Claude-Flow Development Methodology
The 5 Iron Laws
1. TDD Iron Law
"NO production code without a failing test first"
RED → GREEN → REFACTOR
- Write ONE failing test
- Implement MINIMAL code to pass
- Refactor while tests pass
- Commit at each green
2. Verification Law
"Evidence before claims, always"
Before claiming ANY task complete:
- Run fresh tests (not cached)
- Read complete output
- Confirm exit code 0
- Verify original symptom fixed
3. Debugging Law
"Root cause before fix attempts"
4-Phase Protocol:
- Investigate - Reproduce, read errors, check recent changes
- Analyze - Find working examples, compare patterns
- Hypothesize - Test ONE change at a time, max 3 attempts
- Implement - TDD the fix after understanding
4. Planning Law
"Plans executable with zero context"
Plans must include:
- Exact file paths
- Complete code examples
- Verification commands
- No assumptions about reader knowledge
5. Isolation Law
"Isolated workspace for each feature"
Use git worktrees:
git worktree add .worktrees/feature-name -b feature/feature-name
Red Flags (STOP immediately)
- Writing code before tests
- Tests passing immediately
- Multiple simultaneous changes
- "Just this once" thinking
- Using "should," "probably," "seems to"
- Third fix attempt failed
Thinking Budget
| Keyword | Tokens | Use For |
|---------|--------|---------|
| think | ~4k | Simple tasks |
| think hard | ~10k | Debugging |
| think harder | ~20k | Complex changes |
| ultrathink | ~32k | Architecture |