Instruction file imported from nguyenthienthanh/aura-frog-cursor (.cursor/rules/skills/reference/phase-skipping.mdc). Copyright stays with the author.

Smart Phase Skipping

Type: Reference Skill Use: During workflow orchestration to optimize phase execution

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Starting workflow (to determine which phases apply)
• Task context suggests certain phases aren't needed
• User requests faster workflow
• During pm-operations-orchestrator workflow planning

Phase Skip Rules

skip_rules[7]{condition,skip_phases,keep_phases,reason}:
 Backend-only task,Phase 3 (UI),All others,No UI to design
 Prototype/POC,Phase 4/5a/7/8,1/2/5b/6,Quick validation
 "No tests" stated,Phase 4/5a/7,All others,User preference (not recommended)
 Bug fix (small),Phase 2/3/4,1/5b/6/7,Direct to bugfix-quick
 Documentation only,Phase 2-7,1/8/9,No code changes
 Config change only,Phase 2/3/4/5a/6/8,1/5b/7,Simple update
 Frontend-only,-,All,Full workflow (UI important)

Detection Logic

Backend-Only Indicators

Keywords: API, endpoint, service, database, migration, cron, queue, worker, background job

File patterns: /services/, /api/, /models/, /migrations/, /controllers/

No mention of: UI, screen, component, page, form, button, layout

Example:

User: "Create API endpoint for user authentication"
→ Backend-only detected
→ Skip Phase 3 (UI Breakdown)

Prototype/POC Indicators

Keywords: POC, prototype, spike, experiment, quick test, proof of concept

Phrases: "just want to try", "see if it works", "validate idea", "quick demo"

Example:

User: "POC for integrating Stripe payments"
→ Prototype detected
→ Skip Phase 4, 5a (tests), Phase 7 (verification), Phase 8 (docs)
→ Focus on Phase 5b (implementation) to prove concept

Bug Fix Indicators

Keywords: bug, fix, broken, not working, error, crash, issue

Scope: Single file, specific function, known cause

Example:

User: "Fix login button not working"
→ Bug fix detected
→ Use bugfix-quick skill instead
→ Skip workflow entirely (use 4-step bug process)

Documentation-Only Indicators

Keywords: document, readme, docs, documentation, write guide

No mention of: code, implement, build, create feature

Example:

User: "Document the authentication API"
→ Documentation-only detected
→ Skip Phase 2-7
→ Jump to Phase 8 (Document)

Config/Environment Indicators

Keywords: config, environment, env variable, setting, configuration

File patterns: .env, config.yml, settings.json

Example:

User: "Add STRIPE_API_KEY to environment variables"
→ Config change detected
→ Skip Phase 2, 3, 4, 5a, 6, 8
→ Keep Phase 1 (understand), 5b (implement), 7 (verify)

Skip Confirmation Format

Always confirm with user before skipping phases:

## 🎯 Workflow Plan

**Task:** [description]
**Detected Context:** [Backend-only | Prototype | Bug fix | etc.]

**Proposed Workflow:**

✅ Phase 1: Understand (1h)
✅ Phase 2: Design (2h)
⏭️ Phase 3: UI Breakdown - **SKIPPED** (no UI components)
✅ Phase 4: Plan Tests (1h)
✅ Phase 5a-c: Implementation (8h)
✅ Phase 6: Review (1h)
✅ Phase 7: Verify (1h)
✅ Phase 8: Document (1h)
✅ Phase 9: Share (0.5h)

**Estimated Time:** 15.5h (vs 29.5h full workflow)

**Options:**
- `approve` → Use this workflow
- `full` → Run all 9 phases
- `modify: <changes>` → Adjust workflow

Approve this plan?

Workflow Combinations

Full Workflow (Default)

All 9 phases - Complex features with UI

Phase 1 → Phase 2 → Phase 3 → Phase 4 → Phase 5 → Phase 6 → Phase 7 → Phase 8 → Phase 9

Backend Feature

Phase 1 → Phase 2 → Phase 4 → Phase 5 → Phase 6 → Phase 7 → Phase 8 → Phase 9
Skip: Phase 3 (UI)

Quick Prototype

Phase 1 → Phase 2 → Phase 5b → Phase 6
Skip: Phase 3, 4, 5a, 5c, 7, 8, 9
Focus: Prove concept works

Bug Fix

bugfix-quick skill (4 steps)
Skip: Entire workflow (use dedicated bug process)

Documentation Only

Phase 1 → Phase 8 → Phase 9
Skip: Phase 2-7

Config/Environment Change

Phase 1 → Phase 5b → Phase 7
Skip: Phase 2, 3, 4, 5a, 5c, 6, 8, 9

Frontend-Only (No Backend)

Phase 1 → Phase 2 → Phase 3 → Phase 4 → Phase 5 → Phase 6 → Phase 7 → Phase 8 → Phase 9
Skip: None (UI requires full workflow)

Override Rules

User can always override automatic skip detection:

Include skipped phases:

User: "Include tests even though it's a prototype"
→ Re-enable Phase 4, 5a, 7

Force full workflow:

User: "Use full workflow"
→ No skipping, run all 9 phases

Skip additional phases (not recommended):

User: "Skip review"
→ Skip Phase 6 (show warning about quality risk)

Warning for risky skips:

⚠️ **Warning: Skipping Quality Phase**

You requested to skip Phase 6 (Review).

**Risks:**
- Security vulnerabilities may go undetected
- Code quality issues may slip through
- Performance problems may not be caught

**Recommendation:** Keep Phase 6, it only adds ~1-2 hours

Continue with skip? [yes/no]

Decision Tree

Is there UI involved?
├── No → Skip Phase 3 (UI Breakdown)
└── Yes → Include Phase 3

Is this a prototype/POC?
├── Yes → Skip Phase 4, 5a, 7, 8 (focus on proving concept)
└── No → Include all testing/verification

Is this a simple bug fix?
├── Yes → Use bugfix-quick skill (skip workflow)
└── No → Continue workflow planning

Is this documentation only?
├── Yes → Jump to Phase 8 (Document)
└── No → Continue full workflow

Is this a config change only?
├── Yes → Skip Phase 2, 3, 4, 5a, 6, 8
└── No → Continue full workflow

Default: Full workflow (all 9 phases)

Logging Skipped Phases

Always document why phases were skipped:

## Workflow Log

**Task:** Add user authentication API
**Date:** 2025-01-20

**Skipped Phases:**
- Phase 3 (UI Breakdown): No UI components in scope
- Phase 5c (Refactor): Deferred to tech debt sprint (time constraint)

**Rationale:**
- Backend-only feature (API endpoints only)
- Implementation already clean, refactor not critical

**Approved By:** [User]

Minimum Quality Threshold

Never skip without good reason:

• Phase 1 (Understand) - ALWAYS run (need requirements)
• Phase 6 (Review) - Skip only for prototypes/POCs
• Phase 7 (Verify) - Skip only for docs/config

For production code:

• Phase 4 (Plan Tests) - Recommended
• Phase 5a (Write Tests) - Recommended
• Phase 7 (Verify) - Required

Re-evaluation

If scope changes mid-workflow:

⚠️ **Scope Change Detected**

**Original:** Backend API endpoint
**Current:** API endpoint + UI component

**Recommendation:** Add Phase 3 (UI Breakdown)

The task now includes UI, which wasn't in the original scope.

Add Phase 3 now? [yes/no/later]

Best Practices

Do's

• ✅ Confirm skip decisions with user
• ✅ Log skipped phases with reasons
• ✅ Allow user override
• ✅ Maintain minimum quality (Phase 6, 7 for production)
• ✅ Re-evaluate if scope changes
• ✅ Document skips in workflow log

Don'ts

• ❌ Skip Phase 1 (always understand first)
• ❌ Skip Phase 6 for production code (quality matters)
• ❌ Auto-skip without user awareness
• ❌ Skip tests without explicit request
• ❌ Skip documentation for public APIs
• ❌ Skip verification for critical features

References

• Workflow orchestrator: Main workflow skill
• Phase guides: Detailed phase documentation
• Bug fix workflow: bugfix-quick skill
• Project contexts: Task type detection patterns

Version: 1.11.0 Last Updated: 2026-02-13