Project and Cycle Modes

STANDARDS uses three kinds of mode:

Mode	What it describes	Examples
Project mode	Whether implementation already exists.	Greenfield, brownfield
Cycle mode	Which workflow one change follows.	Standard, expedited, documentation
Role mode	How an individual role works.	Developer’s STEPWISE mode

A cycle is one piece of work, from its saved request to sign-off or cancellation. Project mode can span many cycles; choosing a role mode does not change the workflow.

Verification cadence is a separate scheduling choice for the active cycle: test after all implementation or alternate testable increments with Tester. It works with every Developer mode; incremental verification requires a standard cycle.

Greenfield

A greenfield project has no meaningful existing implementation to preserve. Its standard workflow starts with Scoper, which defines what to build. Architect designs it, then Auditor checks the project context before coding begins. You invoke each role from the handoff when it is next.

Before that first audit, Scoper and Architect can work from known constraints and completed earlier documents. The absence of Auditor’s context file alone does not block them. If they need facts they cannot safely establish, the agent records a handoff for you to invoke Auditor. Once relevant context exists, Scoper and Architect must use it.

Greenfield projects use standard work only.

Brownfield

A brownfield project already has meaningful implementation to understand, preserve, extend, or fix. Adding a new feature to an existing codebase is brownfield work.

Standard work starts with Auditor so the requirements and design can build on reliable project facts. A sufficiently bounded implementation change may use the expedited workflow instead. For documentation of existing behavior, you can invoke Documenter to start the documentation workflow.

Choose the cycle mode

STANDARD is the default. It keeps requirements, design, an audit, implementation, full testing, and implementation review. By default it also includes documentation, final review, and synchronization. You can explicitly choose to finish after implementation review once Reviewer confirms that no required work remains. This completion policy works for both greenfield and brownfield cycles and does not change their mode.

EXPEDITED uses Developer and implementation Reviewer before your sign-off decision. Developer still needs an approved plan. Use it only for a bounded brownfield change that can be completed safely without the skipped roles; skipping them does not transfer their responsibilities to Developer.

DOCUMENTATION keeps Auditor, Scoper, Architect, Documenter, final Reviewer, and Synchronizer before sign-off. It is Brownfield only and documents existing behavior, including creating missing guides. It omits implementation and formal testing, and always includes final review and synchronization. An explicit standalone Documenter assignment starts this route when no cycle is active; see Updating Documentation on Its Own.

UNSET means no cycle is active. It is the saved value before work starts and after a retained cycle ends, not a way to run work without checks.

You can save a next-cycle preference before making a request. The agent checks that preference when the request arrives. Without a saved preference, explicitly invoking Developer for an eligible brownfield change can select expedited work. A saved standard preference prevents that inference.

See Starting a Cycle for choosing a mode and resolving an incompatible request. Leftover changes from a cancelled cycle may require Auditor-first standard or eligible documentation work; see starting the next cycle.

If an active role finds that expedited work needs a skipped role, the agent promotes the cycle to standard work and gives you the next role to invoke. At sign-off, your request for a change that needs a skipped role authorizes the same promotion. The change is one-way: an active standard cycle cannot become expedited. Documentation cycles cannot convert in place. Required implementation work needs an explicit cancellation and separate cycle, or a revised achievable documentation-only scope.

The project mode changes once

During the first greenfield cycle, Developer changes the project permanently to brownfield as soon as it verifies that implementation has been created or materially changed. Code written by you during collaboration counts too. Approving a plan or creating tests, reviews, or documentation alone does not.

Returning to an earlier role does not make the project greenfield again. Cancellation must also check for implementation, even if the saved mode has not yet been updated. If implementation exists, cancellation keeps the cycle record and ends in CANCELLED. See the cancellation rules. Only standards reset chooses the mode again, from --mode or the project’s contents at that time.

The installed .standards/MODE.md saves project mode; .standards/STATE.md saves cycle mode and any next-cycle preference.