Finalize the workflow by reflecting on the process, moving ADRs, closing issues, and preparing for merge. Stage 8 of the development workflow.
Scanned 9/6/2026
Install to Claude Code
npx -y skills add Kastalien-Research/thoughtbox --skill workflow-reflection --agent claude-codeInstalls into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: workflow-reflection
description: Finalize the workflow by reflecting on the process, moving ADRs, closing issues, and preparing for merge. Stage 8 of the development workflow.
argument-hint: "[optional reflection notes]"
user-invocable: true
---
Execute the reflection and finalization stage. $ARGUMENTS
## Purpose
You are executing Stage 8 (Reflection) of the development workflow. The implementation is reviewed, revised, and compounded. Your job is to finalize: reflect on what happened, move artifacts to their permanent locations, close tracking issues, and prepare the branch for merge.
## Pre-Conditions
Before starting, verify:
1. `.workflow/state.json` exists and `currentStage` is `"reflection"`
2. Stages 1-7 are all completed or skipped (check state file)
3. All sub-agent work has been committed (no uncommitted implementation changes)
## Process
### Step 1: Agent Structured Reflection
Review the entire workflow by reading the state file and any persisted summaries. Produce a structured reflection:
```
WORKFLOW REFLECTION
====================
Workflow: <id> - <title>
Branch: <branch>
Duration: <startedAt> to now
## What Worked
- [specific things that went well, with evidence]
- [approaches that should be repeated]
## What Didn't Work
- [specific things that went poorly, with evidence]
- [approaches to avoid in future]
## Hypothesis Outcomes
- H1 "<text>": VALIDATED / REFUTED / INCONCLUSIVE
- H2 "<text>": ...
## Revision Iterations
- Total: N/3
- Root causes of revision: [what triggered each iteration]
## Unexpected Discoveries
- [things learned that weren't part of the original plan]
- [codebase behaviors that surprised us]
## Process Improvements
- [suggestions for improving the workflow itself]
```
### Step 2: User Reflection (Optional)
Ask the user if they want to add their own reflection:
```
Would you like to add your own reflection notes?
This is optional but valuable for the compound learning record.
```
If the user provides input, append it to the reflection under a `## Chief Agentic Notes` section.
### Step 3: Move ADR to Permanent Location
Based on the workflow outcome:
**If hypotheses were validated (happy path)**:
1. Move the spec with frontmatter to accepted:
```bash
# Historical: ADRs archived — update spec status in frontmatter instead of mv .adr/<NNN>-<name>-adr.md .adr/accepted/<NNN>-<name>.md
```
2. Move associated summaries with it:
```bash
# Historical: ADRs archived — update spec status in frontmatter instead of mv .adr/<NNN>-<name>-summary-*.md .adr/accepted/
```
3. If the spec was in staging, move it to `specs/`
4. If any existing docs in `specs/` or `docs/decisions/archive/adr/accepted/` are now outdated by this work, update them
**If hypotheses were refuted**:
1. Move the spec with frontmatter to rejected:
```bash
# Historical: ADRs archived — update spec status in frontmatter instead of mv .adr/<NNN>-<name>-adr.md .adr/rejected/<NNN>-<name>.md
```
2. Preserve test insights alongside the rejected ADR
3. Add rejection reason and falsified hypotheses to the ADR file
**If the workflow was abandoned or partially completed**:
1. Leave artifacts in staging with a note about the incomplete state
2. The next workflow that touches this domain will find them during ideation
### Step 4: Prepare for Merge
1. **Ensure all changes are committed**:
```bash
git status
```
If there are uncommitted changes (reflection artifacts, ADR moves), commit them:
```bash
git add <specific files>
git commit -m "docs: finalize workflow <id> - move ADR, close issues"
```
2. **Rebase onto main**:
```bash
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main
```
If conflicts arise, resolve them or escalate to user.
3. **Push the branch**:
```bash
git push -u origin <branch>
```
4. **Create or update the PR**:
- If no PR exists, create one
- If a PR exists, ensure it's up to date
- The PR description should reference the ADR and include the reflection summary
5. **Merge decision**: Ask the user whether to merge now or leave the PR open for additional review:
```
Branch is pushed and PR is ready.
Merge now, or leave open for review?
```
### Step 5: Delegate Learning Capture
Invoke `/capture-learning` to extract reusable learnings from this workflow session. Pass it the reflection from Step 1 as context.
### Step 6: Update Workflow State
Set the final state:
```json
{
"stages": {
"reflection": {
"status": "completed",
"completedAt": "<ISO timestamp>"
}
},
"currentStage": "completed",
"updatedAt": "<ISO timestamp>"
}
```
### Step 7: Final Report
Present the completion summary:
```
WORKFLOW COMPLETE
==================
<title>
Branch: <branch>
Spec: <final location>
Stages:
1. Ideation [x] <notes excerpt>
2. Dev-Docs [x] spec: <path>, adr: <path>
3. Planning [x] plan: <path>
4. Implementation [x] commits: N, summaries: N
5. Review [x] findings: N (all resolved)
6. Revision [x] iterations: N/3
7. Compound [x] learning captured
8. Reflection [x] ADR accepted/rejected
PR: <url or "merged">
```
## Anti-Patterns
- Do NOT skip the ADR move — artifacts left in staging rot and confuse future workflows
- Do NOT merge without pushing first — local-only merges are invisible to the team
- Do NOT skip the learning capture — the whole point of reflection is to compound
- Do NOT fabricate reflection — base it on actual evidence from the workflow state and summaries
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