developing-with-rules

Developing with Rules

Core Philosophy

• Rules First: Build features that meet documented rules
• Systematic Validation: Validate at every level to catch issues early
• Guided Process: Clear structure while remaining flexible

Workflow

Step 1: Idea → Specification

Transform a rough idea into a clear, lightweight specification.

1. Understand the request — ask clarifying questions when ambiguous
2. Create a lightweight spec covering:
   • Overview, Goals, Scope
   • Key Rules (must-have vs nice-to-have)
   • Acceptance Criteria, Technical Approach
   • Open Questions

Step 2: Validate Specification

Ensure the spec complies with project rules BEFORE planning.

Run the Straion CLI to find matching rules:

straion find-rules \
  --title "<spec title>" \
  --body "<full spec content>" \
  --summary "<brief summary>"

See ../shared/STRAION_CLI.md for full CLI reference.

Analyze compliance for each returned rule:

• ✅ Compliant: Proceed
• ⚠️ Partial: Note adjustments needed, refine spec
• ❌ Violations: Must fix before proceeding — re-validate after fixes

Gate: Only proceed when spec has no critical violations.

Step 3: Plan & Validate Tasks

Break down the validated spec into compliant implementation tasks.

1. Explore the codebase for architecture patterns and conventions
2. Create ordered implementation tasks with acceptance criteria

VALIDATION GATE: Each task MUST be validated before adding to plan

3. For each task:

   • Draft task description + acceptance criteria
   • Run straion find-rules for this task:

     straion find-rules \
       --title "<task title>" \
       --body "<task description>" \
       --summary "<overall spec summary>"
     

   • Review compliance, adjust task if violations found
   • Add validation status: ✅ Compliant / ⚠️ Partial / ❌ Violation

4. Address any violations or gaps across all tasks

5. Present complete, validated plan for user approval

Do NOT present plan until all tasks pass validation

6. Wait for user approval before implementing

Step 4: Implement

Execute the validated tasks while maintaining compliance.

1. Track progress (use todo tracking if available)
2. Implement task by task following descriptions and validation feedback
3. For complex tasks, re-validate against rules as needed
4. Write tests and verify acceptance criteria are met

Workflow Modes

Mode	When	Flow
Full	Starting from rough idea	Step 1 → 2 → 3 → 4
From Spec	Have existing spec	Step 2 → 3 → 4
Validate Only	Just check compliance	Step 2 only
Plan Only	Create validated implementation tasks	Step 3 only

User Interaction

• Be Conversational: Explain what you're doing, ask when unclear
• Be Transparent: Show validation results, explain violations
• Be Flexible: Adapt to existing artifacts, skip unnecessary steps
• Track Progress: Use todo tracking for multi-task implementations

Example

See references/EXAMPLE.md for a complete SSO login implementation walkthrough.

Reference

• CLI usage: ../shared/STRAION_CLI.md
• Terminology: ../shared/TERMINOLOGY.md
• Error handling: ../shared/ERROR_HANDLING.md

Success Criteria

✅ User understands what was built and why ✅ Spec and tasks are validated ✅ Critical violations are addressed ✅ Implementation works and passes tests ✅ Solution meets rules