New Track
Create a new track (feature, bug fix, chore, or refactor) with a detailed specification and phased implementation plan.
Use this skill when
- Working on new track tasks or workflows
- Needing guidance, best practices, or checklists for new track
Do not use this skill when
- The task is unrelated to new track
- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
Instructions
- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
- Provide actionable steps and verification.
- If detailed examples are required, open
resources/implementation-playbook.md.
Pre-flight Checks
- Verify Conductor is initialized:
- Check conductor/product.md exists - Check conductor/tech-stack.md exists - Check conductor/workflow.md exists - If missing: Display error and suggest running /conductor:setup first
- Load context files:
- Read conductor/product.md for product context - Read conductor/tech-stack.md for technical context - Read conductor/workflow.md for TDD/commit preferences
Track Classification
Determine track type based on description or ask user:
What type of track is this?
1. Feature - New functionality
2. Bug - Fix for existing issue
3. Chore - Maintenance, dependencies, config
4. Refactor - Code improvement without behavior changeInteractive Specification Gathering
CRITICAL RULES:
- Ask ONE question per turn
- Wait for user response before proceeding
- Tailor questions based on track type
- Maximum 6 questions total
For Feature Tracks
Q1: Feature Summary
Describe the feature in 1-2 sentences.
[If argument provided, confirm: "You want to: {argument}. Is this correct?"]Q2: User Story
Who benefits and how?
Format: As a [user type], I want to [action] so that [benefit].Q3: Acceptance Criteria
What must be true for this feature to be complete?
List 3-5 acceptance criteria (one per line):Q4: Dependencies
Does this depend on any existing code, APIs, or other tracks?
1. No dependencies
2. Depends on existing code (specify)
3. Depends on incomplete track (specify)Q5: Scope Boundaries
What is explicitly OUT of scope for this track?
(Helps prevent scope creep)Q6: Technical Considerations (optional)
Any specific technical approach or constraints?
(Press enter to skip)For Bug Tracks
Q1: Bug Summary
What is broken?
[If argument provided, confirm]Q2: Steps to Reproduce
How can this bug be reproduced?
List steps:Q3: Expected vs Actual Behavior
What should happen vs what actually happens?Q4: Affected Areas
What parts of the system are affected?Q5: Root Cause Hypothesis (optional)
Any hypothesis about the cause?
(Press enter to skip)For Chore/Refactor Tracks
Q1: Task Summary
What needs to be done?
[If argument provided, confirm]Q2: Motivation
Why is this work needed?Q3: Success Criteria
How will we know this is complete?Q4: Risk Assessment
What could go wrong? Any risky changes?Track ID Generation
Generate track ID in format: {shortname}_{YYYYMMDD}
- Extract shortname from feature/bug summary (2-3 words, lowercase, hyphenated)
- Use current date
- Example:
user-auth_20250115,nav-bug_20250115
Validate uniqueness:
- Check
conductor/tracks.mdfor existing IDs - If collision, append counter:
user-auth_20250115_2
Specification Generation
Create conductor/tracks/{trackId}/spec.md:
# Specification: {Track Title}
**Track ID:** {trackId}
**Type:** {Feature|Bug|Chore|Refactor}
**Created:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Status:** Draft
## Summary
{1-2 sentence summary}
## Context
{Product context from product.md relevant to this track}
## User Story (for features)
As a {user}, I want to {action} so that {benefit}.
## Problem Description (for bugs)
{Bug description, steps to reproduce}
## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] {Criterion 1}
- [ ] {Criterion 2}
- [ ] {Criterion 3}
## Dependencies
{List dependencies or "None"}
## Out of Scope
{Explicit exclusions}
## Technical Notes
{Technical considerations or "None specified"}
---
_Generated by Conductor. Review and edit as needed._User Review of Spec
Display the generated spec and ask:
Here is the specification I've generated:
{spec content}
Is this specification correct?
1. Yes, proceed to plan generation
2. No, let me edit (opens for inline edits)
3. Start over with different inputsPlan Generation
After spec approval, generate conductor/tracks/{trackId}/plan.md:
Plan Structure
# Implementation Plan: {Track Title}
**Track ID:** {trackId}
**Spec:** [spec.md](./spec.md)
**Created:** {YYYY-MM-DD}
**Status:** [ ] Not Started
## Overview
{Brief summary of implementation approach}
## Phase 1: {Phase Name}
{Phase description}
### Tasks
- [ ] Task 1.1: {Description}
- [ ] Task 1.2: {Description}
- [ ] Task 1.3: {Description}
### Verification
- [ ] {Verification step for phase 1}
## Phase 2: {Phase Name}
{Phase description}
### Tasks
- [ ] Task 2.1: {Description}
- [ ] Task 2.2: {Description}
### Verification
- [ ] {Verification step for phase 2}
## Phase 3: {Phase Name} (if needed)
...
## Final Verification
- [ ] All acceptance criteria met
- [ ] Tests passing
- [ ] Documentation updated (if applicable)
- [ ] Ready for review
---
_Generated by Conductor. Tasks will be marked [~] in progress and [x] complete._Phase Guidelines
- Group related tasks into logical phases
- Each phase should be independently verifiable
- Include verification task after each phase
- TDD tracks: Include test writing tasks before implementation tasks
- Typical structure:
1. Setup/Foundation - Initial scaffolding, interfaces 2. Core Implementation - Main functionality 3. Integration - Connect with existing system 4. Polish - Error handling, edge cases, docs
User Review of Plan
Display the generated plan and ask:
Here is the implementation plan:
{plan content}
Is this plan correct?
1. Yes, create the track
2. No, let me edit (opens for inline edits)
3. Add more phases/tasks
4. Start overTrack Creation
After plan approval:
- Create directory structure:
conductor/tracks/{trackId}/ ├── spec.md ├── plan.md ├── metadata.json └── index.md - Create
metadata.json:{"id": "{trackId}", "title": "{Track Title}", "type": "feature|bug|chore|refactor", "status": "pending", "created": "ISO_TIMESTAMP", "updated": "ISO_TIMESTAMP", "phases": {"total": N, "completed": 0}, "tasks": {"total": M, "completed": 0}} - Create
index.md:# Track: {Track Title} **ID:** {trackId} **Status:** Pending ## Documents - [Specification](./spec.md) - [Implementation Plan](./plan.md) ## Progress - Phases: 0/{N} complete - Tasks: 0/{M} complete ## Quick Links - [Back to Tracks](../../tracks.md) - [Product Context](../../product.md) - Register in
conductor/tracks.md:
- Add row to tracks table - Format: | [] | {trackId} | {title} | {created} | {created} |
- Update
conductor/index.md:
- Add track to "Active Tracks" section
Completion Message
Track created successfully!
Track ID: {trackId}
Location: conductor/tracks/{trackId}/
Files created:
- spec.md - Requirements specification
- plan.md - Phased implementation plan
- metadata.json - Track metadata
- index.md - Track navigation
Next steps:
1. Review spec.md and plan.md, make any edits
2. Run /conductor:implement {trackId} to start implementation
3. Run /conductor:status to see project progressError Handling
- If directory creation fails: Halt and report, do not register in tracks.md
- If any file write fails: Clean up partial track, report error
- If tracks.md update fails: Warn user to manually register track