claude-engineering-plugin/plugins/compound-engineering/CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

All notable changes to the compound-engineering plugin will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Versioning.

[2.28.0] - 2026-01-21

Added

• /workflows:brainstorm command - Guided ideation flow to expand options quickly (#101)

Changed

• /workflows:plan command - Smarter research decision logic before deep dives (#100)
• Research checks - Mandatory API deprecation validation in research flows (#102)
• Docs - Call out experimental OpenCode/Codex providers and install defaults
• CLI defaults - install pulls from GitHub by default and writes OpenCode/Codex output to global locations

Merged PRs

• #102 feat(research): add mandatory API deprecation validation
• #101 feat: Add /workflows:brainstorm command and skill
• #100 feat(workflows:plan): Add smart research decision logic

Contributors

Huge thanks to the community contributors who made this release possible! 🙌

• @tmchow - Brainstorm workflow, research decision logic (2 PRs)
• @jaredmorgenstern - API deprecation validation

---

[2.27.0] - 2026-01-20

Added

• /workflows:plan command - Interactive Q&A refinement phase (#88)
  • After generating initial plan, now offers to refine with targeted questions
  • Asks up to 5 questions about ambiguous requirements, edge cases, or technical decisions
  • Incorporates answers to strengthen the plan before finalization

Changed

• /workflows:work command - Incremental commits and branch safety (#93)
  • Now commits after each completed task instead of batching at end
  • Added branch protection checks before starting work
  • Better progress tracking with per-task commits

Fixed

• dhh-rails-style skill - Fixed broken markdown table formatting (#96)
• Documentation - Updated hardcoded year references from 2025 to 2026 (#86, #91)

Contributors

Huge thanks to the community contributors who made this release possible! 🙌

• @tmchow - Interactive Q&A for plans, incremental commits, year updates (3 PRs!)
• @ashwin47 - Markdown table fix
• @rbouschery - Documentation year update

Summary

• 27 agents, 23 commands, 14 skills, 1 MCP server

---

[2.26.5] - 2026-01-18

Changed

• /workflows:work command - Now marks off checkboxes in plan document as tasks complete
  • Added step to update original plan file ([ ] → [x]) after each task
  • Ensures no checkboxes are left unchecked when work is done
  • Keeps plan as living document showing progress

---

[2.26.4] - 2026-01-15

Changed

• /workflows:work command - PRs now include Compound Engineered badge
  • Updated PR template to include badge at bottom linking to plugin repo
  • Added badge requirement to quality checklist
  • Badge provides attribution and link to the plugin that created the PR

---

[2.26.3] - 2026-01-14

Changed

• design-iterator agent - Now auto-loads design skills at start of iterations
  • Added "Step 0: Discover and Load Design Skills (MANDATORY)" section
  • Discovers skills from ~/.claude/skills/, .claude/skills/, and plugin cache
  • Maps user context to relevant skills (Swiss design → swiss-design skill, etc.)
  • Reads SKILL.md files to load principles into context before iterating
  • Extracts key principles: grid specs, typography rules, color philosophy, layout principles
  • Skills are applied throughout ALL iterations for consistent design language

---

[2.26.2] - 2026-01-14

Changed

• /test-browser command - Clarified to use agent-browser CLI exclusively
  • Added explicit "CRITICAL: Use agent-browser CLI Only" section
  • Added warning: "DO NOT use Chrome MCP tools (mcp__claude-in-chrome__*)"
  • Added Step 0: Verify agent-browser installation before testing
  • Added full CLI reference section at bottom
  • Added Next.js route mapping patterns

---

[2.26.1] - 2026-01-14

Changed

• best-practices-researcher agent - Now checks skills before going online
  • Phase 1: Discovers and reads relevant SKILL.md files from plugin, global, and project directories
  • Phase 2: Only goes online for additional best practices if skills don't provide enough coverage
  • Phase 3: Synthesizes all findings with clear source attribution (skill-based > official docs > community)
  • Skill mappings: Rails → dhh-rails-style, Frontend → frontend-design, AI → agent-native-architecture, etc.
  • Prioritizes curated skill knowledge over external sources for trivial/common patterns

---

[2.26.0] - 2026-01-14

Added

• /lfg command - Full autonomous engineering workflow
  • Orchestrates complete feature development from plan to PR
  • Runs: plan → deepen-plan → work → review → resolve todos → test-browser → feature-video
  • Uses ralph-loop for autonomous completion
  • Migrated from local command, updated to use /test-browser instead of /playwright-test

Summary

• 27 agents, 21 commands, 14 skills, 1 MCP server

---

[2.25.0] - 2026-01-14

Added

• agent-browser skill - Browser automation using Vercel's agent-browser CLI
  • Navigate, click, fill forms, take screenshots
  • Uses ref-based element selection (simpler than Playwright)
  • Works in headed or headless mode

Changed

• Replaced Playwright MCP with agent-browser - Simpler browser automation across all browser-related features:

  • /test-browser command - Now uses agent-browser CLI with headed/headless mode option
  • /feature-video command - Uses agent-browser for screenshots
  • design-iterator agent - Browser automation via agent-browser
  • design-implementation-reviewer agent - Screenshot comparison
  • figma-design-sync agent - Design verification
  • bug-reproduction-validator agent - Bug reproduction
  • /review workflow - Screenshot capabilities
  • /work workflow - Browser testing

• /test-browser command - Added "Step 0" to ask user if they want headed (visible) or headless browser mode

Removed

• Playwright MCP server - Replaced by agent-browser CLI (simpler, no MCP overhead)
• /playwright-test command - Renamed to /test-browser

Summary

• 27 agents, 20 commands, 14 skills, 1 MCP server

---

[2.23.2] - 2026-01-09

Changed

• /reproduce-bug command - Enhanced with Playwright visual reproduction:
  • Added Phase 2 for visual bug reproduction using browser automation
  • Step-by-step guide for navigating to affected areas
  • Screenshot capture at each reproduction step
  • Console error checking
  • User flow reproduction with clicks, typing, and snapshots
  • Better documentation structure with 4 clear phases

Summary

• 27 agents, 21 commands, 13 skills, 2 MCP servers

---

[2.23.1] - 2026-01-08

Changed

• Agent model inheritance - All 26 agents now use model: inherit so they match the user's configured model. Only lint keeps model: haiku for cost efficiency. (fixes #69)

Summary

• 27 agents, 21 commands, 13 skills, 2 MCP servers

---

[2.23.0] - 2026-01-08

Added

• /agent-native-audit command - Comprehensive agent-native architecture review
  • Launches 8 parallel sub-agents, one per core principle
  • Principles: Action Parity, Tools as Primitives, Context Injection, Shared Workspace, CRUD Completeness, UI Integration, Capability Discovery, Prompt-Native Features
  • Each agent produces specific score (X/Y format with percentage)
  • Generates summary report with overall score and top 10 recommendations
  • Supports single principle audit via argument

Summary

• 27 agents, 21 commands, 13 skills, 2 MCP servers

---

[2.22.0] - 2026-01-05

Added

• rclone skill - Upload files to S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, and other cloud storage providers

Changed

• /feature-video command - Enhanced with:
  • Better ffmpeg commands for video/GIF creation (proper scaling, framerate control)
  • rclone integration for cloud uploads
  • Screenshot copying to project folder
  • Improved upload options workflow

Summary

• 27 agents, 20 commands, 13 skills, 2 MCP servers

---

[2.21.0] - 2026-01-05

Fixed

• Version history cleanup after merge conflict resolution

Summary

This release consolidates all recent work:

• /feature-video command for recording PR demos
• /deepen-plan command for enhanced planning
• create-agent-skills skill rewrite (official spec compliance)
• agent-native-architecture skill major expansion
• dhh-rails-style skill consolidation (merged dhh-ruby-style)
• 27 agents, 20 commands, 12 skills, 2 MCP servers

---

[2.20.0] - 2026-01-05

Added

• /feature-video command - Record video walkthroughs of features using Playwright

Changed

• create-agent-skills skill - Complete rewrite to match Anthropic's official skill specification

Removed

• dhh-ruby-style skill - Merged into dhh-rails-style skill

---

[2.19.0] - 2025-12-31

Added

• /deepen-plan command - Power enhancement for plans. Takes an existing plan and runs parallel research sub-agents for each major section to add:

  • Best practices and industry patterns
  • Performance optimizations
  • UI/UX improvements (if applicable)
  • Quality enhancements and edge cases
  • Real-world implementation examples

  The result is a deeply grounded, production-ready plan with concrete implementation details.

Changed

• /workflows:plan command - Added /deepen-plan as option 2 in post-generation menu. Added note: if running with ultrathink enabled, automatically run deepen-plan for maximum depth.

[2.18.0] - 2025-12-25

Added

• agent-native-architecture skill - Added Dynamic Capability Discovery pattern and Architecture Review Checklist:

  New Patterns in mcp-tool-design.md:

  • Dynamic Capability Discovery - For external APIs (HealthKit, HomeKit, GraphQL), build a discovery tool (list_*) that returns available capabilities at runtime, plus a generic access tool that takes strings (not enums). The API validates, not your code. This means agents can use new API capabilities without code changes.
  • CRUD Completeness - Every entity the agent can create must also be readable, updatable, and deletable. Incomplete CRUD = broken action parity.

  New in SKILL.md:

  • Architecture Review Checklist - Pushes reviewer findings earlier into the design phase. Covers tool design (dynamic vs static, CRUD completeness), action parity (capability map, edit/delete), UI integration (agent → UI communication), and context injection.
  • Option 11: API Integration - New intake option for connecting to external APIs like HealthKit, HomeKit, GraphQL
  • New anti-patterns: Static Tool Mapping (building individual tools for each API endpoint), Incomplete CRUD (create-only tools)
  • Tool Design Criteria section added to success criteria checklist

  New in shared-workspace-architecture.md:

  • iCloud File Storage for Multi-Device Sync - Use iCloud Documents for your shared workspace to get free, automatic multi-device sync without building a sync layer. Includes implementation pattern, conflict handling, entitlements, and when NOT to use it.

Philosophy

This update codifies a key insight for agent-native apps: when integrating with external APIs where the agent should have the same access as the user, use Dynamic Capability Discovery instead of static tool mapping. Instead of building read_steps, read_heart_rate, read_sleep... build list_health_types + read_health_data(dataType: string). The agent discovers what's available, the API validates the type.

Note: This pattern is specifically for agent-native apps following the "whatever the user can do, the agent can do" philosophy. For constrained agents with intentionally limited capabilities, static tool mapping may be appropriate.

---

[2.17.0] - 2025-12-25

Enhanced

• agent-native-architecture skill - Major expansion based on real-world learnings from building the Every Reader iOS app. Added 5 new reference documents and expanded existing ones:

  New References:

  • dynamic-context-injection.md - How to inject runtime app state into agent system prompts. Covers context injection patterns, what context to inject (resources, activity, capabilities, vocabulary), implementation patterns for Swift/iOS and TypeScript, and context freshness.
  • action-parity-discipline.md - Workflow for ensuring agents can do everything users can do. Includes capability mapping templates, parity audit process, PR checklists, tool design for parity, and context parity guidelines.
  • shared-workspace-architecture.md - Patterns for agents and users working in the same data space. Covers directory structure, file tools, UI integration (file watching, shared stores), agent-user collaboration patterns, and security considerations.
  • agent-native-testing.md - Testing patterns for agent-native apps. Includes "Can Agent Do It?" tests, the Surprise Test, automated parity testing, integration testing, and CI/CD integration.
  • mobile-patterns.md - Mobile-specific patterns for iOS/Android. Covers background execution (checkpoint/resume), permission handling, cost-aware design (model tiers, token budgets, network awareness), offline handling, and battery awareness.

  Updated References:

  • architecture-patterns.md - Added 3 new patterns: Unified Agent Architecture (one orchestrator, many agent types), Agent-to-UI Communication (shared data store, file watching, event bus), and Model Tier Selection (fast/balanced/powerful).

  Updated Skill Root:

  • SKILL.md - Expanded intake menu (now 10 options including context injection, action parity, shared workspace, testing, mobile patterns). Added 5 new agent-native anti-patterns (Context Starvation, Orphan Features, Sandbox Isolation, Silent Actions, Capability Hiding). Expanded success criteria with agent-native and mobile-specific checklists.

• agent-native-reviewer agent - Significantly enhanced with comprehensive review process covering all new patterns. Now checks for action parity, context parity, shared workspace, tool design (primitives vs workflows), dynamic context injection, and mobile-specific concerns. Includes detailed anti-patterns, output format template, quick checks ("Write to Location" test, Surprise test), and mobile-specific verification.

Philosophy

These updates operationalize a key insight from building agent-native mobile apps: "The agent should be able to do anything the user can do, through tools that mirror UI capabilities, with full context about the app state." The failure case that prompted these changes: an agent asked "what reading feed?" when a user said "write something in my reading feed"—because it had no publish_to_feed tool and no context about what "feed" meant.

[2.16.0] - 2025-12-21

Enhanced

• dhh-rails-style skill - Massively expanded reference documentation incorporating patterns from Marc Köhlbrugge's Unofficial 37signals Coding Style Guide:
  • controllers.md - Added authorization patterns, rate limiting, Sec-Fetch-Site CSRF protection, request context concerns
  • models.md - Added validation philosophy, let it crash philosophy (bang methods), default values with lambdas, Rails 7.1+ patterns (normalizes, delegated types, store accessor), concern guidelines with touch chains
  • frontend.md - Added Turbo morphing best practices, Turbo frames patterns, 6 new Stimulus controllers (auto-submit, dialog, local-time, etc.), Stimulus best practices, view helpers, caching with personalization, broadcasting patterns
  • architecture.md - Added path-based multi-tenancy, database patterns (UUIDs, state as records, hard deletes, counter caches), background job patterns (transaction safety, error handling, batch processing), email patterns, security patterns (XSS, SSRF, CSP), Active Storage patterns
  • gems.md - Added expanded what-they-avoid section (service objects, form objects, decorators, CSS preprocessors, React/Vue), testing philosophy with Minitest/fixtures patterns

Credits

• Reference patterns derived from Marc Köhlbrugge's Unofficial 37signals Coding Style Guide

[2.15.2] - 2025-12-21

Fixed

• All skills - Fixed spec compliance issues across 12 skills:
  • Reference files now use proper markdown links ([file.md](./references/file.md)) instead of backtick text
  • Descriptions now use third person ("This skill should be used when...") per skill-creator spec
  • Affected skills: agent-native-architecture, andrew-kane-gem-writer, compound-docs, create-agent-skills, dhh-rails-style, dspy-ruby, every-style-editor, file-todos, frontend-design, gemini-imagegen

Added

• CLAUDE.md - Added Skill Compliance Checklist with validation commands for ensuring new skills meet spec requirements

[2.15.1] - 2025-12-18

Changed

• /workflows:review command - Section 7 now detects project type (Web, iOS, or Hybrid) and offers appropriate testing. Web projects get /playwright-test, iOS projects get /xcode-test, hybrid projects can run both.

[2.15.0] - 2025-12-18

Added

• /xcode-test command - Build and test iOS apps on simulator using XcodeBuildMCP. Automatically detects Xcode project, builds app, launches simulator, and runs test suite. Includes retries for flaky tests.

• /playwright-test command - Run Playwright browser tests on pages affected by current PR or branch. Detects changed files, maps to affected routes, generates/runs targeted tests, and reports results with screenshots.