singularity-forge/README.md

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# GSD 2

**The evolution of [Get Shit Done](https://github.com/gsd-build/get-shit-done) — now a real coding agent.**

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The original GSD went viral as a prompt framework for Claude Code. It worked, but it was fighting the tool — injecting prompts through slash commands, hoping the LLM would follow instructions, with no actual control over context windows, sessions, or execution.

This version is different. GSD is now a standalone CLI built on the [Pi SDK](https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono), which gives it direct TypeScript access to the agent harness itself. That means GSD can actually _do_ what v1 could only _ask_ the LLM to do: clear context between tasks, inject exactly the right files at dispatch time, manage git branches, track cost and tokens, detect stuck loops, recover from crashes, and auto-advance through an entire milestone without human intervention.

One command. Walk away. Come back to a built project with clean git history.

<pre><code>npm install -g gsd-pi@latest</code></pre>

> GSD now provisions a managed [RTK](https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk) binary on supported macOS, Linux, and Windows installs to compress shell-command output in `bash`, `async_bash`, `bg_shell`, and verification flows. GSD forces `RTK_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1` for all managed invocations. Set `GSD_RTK_DISABLED=1` to disable the integration.

> **📋 NOTICE: New to Node on Mac?** If you installed Node.js via Homebrew, you may be running a development release instead of LTS. **[Read this guide](./docs/node-lts-macos.md)** to pin Node 24 LTS and avoid compatibility issues.

</div>

---

## What's New in v2.46.0

### Single-Writer State Engine

The biggest architectural change since DB-backed planning tools. The single-writer engine enforces disciplined state transitions through three iterations:

- **v2 — discipline layer** — adds a write-side discipline layer on top of the DB architecture, ensuring all state mutations flow through controlled tool calls.
- **v3 — state machine guards, actor identity, reversibility** — introduces formal state machine guards, tracks which actor (human vs agent) initiated each transition, and makes transitions reversible.
- **Hardened** — closes TOCTOU race conditions, intercepts bypass attempts, and resolves status inconsistencies.

All prompts are now aligned with the single-writer tool API, and a new **workflow-logger** is wired into the engine, tool, manifest, and reconcile paths for full observability. (#2494)

### v2.45.0 — New Commands and Capabilities

- **`/gsd rethink`** — conversational project reorganization. Rethink your milestone structure, slice decomposition, or overall approach through guided discussion. (#2459)
- **`/gsd mcp`** — MCP server status and connectivity. Check which MCP servers are configured, connected, and healthy. (#2362)
- **Complete offline mode** — GSD now works fully offline with local models. (#2429)
- **Global KNOWLEDGE.md injection** — `~/.gsd/agent/KNOWLEDGE.md` is injected into the system prompt, so cross-project knowledge persists globally. (#2331)
- **Mobile-responsive web UI** — the browser interface now works on phones and tablets. (#2354)
- **DB tool previews** — `renderCall`/`renderResult` previews on DB tools show what each tool call does before and after execution. (#2273)
- **Message timestamps** — user and assistant messages now include timestamps. (#2368)

### Key Changes

- **Default isolation mode changed to `none`** — `git.isolation` now defaults to `none` instead of `worktree`. Projects that rely on worktree isolation should set `git.isolation: worktree` explicitly in preferences. (#2481)
- **Startup checks** — GSD now validates Node.js version and git availability at startup, with clear error messages. (#2463)
- **Worktree lifecycle journaling** — worktree create, switch, merge, and remove events are recorded in the event journal. (#2486)
- **Milestone verification gate** — milestone completion is blocked when verification fails, preventing premature closure. (#2500)

### Key Fixes

- **Auto-mode stability** — recovery attempts reset on unit re-dispatch (#2424), survivor branch recovery handles `phase=complete` (#2427), and auto mode stops on real merge conflicts (#2428).
- **Supervision timeouts** — now respect task `est:` annotations, so complex tasks get proportionally longer timeouts. (#2434)
- **`auto_pr: true` fixed** — three interacting bugs prevented auto-PR creation; all three are resolved. (#2433)
- **Rich task plan preservation** — plans survive DB roundtrip without losing structured content. (#2453)
- **Artifact truncation prevention** — `saveArtifactToDb` no longer overwrites larger files with truncated content. (#2447)
- **Worktree teardown** — submodule state is detected and preserved during teardown (#2425), and worktree merge back to main works after `stopAuto` on milestone completion (#2430).
- **Windows portability** — `retentionDays=0` handling and CRLF fixes on Windows. (#2460)
- **Voice on Linux** — misleading portaudio error on PEP 668 systems replaced with actionable guidance. (#2407)

### Previous highlights (v2.42–v2.44)

- **Non-API-key provider extensions** — support for Claude Code CLI and similar providers. (#2382)
- **Docker sandbox template** — official Docker template for isolated auto mode. (#2360)
- **DB-backed planning tools** — write-side state transitions use atomic SQLite tool calls. (#2141)
- **Declarative workflow engine** — YAML workflows through auto-loop. (#2024)
- **`/gsd fast`** — toggle service tier for prioritized API routing. (#1862)
- **Forensics dedup** — duplicate detection before issue creation. (#2105)
- **Startup optimizations** — pre-compiled extensions, compile cache, batch discovery. (#2125)

---

## What's New in v2.41.0

### New Features

- **Browser-based web interface** — run GSD from the browser with `gsd --web`. Full project management, real-time progress, and multi-project support via server-sent events. (#1717)
- **Doctor: worktree lifecycle checks** — `/gsd doctor` now validates worktree health, detects orphaned worktrees, consolidates cleanup, and enhances `/worktree list` with lifecycle status. (#1814)
- **CI: docs-only PR detection** — PRs that only change documentation skip build and test steps, with a new prompt injection scan for security. (#1699)
- **Custom Models guide** — new documentation for adding custom providers (Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, proxies) via `models.json`. (#1670)

### Data Loss Prevention (Critical Fixes)

This release includes 7 fixes preventing silent data loss in auto-mode:

- **Hallucination guard** — execute-task agents that complete with zero tool calls are now rejected as hallucinated. Previously, agents could produce detailed but fabricated summaries without writing any code, wasting ~$25/milestone. (#1838)
- **Merge anchor verification** — before deleting a milestone worktree/branch, GSD now verifies the code is actually on the integration branch. Prevents orphaning commits when squash-merge produces an empty diff. (#1829)
- **Dirty working tree detection** — `nativeMergeSquash` now distinguishes dirty-tree rejections from content conflicts, preventing silent commit loss when synced `.gsd/` files block the merge. (#1752)
- **Doctor cleanup safety** — the `orphaned_completed_units` check no longer auto-fixes during post-task health checks. Previously, timing races could cause the doctor to remove valid completion keys, reverting users to earlier tasks. (#1825)
- **Root file reverse-sync** — worktree teardown now syncs root-level `.gsd/` files (PROJECT.md, REQUIREMENTS.md, completed-units.json) back to the project root. Previously these were lost on milestone closeout. (#1831)
- **Empty merge guard** — milestone branches with unanchored code changes are preserved instead of deleted when squash-merge produces nothing to commit. (#1755)
- **Crash-safe task closeout** — orphaned checkboxes in PLAN.md are unchecked on retry, preventing phantom task completion. (#1759)

### Auto-Mode Stability

- **Terminal hang fix** — `stopAuto()` now resolves pending promises, preventing the terminal from freezing permanently after stopping auto-mode. (#1818)
- **Signal handler coverage** — SIGHUP and SIGINT now clean up lock files, not just SIGTERM. Prevents stranded locks on VS-Code crash. (#1821)
- **Needs-discussion routing** — milestones in `needs-discussion` phase now route to the smart entry UI instead of hard-stopping, breaking the infinite loop. (#1820)
- **Infrastructure error handling** — auto-mode stops immediately on ENOSPC, ENOMEM, and similar unrecoverable errors instead of retrying. (#1780)
- **Dependency-aware dispatch** — slice dispatch now uses declared `depends_on` instead of positional ordering. (#1770)
- **Queue mode depth verification** — the write gate now processes depth verification in queue mode, fixing a deadlock where CONTEXT.md writes were permanently blocked. (#1823)

### Roadmap Parser Improvements

- **Table format support** — roadmaps using markdown tables (`| S01 | Title | Risk | Status |`) are now parsed correctly. (#1741)
- **Prose header fallback** — when `## Slices` contains H3 headers instead of checkboxes, the prose parser is invoked as a fallback. (#1744)
- **Completion marker detection** — prose headers with `✓` or `(Complete)` markers are correctly identified as done. (#1816)
- **Zero-slice stub handling** — stub roadmaps from `/gsd queue` return `pre-planning` instead of `blocked`. (#1826)
- **Immediate roadmap fix** — roadmap checkbox and UAT stub are fixed immediately after last task instead of deferring to `complete-slice`. (#1819)

### State & Git Improvements

- **CONTEXT-DRAFT.md fallback** — `depends_on` is read from CONTEXT-DRAFT.md when CONTEXT.md doesn't exist, preventing draft milestones from being promoted past dependency constraints. (#1743)
- **Unborn branch support** — `nativeBranchExists` handles repos with zero commits, preventing dispatch deadlock on new repos. (#1815)
- **Ghost milestone detection** — empty `.gsd/milestones/` directories are skipped instead of crashing `deriveState()`. (#1817)
- **Default branch detection** — milestone merge detects `master` vs `main` instead of hardcoding. (#1669)
- **Milestone title extraction** — titles are pulled from CONTEXT.md headings when no ROADMAP exists. (#1729)

### Windows & Platform

- **Windows path handling** — 8.3 short paths, `pathToFileURL` for ESM imports, and `realpathSync.native` fixes across the test suite and verification gate. (#1804)
- **DEP0190 fix** — `spawnSync` deprecation warning eliminated by passing commands to shell explicitly. (#1827)
- **Web build skip on Windows** — Next.js webpack EPERM errors on system directories are handled gracefully.

### Developer Experience

- **@ file finder fix** — typing `@` no longer freezes the TUI. The fix adds debounce, dedup, and empty-query short-circuit. (#1832)
- **Tool-call loop guard** — detects and breaks infinite tool-call loops within a single unit, preventing stack overflow. (#1801)
- **Completion deferral fix** — roadmap checkbox and UAT stub are fixed at task level, closing the fragile handoff window between last task and `complete-slice`. (#1819)

See the full [Changelog](./CHANGELOG.md) for all 70+ fixes in this release.

### Previous highlights (v2.39–v2.41)

- **Browser-based web interface** — run GSD from the browser with `gsd --web`
- **GitHub sync extension** — auto-sync milestones to GitHub Issues, PRs, and Milestones
- **Skill tool resolution** — skills auto-activate in dispatched prompts
- **Health check phase 2** — real-time doctor issues in dashboard and visualizer
- **Forensics upgrade** — full-access GSD debugger with anomaly detection
- **7 data-loss prevention fixes** — hallucination guard, merge anchor verification, dirty tree detection, and more
- **Pipeline decomposition** — auto-loop rewritten as linear phase pipeline
- **Sliding-window stuck detection** — pattern-aware, fewer false positives
- **Data-loss recovery** — automatic detection and recovery from v2.30–v2.38 migration issues

---

## Documentation

Full documentation is available at **[gsd.build](https://gsd.build)** (powered by Mintlify) and in the [`docs/`](./docs/) directory:

- **[Getting Started](./docs/getting-started.md)** — install, first run, basic usage
- **[Auto Mode](./docs/auto-mode.md)** — autonomous execution deep-dive
- **[Configuration](./docs/configuration.md)** — all preferences, models, git, and hooks
- **[Custom Models](./docs/custom-models.md)** — add custom providers (Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio, proxies)
- **[Token Optimization](./docs/token-optimization.md)** — profiles, context compression, complexity routing
- **[Cost Management](./docs/cost-management.md)** — budgets, tracking, projections
- **[Git Strategy](./docs/git-strategy.md)** — worktree isolation, branching, merge behavior
- **[Parallel Orchestration](./docs/parallel-orchestration.md)** — run multiple milestones simultaneously
- **[Working in Teams](./docs/working-in-teams.md)** — unique IDs, shared artifacts
- **[Skills](./docs/skills.md)** — bundled skills, discovery, custom authoring
- **[Commands Reference](./docs/commands.md)** — all commands and keyboard shortcuts
- **[Architecture](./docs/architecture.md)** — system design and dispatch pipeline
- **[Troubleshooting](./docs/troubleshooting.md)** — common issues, doctor, forensics, recovery
- **[CI/CD Pipeline](./docs/ci-cd-pipeline.md)** — three-stage promotion pipeline (Dev → Test → Prod)
- **[VS Code Extension](./vscode-extension/README.md)** — chat participant, sidebar dashboard, RPC integration
- **[Visualizer](./docs/visualizer.md)** — workflow visualizer with stats and discussion status
- **[Remote Questions](./docs/remote-questions.md)** — route decisions to Slack or Discord when human input is needed
- **[Dynamic Model Routing](./docs/dynamic-model-routing.md)** — complexity-based model selection and budget pressure
- **[Web Interface](./docs/web-interface.md)** — browser-based project management and real-time progress
- **[Pipeline Simplification (ADR-003)](./docs/ADR-003-pipeline-simplification.md)** — merged research into planning, mechanical completion
- **[Docker Sandbox](./docker/README.md)** — run GSD auto mode in an isolated Docker container
- **[Migration from v1](./docs/migration.md)** — `.planning` → `.gsd` migration

---

## What Changed From v1

The original GSD was a collection of markdown prompts installed into `~/.claude/commands/`. It relied entirely on the LLM reading those prompts and doing the right thing. That worked surprisingly well — but it had hard limits:

- **No context control.** The LLM accumulated garbage over a long session. Quality degraded.
- **No real automation.** "Auto mode" was the LLM calling itself in a loop, burning context on orchestration overhead.
- **No crash recovery.** If the session died mid-task, you started over.
- **No observability.** No cost tracking, no progress dashboard, no stuck detection.

GSD v2 solves all of these because it's not a prompt framework anymore — it's a TypeScript application that _controls_ the agent session.

|                      | v1 (Prompt Framework)        | v2 (Agent Application)                                  |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| Runtime              | Claude Code slash commands   | Standalone CLI via Pi SDK                               |
| Context management   | Hope the LLM doesn't fill up | Fresh session per task, programmatic                    |
| Auto mode            | LLM self-loop                | State machine reading `.gsd/` files                     |
| Crash recovery       | None                         | Lock files + session forensics                          |
| Git strategy         | LLM writes git commands      | Worktree isolation, sequential commits, squash merge    |
| Cost tracking        | None                         | Per-unit token/cost ledger with dashboard               |
| Stuck detection      | None                         | Retry once, then stop with diagnostics                  |
| Timeout supervision  | None                         | Soft/idle/hard timeouts with recovery steering          |
| Context injection    | "Read this file"             | Pre-inlined into dispatch prompt                        |
| Roadmap reassessment | Manual                       | Automatic after each slice completes                    |
| Skill discovery      | None                         | Auto-detect and install relevant skills during research |
| Verification         | Manual                       | Automated verification commands with auto-fix retries   |
| Reporting            | None                         | Self-contained HTML reports with metrics and dep graphs  |
| Parallel execution   | None                         | Multi-worker parallel milestone orchestration            |

### Migrating from v1

> **Note:** Migration works best with a `ROADMAP.md` file for milestone structure. Without one, milestones are inferred from the `phases/` directory.

If you have projects with `.planning` directories from the original Get Shit Done, you can migrate them to GSD-2's `.gsd` format:

```bash
# From within the project directory
/gsd migrate

# Or specify a path
/gsd migrate ~/projects/my-old-project
```

The migration tool:

- Parses your old `PROJECT.md`, `ROADMAP.md`, `REQUIREMENTS.md`, phase directories, plans, summaries, and research
- Maps phases → slices, plans → tasks, milestones → milestones
- Preserves completion state (`[x]` phases stay done, summaries carry over)
- Consolidates research files into the new structure
- Shows a preview before writing anything
- Optionally runs an agent-driven review of the output for quality assurance

Supports format variations including milestone-sectioned roadmaps with `<details>` blocks, bold phase entries, bullet-format requirements, decimal phase numbering, and duplicate phase numbers across milestones.

---

## How It Works

GSD structures work into a hierarchy:

```
Milestone  →  a shippable version (4-10 slices)
  Slice    →  one demoable vertical capability (1-7 tasks)
    Task   →  one context-window-sized unit of work
```

The iron rule: **a task must fit in one context window.** If it can't, it's two tasks.

### The Loop

Each slice flows through phases automatically:

```
Plan (with integrated research) → Execute (per task) → Complete → Reassess Roadmap → Next Slice
                                                                                      ↓ (all slices done)
                                                                              Validate Milestone → Complete Milestone
```

**Plan** scouts the codebase, researches relevant docs, and decomposes the slice into tasks with must-haves (mechanically verifiable outcomes). **Execute** runs each task in a fresh context window with only the relevant files pre-loaded — then runs configured verification commands (lint, test, etc.) with auto-fix retries. **Complete** writes the summary, UAT script, marks the roadmap, and commits with meaningful messages derived from task summaries. **Reassess** checks if the roadmap still makes sense given what was learned. **Validate Milestone** runs a reconciliation gate after all slices complete — comparing roadmap success criteria against actual results before sealing the milestone.

### `/gsd auto` — The Main Event

This is what makes GSD different. Run it, walk away, come back to built software.

```
/gsd auto
```

Auto mode is a state machine driven by files on disk. It reads `.gsd/STATE.md`, determines the next unit of work, creates a fresh agent session, injects a focused prompt with all relevant context pre-inlined, and lets the LLM execute. When the LLM finishes, auto mode reads disk state again and dispatches the next unit.

**What happens under the hood:**

1. **Fresh session per unit** — Every task, every research phase, every planning step gets a clean 200k-token context window. No accumulated garbage. No "I'll be more concise now."

2. **Context pre-loading** — The dispatch prompt includes inlined task plans, slice plans, prior task summaries, dependency summaries, roadmap excerpts, and decisions register. The LLM starts with everything it needs instead of spending tool calls reading files.

3. **Git isolation** — When `git.isolation` is set to `worktree` or `branch`, each milestone runs on its own `milestone/<MID>` branch (in a worktree or in-place). All slice work commits sequentially — no branch switching, no merge conflicts. When the milestone completes, it's squash-merged to main as one clean commit. The default is `none` (work on the current branch), configurable via preferences.

4. **Crash recovery** — A lock file tracks the current unit. If the session dies, the next `/gsd auto` reads the surviving session file, synthesizes a recovery briefing from every tool call that made it to disk, and resumes with full context. Parallel orchestrator state is persisted to disk with PID liveness detection, so multi-worker sessions survive crashes too. In headless mode, crashes trigger automatic restart with exponential backoff (default 3 attempts).

5. **Provider error recovery** — Transient provider errors (rate limits, 500/503 server errors, overloaded) auto-resume after a delay. Permanent errors (auth, billing) pause for manual review. The model fallback chain retries transient network errors before switching models.

6. **Stuck detection** — A sliding-window detector identifies repeated dispatch patterns (including multi-unit cycles). On detection, it retries once with a deep diagnostic. If it fails again, auto mode stops with the exact file it expected.

7. **Timeout supervision** — Soft timeout warns the LLM to wrap up. Idle watchdog detects stalls. Hard timeout pauses auto mode. Recovery steering nudges the LLM to finish durable output before giving up.

8. **Cost tracking** — Every unit's token usage and cost is captured, broken down by phase, slice, and model. The dashboard shows running totals and projections. Budget ceilings can pause auto mode before overspending.

9. **Adaptive replanning** — After each slice completes, the roadmap is reassessed. If the work revealed new information that changes the plan, slices are reordered, added, or removed before continuing.

10. **Verification enforcement** — Configure shell commands (`npm run lint`, `npm run test`, etc.) that run automatically after task execution. Failures trigger auto-fix retries before advancing. Auto-discovered checks from `package.json` run in advisory mode — they log warnings but don't block on pre-existing errors. Configurable via `verification_commands`, `verification_auto_fix`, and `verification_max_retries` preferences.

11. **Milestone validation** — After all slices complete, a `validate-milestone` gate compares roadmap success criteria against actual results before sealing the milestone.

12. **Escape hatch** — Press Escape to pause. The conversation is preserved. Interact with the agent, inspect what happened, or just `/gsd auto` to resume from disk state.

### `/gsd` and `/gsd next` — Step Mode

By default, `/gsd` runs in **step mode**: the same state machine as auto mode, but it pauses between units with a wizard showing what completed and what's next. You advance one step at a time, review the output, and continue when ready.

- **No `.gsd/` directory** → Start a new project. Discussion flow captures your vision, constraints, and preferences.
- **Milestone exists, no roadmap** → Discuss or research the milestone.
- **Roadmap exists, slices pending** → Plan the next slice, execute one task, or switch to auto.
- **Mid-task** → Resume from where you left off.

`/gsd next` is an explicit alias for step mode. You can switch from step → auto mid-session via the wizard.

Step mode is the on-ramp. Auto mode is the highway.

---

## Getting Started

### Install

```bash
npm install -g gsd-pi
```

### Log in to a provider

First, choose your LLM provider:

```bash
gsd
/login
```

Select from 20+ providers — Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, GitHub Copilot, and more. If you have a Claude Max or Copilot subscription, the OAuth flow handles everything. Otherwise, paste your API key when prompted.

GSD auto-selects a default model after login. To switch models later:

```bash
/model
```

### Use it

Open a terminal in your project and run:

```bash
gsd
```

GSD opens an interactive agent session. From there, you have two ways to work:

**`/gsd` — step mode.** Type `/gsd` and GSD executes one unit of work at a time, pausing between each with a wizard showing what completed and what's next. Same state machine as auto mode, but you stay in the loop. No project yet? It starts the discussion flow. Roadmap exists? It plans or executes the next step.

**`/gsd auto` — autonomous mode.** Type `/gsd auto` and walk away. GSD researches, plans, executes, verifies, commits, and advances through every slice until the milestone is complete. Fresh context window per task. No babysitting.

### Two terminals, one project

The real workflow: run auto mode in one terminal, steer from another.

**Terminal 1 — let it build**

```bash
gsd
/gsd auto
```

**Terminal 2 — steer while it works**

```bash
gsd
/gsd discuss    # talk through architecture decisions
/gsd status     # check progress
/gsd queue      # queue the next milestone
```

Both terminals read and write the same `.gsd/` files on disk. Your decisions in terminal 2 are picked up automatically at the next phase boundary — no need to stop auto mode.

### Headless mode — CI and scripts

`gsd headless` runs any `/gsd` command without a TUI. Designed for CI pipelines, cron jobs, and scripted automation.

```bash
# Run auto mode in CI
gsd headless --timeout 600000

# Create and execute a milestone end-to-end
gsd headless new-milestone --context spec.md --auto

# One unit at a time (cron-friendly)
gsd headless next

# Instant JSON snapshot (no LLM, ~50ms)
gsd headless query

# Force a specific pipeline phase
gsd headless dispatch plan
```

Headless auto-responds to interactive prompts, detects completion, and exits with structured codes: `0` complete, `1` error/timeout, `2` blocked. Auto-restarts on crash with exponential backoff. Use `gsd headless query` for instant, machine-readable state inspection — returns phase, next dispatch preview, and parallel worker costs as a single JSON object without spawning an LLM session. Pair with [remote questions](./docs/remote-questions.md) to route decisions to Slack or Discord when human input is needed.

**Multi-session orchestration** — headless mode supports file-based IPC in `.gsd/parallel/` for coordinating multiple GSD workers across milestones. Build orchestrators that spawn, monitor, and budget-cap a fleet of GSD workers.

### First launch

On first run, GSD launches a branded setup wizard that walks you through LLM provider selection (OAuth or API key), then optional tool API keys (Brave Search, Context7, Jina, Slack, Discord). Every step is skippable — press Enter to skip any. If you have an existing Pi installation, your provider credentials (LLM and tool keys) are imported automatically. Run `gsd config` anytime to re-run the wizard.

### Commands

| Command                 | What it does                                                    |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `/gsd`                  | Step mode — executes one unit at a time, pauses between each    |
| `/gsd next`             | Explicit step mode (same as bare `/gsd`)                        |
| `/gsd auto`             | Autonomous mode — researches, plans, executes, commits, repeats |
| `/gsd quick`            | Execute a quick task with GSD guarantees, skip planning overhead |
| `/gsd stop`             | Stop auto mode gracefully                                       |
| `/gsd steer`            | Hard-steer plan documents during execution                      |
| `/gsd discuss`          | Discuss architecture and decisions (works alongside auto mode)  |
| `/gsd rethink`          | Conversational project reorganization                           |
| `/gsd mcp`              | MCP server status and connectivity                              |
| `/gsd status`           | Progress dashboard                                              |
| `/gsd queue`            | Queue future milestones (safe during auto mode)                 |
| `/gsd prefs`            | Model selection, timeouts, budget ceiling                       |
| `/gsd migrate`          | Migrate a v1 `.planning` directory to `.gsd` format             |
| `/gsd help`             | Categorized command reference for all GSD subcommands           |
| `/gsd mode`             | Switch workflow mode (solo/team) with coordinated defaults      |
| `/gsd forensics`        | Full-access GSD debugger for auto-mode failure investigation    |
| `/gsd cleanup`          | Archive phase directories from completed milestones             |
| `/gsd doctor`           | Runtime health checks — issues surface across widget, visualizer, and reports |
| `/gsd keys`             | API key manager — list, add, remove, test, rotate, doctor       |
| `/gsd logs`             | Browse activity, debug, and metrics logs                        |
| `/gsd export --html`    | Generate HTML report for current or completed milestone         |
| `/worktree` (`/wt`)     | Git worktree lifecycle — create, switch, merge, remove          |
| `/voice`                | Toggle real-time speech-to-text (macOS, Linux)                  |
| `/exit`                 | Graceful shutdown — saves session state before exiting          |
| `/kill`                 | Kill GSD process immediately                                    |
| `/clear`                | Start a new session (alias for `/new`)                          |
| `Ctrl+Alt+G`            | Toggle dashboard overlay                                        |
| `Ctrl+Alt+V`            | Toggle voice transcription                                      |
| `Ctrl+Alt+B`            | Show background shell processes                                 |
| `Alt+V`                 | Paste clipboard image (macOS)                                   |
| `gsd config`            | Re-run the setup wizard (LLM provider + tool keys)              |
| `gsd update`            | Update GSD to the latest version                                |
| `gsd headless [cmd]`    | Run `/gsd` commands without TUI (CI, cron, scripts)             |
| `gsd headless query`    | Instant JSON snapshot — state, next dispatch, costs (no LLM)    |
| `gsd --continue` (`-c`) | Resume the most recent session for the current directory        |
| `gsd --worktree` (`-w`) | Launch an isolated worktree session for the active milestone    |
| `gsd sessions`          | Interactive session picker — browse and resume any saved session |

---

## What GSD Manages For You

### Context Engineering

Every dispatch is carefully constructed. The LLM never wastes tool calls on orientation.

| Artifact           | Purpose                                                         |
| ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `PROJECT.md`       | Living doc — what the project is right now                      |
| `DECISIONS.md`     | Append-only register of architectural decisions                 |
| `KNOWLEDGE.md`     | Cross-session rules, patterns, and lessons learned              |
| `RUNTIME.md`       | Runtime context — API endpoints, env vars, services (v2.39)     |
| `STATE.md`         | Quick-glance dashboard — always read first                      |
| `M001-ROADMAP.md`  | Milestone plan with slice checkboxes, risk levels, dependencies |
| `M001-CONTEXT.md`  | User decisions from the discuss phase                           |
| `M001-RESEARCH.md` | Codebase and ecosystem research                                 |
| `S01-PLAN.md`      | Slice task decomposition with must-haves                        |
| `T01-PLAN.md`      | Individual task plan with verification criteria                 |
| `T01-SUMMARY.md`   | What happened — YAML frontmatter + narrative                    |
| `S01-UAT.md`       | Human test script derived from slice outcomes                   |

### Git Strategy

Branch-per-slice with squash merge. Fully automated.

```
main:
  docs(M001/S04): workflow documentation and examples
  fix(M001/S03): bug fixes and doc corrections
  feat(M001/S02): API endpoints and middleware
  feat(M001/S01): data model and type system

gsd/M001/S01 (deleted after merge):
  feat(S01/T03): file writer with round-trip fidelity
  feat(S01/T02): markdown parser for plan files
  feat(S01/T01): core types and interfaces
```

One squash commit per milestone on main (or whichever branch you started from). The worktree is torn down after merge. Git bisect works. Individual milestones are revertable. Commit messages are generated from task summaries — no more generic "complete task" messages.

### Verification

Every task has must-haves — mechanically checkable outcomes:

- **Truths** — Observable behaviors ("User can sign up with email")
- **Artifacts** — Files that must exist with real implementation, not stubs
- **Key Links** — Imports and wiring between artifacts

The verification ladder: static checks → command execution → behavioral testing → human review (only when the agent genuinely can't verify itself).

### Dashboard

`Ctrl+Alt+G` or `/gsd status` opens a real-time overlay showing:

- Current milestone, slice, and task progress
- Auto mode elapsed time and phase
- Per-unit cost and token breakdown by phase, slice, and model
- Cost projections based on completed work
- Completed and in-progress units

### HTML Reports

After a milestone completes, GSD auto-generates a self-contained HTML report in `.gsd/reports/`. Each report includes project summary, progress tree, slice dependency graph (SVG DAG), cost/token metrics with bar charts, execution timeline, changelog, and knowledge base sections. No external dependencies — all CSS and JS are inlined, printable to PDF from any browser.

An auto-generated `index.html` shows all reports with progression metrics across milestones.

- **Automatic** — generated after milestone completion (configurable via `auto_report` preference)
- **Manual** — run `/gsd export --html` anytime

---

## Configuration

### Preferences

GSD preferences live in `~/.gsd/preferences.md` (global) or `.gsd/preferences.md` (project). Manage with `/gsd prefs`.

```yaml
---
version: 1
models:
  research: claude-sonnet-4-6
  planning:
    model: claude-opus-4-6
    fallbacks:
      - openrouter/z-ai/glm-5
      - openrouter/minimax/minimax-m2.5
  execution: claude-sonnet-4-6
  completion: claude-sonnet-4-6
skill_discovery: suggest
auto_supervisor:
  soft_timeout_minutes: 20
  idle_timeout_minutes: 10
  hard_timeout_minutes: 30
budget_ceiling: 50.00
unique_milestone_ids: true
verification_commands:
  - npm run lint
  - npm run test
auto_report: true
---
```

**Key settings:**

| Setting                | What it controls                                                                                      |
| ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `models.*`             | Per-phase model selection — string for a single model, or `{model, fallbacks}` for automatic failover |
| `skill_discovery`      | `auto` / `suggest` / `off` — how GSD finds and applies skills                                         |
| `auto_supervisor.*`    | Timeout thresholds for auto mode supervision                                                          |
| `budget_ceiling`       | USD ceiling — auto mode pauses when reached                                                           |
| `uat_dispatch`         | Enable automatic UAT runs after slice completion                                                      |
| `always_use_skills`    | Skills to always load when relevant                                                                   |
| `skill_rules`          | Situational rules for skill routing                                                                   |
| `skill_staleness_days` | Skills unused for N days get deprioritized (default: 60, 0 = disabled)                                |
| `unique_milestone_ids` | Uses unique milestone names to avoid clashes when working in teams of people                          |
| `git.isolation`        | `none` (default), `worktree`, or `branch` — enable worktree or branch isolation for milestone work               |
| `git.manage_gitignore` | Set `false` to prevent GSD from modifying `.gitignore`                                                           |
| `verification_commands`| Array of shell commands to run after task execution (e.g., `["npm run lint", "npm run test"]`)        |
| `verification_auto_fix`| Auto-retry on verification failures (default: true)                                                   |
| `verification_max_retries` | Max retries for verification failures (default: 2)                                               |
| `require_slice_discussion` | Pause auto-mode before each slice for human discussion review                                    |
| `auto_report`          | Auto-generate HTML reports after milestone completion (default: true)                                 |
| `searchExcludeDirs`    | Directories to exclude from `@` file autocomplete (e.g., `["node_modules", ".git", "dist"]`)          |

### Agent Instructions

Place an `AGENTS.md` file in any directory to provide persistent behavioral guidance for that scope. Pi core loads `AGENTS.md` automatically (with `CLAUDE.md` as a fallback) at both user and project levels. Use these files for coding standards, architectural decisions, domain terminology, or workflow preferences.

> **Note:** The legacy `agent-instructions.md` format (`~/.gsd/agent-instructions.md` and `.gsd/agent-instructions.md`) is deprecated and no longer loaded. Migrate any existing instructions to `AGENTS.md` or `CLAUDE.md`.

### Debug Mode

Start GSD with `gsd --debug` to enable structured JSONL diagnostic logging. Debug logs capture dispatch decisions, state transitions, and timing data for troubleshooting auto-mode issues.

### Token Optimization

GSD includes a coordinated token optimization system that reduces usage by 40-60% on cost-sensitive workloads. Set a single preference to coordinate model selection, phase skipping, and context compression:

```yaml
token_profile: budget      # or balanced (default), quality
```

| Profile | Savings | What It Does |
|---------|---------|-------------|
| `budget` | 40-60% | Cheap models, skip research/reassess, minimal context inlining |
| `balanced` | 10-20% | Default models, skip slice research, standard context |
| `quality` | 0% | All phases, all context, full model power |

**Complexity-based routing** automatically classifies tasks as simple/standard/complex and routes to appropriate models. Simple docs tasks get Haiku; complex architectural work gets Opus. The classification is heuristic (sub-millisecond, no LLM calls) and learns from outcomes via a persistent routing history.

**Budget pressure** graduates model downgrading as you approach your budget ceiling — 50%, 75%, and 90% thresholds progressively shift work to cheaper tiers.

See the full [Token Optimization Guide](./docs/token-optimization.md) for details.

### Bundled Tools

GSD ships with 19 extensions, all loaded automatically:

| Extension              | What it provides                                                                                                       |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **GSD**                | Core workflow engine, auto mode, commands, dashboard                                                                   |
| **Browser Tools**      | Playwright-based browser with form intelligence, intent-ranked element finding, semantic actions, PDF export, session state persistence, network mocking, device emulation, structured extraction, visual diffing, region zoom, test code generation, and prompt injection detection |
| **Search the Web**     | Brave Search, Tavily, or Jina page extraction                                                                          |
| **Google Search**      | Gemini-powered web search with AI-synthesized answers                                                                  |
| **Context7**           | Up-to-date library/framework documentation                                                                             |
| **Background Shell**   | Long-running process management with readiness detection                                                               |
| **Async Jobs**         | Background bash commands with job tracking and cancellation                                                            |
| **Subagent**           | Delegated tasks with isolated context windows                                                                          |
| **GitHub**             | Full-suite GitHub issues and PR management via `/gh` command                                                           |
| **Mac Tools**          | macOS native app automation via Accessibility APIs                                                                     |
| **MCP Client**         | Native MCP server integration via @modelcontextprotocol/sdk                                                            |
| **Voice**              | Real-time speech-to-text transcription (macOS, Linux — Ubuntu 22.04+)                                                  |
| **Slash Commands**     | Custom command creation                                                                                                |
| **Ask User Questions** | Structured user input with single/multi-select                                                                         |
| **Secure Env Collect** | Masked secret collection without manual .env editing                                                                   |
| **Remote Questions**   | Route decisions to Slack/Discord when human input is needed in headless/CI mode                                         |
| **Universal Config**   | Discover and import MCP servers and rules from other AI coding tools                                                    |
| **AWS Auth**           | Automatic Bedrock credential refresh for AWS-hosted models                                                              |
| **TTSR**               | Tool-use type-safe runtime validation                                                                                   |

### Bundled Agents

Three specialized subagents for delegated work:

| Agent          | Role                                                         |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Scout**      | Fast codebase recon — returns compressed context for handoff |
| **Researcher** | Web research — finds and synthesizes current information     |
| **Worker**     | General-purpose execution in an isolated context window      |

---

## Working in teams

The best practice for working in teams is to ensure unique milestone names across all branches (by using `unique_milestone_ids`) and checking in the right `.gsd/` artifacts to share valuable context between teammates.

### Suggested .gitignore setup

```bash
# ── GSD: Runtime / Ephemeral (per-developer, per-session) ──────────────────
# Crash detection sentinel — PID lock, written per auto-mode session
.gsd/auto.lock
# Auto-mode dispatch tracker — prevents re-running completed units
.gsd/completed-units.json
# Derived state cache — regenerated from plan/roadmap files on disk
.gsd/STATE.md
# Per-developer token/cost accumulator
.gsd/metrics.json
# Raw JSONL session dumps — crash recovery forensics, auto-pruned
.gsd/activity/
# Unit execution records — dispatch phase, timeouts, recovery tracking
.gsd/runtime/
# Git worktree working copies
.gsd/worktrees/
# Parallel orchestration IPC and worker status
.gsd/parallel/
# Generated HTML reports (regenerable via /gsd export --html)
.gsd/reports/
# Session-specific interrupted-work markers
.gsd/milestones/**/continue.md
.gsd/milestones/**/*-CONTINUE.md
```

### Unique Milestone Names

Create or amend your `.gsd/preferences.md` file within the repo to include `unique_milestone_ids: true` e.g.

```markdown
---
version: 1
unique_milestone_ids: true
---
```

With the above `.gitignore` set up, the `.gsd/preferences.md` file is checked into the repo ensuring all teammates use unique milestone names to avoid collisions.

Milestone names will now be generated with a 6 char random string appended e.g. instead of `M001` you'll get something like `M001-ush8s3`

### Migrating an existing git ignored `.gsd/` folder

1. Ensure you are not in the middle of any milestones (clean state)
2. Update the `.gsd/` related entries in your `.gitignore` to follow the `Suggested .gitignore setup` section under `Working in teams` (ensure you are no longer blanket ignoring the whole `.gsd/` directory)
3. Update your `.gsd/preferences.md` file within the repo as per section `Unique Milestone Names`
4. If you want to update all your existing milestones use this prompt in GSD: `I have turned on unique milestone ids, please update all old milestone ids to use this new format e.g. M001-abc123 where abc123 is a random 6 char lowercase alpha numeric string. Update all references in all .gsd file contents, file names and directory names. Validate your work once done to ensure referential integrity.`
5. Commit to git

---

## Architecture

GSD is a TypeScript application that embeds the Pi coding agent SDK.

```
gsd (CLI binary)
  └─ loader.ts          Sets PI_PACKAGE_DIR, GSD env vars, dynamic-imports cli.ts
      └─ cli.ts         Wires SDK managers, loads extensions, starts InteractiveMode
          ├─ headless.ts     Headless orchestrator (spawns RPC child, auto-responds, detects completion)
          ├─ onboarding.ts   First-run setup wizard (LLM provider + tool keys)
          ├─ wizard.ts       Env hydration from stored auth.json credentials
          ├─ app-paths.ts    ~/.gsd/agent/, ~/.gsd/sessions/, auth.json
          ├─ resource-loader.ts  Syncs bundled extensions + agents to ~/.gsd/agent/
          └─ src/resources/
              ├─ extensions/gsd/    Core GSD extension (auto, state, commands, ...)
              ├─ extensions/...     18 supporting extensions
              ├─ agents/            scout, researcher, worker
              ├─ AGENTS.md          Agent routing instructions
              └─ GSD-WORKFLOW.md    Manual bootstrap protocol
```

**Key design decisions:**

- **`pkg/` shim directory** — `PI_PACKAGE_DIR` points here (not project root) to avoid Pi's theme resolution collision with our `src/` directory. Contains only `piConfig` and theme assets.
- **Two-file loader pattern** — `loader.ts` sets all env vars with zero SDK imports, then dynamic-imports `cli.ts` which does static SDK imports. This ensures `PI_PACKAGE_DIR` is set before any SDK code evaluates.
- **Always-overwrite sync** — `npm update -g` takes effect immediately. Bundled extensions and agents are synced to `~/.gsd/agent/` on every launch, not just first run.
- **State lives on disk** — `.gsd/` is the source of truth. Auto mode reads it, writes it, and advances based on what it finds. No in-memory state survives across sessions.

---

## Requirements

- **Node.js** ≥ 22.0.0 (24 LTS recommended)
- **An LLM provider** — any of the 20+ supported providers (see [Use Any Model](#use-any-model))
- **Git** — initialized automatically if missing

Optional:

- Brave Search API key (web research)
- Tavily API key (web research — alternative to Brave)
- Google Gemini API key (web research via Gemini Search grounding)
- Context7 API key (library docs)
- Jina API key (page extraction)

---

## Use Any Model

GSD isn't locked to one provider. It runs on the [Pi SDK](https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono), which supports **20+ model providers** out of the box. Use different models for different phases — Opus for planning, Sonnet for execution, a fast model for research.

### Built-in Providers

Anthropic, Anthropic (Vertex AI), OpenAI, Google (Gemini), OpenRouter, GitHub Copilot, Amazon Bedrock, Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex, Groq, Cerebras, Mistral, xAI, HuggingFace, Vercel AI Gateway, and more.

### OAuth / Max Plans

If you have a **Claude Max**, **Codex**, or **GitHub Copilot** subscription, you can use those directly — Pi handles the OAuth flow. No API key needed.

> **⚠️ Important:** Using OAuth tokens from subscription plans outside their native applications may violate the provider's Terms of Service. In particular:
>
> - **Google Gemini** — Using Gemini CLI or Antigravity OAuth tokens in third-party tools has resulted in **Google account suspensions**. This affects your entire Google account, not just the Gemini service. **Use a Gemini API key instead.**
> - **Claude Max** — Anthropic's ToS may not explicitly permit OAuth use outside Claude's own applications.
> - **GitHub Copilot** — Usage outside GitHub's own tools may be restricted by your subscription terms.
>
> GSD supports API key authentication for all providers as the safe alternative. **We strongly recommend using API keys over OAuth for Google Gemini.**

### OpenRouter

[OpenRouter](https://openrouter.ai) gives you access to hundreds of models through a single API key. Use it to run GSD with Llama, DeepSeek, Qwen, or anything else OpenRouter supports.

### Per-Phase Model Selection

In your preferences (`/gsd prefs`), assign different models to different phases:

```yaml
models:
  research: openrouter/deepseek/deepseek-r1
  planning:
    model: claude-opus-4-6
    fallbacks:
      - openrouter/z-ai/glm-5
  execution: claude-sonnet-4-6
  completion: claude-sonnet-4-6
```

Use expensive models where quality matters (planning, complex execution) and cheaper/faster models where speed matters (research, simple completions). Each phase accepts a simple model string or an object with `model` and `fallbacks` — if the primary model fails (provider outage, rate limit, credit exhaustion), GSD automatically tries the next fallback. GSD tracks cost per-model so you can see exactly where your budget goes.

---

## Star History

<a href="https://star-history.com/#gsd-build/gsd-2&Date">
  <img alt="Star History Chart" src="https://api.star-history.com/svg?repos=gsd-build/gsd-2&type=Date" />
</a>

---

## License

[MIT License](LICENSE)

---

<div align="center">

**The original GSD showed what was possible. This version delivers it.**

**`npm install -g gsd-pi && gsd`**

</div>