Compound Engineering: Workflow Orchestration

Overview

Compound Engineering orchestrates the Essential 2026 Plugin Suite (Debt-Sentinel, Red Team Tribunal, Spec-Lock) into unified, multi-stage workflows. It provides comprehensive quality gates and metrics tracking.

Workflows

1. Safe Edit Workflow ⭐ Most Popular

Three-stage quality gate for individual file edits

code

Stage 1: Pre-Edit Validation (Debt-Sentinel)
  └─ BLOCKS critical anti-patterns
  └─ Scores technical debt

Stage 2: Post-Edit Sync (Spec-Lock)
  └─ Detects documentation drift
  └─ Auto-resolves if possible

Stage 3: Adversarial Review (Red Team Tribunal)
  └─ Multi-agent consensus required
  └─ REJECTS if concerns not addressed

Usage:

bash

python3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/compound-engineering.py \
  --workflow safe-edit --file src/auth/login.ts

Outcomes:

•APPROVED: All stages passed → Ready to merge
•BLOCKED: Critical debt detected → Must fix
•CONDITIONAL: Minor concerns → Address then merge
•REJECTED: Tribunal rejected → Significant rework needed

2. CI Pipeline Workflow

Pre-deployment validation for entire codebase

code

Stage 1: Technical Debt Analysis
  └─ Scan all files for accumulated debt
  └─ Calculate aggregate scores

Stage 2: Critical Path Review
  └─ Tribunal reviews security files
  └─ Auth, payment, API validation

Stage 3: Documentation Health
  └─ Verify all specs synchronized
  └─ Check for drift across codebase

Result: DEPLOY_READY or BLOCKED

Usage:

bash

python3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/compound-engineering.py \
  --workflow ci-pipeline --branch main

3. Enhancement Pipeline 🚀 Progressive Quality

Four-level enhancement for new features

code

Level 1: Basic Implementation
  └─ Anti-pattern checks (Debt-Sentinel)
  └─ Clean architecture validation

Level 2: Performance Optimization
  └─ Algorithm review
  └─ Resource usage analysis
  └─ Caching opportunities

Level 3: Security Hardening
  └─ Vulnerability scan
  └─ Input validation
  └─ Rate limiting

Level 4: Documentation Sync
  └─ Update all affected specs
  └─ Generate migration guides
  └─ Verify sync status

Usage:

bash

python3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/compound-engineering.py \
  --workflow enhancement --feature "OAuth Integration"

Dashboard & Metrics

Real-Time Dashboard

bash

python3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/compound-engineering.py --dashboard

Shows:

•Recent workflow runs
•7-day statistics
•Plugin health status
•Overall quality score

Quality Score

code

Quality Score = (1 - Block Rate) × 100

90-100%: 🌟 EXCELLENT
75-89%:  ✅ GOOD
50-74%:  ⚠️ NEEDS ATTENTION
0-49%:   🔴 CRITICAL

Tracked Metrics

•Total Workflow Runs: Quality gates executed
•Block/Rejection Rate: % stopped by issues
•Average Debt Score: Mean technical debt
•Average Duration: Execution time
•Documentation Sync Rate: Spec alignment

When to Use

Use Safe Edit When:

•Editing individual files
•Making quick changes
•Need immediate feedback
•Want automatic blocking

Use CI Pipeline When:

•Preparing deployment
•Merging feature branches
•Validating releases
•Checking codebase health

Use Enhancement Pipeline When:

•Building new features
•Want progressive quality
•Need comprehensive validation
•Multiple quality levels desired

Integration

Agent Zero Hooks

Add to settings.json:

json

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Edit(*)|Write(*)",
        "command": "python3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/compound-engineering.py --workflow safe-edit --file"
      }
    ],
    "PostToolUse": [
      {
        "command": "python3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/compound-engineering.py --dashboard"
      }
    ]
  }
}

GitHub Actions

yaml

name: Quality Gates
on: [pull_request]
jobs:
  tribunal:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v3
      - name: Run Compound Engineering
        run: |
          python3 compound-engineering.py \
            --workflow ci-pipeline --branch ${{ github.head_ref }}

Sample Output

Safe Edit - Approved

code

🔧 COMPOUND ENGINEERING: Safe Edit Workflow
Target: src/auth/login.ts

📋 Stage 1: Pre-Edit Validation
✅ Passed: No architectural violations

📋 Stage 2: Documentation Sync
✅ In sync

📋 Stage 3: Adversarial Review
  🤔 Skeptic:     ✅ PASS (92%)
  👤 User Proxy:  ✅ PASS (88%)
  ⚡ Optimizer:   ✅ PASS (85%)

📊 CONSENSUS: APPROVED
Status: Code ready for merge

Enhancement - Complete

code

🔧 COMPOUND ENGINEERING: Enhancement Pipeline
Feature: API Rate Limiting

📋 Level 1: Basic Implementation ✅
📋 Level 2: Performance Optimization ✅
📋 Level 3: Security Hardening ✅
📋 Level 4: Documentation Sync ✅

🎉 Feature enhanced through all 4 quality levels!

Dashboard

code

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║      COMPOUND ENGINEERING DASHBOARD            ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

📊 RECENT WORKFLOW RUNS:
✅ safe-edit   APPROVED     2026-02-12 1.2s
❌ safe-edit   BLOCKED      2026-02-12 0.3s
✅ enhancement COMPLETE     2026-02-12 4.5s

🎯 OVERALL QUALITY SCORE: 93.3%
Status: 🌟 EXCELLENT

Database Schema

SQLite database tracks workflows:

sql

CREATE TABLE workflow_runs (
    workflow_type TEXT,
    target TEXT,
    status TEXT,        -- APPROVED, BLOCKED, REJECTED
    duration_ms INTEGER,
    debt_score INTEGER,
    tribunal_verdict TEXT,
    timestamp TIMESTAMP
);

Success Metrics

•Gate Effectiveness: % of real issues caught
•False Positive Rate: % of unnecessary blocks
•Developer Velocity: Time from edit to approval
•Quality Trend: Score improvement over time

Commands Reference

bash

# Workflows
--workflow safe-edit --file <path>
--workflow ci-pipeline --branch <branch>
--workflow enhancement --feature <name>

# Reporting
--dashboard                    # Show live dashboard
--metrics --days 30           # Generate metrics report

# Help
--help                        # Show all options

Troubleshooting

Workflow Stuck

Check individual plugins:

bash

python3 /a0/usr/plugins/debt-sentinel/debt-sentinel.py --check <file>

Metrics Not Updating

Verify database:

bash

docker exec agent-zero sqlite3 /a0/usr/plugins/compound-engineering/engineering_metrics.db

Slow Execution

Agents may timeout on large files. Adjust in script:

python

subprocess.run(..., timeout=120)  # Increase from 60

Part of the Essential 2026 Plugin Suite