Scenario: Add a feature to an existing project (brownfield)
When to use #
You have an existing codebase already scaffolded with aidokit (or about to be). You want to add a feature using the full Intake → Plan → Build loop, with brownfield ingestion so the Researcher and Architect roles see the real code before proposing tasks.
At a glance #
%%{init: {
"theme": "base",
"themeVariables": {
"fontFamily": "ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, sans-serif",
"fontSize": "14px",
"primaryColor": "#eff6ff",
"primaryTextColor": "#0f172a",
"primaryBorderColor": "#2563eb",
"lineColor": "#475569",
"secondaryColor": "#f1f5f9",
"tertiaryColor": "#ffffff",
"clusterBkg": "#f8fafc",
"clusterBorder": "#cbd5e1"
}
}}%%
flowchart LR
classDef actor fill:#ede9fe,stroke:#6d28d9,color:#1e1b4b,stroke-width:1.2px;
classDef cli fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#1d4ed8,color:#0c1f4a,stroke-width:1.4px;
classDef adapter fill:#cffafe,stroke:#0e7490,color:#083344;
classDef pack fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#15803d,color:#052e16;
classDef core fill:#fef9c3,stroke:#a16207,color:#422006;
classDef artifact fill:#f1f5f9,stroke:#475569,color:#0f172a;
classDef stop fill:#fee2e2,stroke:#b91c1c,color:#7f1d1d,stroke-dasharray:4 3;
classDef ok fill:#ecfdf5,stroke:#047857,color:#064e3b;
classDef external fill:#fff7ed,stroke:#c2410c,color:#431407;
you(["you"]):::actor
intake["/intake --brownfield"]:::cli
res["Researcher"]:::actor
arch["Architect"]:::actor
plan["Planner"]:::actor
s1{"S1: approve brief"}:::stop
impl["/implement-task"]:::cli
build["Builder"]:::actor
test["Tester-Reviewer"]:::actor
maint["Maintainer"]:::actor
s2{"S2: task closed"}:::stop
nxt["/orchestrator-next"]:::cli
you --> intake --> res --> arch --> plan --> s1 --> impl --> build --> test --> maint --> s2 --> nxt
Step-by-step #
1. Confirm the project is initialised #
ls .aido/adapter.md
Expected: the file exists. If not, fall back to the new-project scenario first.
2. Run health check #
aidokit doctor
Expected: green output confirming adapter, tier, and stack pack match the manifest.
3. Open your AI CLI #
If Claude Code
claude
If Codex
codex
If Copilot
gh copilot
Expected: the CLI loads with the scaffolded workflow available.
4. Kick off brownfield intake #
/intake --brownfield "I want to add <feature>; relevant code lives in <path>"
Expected: Researcher digests the codebase; Architect proposes shape; Planner produces task briefs in agent-artifacts/briefs/.
5. Review the brief and approve #
Open agent-artifacts/briefs/<latest>.md, read it end to end, and approve. Intake stops here (hard-stop S1).
Expected: no code is written yet. This is by design.
6. Implement the first task #
/implement-task
Expected: Builder runs; Tester-Reviewer does two-stage review (spec compliance, then code quality); Maintainer finalises and updates CHANGELOG.md.
7. Pull the next task #
/orchestrator-next
Expected: the orchestrator picks the next unblocked task from the Beads graph.
Common mistakes #
- Running
/implement-taskwithout an approved brief inagent-artifacts/. - Skipping
aidokit doctor— drift between manifest and adapter templates silently bites later. - Letting Builder touch files outside its capability scope — the watchdog hooks will halt it; trust them.