**This is an INTERNAL workflow — NOT a user-facing command.**
There is no `/gsd:transition` command. This workflow is invoked automatically by
`execute-phase` during auto-advance, or inline by the orchestrator after phase
verification. Users should never be told to run `/gsd:transition`.
**Valid user commands for phase progression:**
- `/gsd:discuss-phase {N}` — discuss a phase before planning
- `/gsd:plan-phase {N}` — plan a phase
- `/gsd:execute-phase {N}` — execute a phase
- `/gsd:progress` — see roadmap progress
**Read these files NOW:**
1. `.planning/STATE.md`
2. `.planning/PROJECT.md`
3. `.planning/ROADMAP.md`
4. Current phase's plan files (`*-PLAN.md`)
5. Current phase's summary files (`*-SUMMARY.md`)
Mark current phase complete and advance to next. This is the natural point where progress tracking and PROJECT.md evolution happen.
"Planning next phase" = "current phase is done"
Before transition, read project state:
```bash
cat .planning/STATE.md 2>/dev/null
cat .planning/PROJECT.md 2>/dev/null
```
Parse current position to verify we're transitioning the right phase.
Note accumulated context that may need updating after transition.
Check current phase has all plan summaries:
```bash
ls .planning/phases/XX-current/*-PLAN.md 2>/dev/null | sort
ls .planning/phases/XX-current/*-SUMMARY.md 2>/dev/null | sort
```
**Verification logic:**
- Count PLAN files
- Count SUMMARY files
- If counts match: all plans complete
- If counts don't match: incomplete
```bash
cat .planning/config.json 2>/dev/null
```
**If all plans complete:**
```
⚡ Auto-approved: Transition Phase [X] → Phase [X+1]
Phase [X] complete — all [Y] plans finished.
Proceeding to mark done and advance...
```
Proceed directly to cleanup_handoff step.
Ask: "Phase [X] complete — all [Y] plans finished. Ready to mark done and move to Phase [X+1]?"
Wait for confirmation before proceeding.
**If plans incomplete:**
**SAFETY RAIL: always_confirm_destructive applies here.**
Skipping incomplete plans is destructive — ALWAYS prompt regardless of mode.
Present:
```
Phase [X] has incomplete plans:
- {phase}-01-SUMMARY.md ✓ Complete
- {phase}-02-SUMMARY.md ✗ Missing
- {phase}-03-SUMMARY.md ✗ Missing
⚠️ Safety rail: Skipping plans requires confirmation (destructive action)
Options:
1. Continue current phase (execute remaining plans)
2. Mark complete anyway (skip remaining plans)
3. Review what's left
```
Wait for user decision.
Check for lingering handoffs:
```bash
ls .planning/phases/XX-current/.continue-here*.md 2>/dev/null
```
If found, delete them — phase is complete, handoffs are stale.
**Delegate ROADMAP.md and STATE.md updates to gsd-tools:**
```bash
TRANSITION=$(node "C:/Users/yaoji/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" phase complete "${current_phase}")
```
The CLI handles:
- Marking the phase checkbox as `[x]` complete with today's date
- Updating plan count to final (e.g., "3/3 plans complete")
- Updating the Progress table (Status → Complete, adding date)
- Advancing STATE.md to next phase (Current Phase, Status → Ready to plan, Current Plan → Not started)
- Detecting if this is the last phase in the milestone
Extract from result: `completed_phase`, `plans_executed`, `next_phase`, `next_phase_name`, `is_last_phase`.
If prompts were generated for the phase, they stay in place.
The `completed/` subfolder pattern from create-meta-prompts handles archival.
Evolve PROJECT.md to reflect learnings from completed phase.
**Read phase summaries:**
```bash
cat .planning/phases/XX-current/*-SUMMARY.md
```
**Assess requirement changes:**
1. **Requirements validated?**
- Any Active requirements shipped in this phase?
- Move to Validated with phase reference: `- ✓ [Requirement] — Phase X`
2. **Requirements invalidated?**
- Any Active requirements discovered to be unnecessary or wrong?
- Move to Out of Scope with reason: `- [Requirement] — [why invalidated]`
3. **Requirements emerged?**
- Any new requirements discovered during building?
- Add to Active: `- [ ] [New requirement]`
4. **Decisions to log?**
- Extract decisions from SUMMARY.md files
- Add to Key Decisions table with outcome if known
5. **"What This Is" still accurate?**
- If the product has meaningfully changed, update the description
- Keep it current and accurate
**Update PROJECT.md:**
Make the edits inline. Update "Last updated" footer:
```markdown
---
*Last updated: [date] after Phase [X]*
```
**Example evolution:**
Before:
```markdown
### Active
- [ ] JWT authentication
- [ ] Real-time sync < 500ms
- [ ] Offline mode
### Out of Scope
- OAuth2 — complexity not needed for v1
```
After (Phase 2 shipped JWT auth, discovered rate limiting needed):
```markdown
### Validated
- ✓ JWT authentication — Phase 2
### Active
- [ ] Real-time sync < 500ms
- [ ] Offline mode
- [ ] Rate limiting on sync endpoint
### Out of Scope
- OAuth2 — complexity not needed for v1
```
**Step complete when:**
- [ ] Phase summaries reviewed for learnings
- [ ] Validated requirements moved from Active
- [ ] Invalidated requirements moved to Out of Scope with reason
- [ ] Emerged requirements added to Active
- [ ] New decisions logged with rationale
- [ ] "What This Is" updated if product changed
- [ ] "Last updated" footer reflects this transition
**Note:** Basic position updates (Current Phase, Status, Current Plan, Last Activity) were already handled by `gsd-tools phase complete` in the update_roadmap_and_state step.
Verify the updates are correct by reading STATE.md. If the progress bar needs updating, use:
```bash
PROGRESS=$(node "C:/Users/yaoji/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" progress bar --raw)
```
Update the progress bar line in STATE.md with the result.
**Step complete when:**
- [ ] Phase number incremented to next phase (done by phase complete)
- [ ] Plan status reset to "Not started" (done by phase complete)
- [ ] Status shows "Ready to plan" (done by phase complete)
- [ ] Progress bar reflects total completed plans
Update Project Reference section in STATE.md.
```markdown
## Project Reference
See: .planning/PROJECT.md (updated [today])
**Core value:** [Current core value from PROJECT.md]
**Current focus:** [Next phase name]
```
Update the date and current focus to reflect the transition.
Review and update Accumulated Context section in STATE.md.
**Decisions:**
- Note recent decisions from this phase (3-5 max)
- Full log lives in PROJECT.md Key Decisions table
**Blockers/Concerns:**
- Review blockers from completed phase
- If addressed in this phase: Remove from list
- If still relevant for future: Keep with "Phase X" prefix
- Add any new concerns from completed phase's summaries
**Example:**
Before:
```markdown
### Blockers/Concerns
- ⚠️ [Phase 1] Database schema not indexed for common queries
- ⚠️ [Phase 2] WebSocket reconnection behavior on flaky networks unknown
```
After (if database indexing was addressed in Phase 2):
```markdown
### Blockers/Concerns
- ⚠️ [Phase 2] WebSocket reconnection behavior on flaky networks unknown
```
**Step complete when:**
- [ ] Recent decisions noted (full log in PROJECT.md)
- [ ] Resolved blockers removed from list
- [ ] Unresolved blockers kept with phase prefix
- [ ] New concerns from completed phase added
Update Session Continuity section in STATE.md to reflect transition completion.
**Format:**
```markdown
Last session: [today]
Stopped at: Phase [X] complete, ready to plan Phase [X+1]
Resume file: None
```
**Step complete when:**
- [ ] Last session timestamp updated to current date and time
- [ ] Stopped at describes phase completion and next phase
- [ ] Resume file confirmed as None (transitions don't use resume files)
**MANDATORY: Verify milestone status before presenting next steps.**
**Use the transition result from `gsd-tools phase complete`:**
The `is_last_phase` field from the phase complete result tells you directly:
- `is_last_phase: false` → More phases remain → Go to **Route A**
- `is_last_phase: true` → Milestone complete → Go to **Route B**
The `next_phase` and `next_phase_name` fields give you the next phase details.
If you need additional context, use:
```bash
ROADMAP=$(node "C:/Users/yaoji/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" roadmap analyze)
```
This returns all phases with goals, disk status, and completion info.
---
**Route A: More phases remain in milestone**
Read ROADMAP.md to get the next phase's name and goal.
**Check if next phase has CONTEXT.md:**
```bash
ls .planning/phases/*[X+1]*/*-CONTEXT.md 2>/dev/null
```
**If next phase exists:**
**If CONTEXT.md exists:**
```
Phase [X] marked complete.
Next: Phase [X+1] — [Name]
⚡ Auto-continuing: Plan Phase [X+1] in detail
```
Exit skill and invoke SlashCommand("/gsd:plan-phase [X+1] --auto")
**If CONTEXT.md does NOT exist:**
```
Phase [X] marked complete.
Next: Phase [X+1] — [Name]
⚡ Auto-continuing: Discuss Phase [X+1] first
```
Exit skill and invoke SlashCommand("/gsd:discuss-phase [X+1] --auto")
**If CONTEXT.md does NOT exist:**
```
## ✓ Phase [X] Complete
---
## ▶ Next Up
**Phase [X+1]: [Name]** — [Goal from ROADMAP.md]
`/gsd:discuss-phase [X+1]` — gather context and clarify approach
`/clear` first → fresh context window
---
**Also available:**
- `/gsd:plan-phase [X+1]` — skip discussion, plan directly
- `/gsd:research-phase [X+1]` — investigate unknowns
---
```
**If CONTEXT.md exists:**
```
## ✓ Phase [X] Complete
---
## ▶ Next Up
**Phase [X+1]: [Name]** — [Goal from ROADMAP.md]
✓ Context gathered, ready to plan
`/gsd:plan-phase [X+1]`
`/clear` first → fresh context window
---
**Also available:**
- `/gsd:discuss-phase [X+1]` — revisit context
- `/gsd:research-phase [X+1]` — investigate unknowns
---
```
---
**Route B: Milestone complete (all phases done)**
**Clear auto-advance chain flag** — milestone boundary is the natural stopping point:
```bash
node "C:/Users/yaoji/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" config-set workflow._auto_chain_active false
```
```
Phase {X} marked complete.
🎉 Milestone {version} is 100% complete — all {N} phases finished!
⚡ Auto-continuing: Complete milestone and archive
```
Exit skill and invoke SlashCommand("/gsd:complete-milestone {version}")
```
## ✓ Phase {X}: {Phase Name} Complete
🎉 Milestone {version} is 100% complete — all {N} phases finished!
---
## ▶ Next Up
**Complete Milestone {version}** — archive and prepare for next
`/gsd:complete-milestone {version}`
`/clear` first → fresh context window
---
**Also available:**
- Review accomplishments before archiving
---
```
Progress tracking is IMPLICIT: planning phase N implies phases 1-(N-1) complete. No separate progress step—forward motion IS progress.
If user wants to move on but phase isn't fully complete:
```
Phase [X] has incomplete plans:
- {phase}-02-PLAN.md (not executed)
- {phase}-03-PLAN.md (not executed)
Options:
1. Mark complete anyway (plans weren't needed)
2. Defer work to later phase
3. Stay and finish current phase
```
Respect user judgment — they know if work matters.
**If marking complete with incomplete plans:**
- Update ROADMAP: "2/3 plans complete" (not "3/3")
- Note in transition message which plans were skipped
Transition is complete when:
- [ ] Current phase plan summaries verified (all exist or user chose to skip)
- [ ] Any stale handoffs deleted
- [ ] ROADMAP.md updated with completion status and plan count
- [ ] PROJECT.md evolved (requirements, decisions, description if needed)
- [ ] STATE.md updated (position, project reference, context, session)
- [ ] Progress table updated
- [ ] User knows next steps