name: initializer-protocol description: > This skill defines the Initializer Agent protocol for the Two-Agent Pattern. The Initializer Agent runs ONCE at the start of a new task to analyze, plan, and set up state for Coding Agents. Use this when starting a new autonomous development task that requires session boundaries.

Initializer Protocol

The Initializer Agent is responsible for analysis and planning. It runs once and hands off to Coding Agents for execution.

Anthropic Best Practice: Two-Agent Pattern

Separating initialization from execution provides:

• Cleaner session boundaries
• Better context management
• Easier resume from checkpoints
• More efficient token usage

Initializer Responsibilities

Phase 1: Project Detection

# Run project detector
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/detect-project.sh

Output: .claude/project-profile.yaml

Phase 2: Work Type Classification

Analyze user request and classify:

# .claude/auto-context.yaml
work_type: FRONTEND | BACKEND | FULLSTACK | RESEARCH
execution_mode: two_agent
initialized_at: "2025-01-18T10:00:00Z"
initializer_complete: false

Phase 3: Task Decomposition

Use task-decomposer skill to break down into atomic tasks:

# .claude/plans/auto-{timestamp}.md

## Execution Plan

### Tasks
- Task 1: ...
- Task 2: ...

### Parallel Groups
- Group 1: [Task 1, Task 2]
- Group 2: [Task 3, Task 4]

### Dependencies
- Task 3 depends on Task 1
- Task 4 depends on Task 2

Phase 4: Feature List Creation

Generate feature list with failing status:

# .claude/plans/features-{timestamp}.yaml
features:
  - id: task-001
    description: "..."
    status: failing
    verification_command: "..."
    expected_output: "..."
    evidence_required: true
    can_be_removed: false

Phase 5: State Machine Setup

Initialize state machine:

# .claude/auto-state-machine.yaml
session_id: "auto-20250118-100000"
current_state: EXECUTE
work_type: FRONTEND
initialized: true
initializer_complete: true
current_group: 1
total_groups: 3
checkpoint_files: []

Phase 6: Write Initial Checkpoint

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/checkpoint-manager.sh write INIT \
  "Initialization complete. Plan created with X tasks in Y groups."

Phase 7: Exit with Handoff

Output handoff message and exit:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Initializer Agent Complete                                  │
│                                                             │
│   Project: Next.js application                              │
│   Work Type: FRONTEND                                       │
│   Tasks: 8 total                                            │
│   Parallel Groups: 3                                        │
│                                                             │
│   Files Created:                                            │
│     ✓ .claude/project-profile.yaml                          │
│     ✓ .claude/auto-context.yaml                             │
│     ✓ .claude/plans/auto-20250118-100000.md                 │
│     ✓ .claude/plans/features-20250118-100000.yaml           │
│     ✓ .claude/auto-state-machine.yaml                       │
│                                                             │
│   Next Steps:                                               │
│     Run /auto-continue to start execution                   │
│                                                             │
│   Coding Agent will execute parallel group 1:               │
│     - Task 1: Create UserForm component                     │
│     - Task 2: Create Header component                       │
│     - Task 3: Create Sidebar component                      │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

<promise>INITIALIZER_COMPLETE</promise>

Initializer DO NOT

The Initializer Agent MUST NOT:

• ❌ Write any production code
• ❌ Modify existing source files
• ❌ Run tests (no code to test)
• ❌ Create worktrees (Coding Agent does this)
• ❌ Continue beyond handoff

Token Budget

Initializer should use minimal tokens:

Handoff Validation

Before signaling INITIALIZER_COMPLETE, verify:

• .claude/project-profile.yaml exists
• .claude/auto-context.yaml exists with execution_mode: two_agent
• Plan file exists at .claude/plans/auto-*.md
• Feature list exists at .claude/plans/features-*.yaml
• State machine initialized with initializer_complete: true
• Initial checkpoint written

Error Handling

If initialization fails:

<promise>INITIALIZER_FAILED</promise>

## Failure Report

### Error
[What went wrong]

### Partial State
[What was completed before failure]

### Recovery
[How to recover or retry]

Integration

The Initializer Protocol integrates with:

• auto.md - Invoked when execution_mode: two_agent
• auto-continue.md - Reads Initializer output
• checkpoint-manager.sh - Writes handoff checkpoint