singularity-forge/gitbook/core-concepts/step-mode.md
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33 markdown files organized for GitBook import with SUMMARY.md navigation.
Covers installation, core concepts, auto mode, configuration, all providers,
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headless CI, and full command reference. User-facing only — no internal/dev content.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-04-11 10:34:07 -05:00

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Step Mode

Step mode is GSD's interactive, one-step-at-a-time workflow. You stay in the loop, reviewing output between each step.

Starting Step Mode

/gsd

GSD reads the state of your .gsd/ directory and presents a wizard showing what's completed and what's next. It then executes one unit of work and pauses.

How It Works

Step mode adapts to your project's current state:

State What Happens
No .gsd/ directory Starts a discussion flow to capture your project vision
Milestone exists, no roadmap Opens a discussion or research phase for the milestone
Roadmap exists, slices pending Plans the next slice or executes the next task
Mid-task Resumes where you left off

After each unit completes, you see results and decide what to do next. This is ideal for:

  • New projects where you want to shape the architecture
  • Critical work where you want to review each step
  • Learning how GSD works before trusting auto mode

Steering During Step Mode

Between steps, you can:

  • Discuss/gsd discuss to talk through architecture decisions
  • Skip/gsd skip to prevent a unit from being dispatched
  • Undo/gsd undo to revert the last completed unit
  • Switch to auto/gsd auto to let GSD continue autonomously

When to Use Step Mode

  • First milestone — Review GSD's work before trusting it to run solo
  • Architectural decisions — When you want to guide the approach
  • Unfamiliar codebases — When you want to ensure GSD understands the project
  • High-stakes changes — When mistakes would be costly

Transitioning to Auto Mode

Once you're comfortable with GSD's approach, switch to auto mode:

/gsd auto

You can always press Escape to pause auto mode and return to step-by-step control.