Implementation Task Executor
Executes a single implementation (or refactor) task from Todo to To Review using the task description and linked guides.
Purpose & Scope
- Handle one selected task only; never touch other tasks.
- Follow task Technical Approach/plan/AC; apply KISS/YAGNI and guide patterns.
- Update Linear/kanban for this task: Todo -> In Progress -> To Review.
- Run typecheck/lint; update docs/tests/config per task instructions.
- Not for test tasks (label "tests" goes to ln-404-test-executor).
Task Storage Mode
| Aspect | Linear Mode | File Mode |
|--------|-------------|-----------|
| Load task | get_issue(task_id) | Read("docs/tasks/epics/.../tasks/T{NNN}-*.md") |
| Update status | update_issue(id, state) | Edit the **Status:** line in file |
| Kanban | Updated by Linear sync | Must update kanban_board.md manually |
File Mode status format:
## Status
**Status:** In Progress | **Priority:** High | **Estimate:** 4h
Mode Detection
Detect operating mode at startup:
Plan Mode Active:
- Steps 1-2: Load task context (read-only, OK in plan mode)
- Generate EXECUTION PLAN (files to create/modify, approach) → write to plan file
- Call ExitPlanMode → STOP. Do NOT implement.
- Steps 3-6: After approval → execute implementation
Normal Mode:
- Steps 1-6: Standard workflow without stopping
Progress Tracking with TodoWrite
When operating in any mode, skill MUST create detailed todo checklist tracking ALL steps.
Rules:
- Create todos IMMEDIATELY before Step 1
- Each workflow step = separate todo item; implementation step gets sub-items
- Mark
in_progressbefore starting step,completedafter finishing
Todo Template (10 items):
Step 1: Load Context
- Fetch full task description + linked guides/manuals/ADRs
Step 2: Receive Task
- Get task ID from orchestrator, load full description
Step 2b: Goal Articulation Gate
- Complete 4 questions from shared/references/goal_articulation_gate.md (<=25 tokens each)
Step 3: Start Work
- Set task to In Progress, update kanban
Step 4: Implement
- 4a Pattern Reuse: IF creating new file/utility, Grep src/ for existing similar patterns
(error handlers, validators, HTTP wrappers, config loaders). Reuse if found.
- 4b Follow task plan/AC, apply KISS/YAGNI
- 4c Architecture Guard: IF creating service function: (1) 3+ side-effect categories → split;
(2) get_*/find_*/check_* naming → verify no hidden writes; (3) 3+ service imports → flatten
- Update docs and existing tests if impacted
- Execute verify: methods from task AC (test/command/inspect)
Step 5: Quality
- Run typecheck and lint (or project equivalents)
Step 6: Finish
- Set task to To Review, update kanban
- Add summary comment (changes, tests, docs)
Workflow (concise)
- Load context: Fetch full task description (Linear: get_issue; File: Read task file); read linked guides/manuals/ADRs/research; auto-discover team/config if needed.
- Receive task: Get task ID from orchestrator (ln-400); load full task description.
2b) Goal gate: MANDATORY READ:
shared/references/goal_articulation_gate.md— Complete the 4-question gate (<=25 tokens each). State REAL GOAL (deliverable as subject), DONE LOOKS LIKE, NOT THE GOAL, INVARIANTS & HIDDEN CONSTRAINTS. - Start work: Update this task to In Progress (Linear: update_issue; File: Edit status line); move it in kanban (keep Epic/Story indent).
- Implement (with verification loop): Before writing new utilities/handlers, Grep
src/for existing patterns (error handling, validation, config access). Reuse if found; if not reusable, document rationale in code comment. Follow checkboxes/plan; keep it simple; avoid hardcoded values; reuse existing components; add Task ID comment (// See PROJ-123) to new code blocks; update docs noted in Affected Components; update existing tests if impacted (no new tests here). Before creating service functions, apply Architecture Guard (cascade depth, interface honesty, flat orchestration). After implementation, executeverify:methods from task AC: test → run specified test; command → execute and check output; inspect → verify file/content exists. If any verify fails → fix before proceeding. - Quality: Run typecheck and lint (or project equivalents); ensure instructions in Existing Code Impact are addressed.
- Finish: Mark task To Review (Linear: update_issue; File: Edit status line); update kanban to To Review; add summary comment (what changed, tests run, docs touched).
Pre-Submission Checklist
Context: Self-assessment before To Review reduces review round-trips and catches obvious issues early.
Before setting To Review, verify all 6 items:
| # | Check | Verify |
|---|-------|--------|
| 0 | AC verified | Each AC verify: method executed with pass evidence |
| 1 | Approach alignment | Implementation matches Story Technical Approach |
| 2 | Clean code | No dead code, no backward-compat shims, unused imports removed |
| 3 | Config hygiene | No hardcoded creds/URLs/magic numbers |
| 4 | Docs updated | Affected Components docs reflect changes |
| 5 | Tests pass | Existing tests still pass after changes |
| 6 | Pattern reuse | New utilities checked against existing codebase; no duplicate patterns introduced |
| 7 | Architecture guard | Cascade depth <= 2; no hidden writes in read-named functions; no service chains >= 3 |
If any check fails: Fix before setting To Review. Do not rely on reviewer to catch preventable issues.
Critical Rules
- Single-task updates only; no bulk status changes.
- Keep language of the task (EN/RU) in edits/comments.
- No code snippets in the description; code lives in repo, not in Linear.
- No new test creation; only update existing tests if required.
- Preserve Foundation-First ordering from orchestrator; do not reorder tasks.
- Add Task ID comments to new code blocks for traceability (
// See PROJ-123or# See PROJ-123). - Do NOT commit. Leave all changes uncommitted — ln-402 reviews and commits with task ID reference.
Definition of Done
- Task selected and set to In Progress; kanban updated accordingly.
- Guides/manuals/ADRs/research read; approach aligned with task Technical Approach.
- Implementation completed per plan/AC; each AC
verify:method executed with pass evidence. - Docs and impacted tests updated.
- Typecheck and lint passed (or project quality commands) with evidence in comment.
- Task set to To Review; kanban moved to To Review; summary comment added.
Reference Files
- Guides/manuals/ADRs/research:
docs/guides/,docs/manuals/,docs/adrs/,docs/research/ - Kanban format:
docs/tasks/kanban_board.md
Version: 3.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-12-23