Open Source · MIT Licensed · AI-Native

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Tried, tested, and battle-scarred. I built PWP after losing enough hair to my chaotic projects that I started budgeting for hats. Consider this my gift to the dev community — so you can ship production-grade software and keep your hairline intact. Whether you're solo, a startup, or an enterprise squad.

Structured workflow visualization
PLAN BUILD TEST VERIFY DEPLOY SHIP PLAN BUILD TEST VERIFY DEPLOY SHIP PLAN BUILD TEST VERIFY DEPLOY SHIP PLAN BUILD TEST VERIFY DEPLOY SHIP PLAN BUILD TEST VERIFY DEPLOY SHIP PLAN BUILD TEST VERIFY DEPLOY SHIP

> The Problem

Most projects don't fail because of bad ideas.
They fail because execution gets sloppy.

"I'll add types later"

Runtime crash in production. Your users find the bug before you do.

"Just merge it"

Untested code ships. Regression appears 3 sprints later. Nobody knows why.

"The AI wrote it"

Hallucinated API calls. Invented dependencies. Security vulnerability deployed.

STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS STRUCTURE CLARITY DISCIPLINE SOLUTIONS

> The Solution

What PWP gives you

01

Structured Planning

Written implementation plans before any code is written. Every change is traceable to a business requirement. No more "why does this file exist?"

02

Disciplined Execution

Branch naming, commit conventions, and code standards enforced through convention — not tooling. Works with any stack, any language.

03

Verification Rituals

Pre-merge checklists, post-merge monitoring, visual QA, and performance baselines. Nothing ships without proof it works.

04

AI Agent Alignment

A dedicated skill file that turns your AI copilot into a disciplined junior engineer. No hallucinations. No scope creep. No invented APIs.

05

Living Documentation

Docs are updated in the same PR as the code. Feature traceability, architecture walkthroughs, and changelogs — always current.

06

Failure Recovery

Defined procedures for build failures, merge conflicts, and production regressions. No panic, just process.

07

Testing Discipline

A structured testing strategy with unit, integration, and E2E coverage. Flaky test quarantine, coverage thresholds, and the testing pyramid — enforced, not optional.

08

Deployment Lifecycle

Environment promotion from staging to production with rollback plans, health checks, and feature flags. Zero-surprise releases every time.

09

Dependency Management

Audit schedules, pinned versions, license checks, and lockfile hygiene. No phantom upgrades. No supply-chain surprises.

10

Task-Specific Skills

8 drop-in skill files for common engineering tasks — debugging, code review, security audits, migrations, and more. Plug them into any AI agent.

VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY VIBES STRUCTURE VELOCITY QUALITY

> For the Vibe Coders

"But I just vibe-code with AI — is this for me?"

Yes. Especially you.

If you're building with Cursor, Bolt, v0, or ChatGPT — you're already shipping fast. That's not the problem. The problem is what happens after you ship.

❌ "My AI rewrote half my codebase and I don't know why"
PWP's skill file tells your AI exactly what it can and can't touch. No more surprise refactors. You stay in control.
❌ "I broke something and don't know how to get back"
The protocol gives you a simple branching strategy and commit conventions — even if you've never used Git properly before. Roll back in one command.
❌ "My project is a mess and I can't add features anymore"
That's technical debt. PWP prevents it by asking one question before every change: "What's the plan?" Write it down. Then build. That's it.

You don't need to be "technical" to use this.

There's no config to install. No CLI to learn. No dependencies. It's just markdown files — the same stuff your AI already reads. Drop them into your project folder. Your AI reads the rules. You build better software. That's the whole workflow.

SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS SOLO STARTUP ENTERPRISE TEAMS

> Built For

Who should use this?

Solo Builders

You're the PM, dev, and QA. PWP gives you the "senior engineer review" you don't have. Skip what you don't need, enforce what matters.

Startup Teams

3–8 people shipping fast. PWP is your async alignment tool — new hires read the protocol and know exactly what's expected. No "unspoken rules."

Enterprise Squads

Security, compliance, long-term maintainability. Every commit traces back to a plan. Every plan traces back to a business requirement.

CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP CLONE CONFIGURE COMMIT SHIP

> Get Started in 5 Minutes

How to integrate PWP

1

Clone the protocol into your project

git clone https://github.com/shandar/Project_Workflow_Protocol.git .

Drop the protocol/, templates/, and skills/ folders into any existing or new project. No dependencies required.

2

Feed the skill file to your AI agent

cat skills/ai-agent-protocol.skill.md | pbcopy

Paste the skill into Cursor Rules, Windsurf Settings, Custom GPT instructions, or any LLM system prompt. Your AI now follows your rules.

3

Start with a plan, not with code

cp templates/plan-template.md docs/PLAN-001.md

Before writing any implementation, fill out the plan template. Define the problem, list files, set verification steps. Then build.

4

Verify before you merge

cat templates/verification-checklist.md

Use the pre-merge checklist on every PR. Type check, build, lint, test. No exceptions.

PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES PROTOCOLS TEMPLATES SKILLS EXAMPLES

> Browse the Repository

What's inside the repo

53 files · 5 directories · Everything you need to ship with discipline

shandar/Project_Workflow_Protocol 53 files
protocol/ 10 docs Core protocol modules — the rules of the game
.md 00-mindset.md Philosophy & principles — why discipline beats speed
.md 01-planning.md Written plans before any code is written
.md 02-execution.md Branch naming, commit rules, code standards
.md 03-verification.md Pre-merge checklists & QA rituals
.md 04-documentation.md Docs updated in the same PR as the code
.md 05-communication.md PR descriptions, async updates, status signals
.md 06-recovery.md What to do when things break in production
.md 07-testing.md Testing pyramid, coverage thresholds, flaky test policy
.md 08-deployment.md Environment promotion, rollback plans, feature flags
.md 09-dependency-management.md Audit schedules, pinned versions, license checks
protocol/ai-agents/ 12 docs AI constraint files — rules for your copilot
.md 00-agent-mindset.md How the AI should think about your project
.md 01-scope-and-authority.md What the AI can and can't touch
.md 02-planning-with-ai.md How AI should propose changes
.md 03-execution-rules.md Code style, commit rules, branch discipline
.md 04-verification-duties.md Testing & validation before merge
.md 05-communication-contract.md How AI reports status & asks for help
.md 06-failure-and-recovery.md AI rollback and error handling protocol
.md 07-evaluation-and-trust.md Trust levels (L0–L3), scoring AI reliability
.md 08-context-management.md Context window strategy, summarization rules
.md 09-tool-selection.md When to use which tool, cost/benefit framework
.md 10-multi-session-continuity.md Handoff protocol across sessions & agents
.md README.md AI agent module index & quick reference
templates/ 12 docs Copy-paste-ready templates for daily use
.md plan-template.md Implementation plan structure
.md branch-strategy.md Branch naming conventions & flow
.md commit-convention.md Commit message format & rules
.md verification-checklist.md Pre-merge QA checklist
.md changelog-template.md Structured release notes format
.md solo-plan-template.md Lightweight plan for solo builders
.md solo-verification-checklist.md Quick verification for solo projects
.md deployment-checklist.md Pre-deploy & post-deploy validation steps
.md dependency-audit.md Dependency review & security audit template
.md incident-postmortem.md Structured post-incident review template
.md adr-template.md Architecture Decision Record format
.md quick-reference.md One-page PWP command cheat sheet
examples/ 3 docs Real-world adoption scenarios
.md solo-builder.md How a solo dev uses PWP day-to-day
.md startup-team.md PWP in a 3–8 person startup squad
.md enterprise-team.md Large org adoption with compliance focus
skills/ 10 docs Drop-in skill files for AI agents
.md project-workflow-protocol.skill.md Full PWP skill file for copilots
.md ai-agent-protocol.skill.md Complete AI agent behavior rules
.md debugging.skill.md Structured debugging methodology
.md code-review.skill.md Pull request review checklist & standards
.md security-audit.skill.md OWASP-aligned security review process
.md refactoring.skill.md Safe refactoring patterns & validation
.md migration.skill.md Database & system migration playbook
.md api-design.skill.md REST/GraphQL API design conventions
.md performance-optimization.skill.md Performance profiling & optimization
.md project-bootstrap.skill.md New project setup & scaffold
.md README.md Quick start guide & project overview
.md CONTRIBUTING.md Strict quality contribution rules
.md CHANGELOG.md Release history & version notes
.md roadmap.md Version plan & evolution tracks
.md CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md Community standards & contributor covenant
.md SECURITY.md Vulnerability reporting & security policy
ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT ANSWERS CLARITY GUIDANCE SUPPORT
FAQ.md 9 questions

# Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about the Project Workflow Protocol, how it works with AI agents, and how to adopt it in your team.
01 Q: What is the Project Workflow Protocol?
PWP is an opinionated, drop-in set of markdown files that define how your software project should be planned, built, verified, and shipped. Think of it as an operating system for your development workflow — no dependencies, no config, just structure.
02 Q: Do I need to install anything?
No. PWP is just markdown files. Clone the repo, drop the files into your project folder, and you're done. There's no CLI, no npm package, no build step. Your AI copilot reads the rules automatically.
03 Q: Does it work with AI coding tools?
Yes — that's the whole point. PWP includes an AI Agent Protocol skill file that turns your copilot (Cursor, Claude, Copilot, etc.) into a disciplined junior engineer. It defines what the AI can touch, how it should commit, and what verification steps to follow.
04 Q: Is this only for large teams?
Not at all. PWP scales from solo builders to enterprise squads. If you're building alone, it acts as your "senior engineer review." If you're on a team, it's async alignment — new hires read the protocol and know what's expected.
05 Q: Can I customize it for my stack?
Absolutely. PWP is stack-agnostic and MIT-licensed. Fork it, rename files, strip what you don't need, add your own conventions. The templates and examples are starting points, not gospel.
06 Q: How is this different from just using GitHub Issues?
GitHub Issues track tasks. PWP tracks how you execute those tasks — the planning discipline, commit conventions, verification rituals, and documentation standards that prevent technical debt and chaos at scale.
07 Q: What if I'm a "vibe coder" who doesn't like process?
PWP was built for you. If you've ever had an AI rewrite half your codebase, lost work because you forgot to branch, or shipped a bug because you skipped testing — this is the safety net that lets you keep vibing while shipping production-grade code.
08 Q: What changed in v0.3?
v0.3 (Professional Edition) added Testing Discipline, Deployment Lifecycle, and Dependency Management modules. For AI agents, it added Context Management, Tool Selection, and Multi-Session Continuity. Plus 8 task-specific skill files (debugging, code review, security audit, and more), 7 new templates, and a Trust Level system (L0–L3) for scoring AI reliability.
09 Q: Is it free?
100% free and open source under the MIT license. It's my gift to the dev community — so you can ship production-grade software and keep your hairline intact. 🧢
FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP FORK STAR CONTRIBUTE SHIP

Ready to ship like you mean it?

Clone the repo. Drop it in. Start building with discipline.

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