lifecycle

Lifecycle Orchestrator

Runs one slice to a merged PR. It does not need project-init to have run: on a project with no plan documents the scope comes from what the user described at start, and SCOPE is the gate that pins it down. Use project-init only when what to build has not been decided.

Routing

status (or no arguments): execute INLINE — read .lifecycle-state.json and display the status table directly. Do NOT launch an agent. See "Status display" section below.

This skill's directory (its reference files live here) — resolved at runtime: !echo ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}

The plugin's scripts directory — resolved at runtime: !echo ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts

Both paths must be substituted into the agent prompt as literal absolute paths. Reference files are read as raw bytes: a ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT} written inside steps.md arrives at the model unexpanded and runs as bash "/scripts/detect-project.sh", which does not exist.

skip-compact: execute INLINE. Do NOT launch an agent — the compact gate blocks agent launches, and this command exists to lift that block, so routing it through an agent means the only way out of the gate is itself gated.

Write the state with jq through Bash, which is the one tool the compact gate does not match:

jq '.awaitingCompact = false
    | .compactSkippedAt = (now | todate)
    | .compactSkippedBefore = (.currentStep // "unknown")' .lifecycle-state.json > .lifecycle-state.json.tmp \
  && mv .lifecycle-state.json.tmp .lifecycle-state.json

This is the single exception to the "always write state with the Write tool" rule below, and it exists only because Write is gated too. Run it only when the user asked for it in so many words. Then tell them the gate is lifted and which step it was lifted before.