The core orchestration loop that processes work items one at a time
View on GitHubben-mad-jlp/claude-mermaid-collab
mermaid-collab
skills/collab-work-item-loop/SKILL.md
January 25, 2026
Select agents to install to:
npx add-skill https://github.com/ben-mad-jlp/claude-mermaid-collab/blob/main/skills/collab-work-item-loop/SKILL.md -a claude-code --skill collab-work-item-loopInstallation paths:
.claude/skills/collab-work-item-loop/# Work Item Loop
The core orchestration loop that processes work items one at a time.
---
## Step 4: Work Item Loop
### 4.1 Read Design Doc
```bash
cat .collab/<name>/documents/design.md
```
### 4.2 Parse Work Items
Use `parseWorkItems()` helper to extract items from design doc:
- Find all `### Item N:` sections
- Extract Title, Type, and Status fields
- Return list of work items
See **Helper Functions** in main collab skill for `parseWorkItems()` implementation.
### 4.3 Find First Pending Item
```
pending_item = items.find(i => i.status == "pending")
```
**If no pending items:**
```
All work items documented. Proceeding to validation...
```
→ Invoke **ready-to-implement** skill
→ **END** (ready-to-implement takes over)
**If pending item found:** Continue to 4.4
### 4.4 Update State
Update collab state via MCP:
```
Tool: mcp__plugin_mermaid-collab_mermaid__update_session_state
Args: {
"project": "<absolute-path-to-cwd>",
"session": "<session-name>",
"currentItem": <item-number>
}
```
Note: `lastActivity` is automatically updated by the MCP tool.
### 4.5 Route by Type
**If type is `bugfix`:**
```
Processing bugfix: <item-title>
Invoking systematic-debugging for investigation...
```
→ Invoke skill: collab-compact
→ Invoke **systematic-debugging** skill
**If type is `task`:**
```
Processing task: <item-title>
Invoking brainstorming for planning...
```
→ Invoke skill: collab-compact
→ Invoke **brainstorming** skill
→ After brainstorming completes, invoke skill: collab-compact
→ After collab-compact completes, invoke **task-planning** skill
**If type is `code`:**
```
Processing code: <item-title>
Invoking brainstorming for design...
```
→ Invoke skill: collab-compact
→ Invoke **brainstorming** skill
→ After brainstorming completes, invoke skill: collab-compact
→ After collab-compact completes, invoke **rough-draft** skill (includes feature/refactor/spike work)
### 4.6 Mark Item Documented
After the invoked skill returns, use patch to update the