The clarc Way

The clarc Way is clarc's opinionated development methodology — a structured process from raw idea to shipped code. Every phase has dedicated commands and agents.

The Pipeline

Phase 0: Discovery        /idea → /evaluate → /explore → /prd
Phase 1: Planning         /plan
Phase 2: Implementation   /tdd  (RED → GREEN → IMPROVE)
Phase 3: Quality          /code-review  +  /security
Phase 4: Ship             /commit-push-pr

Skip Matrix

Task	Phase 0	Phase 1	Phase 2	Phase 3	Phase 4
New feature (unknown value)	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
New feature (clear spec)	⏭	✅	✅	✅	✅
Bug fix	⏭	⏭	✅	✅	✅
Refactor	⏭	✅	✅	✅	✅
Chore / docs	⏭	⏭	⏭	⏭	✅

Phase 0: Discovery

Use this phase only when you're unsure whether an idea is worth building.

Command	What it does
`/idea`	Captures and structures the raw idea
`/evaluate`	Go / No-Go / Modify recommendation
`/explore`	2–4 solution options with trade-off analysis + ADR
`/prd`	Full Product Requirements Document

Stop if /evaluate returns No-Go. Do not build things that fail the evaluation.

Phase 1: Planning

/plan <what to build>

The planner agent:

Restates requirements precisely
Breaks work into phases with actionable steps
Identifies risks and dependencies
Waits for your explicit approval before any code is written

Phase 2: Implementation (TDD)

/tdd

Enforced sequence via tdd-guide agent:

Write a failing test (RED)
Run it — confirm it fails for the right reason
Write minimal code to pass (GREEN)
Run it — confirm it passes
Refactor while keeping tests green (IMPROVE)
Verify 80%+ coverage

Never write implementation before a failing test. A test that never failed proves nothing.

Phase 3: Quality Gates

Both gates run after implementation, before commit.

/code-review     → language-specific review (TypeScript, Go, Python, etc.)
/security        → OWASP Top 10, secrets, injection, SSRF (when auth/APIs involved)

Fix all CRITICAL and HIGH findings before committing.

Phase 4: Ship

/commit           → conventional commit message from staged changes
/commit-push-pr   → commit + push + open PR with test plan in one step

Principles

Convention over Configuration — clarc chooses the tools, you focus on the problem
Quality Gates are Mandatory — TDD + Code Review + Security are the output, not checkboxes
Continuous Improvement — session learnings become instincts (/learn-eval), then skills (/evolve)
Opinionated, not Dogmatic — skip phases when genuinely not needed

Interactive Guide

Run /clarc-way in Claude Code for an interactive walkthrough that recommends the right phase for your current task.