Deepwork

Deepwork is an orchestrator workflow for heavy coding sessions: multiple dependent phases, cross-cutting architectural change, unsafe-to-partially-ship migration, or sustained coordination across specialist lanes. Never infer it merely because a task touches multiple files; skip it for trivial edits, quick docs changes, simple bug fixes, or routine bounded features.

Core Contract

When deepwork is active, the orchestrator must manage the work as a scheduler, not as the default implementation worker.

Setup and Deepwork State

• create and maintain your session's progress file under .slim/deepwork/;
• save code/doc deliverables to project paths (e.g. src/, docs/); reserve .slim/deepwork/ strictly for progress files;

Deepwork File

The activation prompt pins one progress file per session: .slim/deepwork/<session-id>.md, updated in place across turns; re-running /deepwork in the same session reuses it. Never create or modify another session's file. First line: status: active, flipped to status: completed when the work concludes. On resume or after compaction, re-read it before acting — it is the authoritative record of decisions, phases, and findings.

Before creating this file—and before planning or delegation—inspect the existing .gitignore and .ignore and add only missing entries: .gitignore must contain .slim/deepwork/; .ignore must contain !.slim/deepwork/ and !.slim/deepwork/**. This keeps deepwork state git-local yet OpenCode-readable.

Do not follow a rigid template. Choose whatever markdown structure best fits the work. The file only needs to remain useful as persistent session state and should capture, as applicable:

• current goal and understanding;
• researched, factual context from @librarian to avoid oracle doing its own research;
• plan drafts, Oracle review budget/gates, and review notes;
• implementation phases and status;
• validation results;
• unresolved questions, blockers, and follow-ups.

Update this file after major decisions, accepted research, reviews, phase completions, validation results, and scope changes. Record accepted findings and reference local files by path rather than copying their contents.

Planning

• before dispatch, draft a phased implementation/delegation plan: a small number of coherent phases from the work's dependencies and natural delivery boundaries; do not split work merely to reduce an Oracle review's scope;
• make an @oracle review mandatory after each phase; record the phase order, specialist ownership, gate order, and one-line gate rationale in the deepwork file; share a compact version with the user;

Phase Execution

• before each implementation phase, decide the execution path: what can run in parallel, what must be sequential, which specialists to delegate to, and whether to split the same agent into multiple bounded lanes;

Scheduler Discipline

Use the scheduler model throughout:

• record task/session IDs and ownership boundaries;
• wait for hook-driven background completion before consuming background results;
• avoid blocking Orchestrator lane while background jobs run; if no independent work remains, stop briefly and let the completion event resume the workflow;
• do not advance to the next phase while relevant jobs are running or terminal results are unreconciled.

Phase Gate and Commit

• after each planned phase, run relevant validation, update the deepwork file, then request its planned @oracle gate before continuing;
• before its planned Oracle gate, record in the deepwork file the phase goal, changed paths, validation evidence, the specific decision or risk to review, and accepted research with file references, so Oracle reviews established context rather than repeating discovery;
• when the phase changes module boundaries, dependency direction, or file placement, run an @explorer structure scan in parallel with the Oracle gate;
• reconcile review findings, perform one bounded remediation pass for material issues, including simplify/readability feedback, and validate that pass with focused evidence;
• create a focused commit when the phase is an independently valid delivery boundary before starting the next phase;

Oracle Re-Reviews

Every planned Oracle gate has one initial review and may have at most two re-reviews. Request a re-review only when the remediation materially changes the reviewed decision or risk, or when the original concern cannot be verified with focused evidence. Do not spend a re-review on a mechanical or already-verified change.

State the attempt in every Oracle prompt, for example:

Gate 2 — review attempt 2 of 3 (1 re-review remaining)

For re-reviews, tell Oracle to prioritize unresolved material findings, risks introduced by remediation, and whether prior findings are resolved. It must not reopen accepted, unchanged, or resolved concerns. When the two re-reviews are exhausted, record any remaining material risk or blocker in the deepwork file and ask the user whether to accept the risk, change scope, or authorize an exceptional additional review.

Designer Handoff Guardrail

When a deepwork phase includes @designer, treat the delivered UI/UX as accepted design intent for later phases. Record any important design decisions in the deepwork file before continuing.

After designer work:

• preserve layout, rhythm, hierarchy, motion, spacing, color, affordances, responsiveness, and component feel;
• review and improve user-facing copy with grounded, normal wording, but do not change visual structure or interaction intent;
• route follow-up visual, responsive, motion, hierarchy, polish, or component-feel changes back to @designer;
• use @fixer only for bounded mechanical follow-up that preserves the design exactly, such as wiring, tests, type fixes, or non-visual behavior changes;
• if design intent must change, record why in the deepwork file before changing it.

Completion

• finish with final validation and a concise summary.