Quick Mode

Execute ad-hoc tasks with GSD guarantees but skip optional planning steps

Quick mode is GSD’s fast path for small, ad-hoc tasks that don’t need full milestone ceremony. You get the same atomic commits and state tracking, but skip research, discussion, and verification agents.

When to Use Quick Mode

Use /gsd:quick for tasks that are clear, small, and urgent. Use full workflow for anything that requires research, has ambiguity, or is part of a larger milestone.

Perfect for quick mode:

• Bug fixes
• Small feature additions
• Configuration changes
• Refactoring isolated code
• One-off maintenance tasks
• Urgent hotfixes

Use full workflow for:

• Features that need research
• Complex multi-file changes
• Work with unclear requirements
• Anything tied to milestone requirements
• Tasks requiring architectural decisions

How It Works

Quick mode is the same system with a shorter path:

1. Describe the task

   Tell GSD what you want to do. Be specific.

2. Planning (quick mode)

   Spawns gsd-planner in quick mode - creates a single atomic plan without research or verification.

3. Execution

   Spawns gsd-executor with fresh 200K context to implement the plan.

4. Atomic commit

   Work is committed immediately with structured commit message.

5. State tracking

   Updates STATE.md “Quick Tasks Completed” table (NOT ROADMAP.md).

Usage

Basic quick mode

/gsd:quick

You’ll be prompted to describe what you want to do. The system skips research, plan-checking, and verification.

Quick mode with discussion

/gsd:quick --discuss

Adds a lightweight discussion phase before planning. Use when:

• The task has some ambiguity
• You want to surface assumptions upfront
• Gray areas are worth resolving before coding

The discussion creates a CONTEXT.md file that feeds into planning, ensuring Claude understands your preferences.

Full quick mode

/gsd:quick --full

Enables plan-checking (max 2 iterations) and post-execution verification. Use when:

• You want quality guarantees
• The task is important but doesn’t justify full milestone ceremony
• You’re working in an unfamiliar area

Combined flags

/gsd:quick --discuss --full

Gives you discussion + plan-checking + verification. This is close to a regular phase but tracked separately.

Comparison: Quick vs Full Workflow

Quick Mode

/gsd:quick
> "Add dark mode toggle to settings"

Flow:

1. Task description
2. Planning (no research)
3. Execution
4. Commit
5. State update

Time: 5-10 minutes

Agents spawned: 2 (planner, executor)

Output: .planning/quick/001-add-dark-mode-toggle/

Full Workflow

/gsd:discuss-phase 1
/gsd:plan-phase 1
/gsd:execute-phase 1
/gsd:verify-work 1

Flow:

1. Discussion with assumption surfacing
2. Domain research (4 parallel agents)
3. Planning with verification loop
4. Parallel execution in waves
5. Automated verification
6. Manual UAT

Time: 30-60 minutes

Agents spawned: 10+ (researchers, planner, checker, executors, verifier)

Output: .planning/phases/01-phase-name/

What Quick Mode Skips

Stage	Regular Phase	Quick Mode
Discussion	gsd-discusser	Skipped (unless --discuss)
Research	4 parallel researchers	Skipped
Plan checking	gsd-plan-checker loops	Skipped (unless --full)
Verification	gsd-verifier checks goals	Skipped (unless --full)
UAT	/gsd:verify-work	Skipped

What Quick Mode Keeps

Quick mode preserves all GSD guarantees that matter for correctness and traceability.

• Atomic commits - Each task gets its own commit immediately
• State tracking - STATE.md is updated with completion
• Fresh context - Executor gets clean 200K window
• Structured plans - Uses same XML plan format
• Same agents - Planner and executor are identical to full workflow

Directory Structure

Quick tasks live in .planning/quick/, separate from phases:

.planning/
  quick/
    001-add-dark-mode-toggle/
      PLAN.md
      SUMMARY.md
    002-fix-login-button/
      PLAN.md
      SUMMARY.md
  phases/
    01-user-authentication/
      01-01-PLAN.md
      01-01-SUMMARY.md

This separation keeps quick fixes from polluting your roadmap while still tracking them.

State Tracking

Quick tasks update a separate table in STATE.md:

## Quick Tasks Completed

| ID | Description | Date |
|----|-------------|------|
| 001 | Add dark mode toggle | 2024-03-15 |
| 002 | Fix login button mobile issue | 2024-03-15 |

This gives you history without cluttering ROADMAP.md.

Example Usage

Bug Fix

/gsd:quick
> "Fix the login button not responding on mobile Safari"

# Creates:
# .planning/quick/001-fix-login-button/PLAN.md
# .planning/quick/001-fix-login-button/SUMMARY.md
# Git commit: "fix(quick-001): login button mobile safari issue"

Deciding: Quick vs Full

Ask yourself:

Choose Quick Mode If...

• I know exactly what needs to be done
• It touches 1-3 files
• No research is needed
• It’s not tied to roadmap requirements
• I need it done in under 10 minutes
• It’s a fix, config, or small addition

Choose Full Workflow If...

• Requirements are unclear
• It needs domain research
• Multiple files and concerns
• Part of a larger milestone
• Quality matters more than speed
• Architectural decisions required

Best Practices

Do:

• Use quick mode for truly quick tasks
• Add --full flag when quality matters
• Use --discuss when there’s any ambiguity
• Keep quick task descriptions specific and actionable

Don’t:

• Use quick mode for milestone work (plan it properly)
• String multiple quick tasks together (consider a phase instead)
• Skip full workflow to save time on complex tasks (you’ll pay later)

Integration with Milestones

Quick tasks are independent of your roadmap:

# You're in the middle of Phase 5
/gsd:progress
> Current phase: 5/12
> Next: /gsd:execute-phase 5

# But something urgent comes up
/gsd:quick
> "Fix production error in user export"

# Done. Now back to roadmap.
/gsd:execute-phase 5

Quick mode doesn’t interrupt your milestone flow - it’s a side channel for urgent work.

When Quick Mode Goes Wrong

If you find yourself:

• Running 5+ quick tasks in a row
• Rewriting quick task output repeatedly
• Wishing you had research or verification

You probably need a proper phase:

# Instead of this:
/gsd:quick  # attempt 1
/gsd:quick  # attempt 2
/gsd:quick  # attempt 3

# Do this:
/gsd:add-phase "Fix user export issues"
/gsd:discuss-phase 13
/gsd:plan-phase 13
/gsd:execute-phase 13

Quick mode is powerful but not magic. Complex work deserves full workflow planning, research, and verification.