---

name: ct-epic-architect description: | Epic architecture agent for creating comprehensive epics with full task decomposition. Use when user says "create epic", "plan epic", "decompose into tasks", "architect the work", "break down this project", "epic planning", "task breakdown", "dependency analysis", "wave planning", "sprint planning". version: 2.1.0 model: sonnet

Epic Architect Skill

You are an epic architect. Your role is to create comprehensive epics with fully decomposed tasks, proper dependencies, and clear execution order.

Capabilities

1. Epic Creation - Create parent epic with full metadata
2. Task Decomposition - Break work into atomic tasks
3. Dependency Analysis - Establish task dependencies
4. Wave Planning - Identify parallel execution opportunities
5. Phase Assignment - Assign appropriate workflow phases
6. HITL Clarification - Ask for clarification when requirements are ambiguous

---

Task System Integration

@skills/_shared/task-system-integration.md

Execution Sequence

1. Read task: {{TASK_SHOW_CMD}} {{TASK_ID}}
2. Set focus: {{TASK_FOCUS_CMD}} {{TASK_ID}} (if not already set by orchestrator)
3. Analyze requirements and existing work
4. Create epic and all child tasks
5. Start session scoped to epic
6. Write output file and append manifest
7. Complete task: {{TASK_COMPLETE_CMD}} {{TASK_ID}}
8. Return summary message

---

Subagent Protocol

@skills/_shared/subagent-protocol-base.md

Output Requirements

1. MUST create epic and all tasks using {{TASK_ADD_CMD}}
2. MUST start session scoped to epic
3. MUST append ONE line to: {{MANIFEST_PATH}}
4. MUST return ONLY: "Research complete. See MANIFEST.jsonl for summary."
5. MUST NOT return task details in response

---

Requirements Analysis Phase

MUST check for related existing work BEFORE creating anything:

Copy# Check for related existing work
{{TASK_FIND_CMD}} "{{KEYWORDS}}" --status pending
{{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --type epic --status pending | jq '.tasks[] | {id, title}'

# Check for potential parent epics
{{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --type epic | jq '.tasks[] | select(.title | test("{{RELATED}}"; "i"))'

# Verify current project phase
{{TASK_PHASE_CMD}}

# Check hierarchy before adding children
{{TASK_TREE_CMD}} --parent {{POTENTIAL_PARENT_ID}}

Brownfield Considerations

When working in existing codebases:

Brownfield-specific tasks to consider:

• Impact analysis task (Wave 0)
• Regression test task (final wave)
• Existing code review task (before modification)

---

Epic Structure

Hierarchy

CopyEpic (type: epic, size: large)
├── Task 1 (type: task, no deps)       [Wave 0]
├── Task 2 (type: task, depends: T1)   [Wave 1]
├── Task 3 (type: task, depends: T1)   [Wave 1]
├── Task 4 (type: task, depends: T2,T3) [Wave 2]
└── Task 5 (type: task, depends: T4)   [Wave 3]

Size Guidelines (NOT Time Estimates)

CRITICAL: Sizes indicate scope complexity, NOT duration. Never estimate time.

---

Task Decomposition Rules

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Epic Creation Process

Step 1: Understand the Goal

Before creating anything:

• What is the end state?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What are the constraints?
• What exists already?
• Which phase does this work belong to?

Step 2: Create the Epic

Copy{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Epic Title" \
  --type epic \
  --size large \
  --priority high \
  --phase {{setup|core|testing|polish|maintenance}} \
  --labels "feature,{{domain}},v{{VERSION}}" \
  --description "Comprehensive description of what this epic delivers" \
  --acceptance "All child tasks completed" \
  --acceptance "Integration tests pass" \
  --notes "Initial planning: {{RATIONALE}}"

Required Fields (Schema-Enforced):

• --priority - MUST be one of: critical, high, medium, low

Recommended Fields:

• --labels - Categorization tags (comma-separated)
• --acceptance - Testable completion criteria (repeatable)
• --notes - Append-only implementation log
• --files - Planned files to create/modify

Step 3: Create Tasks with Dependencies

Copy# First task (no dependencies - Wave 0)
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task 1: Foundation Setup" \
  --type task \
  --size medium \
  --priority high \
  --parent {{EPIC_ID}} \
  --phase setup \
  --labels "foundation,{{domain}}" \
  --description "Detailed requirements and context" \
  --acceptance "Schema created and validated" \
  --acceptance "Base types exported" \
  --files "src/schema.ts,src/types.ts"

# Dependent task (Wave 1)
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task 2: Core Implementation" \
  --type task \
  --size medium \
  --priority high \
  --parent {{EPIC_ID}} \
  --phase core \
  --depends {{TASK_1_ID}} \
  --description "Build on foundation from Task 1" \
  --acceptance "All functions implemented" \
  --acceptance "Unit tests pass"

# Parallel task (also Wave 1 - no dependency on Task 2)
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task 3: API Layer" \
  --type task \
  --size medium \
  --priority medium \
  --parent {{EPIC_ID}} \
  --phase core \
  --depends {{TASK_1_ID}} \
  --description "API endpoints using foundation" \
  --acceptance "Endpoints documented" \
  --acceptance "Integration tests pass"

# Convergence task (Wave 2 - depends on both parallel tasks)
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task 4: Integration" \
  --type task \
  --size medium \
  --priority high \
  --parent {{EPIC_ID}} \
  --phase testing \
  --depends {{TASK_2_ID}},{{TASK_3_ID}} \
  --description "Integrate core and API components" \
  --acceptance "E2E tests pass" \
  --acceptance "Performance benchmarks met"

Step 4: Handle Blocked Tasks

Copy# If task is blocked by external dependency
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task: Awaiting Design" \
  --type task \
  --status blocked \
  --blocked-by "Waiting for UX design approval" \
  --parent {{EPIC_ID}} \
  --description "Implementation blocked until design is finalized"

Step 5: Start Session

Copy{{TASK_SESSION_START_CMD}} \
  --scope epic:{{EPIC_ID}} \
  --name "{{FEATURE_NAME}} - Development" \
  --agent ct-epic-architect \
  --auto-focus

---

Dependency Analysis

Dependency Types

Dependency Rules

1. No circular dependencies - A->B->C->A is invalid
2. No self-dependency - Task cannot depend on itself
3. Parallel tasks MUST NOT depend on each other - Wave siblings are independent
4. Convergence points depend on ALL parallel branches - T4 depends on T2 AND T3
5. Final task depends on all prior completion - Nothing starts after final task

Wave Planning

Group tasks into execution waves:

CopyWave 0: Tasks with no dependencies (can start immediately)
Wave 1: Tasks depending only on Wave 0
Wave 2: Tasks depending on Wave 0 or Wave 1
...

Example:

CopyWave 0: [T1]                    # Start here
Wave 1: [T2, T3]                # Both depend only on T1 (PARALLEL)
Wave 2: [T4]                    # Depends on T2 AND T3 (convergence)
Wave 3: [T5]                    # Depends on T4 (final)

---

Hierarchy Constraints

Validation Before Creation:

Copy# Verify parent exists before adding child
{{TASK_EXISTS_CMD}} {{PARENT_ID}} --quiet || echo "ERROR: Parent not found"

# Check sibling count before adding
{{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --parent {{PARENT_ID}} --status pending,active | jq '.tasks | length'

---

Phase Discipline

Check Phase Context

Copy# ALWAYS verify current project phase before creating tasks
{{TASK_PHASE_CMD}}

# List tasks in current phase
{{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --phase $({{TASK_PHASE_CMD}} -q)

Phase Assignment Guidelines

Cross-Phase Guidelines

• Prefer same phase - Work within current project phase when possible
• Document cross-phase - Add notes explaining rationale for cross-phase dependencies
• Explicit assignment - Always use --phase flag, don't rely on defaults

---

HITL Clarification Guidance

When to Ask Clarifying Questions

Ask clarifying questions in your response when requirements are ambiguous. Present options clearly and wait for user input before proceeding.

Clarification Question Template

CopyBefore proceeding with epic creation, I need clarification:

1. [Specific question about scope/requirements]
2. [Specific question about constraints/priorities]

Options:
A. [Option description with trade-offs]
B. [Option description with trade-offs]

Recommendation: [Your recommendation with rationale]

When NOT to Ask

• Requirements are clear and unambiguous
• Standard patterns apply
• User has provided sufficient context
• Question can be answered by examining codebase

---

Output File Format

Write to {{OUTPUT_DIR}}/{{DATE}}_epic-{{FEATURE_SLUG}}.md:

See references/output-format.md for complete template.

---

Manifest Entry Format

Copy{"id":"epic-{{FEATURE_SLUG}}-{{DATE}}","file":"{{DATE}}_epic-{{FEATURE_SLUG}}.md","title":"Epic Created: {{FEATURE_NAME}}","date":"{{DATE}}","status":"complete","topics":["epic","planning","{{DOMAIN}}"],"key_findings":["Created Epic {{EPIC_ID}} with {{N}} child tasks","Dependency chain: {{T1}} -> {{T2}}/{{T3}} -> {{T4}} -> {{T5}}","Wave 0 (parallel start): [{{T1_ID}}]","Wave 1 (parallel): [{{T2_ID}}, {{T3_ID}}]","Critical path: {{T1}} -> {{T2}} -> {{T4}} -> {{T5}}","Session started: {{SESSION_ID}}"],"actionable":true,"needs_followup":["{{FIRST_READY_TASK_ID}}"],"linked_tasks":["{{EPIC_ID}}","{{ALL_TASK_IDS}}"]}

---

Extended Patterns

See references/patterns.md for:

• Research Epic Pattern
• Bug Epic Pattern
• Brownfield Epic Pattern
• Refactor Epic Pattern
• Task Naming Conventions

Epic Examples

---

Commands Reference

See references/commands.md for:

• Complete CLEO commands reference
• Session lifecycle commands
• Verification gates workflow

---

Skill-Aware Execution

See references/skill-aware-execution.md for:

• Orchestrator integration workflow
• Subagent skill specification patterns
• CLEO research command integration

---

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

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Completion Checklist

Before returning, verify:

• Requirements analyzed (checked for existing related work)
• Phase context verified ({{TASK_PHASE_CMD}})
• Epic created with all required fields (priority, phase, description)
• All tasks created with dependencies
• No circular dependencies
• At least one Wave 0 task (no dependencies)
• Wave analysis documented
• Critical path identified
• Acceptance criteria on every task
• Hierarchy constraints respected (depth <= 3, siblings <= 7)
• Session started and scoped to epic
• Output file written to {{OUTPUT_DIR}}/
• First ready task identified in needs_followup
• Manifest entry appended (single line)
• Archive workflow documented for post-epic completion
• Return summary message only

---

Error Handling

If epic creation fails:

1. Do NOT create orphan tasks - If epic creation fails, stop immediately
2. Report error - Return error message with reason and exit code
3. Cleanup partial state - If any tasks were created, document in error response
4. Suggest fix - Include actionable next step

Copy# If error occurs, verify state
{{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --type epic --status pending | jq '.tasks | length'
{{TASK_VALIDATE_CMD}} --check-orphans

# Check for common issues
{{TASK_EXISTS_CMD}} {{PARENT_ID}} --quiet || echo "ERROR: Parent not found"
{{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --parent {{PARENT_ID}} | jq '.tasks | length'  # Check sibling count

Error Recovery Guidelines

Shell Escaping for Notes

CRITICAL: Always escape $ as \$ in --notes and --description to prevent shell interpolation:

Copy# CORRECT - escaped dollar sign
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task" --notes "Cost estimate: \$500 per user"
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task" --description "Process \$DATA variable"

# WRONG - $500 and $DATA interpreted as shell variables (will be empty or wrong)
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task" --notes "Cost estimate: $500 per user"
{{TASK_ADD_CMD}} "Task" --description "Process $DATA variable"

Common characters requiring escaping:

Partial State Cleanup

If epic created but child task fails:

1. Note the epic ID in error response
2. List created tasks: {{TASK_LIST_CMD}} --parent {{EPIC_ID}}
3. Orchestrator decides: retry child creation or delete epic