Run Kick-off

This guide walks through every way to use /lineup:kick-off and what to expect at each stage of the pipeline.

Basic usage

The most common pattern: type the command followed by a description of what you want done.

/lineup:kick-off Refactor the authentication module to use JWT tokens

The orchestrator reads your description, decides which pipeline tier to use, and starts the appropriate stages.

With a tactic name

If your project has tactics defined, you can run a specific one by name:

/lineup:kick-off brownfield-docs

The orchestrator looks for brownfield-docs.yaml in your project's .lineup/tactics/ directory and the plugin's built-in tactics/ directory. If found, it runs the tactic's stage sequence instead of the default pipeline.

Menu mode (no arguments)

Run the command with no arguments to see what's available:

/lineup:kick-off

If your project has tactics defined, the orchestrator presents a selection menu:

This project has tactics defined. Which workflow would you like to run?

  1. brownfield-docs -- Generate missing documentation for an existing codebase
  2. api-feature -- Full pipeline with API-focused research and testing
  3. Run the default pipeline (Clarify -> Research -> ... -> Document?)
  4. Other (please specify)

Pick a number or type a custom response. Options 3 and 4 are always present at the bottom.

If no tactics exist, the orchestrator prompts you to describe your task directly.

What to expect at each stage

Stage 1: Clarify

The orchestrator analyzes your request and asks structured questions to fill in gaps. You'll see multiple-choice questions with 3-5 options each, plus a free-text option.

Stage 1/7: Clarify

1. What validation rules do you need?
   a) Email format + password length (minimum 8 chars)
   b) Email format + strong password
   c) Custom rules (please specify)

What you do: Pick the options that match your needs, or type a custom answer. Related questions are batched together so you answer them all at once.

When it's skipped: If your request is already specific and unambiguous, the orchestrator moves on without questions.

Stage 2: Research

One or more researcher agents explore your codebase. They're read-only, so nothing gets modified. You'll see them spawned and working through relevant files.

What you do: Nothing. Wait for the findings.

Stage 3: Clarification Gate

The orchestrator reviews research findings and checks for remaining ambiguities. If the research uncovered something unexpected, you'll get follow-up questions.

Stage 3/7: Clarification Gate

The research found that your project uses both Zod and Yup.
Which validation library should the new code use?

   a) Zod (consistent with the API layer)
   b) Yup (consistent with other web forms)
   c) Other (please specify)

What you do: Answer any questions that come up.

When it's skipped: If the research was clean with no open questions, you won't see this stage at all.

Stage 4: Plan

An architect agent creates an implementation plan. The orchestrator presents it and waits for your approval.

What you do: Read the plan carefully. Then:

• Approve -- type "yes" or "approve" to move forward
• Reject -- type "no" to send the architect back for revision
• Suggest changes -- describe what you want adjusted

This is the key checkpoint. Nothing gets implemented until you say yes.

Stage 5: Implement

Developer agents write code following the approved plan. You'll see changes appearing in your project files.

What you do: Wait. For larger plans, multiple developers may run in parallel on independent parts.

Stage 6: Verify

A reviewer agent runs tests, reviews the diff against the plan, and checks for regressions. You'll see a verification report with pass/fail status.

What you do: Review the results. If something fails, the orchestrator can loop back to fix issues.

Stage 7: Document (Optional)

The orchestrator asks if you want documentation generated:

Would you like to generate documentation for these changes?
   a) Yes, generate documentation
   b) No, skip documentation

What you do: Choose yes or no. If yes, a documenter agent writes or updates docs in your project. If no, the pipeline is done.

How to respond to prompts

Throughout the pipeline, the orchestrator uses structured prompts called AskUserQuestion. These always follow the same pattern:

• A question with context
• Numbered options (usually 3-5)
• A free-text option at the end

You can respond by:

• Typing a number or letter (1, a)
• Typing the option text (Zod)
• Typing a free-text answer if none of the options fit

How to skip optional stages

When a tactic defines a stage as optional: true, the orchestrator asks before running it:

Would you like to run the Research stage? (yes/no)

Type "no" or "skip" to skip the stage. Execution continues with the next stage in the sequence.

The default pipeline also has built-in skipping logic:

• Clarify is skipped when the request is already specific
• Clarification Gate is skipped when research yields no open questions
• Document is always opt-in at the end

How to approve or reject plans

After the Plan stage (and after any stage with gate: approval), the orchestrator pauses and waits for explicit approval. You can:

• Approve: "yes", "approve", "looks good", "go ahead"
• Reject: "no", "reject" -- the stage re-runs for revision
• Modify: Describe specific changes -- "Change step 2 to use PostgreSQL instead of MySQL"

The orchestrator won't proceed until you explicitly approve.

Choosing what to type

What you want to do	What to type
Run the full pipeline on a task	/lineup:kick-off <task description>
Run a specific tactic	/lineup:kick-off <tactic-name>
See available tactics and choose	/lineup:kick-off
Force the full pipeline on a specific task	/lineup:kick-off <task> then say "let's do the full pipeline"
Force a lighter pipeline	/lineup:kick-off <task> then say "skip research, I know this codebase"