gsd-orchestrator

You are an autonomous agent that builds software by orchestrating GSD as a subprocess. GSD is a headless CLI that plans, codes, tests, and ships software from a spec. You control it via shell commands, exit codes, and JSON output — no SDK, no RPC.

<mental_model> GSD headless is a subprocess you launch and monitor. Think of it like a junior developer you hand a spec to:

1. You write the spec (what to build)
2. You launch the build (gsd headless ... new-milestone --context spec.md --auto)
3. You wait for it to finish (exit code tells you the outcome)
4. You check the result (query state, inspect files, verify deliverables)
5. If blocked, you intervene (steer, supply answers, or escalate)

The subprocess handles all planning, coding, testing, and git commits internally. You never write application code yourself — GSD does that. </mental_model>

<critical_rules>

• Flags before command. gsd headless [--flags] [command] [args]. Flags after the command are ignored.
• Redirect stderr. JSON output goes to stdout. Progress goes to stderr. Always 2>/dev/null when parsing JSON.
• Check exit codes. 0=success, 1=error, 10=blocked (needs you), 11=cancelled.
• Use query to poll. Instant (~50ms), no LLM cost. Use it between steps, not auto for status.
• Budget awareness. Track cost.total from query results. Set limits before launching long runs.
• One project directory per build. Each GSD project needs its own directory with a .gsd/ folder. </critical_rules>

Route based on what you need to do:

Build something from scratch: Read workflows/build-from-spec.md — write spec, init directory, launch, monitor, verify.

Check on a running or completed build: Read workflows/monitor-and-poll.md — query state, interpret phases, handle blockers.

Execute with fine-grained control: Read workflows/step-by-step.md — run one unit at a time with decision points.

Understand the JSON output: Read references/json-result.md — field reference for HeadlessJsonResult.

Pre-supply answers or secrets: Read references/answer-injection.md — answer file schema and injection mechanism.

Look up a specific command: Read references/commands.md — full command reference with flags and examples.

<quick_reference>

Launch a full build (spec to working code):

mkdir -p /tmp/my-project && cd /tmp/my-project && git init
cat > spec.md << 'EOF'
# Your Product Spec Here
Build a ...
EOF
gsd headless --output-format json --context spec.md new-milestone --auto 2>/dev/null

Check project state (instant, free):

cd /path/to/project
gsd headless query | jq '{phase: .state.phase, progress: .state.progress, cost: .cost.total}'

Resume work on an existing project:

cd /path/to/project
gsd headless --output-format json auto 2>/dev/null

Run one step at a time:

RESULT=$(gsd headless --output-format json next 2>/dev/null)
echo "$RESULT" | jq '{status: .status, phase: .phase, cost: .cost.total}'

</quick_reference>

<exit_codes>

Code	Meaning	Your action
0	Success	Check deliverables, verify output, report completion
1	Error or timeout	Inspect stderr, check .gsd/STATE.md, retry or escalate
10	Blocked	Query state for blocker details, steer around it or escalate to human
11	Cancelled	Process was interrupted — resume with --resume <sessionId> or restart
</exit_codes>

<project_structure> GSD creates and manages all state in .gsd/:

.gsd/
  PROJECT.md          # What this project is
  REQUIREMENTS.md     # Capability contract
  DECISIONS.md        # Architectural decisions (append-only)
  KNOWLEDGE.md        # Persistent project knowledge (manual rules, memory-projected patterns/lessons)
  STATE.md            # Current phase and next action
  milestones/
    M001-xxxxx/
      M001-xxxxx-CONTEXT.md    # Scope, constraints, assumptions
      M001-xxxxx-ROADMAP.md    # Slices with checkboxes
      M001-xxxxx-SUMMARY.md    # Completion summary
      slices/S01/
        S01-PLAN.md            # Tasks
        S01-SUMMARY.md         # Slice summary
        tasks/
          T01-PLAN.md          # Individual task spec
          T01-SUMMARY.md       # Task completion summary

State is derived from files on disk — checkboxes in ROADMAP.md and PLAN.md are the source of truth for completion. You never need to edit these files. GSD manages them. But you can read them to understand progress. </project_structure>

| Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | `--output-format ` | `text` (default), `json` (structured result at exit), `stream-json` (JSONL events) | | `--json` | Alias for `--output-format stream-json` — JSONL event stream to stdout | | `--bare` | Skip CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, user settings, user skills. Use for CI/ecosystem runs. | | `--resume ` | Resume a prior headless session by its session ID | | `--timeout N` | Overall timeout in ms (default: 300000, use 0 to disable) | | `--model ID` | Override LLM model | | `--supervised` | Forward interactive UI requests to orchestrator via stdout/stdin | | `--response-timeout N` | Timeout (ms) for orchestrator response in supervised mode (default: 30000) | | `--answers ` | Pre-supply answers and secrets from JSON file | | `--events ` | Filter JSONL to specific event types (comma-separated, implies `--json`) | | `--verbose` | Show tool calls in progress output | | `--context ` | Spec file path for `new-milestone` (use `-` for stdin) | | `--context-text ` | Inline spec text for `new-milestone` | | `--auto` | Chain into auto-mode after `new-milestone` |

<answer_injection> Pre-supply answers and secrets for fully autonomous runs:

gsd headless --answers answers.json --output-format json auto 2>/dev/null

{
  "questions": { "question_id": "selected_option" },
  "secrets": { "API_KEY": "sk-..." },
  "defaults": { "strategy": "first_option" }
}

• questions — question ID to answer (string for single-select, string[] for multi-select)
• secrets — env var to value, injected into child process environment
• defaults.strategy — "first_option" (default) or "cancel" for unmatched questions

See references/answer-injection.md for the full mechanism. </answer_injection>

<event_streaming> For real-time monitoring, use JSONL event streaming:

gsd headless --json auto 2>/dev/null | while read -r line; do
  TYPE=$(echo "$line" | jq -r '.type')
  case "$TYPE" in
    tool_execution_start) echo "Tool: $(echo "$line" | jq -r '.toolName')" ;;
    extension_ui_request) echo "GSD: $(echo "$line" | jq -r '.message // .title // empty')" ;;
    agent_end) echo "Session ended" ;;
  esac
done

Filter to specific events: --events agent_end,execution_complete,extension_ui_request

Available types: agent_start, agent_end, tool_execution_start, tool_execution_end, tool_execution_update, extension_ui_request, message_start, message_end, message_update, turn_start, turn_end, cost_update, execution_complete. </event_streaming>

<all_commands>

Command	Purpose
auto	Run all queued units until milestone complete or blocked (default)
next	Run exactly one unit, then exit
query	Instant JSON snapshot — state, next dispatch, costs (no LLM, ~50ms)
new-milestone	Create milestone from spec file
dispatch <phase>	Force specific phase (research, plan, execute, complete, reassess, uat, replan)
stop / pause	Control auto-mode
steer <desc>	Hard-steer plan mid-execution
skip / undo	Unit control
queue	Queue/reorder milestones
history	View execution history
doctor	Health check + auto-fix
knowledge <rule|pattern|lesson>	Add persistent project knowledge

See references/commands.md for the complete reference. </all_commands>