---

name: bdd-orchestrating description: BDD orchestrator for feature-level work. Use when user says 'add', 'implement', 'build', 'feature', 'iteration', 'story', 'phase', 'resume', 'continue', or references a ticket/iteration/story. Also use when work touches 3+ files with new state/flows, or when user runs /bdd. Do NOT use for bug fixes, typos, config changes, or 1-2 file tasks. allowed-tools: '*'

BDD Orchestrator

Behavior-first development for features. Discovery → Scenarios → Implementation.

Iron Law: DEFINE BEHAVIOR BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION

Phase Tracking

Features progress through phases. Track in ticket frontmatter:

---
type: feature
phase: implement # intake | define-behavior | scenario-gate | decomposition | implement | done
---

Phase meanings:

Phase	What happens	Details
intake	Context check, discovery (Phase 0-2)	DISCOVERY.md
define-behavior	Writing Given/When/Then (Phase 3)	SCENARIOS.md
scenario-gate	Validating scenarios (Phase 4)	SCENARIOS.md
decomposition	Task breakdown (Phase 5)	DECOMPOSITION.md
implement	Outside-in TDD (Phase 6)	TDD.md
done	Cleanup, verification (Phase 7)	DONE.md

Update phase when:

• Completing a BDD phase → set next phase
• Handing off to TDD → set implement
• All scenarios pass → set done

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Resume Logic

When user references a ticket, resume work:

1. Read ticket → get current phase:
2. Find progress → first unchecked [ ] in test-definitions
3. Check context → read last work log entry
4. Announce resume → "Resuming at [phase]. Last: [log entry]."

Resume by phase:

Phase	Resume action
intake	Start context check (Phase 0-2)
define-behavior	Continue drafting scenarios
scenario-gate	Continue validating scenarios
decomposition	Continue task breakdown
implement	Find first unchecked scenario, run TDD
done	Run /done and /audit checks

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Current Behavior

1. Detect work level (see SAFEWORD.md "Work Level Detection")
2. If user references iteration/story/phase from a spec:
   • Check if child ticket exists for that iteration
   • If not → create ticket, run full BDD
   • If yes → resume at current phase
3. Announce with override hint
4. If ticket exists: Read phase, resume at appropriate point
5. Artifact-first rule: Before doing work, create/verify the phase artifact:
   • Phase 0-2 → ticket at .safeword-project/tickets/{id}-{slug}/ticket.md
   • Phase 3 → test-definitions at .safeword-project/tickets/{id}-{slug}/test-definitions.md
   • Phase 5 → task breakdown in ticket
6. Execute phase using the appropriate phase file
7. Update phase in ticket when transitioning

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Phase Files

Load the appropriate file based on current phase:

Phase	File
intake	DISCOVERY.md
define-behavior	SCENARIOS.md
scenario-gate	SCENARIOS.md
decomposition	DECOMPOSITION.md
implement	TDD.md
done	DONE.md

For splitting large features, see SPLITTING.md.

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Key Takeaways

• patch/task → TDD directly (RED → GREEN → REFACTOR)
• feature → full BDD flow (Phases 0-7), track in ticket phase: field
• Resume → read ticket, find first unchecked scenario, continue
• Split → check thresholds at Entry, Phase 3, Phase 5; user decides (see SPLITTING.md)
• Done gate → run /done before marking ticket complete
• When unsure → default to task, user can /bdd to override