Local Developer Workflow

From ticket to merged PR -- the interactive development workflow using /dx-* skills in your IDE. Works with ADO and Jira.

How It Works

Instead of writing complex prompts, you run skills — short commands like /dx-req or /dx-plan. Each skill already knows what context to gather (tickets, codebase, config, prior specs — not just source code), which subagents to spawn for parallel work, and what output format to produce.

Once a skill finishes, all context stays in the session. You can refine results with simple follow-up prompts (“make step 3 more granular”, “skip the SCSS changes”) — no need to re-explain the project, the ticket, or your conventions.

This is the key advantage: precision without repetition. Each step saves its output to local files, so even if a session ends, the next skill picks up where you left off.

First Time?

Before running skills, make sure your project is set up with /dx-init. This generates .ai/config.yaml with your build commands, branch names, ADO/Jira settings, and coding conventions — so every skill uses the right context from the start. See the Setup Guide for full instructions.

Start Here

Choose Your Entry Point

Don't memorize 75+ skills. Pick the one that matches where you are right now.

Starting a story?
/dx-req <id>

Fetches ticket, validates, researches codebase

Ready to plan?
/dx-plan

Reads existing specs, generates impl plan

Ready to code?
/dx-step-all

Executes plan steps with auto-fix

Code done?
/dx-pr

Commits, pushes, creates PR

Want everything?
/dx-agent-all <id>

Full pipeline: req through PR

Coded manually?
/dx-step-verify

then /dx-pr — verify and submit

Bug report?
/dx-bug-all <id>

Triage, fix, verify, PR

Full Pipeline

The Full Pipeline

One command runs the entire sprint lifecycle. Or use individual skills for just the phase you need.

Full Pipeline Overview /dx-agent-all <ID or JIRA-KEY>

One command runs the entire sprint lifecycle. Or use individual skills for just the phase you need.

Phase 1 Requirements
/dx-req-*
Phase 1.5 Enrichment
/dx-ticket-analyze
Phase 2 Figma
/dx-figma-*
Phase 2b Planning
/dx-plan
Phase 3 Execution
/dx-step-*
Phase 4 Build + Review
/dx-step-verify
Phase 5 Commit & Push
/dx-pr-commit
Phase 6 Pull Request
/dx-pr
Phase 6.5 Editorial Guide
/aem-editorial-guide
Phase 7 Feature Documentation
/dx-doc-gen
Phase 7.5 QA Handoff
/aem-qa-handoff
Phase 1

Requirements

Pull the work item (ADO or Jira), validate readiness, distill requirements, research codebase, and share with the team.

One Command /dx-req <ID or JIRA-KEY>
Requirements Full pipeline (fetch, DoR, explain, research, share)
/dx-req

/dx-req

Full requirements pipeline in one skill: fetches the work item (ADO or Jira), validates DoR, distills developer requirements, researches the codebase, and generates a team summary. Produces raw-story.md, dor-report.md, explain.md, research.md, and share-plan.md.

All spec files

/dx-req

Coordinator that invokes /dx-req. Use this for the full orchestrated pipeline with run logging and metrics.

Coordinator

Output

5 documents in .ai/specs/<id>-<slug>/. Each skill is idempotent — it checks if its output already exists before regenerating, so you can re-run safely.

Phase 2

Planning

A structured, validated implementation plan with dependency tracking and risk resolution.

No orchestrator — run individually
Plan Generate impl plan
/dx-plan
Validate Check against reqs
/dx-plan-validate
Resolve Fix flagged risks
/dx-plan-resolve

/dx-plan

Uses the Opus model with extended thinking for deep reasoning. Produces a step-by-step implementation plan where each step has: description, files to modify, dependencies, verification criteria, and status.

implement.md

/dx-plan-validate

Cross-checks the plan against requirements. Every requirement covered? No extras? Dependencies correct? Flags risks and gaps for resolution.

/dx-plan-resolve

Fixes flagged risks by researching the codebase. Resolves ambiguities, fills gaps, and updates the plan. Loops with validate until the plan passes.

Plan Structure

Each step in implement.md includes: description, files to modify, dependencies on other steps, verification criteria to confirm success, and a status field (pending to done).

Phase 3

Execution

Execute plan steps with a test, review, commit loop. Self-healing on failure.

Run All Steps /dx-step-all
Execute Run plan step
/dx-step <n>
Fix Targeted correction + escalation
/dx-step-fix

/dx-step-fix

Single targeted fix. When a test or review fails, this skill applies a focused correction to the specific problem. If the same fix fails twice, it escalates to heal.

/dx-step-fix (escalation)

Root cause analysis. When targeted fixes fail repeatedly, dx-step-fix escalates to root cause analysis, potentially restructuring the approach and creating new corrective steps in the plan.

Fix Memory

Every fix is logged to fixes.jsonl. When a fix pattern succeeds 3+ times, it is promoted to a permanent rule — the system learns from its own mistakes.

Phase 4

Build & Verify

Compile, deploy, and run a 6-phase verification gate before proceeding to PR.

No orchestrator — run individually
Build Compile & deploy
/dx-step-build
Verify 6-phase gate
/dx-step-verify

/dx-step-build

Compile and deploy the project. Automatically detects build failures and applies up to 6 auto-fix attempts before stopping.

/dx-step-verify

Runs 6 verification phases in sequence. Each phase can auto-fix and retry. The code review phase uses Opus for high-confidence analysis.

PhaseWhatFail Action
Compileconfig.build.commandAuto-fix, retry
Lintconfig.lint.commandAuto-fix, retry
Testconfig.test.commandAuto-fix, retry
Secret ScanPattern match (keys, tokens, passwords)Immediate fix
ArchitectureConvention check (naming, structure, patterns)Log warning
Code Reviewdx-code-reviewer (Opus model)Fix, rebuild, re-review

Review-Fix Loop

The code review phase runs up to 3 cycles of review, fix, rebuild, re-review. If issues persist after 3 cycles, it escalates to /dx-step-fix for root cause analysis. If that also fails, the pipeline stops and asks for human input.

Phase 4b

Accessibility & Quality Gates

WCAG compliance testing, Definition of Done validation, and estimation -- standalone skills that complement the build pipeline.

/dx-axe

Runs axe accessibility analysis on a URL via the axe MCP server (Docker). Detects WCAG violations, generates remediation suggestions, and can auto-fix common issues like missing alt text and ARIA attributes.

WCAG axe MCP

Definition of Done

/dx-req-dod validates your work against the story’s acceptance criteria, posts a checklist to ADO, and auto-fixes failing items where possible.

/dx-req-dod

/dx-estimate

Analyzes a story and produces structured estimation: hours per task, story points, affected AEM pages, and complexity breakdown. Useful for sprint planning.

Estimation
Phases 5-7

PR, AEM Verification, Docs & QA Handoff

Commit, verify on AEM, create the PR, capture demo, generate documentation, and post testing steps for QA.

No orchestrator — run individually
Commit Stage & push
/dx-pr-commit
Pull Request Create PR
/dx-pr
Editorial Guide Dialog screenshots
/aem-editorial-guide
Feature Docs Wiki + authoring guide
/dx-doc-gen
QA Handoff Testing steps → ADO
/aem-qa-handoff

Pull Request

Creates a PR from share-plan.md with auto-generated description, linked work item (ADO or Jira), and branch management.

/dx-pr

AEM Verification

Takes a before/after snapshot of AEM pages, verifies component rendering, and captures a demo with browser automation.

/aem-snapshot /aem-verify /aem-editorial-guide

Documentation

/dx-doc-gen generates wiki pages from spec files. /dx-doc-retro generates docs retroactively from a work item + linked PRs — no spec files needed. Posts to ADO Wiki or Confluence.

/dx-doc-gen /dx-doc-retro

QA Handoff

Generates structured testing steps and posts them as an ADO comment for the QA team. Reuses /aem-doc-gen output (lightweight) or creates its own test page (full mode). Run after /aem-doc-gen for best results.

/aem-qa-handoff
Modular

Pick What You Need

You don't have to run the full pipeline. Use individual skills for just the phase you need.

CommandPhaseWhat It Does
/dx-req <id>RequirementsFull requirements pipeline (fetch, DoR, explain, research, share)
/dx-req-importRequirementsValidate external requirements (non-ADO/Jira), generate explain.md
/dx-req-tasksRequirementsCreate child Task work items under a story with hour estimates
/dx-req-dodQualityValidate work against acceptance criteria, post checklist to ADO/Jira
/dx-estimatePlanningStructured estimation: hours, story points, complexity
/dx-ticket-analyze <id>EnrichmentWork item (ADO/Jira) to components, files, pages
/dx-planPlanningGenerate implementation plan
/dx-plan-validatePlanningValidate plan against requirements
/dx-step-allExecutionExecute all pending plan steps
/dx-step <n>ExecutionExecute a single plan step
/dx-step-buildBuildCompile and deploy with auto-fix
/dx-step-verifyBuild6-phase verification gate
/dx-prPRCreate pull request
/dx-pr-commitPRStage, commit, and push changes
/dx-pr-review-allPRBatch review multiple PRs
/dx-pr-review-reportPRGenerate categorized report from review, post to wiki
/dx-axeAccessibilityWCAG compliance check + auto-remediation via axe MCP
/dx-doc-genDocsGenerate wiki + authoring guide
/dx-doc-retroDocsRetroactive docs from ADO story + linked PRs (no spec files)
/aem-qa-handoffQA HandoffGenerate testing steps, post to ADO for QA team (uses /aem-doc-gen output)
Convention

Spec Directory

Every ticket gets a dedicated directory with all generated artifacts.

Directory structure
.ai/specs/<id>-<slug>/
└── raw-story.md/dx-req
└── dor-report.md/dx-req
└── explain.md/dx-req
└── research.md/dx-req
└── share-plan.md/dx-req
└── implement.md/dx-plan
└── prototype//dx-figma-prototype
└── index.html
└── styles.css
└── dod.md/dx-req-dod
└── aem-before.md/aem-snapshot
└── aem-after.md/aem-verify
└── qa-handoff.md/aem-qa-handoff
└── demo//aem-editorial-guide
└── docs/
└── wiki-page.md/dx-doc-gen
PR Lifecycle

PR Workflow

Three independent lifecycles that cover every aspect of pull request management.

Creating PRs

Generate the PR from your spec files with a structured description, linked work item, and proper branch setup.

/dx-pr /dx-pr-commit

Reviewing Others' PRs

Structured AI code review on a teammate’s PR — architecture, correctness, accessibility, performance. Posts structured comments with inline code patches that can be applied directly.

/dx-pr-review

Handling Feedback

When reviewers leave comments on your PR, AI reads them, applies fixes, and posts replies — resolving feedback in minutes instead of days.

/dx-pr-answer

Applying Patches

Review comments include ready-to-apply code patches. Run /dx-pr-apply to apply all suggested patches from a PR review, build, verify, and commit in one step.

/dx-pr-apply

Batch Review & Reports

/dx-pr-review-all reviews multiple PRs in batch. /dx-pr-review-report generates a categorized report from reviews and posts it to ADO Wiki or Confluence. Ideal for tech leads and sprint reviews.

/dx-pr-review-all /dx-pr-review-report
KAI by Dragan Filipovic