SuperClaude/PLANNING.md

PLANNING.md

Architecture, Design Principles, and Absolute Rules for SuperClaude Framework

This document is read by Claude Code at session start to ensure consistent, high-quality development aligned with project standards.

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🎯 Project Vision

SuperClaude Framework transforms Claude Code into a structured development platform through:

• Behavioral instruction injection via CLAUDE.md
• Component orchestration via pytest plugin + slash commands
• Systematic workflow automation via PM Agent patterns

Core Mission: Enhance AI-assisted development with:

• Pre-execution confidence checking (prevent wrong-direction work)
• Post-implementation validation (prevent hallucinations)
• Cross-session learning (reflexion pattern)
• Token-efficient parallel execution (3.5x speedup)

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🏗️ Architecture Overview

Current State (v4.1.9)

SuperClaude is a Python package with:

• Pytest plugin (auto-loaded via entry points)
• CLI tools (superclaude command)
• PM Agent patterns (confidence, self-check, reflexion)
• Parallel execution framework
• Optional slash commands (installed to ~/.claude/commands/)

SuperClaude Framework v4.1.9
│
├── Core Package (src/superclaude/)
│   ├── pytest_plugin.py          # Auto-loaded by pytest
│   ├── pm_agent/                  # Pre/post implementation patterns
│   │   ├── confidence.py          # Pre-execution confidence check
│   │   ├── self_check.py          # Post-implementation validation
│   │   ├── reflexion.py           # Error learning
│   │   └── token_budget.py        # Token allocation
│   ├── execution/                 # Parallel execution
│   │   ├── parallel.py            # Wave→Checkpoint→Wave
│   │   ├── reflection.py          # Meta-reasoning
│   │   └── self_correction.py     # Error recovery
│   └── cli/                       # Command-line interface
│       ├── main.py                # superclaude command
│       ├── doctor.py              # Health checks
│       └── install_skill.py       # Skill installation
│
├── Plugin Source (plugins/superclaude/)  # v5.0 - NOT ACTIVE YET
│   ├── agents/                    # Agent definitions
│   ├── commands/                  # Command definitions
│   ├── hooks/                     # Hook configurations
│   ├── scripts/                   # Shell scripts
│   └── skills/                    # Skill implementations
│
├── Tests (tests/)
│   ├── unit/                      # Component unit tests
│   └── integration/               # Plugin integration tests
│
└── Documentation (docs/)
    ├── architecture/              # Architecture decisions
    ├── developer-guide/           # Development guides
    ├── reference/                 # API reference
    ├── research/                  # Research findings
    └── user-guide/                # User documentation

Future State (v5.0 - Planned)

• TypeScript plugin system (issue #419)
• Project-local .claude-plugin/ detection
• Plugin marketplace distribution
• Enhanced MCP server integration

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⚙️ Design Principles

1. Evidence-Based Development

Never guess - always verify with official sources:

• Use Context7 MCP for official documentation
• Use WebFetch/WebSearch for research
• Check existing code with Glob/Grep before implementing
• Verify assumptions against test results

Anti-pattern: Implementing based on assumptions or outdated knowledge

2. Confidence-First Implementation

Check confidence BEFORE starting work:

• ≥90%: Proceed with implementation
• 70-89%: Present alternatives, continue investigation
• <70%: STOP - ask questions, investigate more

ROI: Spend 100-200 tokens on confidence check to save 5,000-50,000 tokens on wrong direction

3. Parallel-First Execution

Use Wave → Checkpoint → Wave pattern:

Wave 1: [Read file1, Read file2, Read file3] (parallel)
   ↓
Checkpoint: Analyze all files together
   ↓
Wave 2: [Edit file1, Edit file2, Edit file3] (parallel)

Benefit: 3.5x faster than sequential execution

When to use:

• Independent operations (reading multiple files)
• Batch transformations (editing multiple files)
• Parallel searches (grep across different directories)

When NOT to use:

• Operations with dependencies (must wait for previous result)
• Sequential analysis (need to build context step-by-step)

4. Token Efficiency

Allocate tokens based on task complexity:

• Simple (typo fix): 200 tokens
• Medium (bug fix): 1,000 tokens
• Complex (feature): 2,500 tokens

Confidence check ROI: 25-250x token savings

5. No Hallucinations

Use SelfCheckProtocol to prevent hallucinations:

The Four Questions:

1. Are all tests passing? (show output)
2. Are all requirements met? (list items)
3. No assumptions without verification? (show docs)
4. Is there evidence? (test results, code changes, validation)

7 Red Flags:

• "Tests pass" without output
• "Everything works" without evidence
• "Implementation complete" with failing tests
• Skipping error messages
• Ignoring warnings
• Hiding failures
• "Probably works" language

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🚫 Absolute Rules

Python Environment

1. ALWAYS use UV for Python operations:

   uv run pytest              # NOT: python -m pytest
   uv pip install package     # NOT: pip install package
   uv run python script.py    # NOT: python script.py
   

2. Package structure: Use src/ layout

   • src/superclaude/ for package code
   • tests/ for test code
   • Never mix source and tests in same directory

3. Entry points: Use pyproject.toml

   • CLI: [project.scripts]
   • Pytest plugin: [project.entry-points.pytest11]

Testing

1. All new features MUST have tests

   • Unit tests for individual components
   • Integration tests for component interactions
   • Use pytest markers: @pytest.mark.unit, @pytest.mark.integration

2. Use PM Agent patterns in tests:

   @pytest.mark.confidence_check
   def test_feature(confidence_checker):
       context = {...}
       assert confidence_checker.assess(context) >= 0.7
   
   @pytest.mark.self_check
   def test_implementation(self_check_protocol):
       passed, issues = self_check_protocol.validate(impl)
       assert passed
   

3. Test fixtures: Use conftest.py for shared fixtures

Git Workflow

1. Branch structure:

   • master: Production-ready code
   • integration: Testing ground (not yet created)
   • feature/*, fix/*, docs/*: Feature branches

2. Commit messages: Use conventional commits

   • feat: - New feature
   • fix: - Bug fix
   • docs: - Documentation
   • refactor: - Code refactoring
   • test: - Adding tests
   • chore: - Maintenance

3. Never commit:

   • __pycache__/, *.pyc
   • .venv/, venv/
   • Personal files (TODO.txt, CRUSH.md)
   • API keys, secrets

Documentation

1. Code documentation:

   • All public functions need docstrings
   • Use type hints
   • Include usage examples in docstrings

2. Project documentation:

   • Update CLAUDE.md for Claude Code guidance
   • Update README.md for user instructions
   • Update this PLANNING.md for architecture decisions
   • Update TASK.md for current work
   • Update KNOWLEDGE.md for insights

3. Keep docs synchronized:

   • When code changes, update relevant docs
   • When features are added, update CHANGELOG.md
   • When architecture changes, update PLANNING.md

Version Management

1. Version sources of truth:

   • Framework version: VERSION file (e.g., 4.1.9)
   • Python package version: pyproject.toml (e.g., 0.4.0)
   • NPM package version: package.json (should match VERSION)

2. When to bump versions:

   • Major: Breaking API changes
   • Minor: New features, backward compatible
   • Patch: Bug fixes

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🔄 Development Workflow

Starting a New Feature

1. Investigation Phase:

   • Read PLANNING.md, TASK.md, KNOWLEDGE.md
   • Check for duplicates (Glob/Grep existing code)
   • Read official docs (Context7 MCP, WebFetch)
   • Search for OSS implementations (WebSearch)
   • Run confidence check (should be ≥90%)

2. Implementation Phase:

   • Create feature branch: git checkout -b feature/feature-name
   • Write tests first (TDD)
   • Implement feature
   • Run tests: uv run pytest
   • Run linter: make lint
   • Format code: make format

3. Validation Phase:

   • Run self-check protocol
   • Verify all tests passing
   • Check all requirements met
   • Confirm assumptions verified
   • Provide evidence

4. Documentation Phase:

   • Update relevant documentation
   • Add docstrings
   • Update CHANGELOG.md
   • Update TASK.md (mark complete)

5. Review Phase:

   • Create pull request
   • Request review
   • Address feedback
   • Merge to integration (or master if no integration branch)

Fixing a Bug

1. Root Cause Analysis:

   • Reproduce the bug
   • Identify root cause (not symptoms)
   • Check reflexion memory for similar patterns
   • Run confidence check

2. Fix Implementation:

   • Write failing test that reproduces bug
   • Implement fix
   • Verify test passes
   • Run full test suite
   • Record in reflexion memory

3. Prevention:

   • Add regression test
   • Update documentation if needed
   • Share learnings in KNOWLEDGE.md

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📊 Quality Metrics

Code Quality

• Test coverage: Aim for >80%
• Linting: Zero ruff errors
• Type checking: Use type hints, minimal mypy errors
• Documentation: All public APIs documented

PM Agent Metrics

• Confidence check ROI: 25-250x token savings
• Self-check detection: 94% hallucination detection rate
• Parallel execution: 3.5x speedup vs sequential
• Token efficiency: 30-50% reduction with proper budgeting

Release Criteria

Before releasing a new version:

• ✅ All tests passing
• ✅ Documentation updated
• ✅ CHANGELOG.md updated
• ✅ Version numbers synced
• ✅ No known critical bugs
• ✅ Security audit passed (if applicable)

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🚀 Roadmap

v4.1.9 (Current)

• ✅ Python package with pytest plugin
• ✅ PM Agent patterns (confidence, self-check, reflexion)
• ✅ Parallel execution framework
• ✅ CLI tools
• ✅ Optional slash commands

v4.2.0 (Next)

• Complete placeholder implementations in confidence.py
• Add comprehensive test coverage (>80%)
• Enhance MCP server integration
• Improve documentation

v5.0 (Future)

• TypeScript plugin system (issue #419)
• Plugin marketplace
• Project-local plugin detection
• Enhanced reflexion with mindbase integration
• Advanced parallel execution patterns

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🤝 Contributing Guidelines

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed contribution guidelines.

Key points:

• Follow absolute rules above
• Write tests for all new code
• Use PM Agent patterns
• Document your changes
• Request reviews

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📚 Additional Resources

• TASK.md: Current tasks and priorities
• KNOWLEDGE.md: Accumulated insights and best practices
• CONTRIBUTING.md: Contribution guidelines
• docs/: Comprehensive documentation

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This document is maintained by the SuperClaude development team and should be updated whenever architectural decisions are made.

Last updated: 2025-11-12 (auto-generated during issue #466 fix)