Pdw

/pdw — Product Dev Workflow

A branch-per-task development workflow. One command covers the whole product lifecycle: discussion, development, hotfix, completion, status.

🌐 Language Rule (applies to EVERYTHING below)

Always reply in the same language the user writes in. If the user writes Chinese, reply entirely in Chinese — translate all menus, prompts, confirmations, status messages, branch template section headers, and template placeholder labels. If the user writes English, reply entirely in English.

Only exceptions kept in English regardless: git commands, branch names, file paths, technical keywords (e.g. main, HEAD, PR, CURRENT.md).

Never mix languages unless the user does. The user's language is detected from their most recent message.

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Argument Parsing

When the user types /pdw [args...], parse the first token:

| First token | Action | | --- | --- | | (empty) | Show the menu (see "Menu" section below) | | init | Run the Init flow | | talk (+ topic) | Run the Roundtable flow | | dev (+ task) | Run the Development flow | | hotfix (+ desc) | Run the Hotfix flow | | done (+ abandon?) | Run the Done flow | | status | Run the Status flow | | Natural language description | Auto-route (see "Auto-Route" below) |

Auto-Route (natural language)

If the first token is not a recognized sub-command, treat the whole argument as a natural-language description and auto-decide:

| Description signals | Route to | | --- | --- | | No .claude/records/ exists yet | Suggest init first | | Discussion / market analysis / ideation / "should we" / no dev needed | talk | | Urgent / P0 / production down / broken / "now" / "asap" | hotfix | | Feature / bug / refactor / batch / "build" / "add" / "fix" | dev |

Tell the user which sub-flow you picked and why, then proceed. If unsure, ask.

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Menu (shown when /pdw is typed with no args)

Display this menu in the user's language (translate headers, labels, and hints; keep command syntax in English):

📋 Product Dev Workflow — branch-per-task development

  /pdw                     Show this menu
  /pdw init                Initialize this project (one-time, any project)
  /pdw talk         Roundtable discussion (no dev)
  /pdw dev           Development — new branch / resume / bug / batch
  /pdw hotfix        Emergency fix (auto-pauses current branch)
  /pdw done [abandon]      Finish current work
  /pdw status              Show current state (focus / paused / queued)

You can also describe your need in plain language:
  /pdw I want to add a login page
  /pdw analyze the Taiwan backup software market
  /pdw payment API is returning 500 in production

I will pick the right sub-flow for you.

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Sub-Flow 1: init — Initialize Project

Model: 🟡 Sonnet

Sets up .claude/records/ structure for any project — empty or already in progress. Runs once per project.

Pre-check

If .claude/records/ already exists → abort and tell the user to run /pdw status instead.

Detect Project Type

Run (or ask the user to run):

git branch --list
git branch --show-current
git log --oneline -1 2>/dev/null
git status --short

| Condition | Mode | | --- | --- | | No commits / no branches beyond main | 🟢 Fresh Mode | | Has non-main branches or uncommitted work on a feature branch | 🔵 Onboard Mode |

If ambiguous (only main with commits but no other branches), ask the user to choose.

🟢 Fresh Mode

Create the structure without further questions:

.claude/records/
├── CURRENT.md
├── NOTES.md
├── branches/
└── archive/branches/

CURRENT.md template (translate labels to user's language):

# Current State

## Focus
(none)

## Paused
(none)

## Queued
(none)

## Version
current : v0.1
status  : not-started

Offer to add .claude/ to .gitignore. Show a short success message in the user's language with suggested next steps (/pdw talk or /pdw dev).

🔵 Onboard Mode

For each non-main branch, ask the user (in their language):

1. Branch type: feature / bugfix / hotfix / refactor / unsure
2. One-line description of what this branch does
3. Current progress: planning / design done / mid-implementation / nearly done
4. Next action (one line — this is the resume point)

If the user can't remember a branch: offer "skip and mark as needs-review".

Classify into CURRENT.md:

• Current git branch → Focus
• Recent commits (≤7 days) → Paused
• Stale (>7 days no activity) → Queued with a "stale?" marker

Show the proposed state and confirm before writing files.

Branch file (Snapshot Mode): Generate from the appropriate template (light/medium/heavy by type — see Sub-Flow 3 for templates). For unknown sections, insert a short placeholder note in the user's language indicating it was not backfilled during onboarding (e.g. *[not backfilled during onboarding]* or *[接入時未回溯]*).

Rules

• Read-only git queries only. Never run destructive git commands.
• Idempotent: second run aborts cleanly.
• Never force retroactive documentation.

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Sub-Flow 2: talk — Roundtable Discussion

Model: 🟡 Sonnet Purpose: Market analysis, ideation, competitive research, architecture discussion — no development required.

Before Starting

Prompt user to switch to Sonnet (in their language):

• Claude Code → /model sonnet
• Claude.ai → Click model name → Select Sonnet

Fixed Roles (always present)

• 📋 Product Manager — requirements, priorities, alignment
• 🏗 Technical Architect — feasibility, architecture
• 👤 End User — pain points, usability

Dynamic Roles (31 total — auto-select 2–4 by topic)

C-Suite: 👔 CEO · 🛠 CTO · 💼 COO · 💰 CFO · 🎨 CPO · 📣 CMO Management: 🏗 Engineering Manager · 📊 Data Lead · 🔐 CISO · 🤝 Partnership Manager Specialists: 🎨 UX Designer · ⚖️ Legal · 🧪 QA · 📊 Business Analyst · 📊 Data Engineer · 🔬 Data Scientist · 🔐 Security Engineer · 🏛 DevOps/SRE · 💰 Finance · 👤 Customer Success · 🎯 Growth · 🤝 Sales · 🌍 Localization · ♿ Accessibility · 📱 Mobile Engineer · 🤖 AI Engineer · 📣 Marketing External: 🏢 Enterprise Client · 🔍 Competitor Analyst · 💡 Industry Advisor

Auto-Selection by Topic

| Topic | Auto-invite | | --- | --- | | New product | CEO, CPO, CMO, Marketing, Finance | | Major version | CEO, CTO, CPO, Engineering Manager | | Architecture | CTO, Engineering Manager, DevOps | | Business model | CEO, CFO, CMO, Business Analyst | | AI features | AI Engineer, CTO, Legal, Security | | User data | CISO, Security, Legal, Data Engineer | | Go-to-market | CEO, CMO, CPO, Sales, Marketing | | Market research | Competitor Analyst, Industry Advisor, CMO | | Mobile / App | Mobile Engineer, UX Designer, QA | | B2B | CEO, Sales, Partnership, Enterprise Client | | Internationalization | Localization, CMO, Legal | | Security / compliance | CISO, Security Engineer, Legal |

Confirmation

Show proposed attendees and ask for confirmation (in user's language).

Output Format

All section labels in user's language:

📄 ROUNDTABLE SUMMARY
────────────────────────────────
Topic      :
Attendees  :

[Role] Perspective:
  ...

Consensus      :
Action Items   :
Open Questions :
────────────────────────────────

After output, ask:

• Save summary to .claude/records/?
• Start a development branch for any action item? (if yes, hand off to dev flow)

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Sub-Flow 3: dev — Development

Model: 🟡 Sonnet (🔴 Opus when stuck · 🔵 Haiku for batch)

Decision Tree

/pdw dev [task?]
    ↓
Focus branch in CURRENT.md?
  YES + no new task   →  RESUME (show next step, continue)
  YES + new task      →  ASK ("Pause current and start new, or add to current?")
  NO                  →  NEW BRANCH

Branch Classification (for NEW BRANCH)

| Signals | Type | Template | Model | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | rename / batch / list of ≥3 items | 🔵 batch | Light | Haiku | | bug / error / crash / broken | 🟡 bugfix | Medium | Sonnet | | refactor / cross-module / restructure | 🟢 refactor | Heavy | Sonnet/Opus | | feature / add / build / new | 🟢 feature | Heavy | Sonnet |

Confirmation Before Creating

Show (in user's language):

🌱 New branch
   name     : feature/login-page
   template : 🟢 heavy
   model    : 🟡 Sonnet
   git cmd  : git checkout -b feature/login-page

Ask to proceed / adjust / cancel.

Branch Templates

When generating a branch file, translate all section headers to the user's language. Keep branch names, main, HEAD etc. in English.

🔴 Light (hotfix / simple bug / batch)

Type · Created · Base

Problem:
Fix:
Verification:
Tasks: [ ] Fix applied · [ ] Tested · [ ] Ready to merge
Pause Point:
  next step :

🟡 Medium (bugfix)

Type · Created · Base

Symptoms:
Root Cause:
Solution:
Tasks: [ ] Implement fix · [ ] Regression test · [ ] Docs
Test Plan:
PR Description (draft):
Pause Point:
  next step :

🟢 Heavy (feature / refactor)

Type · Created · Base

Background & Goal:
Design:
  Data / Schema:
  API / Interfaces:
  Flow / Sequence:
Task Breakdown:
  - [ ] Task 1
  - [ ] Task 2
Test Plan:
Risks & Open Questions:
PR Description (draft):
Pause Point:
  paused at :
  next step :
Notes:

Resuming

When focus branch exists and no new task is given, show (in user's language):

• Branch name
• Last pause point + next step
• Task progress (X of Y done, with next task marked)
• Ask: continue, or show full branch file?

Batch Mode (auto-triggered)

When classification → batch:

1. Show execution plan, ask for confirmation
2. Prompt Haiku switch
3. Execute, report results
4. Prompt switch back to Sonnet

Blocker

If stuck: prompt Opus switch. User can continue on Sonnet if they prefer.

During Development

If the user mentions a lesson learned, decision rationale, or gotcha → offer to save to NOTES.md.

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Sub-Flow 4: hotfix — Emergency Interrupt

Model: 🟡 Sonnet (🔴 Opus for mysterious bugs)

Step 1 — Auto-Pause Current Focus

If CURRENT.md has an active focus:

1. Save pause point to the branch file:

• paused at: — auto-detect from recent context if possible
• next step: — ask the user for one line (in their language) to serve as the resume point

1. Move focus → paused in CURRENT.md.

Step 2 — Open Hotfix Branch

git checkout -b hotfix/[short-desc]

Create branch file using the 🔴 Light template (headers in user's language).

Step 3 — Assess and Fix

| Severity | Criteria | Approach | | --- | --- | --- | | P0 | Production down / data loss | Fix immediately, minimal docs | | Hard | Can't identify root cause | Prompt Opus switch | | Standard | Clear cause | Normal light-template flow |

On Completion

When /pdw done closes this hotfix, offer to resume the paused focus branch. Show the saved next step. Ask in user's language.

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Sub-Flow 5: done — Finish Current Work

Context-aware — auto-detects what "done" means based on current state.

Decision Tree

/pdw done [argument?]
    ↓
arg = "abandon"?                →  ABANDON
Focus is a hotfix branch?       →  CLOSE HOTFIX + offer resume
All tasks on focus checked?     →  CLOSE BRANCH normally
Tasks remaining?                →  Ask: which task done, or close whole branch?
No focus + version's branches done? →  Offer VERSION WRAP
No focus?                       →  Show status, suggest /pdw dev

Close Branch (Normal)

Generate PR description from the branch file (in user's language). Confirm before archiving. Move branches/[name].md → archive/branches/[name].md. Clear focus in CURRENT.md. Show remaining queued branches or offer to resume paused.

Close Hotfix

Same as normal close, then offer to resume the paused focus branch with its saved next step.

Abandon

/pdw done abandon

Ask for optional reason. Archive with status: abandoned.

Version Wrap (auto-offered)

When the last active branch of a version closes, offer wrap. User confirms with wrap.

Retrospective flow (on wrap):

1. Prompt Opus switch
2. Run retrospective with sections (in user's language): Period · Branches completed · Branches abandoned · What went well · What didn't · Key learnings · Tech debt noted · Next version ideas
3. Archive CURRENT.md snapshot to archive/, reset to empty template
4. Ask about planning the next version

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Sub-Flow 6: status — Show Current State

Read CURRENT.md and display in the user's language:

📊 Current State — [datetime]
────────────────────────────────

🎯 Focus
   [branch-name]   (started X days ago)
   Next: [next step]
   Tasks: X of Y done

⏸ Paused (N)
   [branch-name]
     paused X days ago
     next: "[resume instruction]"

🔜 Queued (N)
   [branch-name] — [note]

────────────────────────────────
Version: vX.x · N branches merged this version

If .claude/records/ does not exist: tell the user to run /pdw init first (in their language).

Occasionally show a context hygiene reminder:

• Share with Claude: CURRENT.md + active branch file only
• Never share: archive/, paused branch files, NOTES.md (unless needed)

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Records Structure

project/
├── src/                        ← your code
├── .gitignore                  ← .claude/ added automatically by /pdw init
└── .claude/
    ├── skills/                 ← skill files
    └── records/
        ├── CURRENT.md          ← global state: focus / paused / queued
        ├── NOTES.md            ← lessons learned, decisions, gotchas
        ├── branches/           ← one file per active or paused branch
        └── archive/
            ├── branches/       ← merged / abandoned branches
            └── vX.X-*.md       ← version snapshots

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Model Quick Reference

🔴 Opus    → New product planning, major version, retrospective, hard bugs, architecture
🟡 Sonnet  → Roundtable, planning, development (main workhorse)
🔵 Haiku   → Batch tasks (auto-triggered via dev flow)

How to Switch Models

• Claude Code: /model opus · /model sonnet · /model haiku
• Claude.ai: Click model name at top → select model

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Quick Examples

/pdw                                 → Show menu
/pdw init                            → Initialize this project
/pdw talk analyze Taiwan backup SaaS → Roundtable discussion
/pdw dev build a login page         → Open feature branch + planning
/pdw hotfix payment API returns 500 → Auto-pause + open hotfix branch
/pdw done                            → Close current branch
/pdw status                          → Where am I?

/pdw I want to add OAuth login       → Auto-routes to dev
/pdw production is on fire           → Auto-routes to hotfix
/pdw should we enter the EU market   → Auto-routes to talk

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: diablofong
• Source: diablofong/product-dev-workflow
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.