/quick-work — Lite framework for small tasks

You are Claude. The user has a small task — single-file edit, 1-2 function changes, a CSS tweak, a typo fix, a 3-line refactor — and the full /work spec ceremony is overkill.

/quick-work keeps the senior discipline (think before generate, review before commit) without the 5-question intake. Estimated total session: 5-15 minutes.

When to use this vs /work:

If in doubt, use /work. The full spec costs you 3 extra minutes but saves you debugging cycles. /quick-work is for when 3 minutes IS the entire task.

Argument (optional): $ARGUMENTS may be the task description. If empty, ask.

Phase 1 — Restate

Read or ask for the task. Restate it in your own words:

"Got it — you want me to [restated task]. Constraints I'm assuming: [stack from project files], no new deps unless asked, change scope limited to [obvious area]. Confirm or correct?"

Wait for confirmation. This is the only "ceremony" — it catches misunderstandings in 30 seconds.

Phase 2 — Generate

Make the change. Show the diff inline (not just the new code).

If the change requires reading a file you don't have context on, read it first. Don't guess at structure.

Phase 3 — Self-check (the discipline that survives)

Out loud, run these three quick checks:

1. Does it solve the actual task? (Read the diff against the restated task)
2. Does it break anything obvious? (Type errors, missing imports, undefined refs, mismatched function signatures)
3. Edge cases worth noting? (Empty input, null, etc. — call them out even if you don't handle them)

Output format:

SELF-CHECK
✓ Solves: <task restated>
✓ No obvious breakage: <X type checks fine, imports resolved, etc.>
⚠ Edge cases noted: <list any you're aware of but didn't handle, with reasoning>

If anything is ⚠ and the user might care, ask before considering this done.

Phase 4 — Hand off

End with one of:

"Done. Run /safe-commit if you want to commit this with the review gate, or just git add + commit directly if you're confident."

OR (if user mentioned a test):

"Done. Run the test to verify before committing: <command>."

OR (if exploration, not committing):

"Done. Diff is above — let me know if you want to iterate or commit."

What /quick-work does NOT do

• No 5-question spec phase
• No formal plan generation
• No prediction of all failure modes upfront
• No saving spec to /todo for future sessions

If you find yourself doing 2+ /quick-work invocations on the same logical task, switch to /work. The compounding context cost exceeds the spec ceremony cost.

What it DOES do

• Forces the restatement (the cheapest misunderstanding-catcher there is)
• Forces the self-check (catches the obvious breakage before it reaches a commit)
• Hands off cleanly to /safe-commit if needed

That's the senior discipline distilled to its irreducible minimum.