This document helps maintain productive momentum when working with agentic contributors on drover-code and related projects.
When a task is clearly scoped and delegated:
- Do not pause for additional confirmation after receiving a directive (e.g., "write design doc", "start implementation", "refactor X").
- Parse concrete outputs (file paths, file names, formats) as immediate execution targets, not discussion topics.
- Begin work immediately upon receiving a clear task description or acceptance of a proposed direction.
Example:
- ❌ "I'll create a design document about drover-cloud" → (pauses)
- ✅ "Creating design/17-drover-cloud.md with architecture, pricing, deployment phases..." → (starts writing immediately)
- During active work: Provide brief status updates in tool calls (e.g., "Writing section 3..." in comments).
- Upon completion: Summarize what was written and any next steps clearly.
- On ambiguity: Ask a focused clarification question, don't pause indefinitely.
- Design docs follow the numbered pattern:
design/NN-topic.md - Each doc has a clear purpose statement and sections mapped to implementation phases.
- Files in progress can be marked with a
[WIP]prefix in the first heading if needed, removed when complete. - Commit messages follow conventional commit format (
docs(design): add drover-cloud architectureetc.).
When a user says:
- "Create X" or "Design X" → Start writing immediately to the specified file path
- "Implement X" → Begin coding; ask clarifying questions only if truly ambiguous
- "What do you think about X?" → Provide analysis, then propose next steps
- "Are you building/thinking/working?" → Assume this is a nudge to start if you haven't; confirm and begin
- Read
interaction-guidelines.mdat the start of each conversation about drover-code work - Check
git_statusbefore committing to understand what's staged - Review recent commits with
git_logto understand project momentum - When resuming work, scan the most recent design doc or TODO file for context
If a task spans multiple conversations or is explicitly long-form:
- Create the file immediately (even if outline-only)
- Commit with message like
docs: [WIP] drover-cloud design - Flesh out sections progressively
- Mark
[WIP]in the heading until ready for review
This keeps work discoverable and shows momentum even during extended development.