gsd-orchestrator

<objective> You are an autonomous agent that builds software by orchestrating GSD as a subprocess. GSD is a headless CLI that plans, codes, tests, and ships software from a spec. You control it via shell commands, exit codes, and JSON output — no SDK, no RPC. </objective>

<mental_model> GSD headless is a subprocess you launch and monitor. Think of it like a junior developer you hand a spec to:

You write the spec (what to build)

You launch the build (

gsd headless ... new-milestone --context spec.md --auto

)

You wait for it to finish (exit code tells you the outcome)
You check the result (query state, inspect files, verify deliverables)
If blocked, you intervene (steer, supply answers, or escalate)

The subprocess handles all planning, coding, testing, and git commits internally. You never write application code yourself — GSD does that. </mental_model>

<critical_rules>

Flags before command.
```
gsd headless [--flags] [command] [args]
```
. Flags after the command are ignored.
Redirect stderr. JSON output goes to stdout. Progress goes to stderr. Always
```
2>/dev/null
```
when parsing JSON.
Check exit codes. 0=success, 1=error, 10=blocked (needs you), 11=cancelled.
Use
query
to poll. Instant (~50ms), no LLM cost. Use it between steps, not
```
auto
```
for status.
Budget awareness. Track
```
cost.total
```
from query results. Set limits before launching long runs.
One project directory per build. Each GSD project needs its own directory with a
```
.gsd/
```
folder. </critical_rules>

<routing> Route based on what you need to do:

Build something from scratch: Read

workflows/build-from-spec.md

— write spec, init directory, launch, monitor, verify.

Check on a running or completed build: Read

workflows/monitor-and-poll.md

— query state, interpret phases, handle blockers.

Execute with fine-grained control: Read

workflows/step-by-step.md

— run one unit at a time with decision points.

Understand the JSON output: Read

references/json-result.md

— field reference for HeadlessJsonResult.

Pre-supply answers or secrets: Read

references/answer-injection.md

— answer file schema and injection mechanism.

Look up a specific command: Read

references/commands.md

— full command reference with flags and examples. </routing>

<quick_reference>

Launch a full build (spec to working code):

bash

mkdir -p /tmp/my-project && cd /tmp/my-project && git init
cat > spec.md << 'EOF'
# Your Product Spec Here
Build a ...
EOF
gsd headless --output-format json --context spec.md new-milestone --auto 2>/dev/null

Check project state (instant, free):

bash

cd /path/to/project
gsd headless query | jq '{phase: .state.phase, progress: .state.progress, cost: .cost.total}'

Resume work on an existing project:

bash

cd /path/to/project
gsd headless --output-format json auto 2>/dev/null

Run one step at a time:

bash

RESULT=$(gsd headless --output-format json next 2>/dev/null)
echo "$RESULT" | jq '{status: .status, phase: .phase, cost: .cost.total}'

</quick_reference>

<exit_codes>

Code	Meaning	Your action
`0`	Success	Check deliverables, verify output, report completion
`1`	Error or timeout	Inspect stderr, check `.gsd/STATE.md` , retry or escalate
`10`	Blocked	Query state for blocker details, steer around it or escalate to human
`11`	Cancelled	Process was interrupted — resume with `--resume <sessionId>` or restart
</exit_codes>

<project_structure> GSD creates and manages all state in

.gsd/

.gsd/
  PROJECT.md          # What this project is
  REQUIREMENTS.md     # Capability contract
  DECISIONS.md        # Architectural decisions (append-only)
  KNOWLEDGE.md        # Persistent project knowledge (patterns, rules, lessons)
  STATE.md            # Current phase and next action
  milestones/
    M001-xxxxx/
      M001-xxxxx-CONTEXT.md    # Scope, constraints, assumptions
      M001-xxxxx-ROADMAP.md    # Slices with checkboxes
      M001-xxxxx-SUMMARY.md    # Completion summary
      slices/S01/
        S01-PLAN.md            # Tasks
        S01-SUMMARY.md         # Slice summary
        tasks/
          T01-PLAN.md          # Individual task spec
          T01-SUMMARY.md       # Task completion summary

State is derived from files on disk — checkboxes in ROADMAP.md and PLAN.md are the source of truth for completion. You never need to edit these files. GSD manages them. But you can read them to understand progress. </project_structure>

<flags> | Flag | Description | |------|-------------| | `--output-format <fmt>` | `text` (default), `json` (structured result at exit), `stream-json` (JSONL events) | | `--json` | Alias for `--output-format stream-json` — JSONL event stream to stdout | | `--bare` | Skip CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, user settings, user skills. Use for CI/ecosystem runs. | | `--resume <id>` | Resume a prior headless session by its session ID | | `--timeout N` | Overall timeout in ms (default: 300000, use 0 to disable) | | `--model ID` | Override LLM model | | `--supervised` | Forward interactive UI requests to orchestrator via stdout/stdin | | `--response-timeout N` | Timeout (ms) for orchestrator response in supervised mode (default: 30000) | | `--answers <path>` | Pre-supply answers and secrets from JSON file | | `--events <types>` | Filter JSONL to specific event types (comma-separated, implies `--json`) | | `--verbose` | Show tool calls in progress output | | `--context <path>` | Spec file path for `new-milestone` (use `-` for stdin) | | `--context-text <text>` | Inline spec text for `new-milestone` | | `--auto` | Chain into auto-mode after `new-milestone` | </flags>

<answer_injection> Pre-supply answers and secrets for fully autonomous runs:

bash

gsd headless --answers answers.json --output-format json auto 2>/dev/null

json

{
  "questions": { "question_id": "selected_option" },
  "secrets": { "API_KEY": "sk-..." },
  "defaults": { "strategy": "first_option" }
}

questions — question ID to answer (string for single-select, string[] for multi-select)
secrets — env var to value, injected into child process environment
defaults.strategy —
```
"first_option"
```
(default) or
```
"cancel"
```
for unmatched questions

See

references/answer-injection.md

for the full mechanism. </answer_injection>

<event_streaming> For real-time monitoring, use JSONL event streaming:

bash

gsd headless --json auto 2>/dev/null | while read -r line; do
  TYPE=$(echo "$line" | jq -r '.type')
  case "$TYPE" in
    tool_execution_start) echo "Tool: $(echo "$line" | jq -r '.toolName')" ;;
    extension_ui_request) echo "GSD: $(echo "$line" | jq -r '.message // .title // empty')" ;;
    agent_end) echo "Session ended" ;;
  esac
done

Filter to specific events:

--events agent_end,execution_complete,extension_ui_request

Available types:

agent_start

agent_end

tool_execution_start

tool_execution_end

tool_execution_update

extension_ui_request

message_start

message_end

message_update

turn_start

turn_end

cost_update

execution_complete

. </event_streaming>

<all_commands>

Command	Purpose
`auto`	Run all queued units until milestone complete or blocked (default)
`next`	Run exactly one unit, then exit
`query`	Instant JSON snapshot — state, next dispatch, costs (no LLM, ~50ms)
`new-milestone`	Create milestone from spec file
`dispatch <phase>`	Force specific phase (research, plan, execute, complete, reassess, uat, replan)
`stop` / `pause`	Control auto-mode
`steer <desc>`	Hard-steer plan mid-execution
`skip` / `undo`	Unit control
`queue`	Queue/reorder milestones
`history`	View execution history
`doctor`	Health check + auto-fix
`knowledge <rule>`	Add persistent project knowledge

See

references/commands.md

for the complete reference. </all_commands>

gsd-orchestrator

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content