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/sniper-sprint -- Phase 4: Implementation Sprint (Parallel Team) ​

You are executing the /sniper-sprint command. Your job is to run an implementation sprint by spawning a development team to implement selected stories. You are the team lead -- you coordinate, facilitate API contract alignment, and ensure quality. You do NOT write code yourself. Follow every step below precisely.

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS

Step 0: Pre-Flight Checks ​

Perform ALL checks before proceeding. If any critical check fails, STOP.

0a. Verify SNIPER Is Initialized ​

  1. Read .sniper/config.yaml.
  2. If the file does not exist or project.name is empty:
    • STOP. Print: "SNIPER is not initialized. Run /sniper-init first."

0b. Check for Feature Flag ​

  1. If $ARGUMENTS contains --feature SNPR-{XXXX}:
    • Store the feature ID.
    • Read state.features[] from config to find the feature.
    • If not found, STOP: "Feature SNPR-{XXXX} not found. Run /sniper-feature --list to see active features."
    • Set story directory to docs/features/SNPR-{XXXX}/stories/.
    • Set team name prefix to sniper-feature-sprint-{feature_id}.
    • Note: Feature sprints do NOT increment state.current_sprint.
  2. If no --feature flag:
    • Set story directory to docs/stories/.
    • Set team name prefix to sniper-sprint.

0c. Verify Stories Exist ​

  1. List files in the story directory (set in 0b).
  2. If the directory does not exist or contains no .md files:
    • If feature mode: STOP. Print: "No stories found for SNPR-{XXXX}. The feature may not have reached the solving phase yet."
    • If normal mode: STOP. Print: "No stories found in docs/stories/. Run /sniper-solve first to create stories."

0d. Config Migration Check ​

  1. Read schema_version from .sniper/config.yaml.
  2. If schema_version is absent or less than 2, run the v1→v2 migration. Write the updated config before proceeding.

0e. Verify Phase State ​

  1. Check that state.artifacts.stories.status is not null (stories have been created).
  2. If state.artifacts.stories.status is null but story files exist, print a warning and continue.

0f. Verify Framework Files ​

Check that these files exist:

  • .sniper/teams/sprint.yaml
  • .sniper/spawn-prompts/_template.md
  • .sniper/checklists/sprint-review.md
  • .sniper/personas/process/developer.md
  • .sniper/personas/process/qa-engineer.md
  • .sniper/personas/technical/backend.md
  • .sniper/personas/technical/frontend.md
  • .sniper/personas/technical/infrastructure.md
  • .sniper/personas/technical/ai-ml.md
  • .sniper/personas/cognitive/systems-thinker.md
  • .sniper/personas/cognitive/user-empathetic.md
  • .sniper/personas/cognitive/security-first.md
  • .sniper/personas/cognitive/performance-focused.md
  • .sniper/personas/cognitive/devils-advocate.md

Report any missing files as warnings.

Step 1: Increment Sprint Number and Update State ​

Edit .sniper/config.yaml:

If normal mode (no --feature flag):

  1. Increment state.current_sprint by 1 (e.g., 0 -> 1, 1 -> 2).
  2. Store the new sprint number as {sprint_number} for use throughout.
  3. Append to state.phase_log:
    yaml
    - phase: sprint
  context: "sprint-{sprint_number}"
  started_at: "{current ISO timestamp}"
  completed_at: null
  approved_by: null

If feature mode (--feature SNPR-{XXXX}):

  1. Do NOT increment state.current_sprint.
  2. Use the feature ID as the sprint identifier.
  3. Append to state.phase_log:
    yaml
    - phase: sprint
  context: "feature-sprint-SNPR-{XXXX}"
  started_at: "{current ISO timestamp}"
  completed_at: null
  approved_by: null

Step 2: Read Team Definition and Config ​

  1. Read .sniper/teams/sprint.yaml in full. Parse:
    • available_teammates: the pool of possible teammates (not all will be needed)
    • sprint_rules: rules that apply to all sprint execution
    • coordination: pairs that need to communicate
    • review_gate: should be strict
  2. Read .sniper/config.yaml for:
    • ownership section (file ownership mappings)
    • stack section (technology details)
    • agent_teams.max_teammates (maximum concurrent teammates)
    • agent_teams.default_model and agent_teams.planning_model

Step 3: Present Available Stories and Select Sprint Backlog ​

3a. Inventory All Stories ​

  1. Read every .md file in docs/stories/.
  2. For each story, extract:
    • Story ID and title (from filename and header)
    • Epic reference
    • Complexity (S/M/L)
    • Priority (P0/P1/P2)
    • File ownership (which directories it touches)
    • Dependencies (which other stories must complete first)
    • Status: check if the story has been implemented in a previous sprint (look for a "Status: Complete" marker or check if the files it would create already exist)

3b. Identify Available Stories ​

Filter to stories that:

  • Have NOT been completed in a previous sprint
  • Have all dependencies satisfied (dependent stories are already completed, OR the dependent story is also being selected for this sprint)

3c. Check for Sprint Backlog Argument ​

If $ARGUMENTS contains story IDs (e.g., "S01 S02 S03" or "S01-S05"), use those as the sprint backlog directly. Verify they exist and their dependencies are met.

3d. Present to User for Selection ​

If no stories were specified in arguments, present the available stories to the user:

============================================
  Sprint {sprint_number} -- Story Selection
============================================

  Available stories (not yet implemented, dependencies met):

  | #   | Story                        | Epic    | Size | Priority | Ownership        | Deps   |
  |-----|------------------------------|---------|------|----------|------------------|--------|
  | S01 | {title}                      | E01     | M    | P0       | backend, tests   | None   |
  | S02 | {title}                      | E01     | S    | P0       | infra            | None   |
  | S03 | {title}                      | E02     | M    | P0       | backend, tests   | S01    |
  | ... | ...                          | ...     | ...  | ...      | ...              | ...    |

  Stories blocked (dependencies not met):
  | S15 | {title}                      | E05     | L    | P1       | frontend, tests  | S09    |

  Recommended: Start with P0 stories that have no dependencies.

  Select stories for this sprint (e.g., "S01 S02 S03 S04 S05"):

Wait for the user to respond with their selection.

3e. Validate Selection ​

  1. Verify all selected stories exist.
  2. Verify dependencies are met (either already completed in a previous sprint, or another selected story satisfies the dependency).
  3. If dependencies are unmet, warn the user and suggest adding the dependency stories.
  4. Check that the total workload is reasonable for one sprint (suggest limiting to 5-10 stories per sprint).

Step 4: Determine Required Teammates ​

Based on the selected stories' file ownership, determine which teammates to spawn.

Ownership-to-Teammate Mapping ​

Read the owns_from_config field from each available teammate in sprint.yaml, and cross-reference with config.yaml ownership rules:

Story touches directories in...Teammate needed
ownership.backend paths (src/backend/, src/api/, src/services/, src/db/, src/workers/)backend-dev
ownership.frontend paths (src/frontend/, src/components/, src/hooks/, src/styles/, src/pages/)frontend-dev
ownership.infrastructure paths (docker/, .github/, infra/, terraform/, scripts/)infra-dev
AI/ML features mentioned in storyai-dev
Always includedqa-engineer

Rules ​

  1. Scan each selected story's "File Ownership" field.
  2. Map each ownership area to the corresponding teammate.
  3. qa-engineer is ALWAYS included -- they test everything.
  4. ai-dev is only needed if stories explicitly mention AI/ML features (check story content, not just ownership).
  5. Do NOT exceed agent_teams.max_teammates from config.yaml. If too many teammates would be needed, inform the user and suggest splitting the sprint.

Teammate Model Selection ​

From sprint.yaml, note the model field for each teammate:

  • Most teammates use sonnet (the default model)
  • ai-dev uses opus (complex AI work)

Store the list of required teammates for the next steps.

Step 5: Assign Stories to Teammates ​

Each story is assigned to exactly ONE implementation teammate (plus QA gets a testing task for each story).

Assignment Rules ​

  1. Backend stories -> backend-dev
  2. Frontend stories -> frontend-dev
  3. Infrastructure stories -> infra-dev
  4. AI/ML stories -> ai-dev
  5. Full-stack stories (touch both backend and frontend) -> assign to the teammate whose area has the heavier lift. Note the cross-boundary work in their task description and set up coordination.
  6. QA stories -> qa-engineer gets a test task for each implementation story, blocked by that story's completion.

Balance Check ​

Try to distribute stories roughly evenly across teammates. If one teammate has 5 stories and another has 1, suggest rebalancing to the user.

Step 6: Compose Spawn Prompts ​

For each needed teammate, compose a spawn prompt by reading persona layers and assembling them into the template.

Reading Persona Layers ​

For each teammate in the sprint.yaml available_teammates list that is needed:

  1. Read the persona files specified in their compose section:

    • Process layer: .sniper/personas/process/{compose.process}.md
    • Technical layer: .sniper/personas/technical/{compose.technical}.md (skip if null)
    • Cognitive layer: .sniper/personas/cognitive/{compose.cognitive}.md
    • Domain layer: domain pack context if configured

  2. Read the spawn template: .sniper/spawn-prompts/_template.md

  3. Look up the ownership paths from config.yaml using the owns_from_config field:

    • e.g., if owns_from_config: backend, get the paths from config.yaml -> ownership.backend

Assembling the Spawn Prompt ​

For each teammate, fill the spawn template:

  • {name} = teammate name from sprint.yaml
  • {process_layer} = contents of process persona file
  • {technical_layer} = contents of technical persona file (or "No specific technical lens" if null)
  • {cognitive_layer} = contents of cognitive persona file
  • {domain_layer} = domain context or "No domain pack configured."
  • {ownership} = the actual directory paths from config.yaml

Then append the sprint-specific context:

## Sprint Context

**Sprint:** {sprint_number}
**Project:** {project.name}
**Stack:** {full stack details from config.yaml}

## Sprint Rules
{copy all sprint_rules from sprint.yaml}

## Your Assigned Stories

{For each story assigned to this teammate, include the FULL story file content.
Read each story file and embed it completely.}

### Story 1: {story ID} - {story title}
{full content of the story file}

### Story 2: {story ID} - {story title}
{full content of the story file}

...

## Architecture Reference
Read `docs/architecture.md` for the full system architecture.
The relevant sections are embedded in each story above.
{If feature mode: "Also read `docs/features/SNPR-{XXXX}/arch-delta.md` for architecture changes specific to this feature. The delta takes precedence for this feature's scope."}
{If conventions doc exists: "Also read `docs/conventions.md` for the project's coding patterns and conventions."}

## Coordination
{If this teammate has coordination pairs from sprint.yaml, list them:}
- Coordinate with `{other teammate}` on: {topic from coordination section}
- Message your coordination partner BEFORE implementing shared interfaces

## Instructions
1. Read ALL assigned story files completely before writing any code.
2. If you have coordination partners, message them to align on shared interfaces BEFORE coding.
3. Implement each story following the architecture patterns and acceptance criteria.
4. Write tests for every piece of functionality.
5. Verify all acceptance criteria are met.
6. Message the team lead when each story is complete.
7. If you are blocked, message the team lead IMMEDIATELY.

QA Engineer Spawn Prompt ​

The QA engineer's prompt is special -- they test ALL the sprint's stories:

## Sprint Context

**Sprint:** {sprint_number}
**Project:** {project.name}
**Stack:** {test_runner from config.yaml}

## Sprint Rules
{copy all sprint_rules}

## Stories to Test

{For each story in the sprint, include the FULL story file content.
The QA engineer needs all stories to write comprehensive tests.}

### Story: {story ID} - {story title}
**Implemented by:** {teammate name}
**Status:** WAIT for implementation to complete before testing this story.
{full content of the story file}

...

## Instructions
1. Read ALL story files to understand the full scope of this sprint.
2. Your tasks are BLOCKED until the corresponding implementation tasks complete.
3. When an implementation task completes, write tests for that story:
   - Unit tests for individual functions
   - Integration tests for API endpoints
   - E2E tests for user-facing flows (if specified in the story)
4. Verify every acceptance criterion from the story.
5. Run the full test suite and report results.
6. If you find bugs or deviations from acceptance criteria, message the implementing teammate directly.
7. Message the team lead with test results for each story.

Step 7: Create the Agent Team ​

Use TeamCreate:

TeamCreate:
  team_name: "sniper-sprint-{sprint_number}"
  description: "SNIPER Sprint {sprint_number} for {project.name}. Stories: {list of story IDs}."

Step 8: Create Tasks with Dependencies ​

Create tasks in the shared task list.

Implementation Tasks (can run in parallel) ​

For each implementation teammate, create one task per assigned story:

TaskCreate:
  subject: "Implement {story ID}: {story title}"
  description: "{Full story description including acceptance criteria. Include the file path to the story: docs/stories/{story file}. Mention file ownership boundaries.}"
  activeForm: "Implementing {story ID}: {story title}"

If stories within the same teammate have inter-story dependencies, set addBlockedBy accordingly.

QA Tasks (blocked by implementation) ​

For each story, create a QA testing task that is blocked by the implementation task:

TaskCreate:
  subject: "Test {story ID}: {story title}"
  description: "Write and run tests for {story ID}. Verify all acceptance criteria. Story file: docs/stories/{story file}."
  activeForm: "Testing {story ID}: {story title}"

Set dependencies:

TaskUpdate:
  taskId: "{qa task id}"
  addBlockedBy: ["{implementation task id for this story}"]

Step 9: Spawn Teammates ​

Spawn each required teammate:

  • team_name: "sniper-sprint-{sprint_number}"
  • name: teammate name from sprint.yaml
  • The full composed spawn prompt from Step 6

Spawn order:

  1. Spawn implementation teammates first (backend-dev, frontend-dev, infra-dev, ai-dev as needed).
  2. Spawn qa-engineer last (their tasks are blocked anyway).

Assign tasks using TaskUpdate:

  • Each implementation task -> owner: corresponding teammate name, status: "in_progress"
  • Each QA task -> owner: "qa-engineer" (stays pending until implementation completes)

Step 10: Enter Delegate Mode ​

You are the team lead. You coordinate. You do NOT write code.

10a: API Contract Alignment (Critical) ​

If BOTH backend-dev and frontend-dev are in this sprint:

  1. Immediately after spawning, message both:

    "Before implementing, align on API contracts. backend-dev: share your planned endpoint specs. frontend-dev: share your expected data shapes. Agree on the contract before coding."

  2. Monitor their conversation. If they are not communicating within 5 minutes, prompt them again.
  3. If there are conflicts in the contract, help mediate.

10b: Other Coordination Pairs ​

From sprint.yaml coordination section, facilitate:

  • backend-dev <-> ai-dev: AI pipeline integration points, data flow, WebSocket events, API boundaries
  • backend-dev <-> qa-engineer: Share testable endpoints as completed

Message relevant teammates if coordination is not happening organically.

10c: Progress Monitoring ​

Track progress throughout execution:

  1. Check TaskList periodically.
  2. When an implementation teammate completes a story:
    • Verify the code was written (check that new files exist in the relevant directories).
    • Mark the implementation task as completed.
    • The corresponding QA task is now unblocked.
    • Message qa-engineer: "Implementation of {story ID} is complete. You can begin testing."
    • Update the QA task to in_progress.
  3. When QA completes testing a story:
    • Ask for test results (pass/fail count).
    • If tests fail, message the implementing teammate with the failure details.
    • If tests pass, mark the QA task as completed.
  4. If a teammate has not messaged in 10 minutes, check on them:

    "Checking in -- how is progress on {task}? Are you blocked on anything?"

10d: Handling Blockers ​

If a teammate reports a blocker:

  1. Determine if it is a dependency issue (waiting on another teammate) or a technical issue.
  2. For dependency issues: message the blocking teammate and prioritize.
  3. For technical issues: provide guidance from the architecture doc or escalate to the user.
  4. If a blocker cannot be resolved, inform the user and ask for direction.

Wait for ALL tasks (implementation AND QA) to complete before proceeding.

Step 11: Verify Sprint Output ​

Once all tasks are complete:

  1. Verify code exists: Check that new files were created in the expected directories based on story file ownership.
  2. Verify tests exist: Check that test files were created.
  3. Run tests (if possible): Execute the test runner command from config.yaml:
    {package_manager} run test
    or the equivalent command for the project's test runner. Capture the results.
  4. Collect results from QA: If the QA engineer reported test results via messaging, compile them.

If any stories are incomplete or tests are failing, do NOT proceed. Message the relevant teammates and resolve issues first.

Step 12: Run Review Gate (STRICT -- Human Must Review Code) ​

This is a STRICT gate. Human review is NON-NEGOTIABLE for code.

  1. Read the review checklist at .sniper/checklists/sprint-review.md.

  2. For each checklist section, evaluate:

    • Code Quality: Check for linting issues, type errors, hardcoded secrets, error handling.
    • Testing: Verify tests exist and pass.
    • Acceptance Criteria: Cross-reference each story's criteria with what was implemented.
    • Architecture Compliance: Verify code follows architecture patterns.
    • Security: Check for obvious security issues.

  3. Prepare a sprint review report:

============================================
  SNIPER Sprint {sprint_number} Review
============================================

  Gate Mode: STRICT (human review required)

  Stories Implemented:
    {story ID}: {title} -- {IMPLEMENTED / PARTIAL / MISSING}
    ...

  Test Results:
    Total: {count}
    Passed: {count}
    Failed: {count}
    Skipped: {count}

  Code Quality:
    [PASS] / [ATTENTION] / [FAIL] for each checklist item

  Acceptance Criteria Verification:
    {story ID}: {X}/{Y} criteria met
    ...

  Architecture Compliance:
    [PASS] / [ATTENTION] / [FAIL] for each checklist item

  Security:
    [PASS] / [ATTENTION] / [FAIL] for each checklist item

  Files Changed:
    {summary of new/modified files by directory}

============================================
  1. Present to the user and WAIT for approval.

Print to the user:

"Sprint {sprint_number} review is complete. Please review the code changes and test results above."

"Your options:"

  1. Approve -- mark sprint stories as complete
  2. Request revisions -- specify what needs to change
  3. Reject -- discard sprint output
  1. WAIT for the user to respond. Do not auto-advance.

If User Requests Revisions ​

  1. Parse feedback to determine which stories need changes.
  2. Message the relevant teammates with specific revision instructions.
  3. Wait for revisions and re-testing.
  4. Re-run the checklist and present again.

If User Approves ​

Proceed to Step 13.

If User Rejects ​

Print: "Sprint {sprint_number} rejected. Code remains in place but stories are not marked complete. Review and address issues manually." Update state and STOP.

Step 13: Update State and Shut Down Team ​

Update Lifecycle State ​

Edit .sniper/config.yaml:

  1. Update the sprint entry in state.phase_log:
    • Set completed_at: "{current ISO timestamp}"
    • Set approved_by: "human"

Mark Stories Complete ​

For each story that was implemented and approved, add a completion marker:

  • Add > **Status:** Complete (Sprint {sprint_number}) to the top of each story file

If feature mode: Also update state.features[] for this feature:

  • Increment stories_complete by the number of completed stories
  • If stories_complete == stories_total, the feature is ready for merge-back

Shut Down Teammates ​

Send shutdown requests to each teammate:

  • Send shutdown_request to each spawned teammate by name
  • Wait for all to acknowledge

Step 14: Trigger Sprint Retrospective ​

After the review gate passes, automatically trigger a sprint retrospective if memory is enabled.

14-1: Check Memory Configuration ​

Read .sniper/config.yaml:

  • If memory.enabled is false or not set, skip retrospective
  • If memory.auto_retro is false, skip retrospective but print:
    Sprint retrospective skipped (auto_retro is disabled).
To run manually: /sniper-memory --retro

14-2: Read Retro Team and Compose Agent ​

  1. Read .sniper/teams/retro.yaml for the team definition
  2. Parse the teammate entry: retro-analyst with compose layers from the YAML
  3. Compose the retro-analyst spawn prompt using /sniper-compose with the layers from the team YAML:
    /sniper-compose --process {compose.process} --cognitive {compose.cognitive} --name "Retro Analyst"

14-3: Run Retrospective ​

Spawn the retro agent with these context files:

  • All completed story files from this sprint (from docs/stories/)
  • The review gate output from Step 12
  • Existing memory files (.sniper/memory/conventions.yaml, .sniper/memory/anti-patterns.yaml)
  • The code changes from this sprint (git diff summary)

The retro agent should produce: .sniper/memory/retros/sprint-{N}-retro.yaml

14-4: Auto-Codify Findings ​

If memory.auto_codify is true in config:

  1. Read the retro output
  2. For each finding with recommendation: codify AND confidence: high:
    • If it's a convention: append to .sniper/memory/conventions.yaml with status confirmed
    • If it's an anti-pattern: append to .sniper/memory/anti-patterns.yaml with status confirmed
  3. For findings with confidence: medium:
    • Append with status candidate
  4. Regenerate .sniper/memory/summary.md

14-5: Show Retro Summary ​

Display the retrospective results:

============================================
  Sprint {sprint_number} Retrospective
============================================

  Stories analyzed: {count}

  New Conventions (auto-codified):
    conv-{XXX}: {rule}

  New Anti-Patterns (auto-codified):
    ap-{XXX}: {description}

  Candidates (need confirmation):
    {rule/description}

  Estimation Calibration:
    Overestimates: {stories}
    Underestimates: {stories}
    Pattern: {description}

  Positive Patterns:
    {pattern}

============================================

Print: Review auto-codified entries with: /sniper-memory --conventions Print: Promote candidates with: /sniper-memory --promote {id}

Step 15: Present Results and Next Steps ​

============================================
  SNIPER Sprint {sprint_number} Complete
============================================

  Stories Completed: {count}/{total selected}
    {story ID}: {title}  [COMPLETE]
    ...

  Test Results: {passed}/{total} passing

  Remaining Stories (not yet implemented):
    {count} stories remaining across {count} epics

  Sprint Duration: {time elapsed}

============================================
  Next Steps
============================================

  1. Review the implemented code in your editor
  2. Run `/sniper-sprint` again to start the next sprint
  3. Run `/sniper-status` to see overall project progress
  4. If all stories are complete, the project is ready for release

  Remaining work estimate:
    {count} stories, approximately {count} more sprints

============================================

IMPORTANT RULES ​

  • You are the LEAD. You coordinate. You do NOT write code.
  • ALWAYS let the user select which stories go into the sprint. Do not auto-select.
  • Each story is assigned to exactly ONE implementation teammate. QA tests everything.
  • QA tasks are ALWAYS blocked by their corresponding implementation tasks.
  • API contract alignment between backend and frontend is CRITICAL. Facilitate it proactively.
  • The review gate is STRICT. Do NOT auto-advance. ALWAYS wait for human review.
  • If $ARGUMENTS contains "dry-run", perform Steps 0-5 only (plan the sprint without spawning) and present the plan.
  • If $ARGUMENTS contains story IDs, use them as the sprint backlog without prompting for selection.
  • If $ARGUMENTS contains "skip-review", IGNORE IT. The sprint gate is strict and cannot be skipped.
  • Do NOT exceed max_teammates from config.yaml. Suggest splitting the sprint if too many would be needed.
  • Honor model_override from sprint.yaml (ai-dev uses opus, others use sonnet).
  • All file paths are relative to the project root.
  • Do NOT automatically start the next sprint -- let the user initiate it.
  • If this is not the first sprint, check previous sprint history and completed stories to avoid re-implementing.