# Sequential Chaining Patterns

Chain agents when tasks have dependencies or require outputs from previous steps. Each agent completes fully before the next begins.

## Standard Pipelines

### Feature Implementation Pipeline

```
1. ck-research (parallel, multiple topics)
        ↓ reports saved to plans/reports/
2. ck-planning (reads research reports, creates plan.md)
        ↓ plan path passed explicitly
3. [/clear context]
        ↓
4. ck-cook path/to/plan.md --auto
        ↓ dispatches internally:
        ├── ck-scout
        ├── ck-frontend-design (if UI work)
        ├── ck-web-testing
        ├── ck-code-review
        └── ck-git (on approval)
```

### Debug + Fix Pipeline

```
1. ck-debug (investigate root cause)
        ↓ debug report with findings
2. ck-fix (implement fix based on findings)
        ↓ fix applied
3. ck-web-testing (verify fix, check regressions)
        ↓ test report
4. ck-code-review (review changes)
        ↓ review complete
5. ck-git (commit and push)
```

### Research + Design Pipeline

```
1. ck-research (technology evaluation)
        ↓ research report
2. ck-brainstorm (evaluate approaches, choose direction)
        ↓ brainstorm summary with agreed solution
3. ck-planning (detailed implementation plan)
        ↓ plan.md created
4. ck-cook (execute plan)
```

## Rules for Sequential Chains

1. **Pass explicit paths** — never assume an agent's output location; read it from the report or plan
2. **Read before proceeding** — always read the output of step N before dispatching step N+1
3. **Complete means complete** — an agent is done when its report is written, not when it stops responding
4. **Context clearing** — after `ck-planning`, clear context (`/clear`) before invoking `ck-cook` to prevent bloated context windows during implementation

## Context Passing Pattern

When dispatching each agent, include the output of all prior steps:

```
Dispatch ck-fix with:
- Debug report: plans/reports/debugger-{pattern}.md
- Plan context: plans/{plan-dir}/
- Work context: /path/to/project
- Reports: /path/to/project/plans/reports/
```

## Chaining Anti-Patterns

- **Skipping steps**: Never skip `ck-web-testing` before `ck-code-review` — tests must pass first
- **Parallel when dependent**: If step B needs step A's output, they cannot run in parallel
- **Assuming completion**: Never proceed to next step based on "seems done" — verify report file exists
- **Ignoring failures**: If any step reports failures, fix before continuing the chain