Agent skill
intent-build-now
Start implementation from Intent. Validates Intent completeness, then either delegates to TaskSwarm (if available) or executes TDD phases directly. Use when you have an Intent ready and want to start building.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/ArcBlock/idd/tree/main/skills/intent-build-now
SKILL.md
Intent Build Now
Start building from Intent. Validates completeness, then chooses execution path.
Workflow
/intent-build-now [path]
↓
Locate Intent + plan.md
↓
Validate completeness ──→ Incomplete? ──→ Show gaps, suggest /intent-plan
↓
Check for TaskSwarm
│
├── Has TaskSwarm + TASK.yaml ──→ Delegate to /swarm run
│
└── No TaskSwarm ──→ Execute TDD phases directly
Step 1: Locate Files
Search for Intent files in order:
- User-specified path
intent/{name}/directories- Current directory
Required files:
INTENT.md- The intent documentplan.md- Execution plan with test matrix
Optional:
TASK.yaml- TaskSwarm status file
If plan.md missing:
plan.md not found.
Run /intent-plan first to generate the execution plan.
Step 2: Validate Intent Completeness
Required Sections in INTENT.md
| Section | Purpose | How to Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Responsibilities | What it does / doesn't do | Use /intent-interview to clarify scope |
| Structure | ASCII diagram of components | Add ## Structure with ASCII diagram |
| API | Function signatures | Define key interfaces in ## API |
Required in plan.md
| Check | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Phases | Has ## Phase 0: or more phases |
| Tests | Each phase has 6 test categories |
| E2E Gate | Each phase has ### E2E Gate |
| Checkboxes | Uses - [ ] format |
If Not Ready
## Intent Validation: NEEDS WORK
Missing elements:
1. **plan.md missing E2E Gate for Phase 1**
- Add `### E2E Gate` with verification script
2. **plan.md Phase 0 missing Data Leak tests**
- Add `#### Data Leak` section with test cases
Run /intent-plan to regenerate, or fix manually.
Step 3: Choose Execution Path
Path A: TaskSwarm Available
Detect TaskSwarm by checking:
TASK.yamlexists in intent directory- TaskSwarm plugin is installed (check for
/swarmskill)
If both conditions met:
## Intent Validation: PASSED ✓
TaskSwarm detected. Delegating execution...
Your Intent is ready. Run:
/swarm run {task_name}
Or for continuous execution:
/swarm run-all
TaskSwarm will:
- Claim the task atomically
- Execute phases with TDD discipline
- Update checkboxes in plan.md
- Commit after each phase
- Push to remote
Do NOT execute phases yourself when TaskSwarm is available.
Path B: No TaskSwarm (Direct Execution)
If TaskSwarm not available:
## Intent Validation: PASSED ✓
No TaskSwarm detected. Executing directly...
Starting Phase 0: {phase_name}
Then execute TDD loop for each phase:
For each Phase:
1. Read ### Tests section
2. For each unchecked test `- [ ]`:
a. Write test code (if not exists)
b. Run test → expect failure (red)
c. Write implementation
d. Run test → expect pass (green)
e. Update plan.md: `- [ ]` → `- [x]`
3. Run E2E Gate script
4. Git commit: "feat({scope}): Phase {n} - {phase_name}"
5. Continue to next Phase
Step 4: Completion
After all phases complete:
## Build Complete ✓
All phases executed:
- Phase 0: {name} ✓
- Phase 1: {name} ✓
Next steps:
- Run /intent-sync to update Intent with confirmed details
- Run /intent-check to verify consistency
Integration
/intent-interview # Create Intent from scratch
↓
/intent-review # Section-by-section approval
↓
/intent-plan # Generate plan.md + TASK.yaml
↓
/intent-build-now # THIS SKILL
↓
┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Has TaskSwarm? │
│ Yes → /swarm run (delegate) │
│ No → Execute TDD directly │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘
↓
/intent-sync # Sync confirmed details back
TDD Execution Standards (Direct Mode)
When executing without TaskSwarm, follow strict TDD:
Test Categories (All 6 Required)
- Happy Path - Normal expected usage
- Bad Path - Invalid inputs, error conditions
- Edge Cases - Boundary conditions
- Security - Vulnerability prevention
- Data Leak - Information exposure prevention
- Data Damage - Data integrity protection
TDD Discipline
- Tests First: Write ALL tests before implementation
- Red-Green-Refactor: Verify test fails, implement, verify pass
- No Skip: Every checkbox must be completed
- Commit Per Phase: One commit after each phase passes
E2E Gate Enforcement
Each phase's E2E Gate script MUST pass before proceeding:
# Run the E2E Gate script from plan.md
# Example: pnpm test -- --grep "Phase 0"
# If fails: Stop and fix
# If passes: Continue to next phase
Tips
- Prefer TaskSwarm - It handles concurrency, heartbeat, and recovery
- Don't force incomplete Intents - Missing plan.md means not ready
- Respect checkboxes - They're the source of truth for progress
- Commit frequently - One commit per phase, not one mega-commit
Recommended Agent Skills
Expand your agent's capabilities with these related and highly-rated skills.
intent-story
Share your IDD adoption story. Through structured interviewing, create blog posts about Intent-Driven Development experiences, lessons learned, and best practices. Supports multiple languages and formats.
intent-critique
Critical review of Intent design quality. Checks for over-engineering, YAGNI violations, premature abstraction, and simplification opportunities. Uses interactive discussion to refine design decisions.
intent-changes
Manage structured change proposals for design documents with PR-like review experience. Use /intent-changes start <file> to begin, /intent-changes propose to suggest changes, /intent-changes accept/reject to decide, /intent-changes finalize to apply.
intent-assess
Assess if IDD fits your project and learn about Intent-Driven Development. Use /intent-assess to evaluate project suitability or /intent-assess --learn for IDD education.
intent-interview
intent-sync
After implementation is complete and tests pass, sync confirmed details back to Intent. Captures finalized interfaces, data structures, naming conventions, and architecture decisions. Use after development is done and user confirms the implementation.
Didn't find tool you were looking for?