Feature State Machine

Purpose

Make feature scope executable by tracking one active work item, explicit verification, and evidence-backed state transitions.

Inspect First

• existing specs, OpenSpec changes, task docs, issue lists, PROGRESS.md, validation scripts, and current work-in-progress
• whether the repo has multi-session or multi-feature agent work that justifies a feature state file

Procedure

1. Define the feature list.

   • Create or update docs/features/feature_list.json only when feature tracking adds value.
   • Use assets/templates/feature-list.json.tmpl for the initial shape.
   • Preserve existing IDs and evidence.

2. Enforce advisory WIP control.

   • Default wip_limit is 1.
   • Only one feature should be active.
   • Do not mark a feature passing without executable evidence.

3. Make each feature checkable.

   • Include id, title, behavior, verification, state, evidence, dependencies, and notes.
   • Verification should be a real command or focused validation path.
   • Link feature IDs to OpenSpec tasks or lightweight specs when present.

4. Add local checks.

   • Create or recommend scripts/check-feature-state.
   • Use scripts/check_feature_state.py from this plugin for deterministic validation.
   • Wire into scripts/validate only when the repo wants feature-state checks in baseline validation.

5. Route implementation.

   • Use task-planning-and-pr-protocol for task planning.
   • Use termination-gatekeeper before declaring a feature complete.
   • Use session-continuity-harness for handoff after partial work.
   • Use project-local-skill-generator to create project-feature-workflow when this repo should expose feature state as a local Codex skill.

Validation

• Run ./scripts/check-feature-state when present.
• Confirm no more than wip_limit features are active.
• Confirm every feature has behavior and verification text.
• Confirm every passing feature has evidence.

Completion Criteria

• The repo has a usable feature state surface or a documented reason it is unnecessary.
• Active work, blockers, passing evidence, and next work are unambiguous to a fresh agent session.