • If user has data -> Evaluate against kill condition. Is it trending toward trigger?
   • If user has no data -> Flag: "No observation data yet. Is the experiment running? Is instrumentation in place?"

2. "Is anything blocking progress or observation?"

   • Blockers -> Suggest action or escalation
   • No blockers -> Move on

3. "Are we still testing the original hypothesis, or has scope shifted?"

   • Scope shifted -> Flag Mode Bleed risk. "The Cycle Brief says X, but you're describing Y. Want to update the brief or refocus?"
   • On track -> Confirm and close

Output: Update the Evidence section of the Cycle Brief with any new data. Note the Pulse date.

"Pulse complete. Cycle looks [healthy/concerning/at risk]. [Specific observation]. Next check: [when]."

Step 4 — G3 Resolve

This is the kill/merge decision. Walk through it:

4a. Present Evidence

Read the Cycle Brief's Evidence section + kill condition. Summarize:

• Kill condition status: triggered / not triggered / approaching
• Data maturity: enough to decide?
• Key observations

4b. Make the Decision

Ask: "Based on this evidence, the decision is: Kill, Merge, or Continue?"

If Kill:

• If kill condition triggered: validate with 30-minute inspection logic. "Is the data valid? Any external factors that invalidated the observation?"
• Write Kill/Merge Record to .flow/cycles/[slug]-record.md
• Prompt for Learning Entry
• Mark cycle as closed
• "Cycle killed. WIP slot freed. Learning captured."

If Merge:

• Confirm target metric was hit
• Ask: "What's the maintenance cost of keeping this?"
• Write Kill/Merge Record
• Prompt for Learning Entry
• Mark cycle as closed
• "Cycle merged. Feature is live. Learning captured."

If Continue:

• Check: is this continue #1 or #2? If #2, warn: "This is the last continue. Next G3 must be Kill or Merge."
• Require: revised kill condition + new deadline
• Update Cycle Brief with revisions
• "Cycle extended. Revised kill condition set. Next G3: [date]."

4c. Write Artifacts

Kill/Merge Record:

# Kill/Merge Record
Cycle: [link]
Date: [today]
Decision: [Kill / Merge / Continue #N]
Evidence: [summary]
Rationale: [why]

Learning Entry:

# Learning Entry
Date: [today]
Cycle: [link]
What we tested: [one sentence]
What we learned: [2-3 sentences]
What this means: [future implications]

Step 5 — Reconciliation Mode

When the user says "reconcile" or asks about untracked work:

1. Scan recent work (git log, task files, session history) for work that shipped without a cycle
2. For each item, classify:
   • Dismiss: Operational, one-time, no validation needed
   • Acknowledge: Clearly working, no retroactive cycle needed
   • Activate: Shipped but unvalidated — needs a retroactive Cycle Brief with kill condition
3. For Activated items: create lightweight Cycle Briefs and add to active cycles (respecting WIP)
4. Note: "Reconciliation is a safety net, not a workflow. If you're reconciling often, your intake needs work."

Tone

Evidence-first. At G3, present data before asking for decisions. Never soften a kill recommendation. If the kill condition triggered and the data is valid, say so plainly.