ClawHub

Code Workflow

Workflows

4-stage workflow for code changes: research → plan → user review → implement (TDD). Topics — steps (Step 0-3: resume check + research + plan + user review + branch), implement (Step 4: TDD cycle + test level + build verify + commit), pr (capture + PR creation with image/WebP/GIF/video). Applies to issue implementation, tracked task items, new feature additions. TDD default in implement (opt out --no-tdd). github-flow auto-companion for GitHub repos (plan-to-issue / dependencies / pr / merge). Use when: "coding workflow", "research plan implement", "write plan", "plan md", "user review", "code plan", "implementation process", "code changes", "PR with screenshots", "pull request", "capture and PR".

Install

openclaw skills install code-workflow

Coding Workflow

A Research → Plan → User Review → Implement 4-stage procedure for code change tasks.

Configuration

OptionDefaultDescription
output-dirdocs/generated/Directory for research/plan files. Set per project (e.g., .ralph/docs/generated/)

Set via project CLAUDE.md or skill invocation argument:

/code-workflow --output-dir docs/generated/

Trivial tasks such as simple configuration changes or 1~2 line edits may skip this workflow.

Topics

TopicDescriptionGuide
implementStep 4: TDD cycle, test level selection, build & commitimplement.md
prCapture + PR creation with visual attachmentspr.md
stepsSteps 0-3: resume check, research, plan, user review, branchsteps.md

Topic Dependencies

code-workflow (steps 0-4)
  ├─→ steps Step 0: GitHub repo detection → loads github-flow as default companion
  ├─→ steps Step 0: github-flow/dependencies (blockedBy precondition check on linked issue)
  ├─→ tdd/cycle (step 4: TDD implementation)
  ├─→ tdd/run (step 4: test execution after implementation)
  ├─→ github-flow/plan-to-issue (auto-trigger when task has linked issue number)
  ├─→ github-flow/dependencies (auto-trigger when plan frontmatter has `chain:`)
  ├─→ github-flow/pr (optional: create PR with visual attachments)
  │     └─→ web-ui-test (capture via Playwright)
  └─→ github-flow/merge (after PR ready: gates CI/Review/Test Plan/blockedBy)
  • Steps 0-4 are always executed (unless trivial)
  • GitHub repo auto-load (Step 0): When git remote get-url origin contains github.com, github-flow becomes the default companion — issue/PR/merge ops route through its topics. Non-GitHub remotes fall back to manual gh/git
  • blockedBy precondition (Step 0): Linked issue's blockedBy is queried. OPEN predecessors → switch task or BLOCKED report
  • github-flow/plan-to-issue: converts plans to GitHub issues. Auto-trigger when the task has a linked issue number (e.g., Issue #176). Manual trigger when user explicitly requests issue registration
  • github-flow/dependencies: applies chain: frontmatter as native Issue Dependencies. Auto-trigger when plan has chain: array. Skipped for single-issue plans
  • github-flow/pr (optional, opt-in only): creates PRs. Invoke ONLY when the user explicitly requests PR creation (e.g., "create PR", "open PR"). Never auto-trigger from Step 4 completion
  • github-flow/merge (after PR ready): pre-merge gates include blockedBy open-predecessors check (see dependencies.md and merge.md step 3.5)
  • tdd is applied by default in step 4. Opt-out with --no-tdd

Quick Reference

Steps (Research → Plan → Review → Branch)

  1. Step 0: Resume check — read existing research/plan files before starting
  2. Step 1: Research — deep codebase reading, write to research-<N>-<slug>.md
  3. Step 2: Plan — detailed plan with 6 mandatory sections (including human review questions)
  4. Step 3: User review — report BLOCKED, wait for approval, then create branch/worktree

See steps.md.

Implement (TDD)

  • Select test level (unit/integration/E2E) based on change type
  • TDD Red commit (test only) → Green commit (implementation) → Refactor
  • Monorepo full build verification before commit
  • After completion: report only — do NOT auto-trigger push or PR. push and github-flow/pr require explicit user instruction (e.g., "push", "create PR"). PR creation is publish to GitHub and cannot be silently undone; reporting completion does not authorize it (HARD STOP).

See implement.md.

PR (with Visual Evidence)

  • Capture screenshots/GIF/video after implementation
  • Attach to PR body (before/after comparison)
  • Opt-out with --no-capture

See pr.md.

Applicability by Task Complexity

Task ComplexityScope
trivial (1~2 line edits, config value changes)Can be skipped — implement directly
moderate (3~10 files, logic changes)Start from step 2 (plan)
complex (10+ files, new features, architecture changes)Perform all steps from step 1 (research)

Cases where skipping is prohibited even if the line count is small (HARD STOP):

  • Regression issues — when something that previously worked is broken. Executable test code (no manual curl/ssh) must be included in the Plan and the issue.
  • Primary Branch Integrity (HARD STOP) — every working branch must be cut from the project's latest primary branch (origin/master, origin/main, or origin/develop). git fetch origin and primary-branch confirmation are required before branch creation.
  • External system integration changes (Authentik, OAuth, external APIs) — Plan + integration tests are mandatory regardless of line count.
  • Authentication/security-related changes — Mandatory to specify test strategy (unit/integration/E2E level) in the plan.
  • proxy.ts/middleware branching changes — Affects multiple cases. Mandatory to specify impact scope + GUARD comment strategy in the plan.
More in Workflows