Parallel Development Skill
Build applications and features autonomously with rigorous planning, parallel agent execution, QA validation, and merge coordination - minimal user interaction after initial requirements gathering.
Overview
This skill provides end-to-end autonomous development by:
- •Planning: Guided requirement gathering with all questions upfront
- •Decomposition: Breaking plans into parallelizable tasks
- •Execution: Multiple agents working simultaneously in isolated worktrees
- •Validation: Automated QA checks (lint, test, build, acceptance criteria)
- •Merge: Conflict detection, resolution, and cleanup
Value: Develop features with minimal supervision after initial planning - Claude handles the implementation, testing, and integration autonomously.
When to Use This Skill
Ideal Use Cases
| Scenario | Example |
|---|---|
| Building a new feature | "Build user authentication with OAuth" |
| Starting a full application | "Create a REST API for inventory management" |
| Developing multiple features | "Add shopping cart, checkout, and payment" |
| Documented project kickoff | "Build the app from this PRD" |
| Parallel work streams | "Implement database, API, and frontend simultaneously" |
Trigger Phrases
- •"build out this application"
- •"develop this feature end-to-end"
- •"start parallel development"
- •"autonomous development of..."
- •"plan and build..."
- •"full development lifecycle for..."
- •
/parallel-dev(explicit invocation)
When NOT to Use
| Scenario | Use Instead |
|---|---|
| Quick bug fix | Direct editing |
| Single file change | Edit tool |
| Research/exploration | Explore agent |
| Simple refactor | feature-dev:code-architect |
Quick Actions
| Need | Action | Command |
|---|---|---|
| Start planning a feature | Guided planning session | /parallel-dev:plan <name> |
| View existing plan | Display plan details | /parallel-dev:plan-show <name> |
| List all plans | See all plans with status | /parallel-dev:plan-list |
| Approve a plan | Mark ready for execution | /parallel-dev:plan-edit <name> --approve |
| Break plan into tasks | Generate task decomposition | /parallel-dev:decompose <name> |
| Start parallel execution | Begin autonomous work | /parallel-dev:start <name> |
| Check progress | View execution status | /parallel-dev:status |
| Pause execution | Gracefully pause agents | /parallel-dev:pause <name> |
| Resume work | Continue after break | /parallel-dev:resume <name> |
| Run QA validation | Lint, test, build checks | /parallel-dev:validate <name> |
| Check for conflicts | Preview merge issues | /parallel-dev:conflicts <name> |
| Merge to main | Complete and cleanup | /parallel-dev:merge <name> |
Complete Workflow
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PARALLEL-DEV WORKFLOW |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PHASE 1: PLANNING |
| +-- /parallel-dev:plan <name> |
| +-- Vision & Goals questions |
| +-- Features & Scope questions |
| +-- Technical Decisions questions |
| +-- Generates: plans/{name}.md |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PHASE 2: APPROVAL |
| +-- /parallel-dev:plan-show <name> (review) |
| +-- /parallel-dev:plan-edit <name> (adjust if needed) |
| +-- /parallel-dev:plan-edit <name> --approve |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PHASE 3: DECOMPOSITION |
| +-- /parallel-dev:decompose <name> |
| +-- Breaks into phases (Foundation, Core, Integration, Test) |
| +-- Creates tasks with dependencies |
| +-- Identifies parallelization opportunities |
| +-- Generates: plans/{name}-tasks.yaml |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PHASE 4: EXECUTION |
| +-- /parallel-dev:start <name> |
| +-- Creates worktree at {worktreeBase}/{project}/{name} |
| +-- Creates feature branch: feature/{name} |
| +-- Spawns parallel agents (up to maxParallelAgents) |
| | +-- Implementer agents (database, api, frontend) |
| | +-- Tester agents |
| | +-- Documenter agents |
| +-- Tracks progress in executions/{name}/state.yaml |
| +-- Continues until all tasks complete |
| |
| During execution: |
| +-- /parallel-dev:status (monitor progress) |
| +-- /parallel-dev:pause <name> (graceful pause) |
| +-- /parallel-dev:resume <name> (continue work) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PHASE 5: VALIDATION |
| +-- /parallel-dev:validate <name> |
| +-- Static Analysis (lint, typecheck, format) |
| +-- Testing (unit tests, integration tests, coverage) |
| +-- Build Verification (production build) |
| +-- Acceptance Criteria (verify each criterion) |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
| PHASE 6: MERGE |
| +-- /parallel-dev:conflicts <name> (preview conflicts) |
| +-- /parallel-dev:merge <name> |
| +-- Merges feature branch to main |
| +-- Runs post-merge validation |
| +-- Pushes to remote |
| +-- Removes worktree |
| +-- Deletes feature branch |
| +-- Archives execution |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------+
Components Reference
Commands
| Command | Phase | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
/parallel-dev:init | Setup | Initialize for current project |
/parallel-dev:status | Any | Show overall status |
/parallel-dev:plan | Planning | Start guided planning |
/parallel-dev:plan-show | Planning | Display plan details |
/parallel-dev:plan-list | Planning | List all plans |
/parallel-dev:plan-edit | Planning | Edit/approve plan |
/parallel-dev:decompose | Decomposition | Break into tasks |
/parallel-dev:start | Execution | Begin parallel execution |
/parallel-dev:pause | Execution | Pause execution |
/parallel-dev:resume | Execution | Resume execution |
/parallel-dev:validate | Validation | Run QA checks |
/parallel-dev:conflicts | Merge | Preview conflicts |
/parallel-dev:merge | Merge | Merge and cleanup |
/parallel-dev:worktree-create | Infrastructure | Create worktree |
/parallel-dev:worktree-list | Infrastructure | List worktrees |
/parallel-dev:worktree-cleanup | Infrastructure | Remove worktrees |
Agents
| Agent | Purpose | Spawned During |
|---|---|---|
parallel-dev-implementer | Code implementation | Execution phase |
parallel-dev-tester | Test writing | Execution phase |
parallel-dev-documenter | Documentation | Execution phase |
parallel-dev-validator | QA validation | Validation phase |
File Locations
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
.claude/parallel-dev/registry.json | Active worktrees and port allocation |
.claude/parallel-dev/plans/{name}.md | Development plans (PRD-style) |
.claude/parallel-dev/plans/{name}-tasks.yaml | Task decomposition |
.claude/parallel-dev/executions/{name}/state.yaml | Execution tracking |
.claude/parallel-dev/executions/{name}/validation.yaml | Validation results |
.claude/parallel-dev/archive/ | Completed executions |
{worktreeBase}/{project}/{name}/ | Isolated worktree storage |
.claude/skills/parallel-dev/config.json | Skill configuration |
Templates
| Template | Purpose |
|---|---|
templates/plan-template.md | PRD-style plan structure |
templates/tasks-template.yaml | Task decomposition schema |
templates/execution-state.yaml | Execution tracking schema |
templates/validation-config.yaml | Validation pipeline config |
templates/validation-report.md | Human-readable report |
Detailed Workflows
Planning a Feature
What happens when you run /parallel-dev:plan auth-system:
- •
Claude asks Vision & Goals questions:
- •What is the core purpose?
- •Who is the target user?
- •What defines success?
- •
Claude asks Features & Scope questions:
- •What are must-have features?
- •What's explicitly out of scope?
- •What are acceptance criteria for each feature?
- •
Claude asks Technical Decisions questions:
- •What stack/framework?
- •What patterns (REST, GraphQL, etc.)?
- •What integrations needed?
- •
Claude asks Constraints questions:
- •Timeline expectations?
- •Performance requirements?
- •Security considerations?
- •
Claude generates the plan at
.claude/parallel-dev/plans/auth-system.md
Key Point: All questions are asked upfront. Once you answer, Claude works autonomously through the rest of the workflow.
Executing with Parallel Agents
What happens when you run /parallel-dev:start auth-system:
- •Creates worktree: Isolated git worktree at
{worktreeBase}/{project}/auth-system - •Creates branch:
feature/auth-system - •Initializes execution state: Tracks progress in
state.yaml - •Identifies ready tasks: Tasks with no unmet dependencies
- •Spawns agents (up to configured max parallel):
code
Agent 1 -> T1.1: Database schema (stream: database) Agent 2 -> T1.2: Environment config (stream: infra) Agent 3 -> T1.3: Project scaffolding (stream: core)
- •Coordinates completion:
- •When Agent 1 completes T1.1, dependent tasks (T2.1, T2.2) become ready
- •Agent 1 gets assigned next ready task
- •Progress updates in real-time
- •Continues until all tasks complete
Validating Before Merge
What happens when you run /parallel-dev:validate auth-system:
- •Detects project type (JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust)
- •Runs Static Analysis:
- •Linting (eslint, ruff, golangci-lint)
- •Type checking (tsc, mypy)
- •Format checking (prettier, black)
- •Runs Tests:
- •Unit tests with coverage
- •Integration tests if present
- •Verifies Build:
- •Production build succeeds
- •Bundle size check
- •Reviews Acceptance Criteria:
- •Validator agent checks each criterion
- •Provides evidence (file:line references)
- •Generates Report with pass/fail status
Auto-fix mode: /parallel-dev:validate auth-system --fix attempts to fix formatting and simple lint issues automatically.
Configuration
.claude/skills/parallel-dev/config.json:
{
"worktreeBase": "~/tmp/worktrees",
"registryPath": ".claude/parallel-dev/registry.json",
"plansPath": ".claude/parallel-dev/plans",
"executionsPath": ".claude/parallel-dev/executions",
"maxParallelAgents": 5,
"staleThresholdMinutes": 30,
"autoCleanupWorktrees": true,
"portPool": { "start": 8100, "end": 8199 },
"portsPerWorktree": 2,
"defaultValidation": ["lint", "typecheck", "test", "build"],
"terminal": "tmux",
"agentModel": "sonnet",
"planningModel": "opus"
}
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
worktreeBase | ~/tmp/worktrees | Base directory for worktrees |
maxParallelAgents | 5 | Maximum concurrent agents |
staleThresholdMinutes | 30 | When to check on stale agents |
autoCleanupWorktrees | true | Remove worktrees after merge |
agentModel | sonnet | Model for implementation agents |
planningModel | opus | Model for planning (needs reasoning) |
Integration Points
With Session Management Skill
- •Execution state persists across sessions
- •
/parallel-dev:resumerestores context after break - •Progress tracked in
session-state.mdif active
With Memory MCP
- •Plans can be stored for reference
- •Lessons learned stored for future projects
- •Pattern recognition across projects
Example Session
# User wants to build authentication User: "I want to build user authentication for my Express app" # Claude starts guided planning Claude: "I'll help you plan this. Let me ask some questions..." [Questions about OAuth vs password, JWT expiry, roles, etc.] User: [Answers questions] # Claude generates plan Claude: "Plan created at .claude/parallel-dev/plans/auth-system.md" # User reviews and approves /parallel-dev:plan-show auth-system /parallel-dev:plan-edit auth-system --approve # Decompose into tasks /parallel-dev:decompose auth-system # Shows: 15 tasks across 4 phases, critical path ~12h # Start execution /parallel-dev:start auth-system # Creates worktree, spawns agents, shows progress # User can monitor /parallel-dev:status # Shows: 45% complete (7/15 tasks), 3 agents active # Pause if needed /parallel-dev:pause auth-system # Resume later /parallel-dev:resume auth-system # Validate when complete /parallel-dev:validate auth-system # Shows: All checks passed, ready to merge # Merge to main /parallel-dev:merge auth-system # Merges, cleans up worktree, archives execution
Safety Guidelines
- •Worktree Isolation: Never modifies main branch directly
- •Frequent Commits: Small, atomic commits per task
- •Validation Required: Must pass QA before merge
- •User Code Preserved: Never overwrites without confirmation
- •Cleanup on Completion: Removes worktrees, releases ports
- •State Persistence: Survives session interruption
Troubleshooting
Plan not found?
- •Check plan name matches file at
.claude/parallel-dev/plans/{name}.md - •Use
/parallel-dev:plan-listto see available plans
Execution won't start?
- •Ensure plan status is
approvedordecomposed - •Check tasks file exists:
.claude/parallel-dev/plans/{name}-tasks.yaml - •Verify worktree base directory exists
Agents seem stuck?
- •Check
/parallel-dev:statusfor details - •Use
/parallel-dev:pausethen/parallel-dev:resume - •Check for circular dependencies in tasks
Validation failing?
- •Review specific failures in validation report
- •Use
--fixflag to auto-fix formatting issues - •Fix failures in worktree, commit, re-validate
Merge conflicts?
- •Run
/parallel-dev:conflictsfirst to preview - •Use
/parallel-dev:merge --resolvefor AI-assisted resolution - •Or resolve manually in worktree then merge
Related Documentation
- •@.claude/commands/parallel-dev/README.md - Command reference
- •@.claude/skills/parallel-dev/ROADMAP.md - Implementation history
- •@.claude/context/patterns/worktree-shell-functions.md - Worktree patterns
- •@.claude/context/patterns/agent-selection-pattern.md - When to use agents
- •@.claude/orchestration/README.md - Task orchestration patterns