Starting a Cycle

Installation prepares the workflow files, but it does not start a cycle. To start one, give your request to the first role for your project. There is no separate setup command, and you do not need to create a cycle ID or edit .standards/STATE.md yourself. Editing these files by hand is not supported; see Runtime Files.

Give the first role your request

For a new project with no implementation to preserve, start standard work with Scoper. In Codex, for example:

$scoper Build a website where volunteers can sign up for local events.

For an existing project, start standard work with Auditor:

$auditor Add search by name and email to the existing user directory.

In Claude Code, use /scoper or /auditor instead. The agent initializes the cycle before doing that role’s work. Follow Starting a New Project or Working on an Existing Project for the rest of each path.

Choose a cycle mode only when needed

For documentation of existing behavior, invoke Documenter with a standalone assignment while no cycle is active. It starts the Brownfield DOCUMENTATION route in Auditing before any documentation edits:

$documenter Update docs/usage.md for the existing CLI.

Use /documenter in Claude Code. Missing guides can be created, but greenfield projects cannot use this mode. See Updating Documentation on Its Own for the route, choices, and editing boundary.

STANDARD is the default. You do not need to select it or set any state fields before giving the first role a request.

For a small, clearly defined change in an existing project, you can invoke Developer directly to request the shorter EXPEDITED path:

$developer Fix the typo in the CLI's existing error message.

Use /developer in Claude Code. The agent checks whether the request is eligible before starting expedited work. See project and cycle modes for the conditions.

You can also state a preference in advance, such as “Use STANDARD for my next cycle.” The agent saves that preference, but it does not start a cycle until you give a request.

Choose when the cycle can finish

Standard cycles use FULL_DELIVERABLE by default. You can include “Finish this cycle after implementation review” in the new request to select IMPLEMENTATION_REVIEWED. Both new and existing projects can use it. All earlier standard checks remain required, and Reviewer must confirm that no required work remains before asking you to sign off.

This choice applies to the request you give; it is not a saved preference for future cycles. If it conflicts with an explicit or saved expedited or documentation mode choice, the agent asks you to resolve that conflict before starting. See Finishing After Implementation Review for examples and when you can change the choice later.

Resolve a blocked request

If your chosen mode cannot handle the request, the agent keeps the request and asks you to choose a supported mode, revise it, or abandon it. You do not need to repeat a saved request after making that decision. Standalone Documenter intent and choices remain saved while blocked; continuing or invoking another role does not silently withdraw them or select standard work. A separate assignment cannot overwrite a cycle already in progress.

What the agent does automatically

Before the first role begins its work, the agent:

1. Checks the workflow files with node .standards/bin/check.mjs.
2. Checks the installed project mode, any saved preference, and whether the request can use the selected cycle mode.
3. Generates a unique cycle ID with node .standards/bin/cycle.mjs new, which checks that no earlier cycle’s records use it.
4. Saves the request, mode, completion policy, ID, and initial workflow state in .standards/STATE.md.

Those are agent responsibilities, not manual steps for you. The agent asks when it needs a decision it cannot make from your request. Once a role finishes, you still invoke the next role from its handoff; changing the saved state does not run another role automatically.

If you are starting work after sign-off or a retained cancellation, the agent follows the new-cycle procedure to check any work left by cancellation and initialize the new cycle. After a bootstrap reset or standards reset, the project is back to a fresh installation, so start as described above. The protocol has the exact state and ID rules.