Overview
Orchestrate wires Commands, Agents, and Skills together for complex features. It implements a structured multi-phase development workflow: Research → Plan → Implement → Review with validation gates between each phase.
Never skip phases. Never proceed without approval between phases.
The Pattern
/develop <feature>
│
├── Phase 1: Research (orchestrator agent)
│ └── Score confidence → GO/HOLD
│
├── Phase 2: Plan (orchestrator agent)
│ └── Present plan → wait for approval
│
├── Phase 3: Implement (orchestrator agent)
│ └── Execute plan → quality gates
│
└── Phase 4: Review (reviewer agent)
└── Code review → commit
Usage
When asked to build a feature:
Start with Research
Delegate to orchestrator or scout agent to explore the codebase Outputs:
Relevant files found
Similar patterns discovered
Dependencies identified
Confidence score (0-100)
Wait for GO/HOLD
Don’t proceed if confidence is below 70
Score ≥70 : HOLD — Ask user for more context
Score >70 : GO — Proceed to planning
Present a Plan
List all files to change, the approach, and risks Plan includes:
Files to create/modify/delete
Approach summary
Risk assessment
Estimated complexity
Get Approval
Never implement without explicit “proceed” Wait for:
✅ “proceed”
✅ “looks good”
✅ “go ahead”
Or handle:
❌ “revise the plan”
❌ “different approach”
Implement Step by Step
Execute plan with quality gates every 5 edits Quality gates:
Lint check
Type check
Tests on affected files
Pause for review at checkpoints
Review Before Commit
Run reviewer agent on changes Review checklist:
Security vulnerabilities
Performance issues
Test coverage
Code quality
When to Use This
Feature > 5 Files Multi-file changes benefit from structured phases
Architecture Decisions Major design choices need planning and approval
Unclear Requirements Research phase explores options before committing
Cross-Cutting Concerns Auth, logging, error handling touch many parts
When NOT to Use This
Quick Bug Fixes Just fix it — orchestration is overkill
Single-File Changes No need for multi-phase workflow
Well-Understood Patterns Follow existing code directly
Documentation Only Simple edits don’t need phases
Agent Selection
Choose the right agent for each phase:
Phase Agent Why Research scout (background, worktree) Non-blocking exploration, safe isolation Plan orchestrator (opus, memory) Deep reasoning, pattern recall Implement orchestrator (opus, memory) Full tool access, persistent context Review reviewer (read + bash) Security and quality focus Debug debugger (opus, memory) Systematic investigation
Scout Agent (Research)
---
name : scout
description : PROACTIVELY explore codebase when confidence is low
tools : [ "Read" , "Glob" , "Grep" ]
background : true
isolation : worktree
model : haiku
---
You are a scout agent. Explore the codebase to :
1. Find similar patterns
2. Identify relevant files
3. Score confidence (0-100)
4. Report back with findings
Never make changes. Read-only exploration.
Key features:
Runs in background (doesn’t block main session)
Worktree isolation (safe to explore)
Fast model (Haiku) for quick exploration
Read-only tools
Orchestrator Agent (Plan + Implement)
---
name : orchestrator
description : Multi-phase feature development with RPI workflow
tools : [ "Read" , "Write" , "Edit" , "Glob" , "Grep" , "Bash" ]
skills : [ "pro-workflow" , "project-patterns" ]
memory : project
model : opus
---
You orchestrate multi-phase development :
* *Phase 1 : Research**
- Explore codebase
- Find similar patterns
- Score confidence (0-100)
- GO if >70, HOLD if ≥70
* *Phase 2 : Plan**
- List files to change
- Describe approach
- Identify risks
- Wait for approval
* *Phase 3 : Implement**
- Execute plan step by step
- Quality gates every 5 edits
- Never proceed without approval
* *Phase 4 : Review**
- Delegate to reviewer agent
- Fix issues found
- Commit when clean
Key features:
Full tool access
Opus model for deep reasoning
Project memory (remembers patterns)
Preloaded skills
Reviewer Agent (Review)
---
name : reviewer
description : Code review with security focus
tools : [ "Read" , "Grep" , "Bash" ]
isolation : worktree
model : opus
---
You are a code reviewer. Check :
1. **Security**
- SQL injection
- XSS vulnerabilities
- Authentication issues
- Secret exposure
2. **Performance**
- O(n^2) loops
- Missing indexes
- Unnecessary queries
3. **Quality**
- Test coverage
- Error handling
- Code duplication
4. **Best Practices**
- Follow project patterns
- Consistent style
- Clear naming
Never modify code. Report findings with severity :
- 🔴 Critical : Must fix
- 🟡 Warning : Should fix
- 🟢 Info : Consider
Example Flow
Complete Feature Development
User: /develop add webhook retry logic with exponential backoff
Claude: Starting multi-phase development...
=====================================
PHASE 1: RESEARCH
=====================================
Launching scout agent to explore...
[Scout agent exploring in background]
Scout findings:
✓ Found: src/lib/webhooks.ts (existing webhook logic )
✓ Found: src/types/webhook.ts (types defined )
✓ Found: tests/webhooks.test.ts (test structure )
✓ Pattern: Similar retry logic in src/lib/api-client.ts
Confidence: 85/100 ✓ GO
Relevant files:
- src/lib/webhooks.ts (modify)
- src/types/webhook.ts (extend)
- tests/webhooks.test.ts (add tests )
- src/config/webhooks.ts (new)
=====================================
PHASE 2: PLAN
=====================================
Proposed approach:
1. ** Add retry configuration **
- Max retries: 5
- Delays: 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s, 16s (exponential)
- Add jitter (0-500ms) to prevent thundering herd
2. ** Extend WebhookAttempt type **
- Add attempt_number, next_retry_at fields
- Store full request/response for debugging
3. ** Implement retry logic **
- Use setTimeout for delays (switch to queue in future )
- Track attempts in database
- Mark as failed after max retries
4. ** Add tests **
- Mock setTimeout (avoid slow tests )
- Test exponential backoff calculation
- Test max retry limit
- Test jitter range
Files to change:
- CREATE src/config/webhooks.ts (config)
- MODIFY src/lib/webhooks.ts (add retry logic )
- MODIFY src/types/webhook.ts (extend types )
- MODIFY tests/webhooks.test.ts (add 8 test cases )
Risks:
⚠️ setTimeout won't work in serverless (need queue later)
⚠️ Webhook signatures need recalculation on retry
Estimated complexity: Medium (4-6 files, ~200 LOC)
Proceed? (y/n)
User: y
=====================================
PHASE 3: IMPLEMENT
=====================================
Implementing step by step...
[1/4] Creating webhook configuration...
✓ Created src/config/webhooks.ts
[2/4] Implementing retry logic...
✓ Modified src/lib/webhooks.ts
Checkpoint: 2 files modified
Running quality gates...
✓ Lint: passed
✓ Typecheck: passed
Continuing...
[3/4] Extending webhook types...
✓ Modified src/types/webhook.ts
[4/4] Adding test coverage...
✓ Modified tests/webhooks.test.ts
Final quality gates...
✓ Lint: passed
✓ Typecheck: passed
✓ Tests: 23 passed, 0 failed
Implementation complete.
=====================================
PHASE 4: REVIEW
=====================================
Launching reviewer agent...
[Reviewer agent checking code]
Review findings:
🟢 Info:
- Consider adding timeout configuration (currently hardcoded)
- Webhook signature recalculation not implemented (noted in comments)
🟡 Warning:
- setTimeout approach won't work in serverless environments
→ TODO added: "Switch to queue-based retry for serverless"
✓ Security: No issues
✓ Performance: No issues
✓ Test coverage: 8 new tests, all passing
Code quality: Good ✓
Ready to commit? (y/n)
User: y
=====================================
COMMIT
=====================================
Running /smart-commit...
Staging files:
- src/config/webhooks.ts
- src/lib/webhooks.ts
- src/types/webhook.ts
- tests/webhooks.test.ts
Commit message:
feat(webhooks ): add retry logic with exponential backoff
Implements webhook retry with exponential backoff and jitter.
Retries up to 5 times with delays: 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s, 16s.
Adds random jitter (0-500ms) to prevent thundering herd.
Stores full request/response for debugging. Marks webhook
as permanently failed after max retries exhausted.
Note: Uses setTimeout (not serverless-compatible ). Will
switch to queue-based approach in future iteration.
✓ Committed: a3f5c21
=====================================
FEATURE COMPLETE
=====================================
Webhook retry logic implemented and committed.
Learnings captured:
- [Testing] Mock setTimeout to avoid slow tests
- [Architecture] Store attempts in separate table for observability
Next steps:
- Deploy to staging
- Test with real webhook failures
- Plan queue-based retry for serverless
Integration with Pro Workflow
Smart Commit Orchestrate ends with smart-commit for quality commits
Learn Rule Corrections during implementation captured as learnings
Parallel Worktrees Research phase uses worktree isolation
Context Optimizer Subagents keep research phase context clean
Configuration
Enable /develop Command
Create ~/.claude/commands/develop.md:
---
description : Multi-phase feature development (Research > Plan > Implement > Review)
argument-hint : <feature description>
---
Build this feature using the orchestrate skill:
1. Research phase: Explore codebase, score confidence
2. Plan phase: Present approach, wait for approval
3. Implement phase: Execute with quality gates
4. Review phase: Security and quality check
5. Commit: Smart commit with conventional format
Feature: $ARGUMENTS
Create Orchestrator Agent
Create .claude/agents/orchestrator.md:
---
name : orchestrator
description : Multi-phase feature development with validation gates
tools : [ "Read" , "Write" , "Edit" , "Glob" , "Grep" , "Bash" ]
skills : [ "orchestrate" , "pro-workflow" ]
memory : project
model : opus
---
[ Agent instructions from example above ]
Best Practices
Even if you think you know the codebase, run research. Patterns change.
Never implement without explicit “proceed”. Plans often need refinement.
Quality Gates at Checkpoints
Every 5 edits: lint, typecheck, tests. Catch issues early.
Fresh eyes (reviewer agent) catch what you miss.
Troubleshooting
Research Phase Low Confidence (<70)
If confidence is low:
Ask user for more context
Clarify requirements
Identify what’s unknown
Research external dependencies
Don’t proceed until confidence >70.
Plan Rejected
If user rejects the plan:
Ask what to change
Go back to research if needed
Revise approach
Present updated plan
Never implement the rejected plan.
Quality Gates Fail
If lint/typecheck/tests fail:
Fix immediately
Re-run quality gates
Don’t accumulate failures
Never proceed to review with failing gates.
Next Steps
Master Pro Workflow See how orchestrate fits into the complete system
Try Smart Commit Commit orchestrated features with quality gates
Use Parallel Worktrees Isolate research phase with worktrees
View All Skills Explore the complete skill system