State Management

State lives in .spec2cloud/state.json. You read it at the start of every loop iteration and write it at the end.

Reading State

At the start of every loop iteration:

1. Read .spec2cloud/state.json
2. Parse currentPhase to determine where you are (setup, discovery, or increment-delivery)
3. If in increment-delivery, parse currentIncrement and its steps to determine what's been done and what's next
4. Parse humanGates to check which approvals have been granted

Writing State

At the end of every loop iteration:

1. Update the relevant section with the result of the task you just executed
2. Update lastUpdated to the current ISO timestamp
3. Write the updated state back to .spec2cloud/state.json

State File Schema

See references/schema.md for the full JSON schema example and field descriptions.

Increment Object Fields

Step Object Fields

Slice Dependencies (within implementation)

Contracts → api  (api slice reads contract types)
Contracts → web  (web slice reads contract types)
api + web → integration  (integration requires both slices done)
integration → verification  (verify requires all slices green)

Brownfield State Fields

When operating in brownfield mode, the state includes additional fields for testability tracking and per-feature track assignment.

Brownfield State Transitions

When track is "hybrid", each increment in Phase 2 inherits its track from featureTracks. Track A increments follow the full test → contract → implement → verify cycle. Track B increments follow a doc-only path (behavioral docs + manual checklists instead of automated green baselines).

On Resume

1. Read .spec2cloud/state.json
2. Determine current increment and current step within it
3. Re-validate by running the appropriate test suite:
   • Tests step: verify test files exist and compile
   • Implementation step: run tests for the current slice, compare to state
   • Verification step: check deployment status
4. If results match state → continue from where you left off
5. If results differ → update state to reflect reality, then continue

Mandatory Completion Checklist

The orchestrator MUST verify ALL of the following after every state write:

• .spec2cloud/state.json is valid JSON (parseable without errors)
• currentPhase reflects the actual phase the orchestrator is in
• currentIncrement and increment step match the work just completed
• lastUpdated timestamp is current
• No fields are null/undefined that downstream skills depend on (e.g., adrs.nextNumber, incrementPlan)
• State file is committed alongside the artifacts it describes (not orphaned)

BLOCKING: If state.json is invalid or inconsistent with actual artifacts, the resume skill will reconstruct the wrong position. Fix state before proceeding.