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Once your repo is bootstrapped and your requirements live in a repository file, you can start or resume work with a short command. Prompts are commands — not specifications. The actual requirements and plan must always live in repo documents.
Keep your prompts short and command-like. Place requirements, acceptance criteria, and implementation plans in repository documents and reference those paths in your prompt. Do not paste specifications into the chat.

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Starting a new run

1

Ensure the repo is bootstrapped

The /.recursive/ scaffold must exist before any run can begin. If it’s missing, run the bootstrap installer:
python scripts/install-recursive-mode.py --repo-root .
The scaffold includes /.recursive/RECURSIVE.md, /.recursive/STATE.md, /.recursive/DECISIONS.md, the memory plane under /.recursive/memory/, and the run root at /.recursive/run/.
2

Place your requirements in a repo document

Write your requirements in a file inside the repository — for example, a requirements doc or a planned feature spec. Do not paste requirements into the prompt. The agent will read from that file.
3

Send a short start command

Trigger the agent with a command like one of these:
Implement the run
Implement run 75
Implement the plan
Start a recursive run
Create a new run based on the plan
The agent reads /.recursive/RECURSIVE.md, /.recursive/STATE.md, /.recursive/DECISIONS.md, and the relevant memory docs before proceeding.
4

The agent creates a run folder

A new run folder is created at:
/.recursive/run/<run-id>/
This folder becomes the durable record for the entire run. Every phase artifact is written here.
5

Work begins with Phase 0, then proceeds through phases

The agent starts with Phase 0 (worktree setup in 00-worktree.md), then moves through:
  • Phase 0 — Requirements (00-requirements.md)
  • Phase 1 — AS-IS analysis (01-as-is.md)
  • Phase 2 — TO-BE plan (02-to-be-plan.md)
  • Phase 3 — Implementation (03-implementation-summary.md)
  • Phase 3.5 — Code review (03.5-code-review.md)
  • Phase 4 — Tests (04-test-summary.md)
  • Phase 5 — Manual QA (05-manual-qa.md)
  • Phases 6–8 — Decisions, state, and memory closeout

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Resuming a run

If a run is interrupted — by session end, context limits, or a manual pause — you can resume it:
SituationCommand
Exactly one active or incomplete run existsImplement the run
Multiple runs existImplement run 75
Resuming from a specific plan artifactImplement the plan at /.recursive/run/75/02-to-be-plan.md
The agent re-reads /.recursive/STATE.md, /.recursive/DECISIONS.md, and /.recursive/memory/MEMORY.md at the start of every resumed session to rebuild context from the repo, not from chat history.

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Command interpretation rules

The agent resolves ambiguous commands using these rules:
  • Explicit run ID — use that run
  • No run ID + one active run — resume it
  • Reference to a plan — create a new run only when a unique source plan or requirements artifact can be identified from repo docs
  • Ambiguous — the agent asks you for the run ID or the exact repo path to the plan or requirements artifact
If you ever need to check which runs are active: 
python scripts/recursive-status.py --repo-root .