PM Workflow Orchestrator (Dispatch Skill)

Try it: /pm-skills:utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator "Your context here"

Cross-client dispatch wrapper for the pm-workflow-orchestrator sub-agent. Detects the runtime; dispatches to the native sub-agent on Claude Code; reads agents/pm-workflow-orchestrator.md and walks the run loop inline on non-Claude clients via the “reference + execute inline” pattern. The orchestrator runs an ordered sequence of pm-skills from a saved prioritized-action-plan (Mode A) or a user-named chain (Mode B), pausing for go/no-go by default and stopping on a failed or empty step.

Status summary (v2.24.0): EXPERIMENTAL on every client at ship.

Claude Code (native): EXPERIMENTAL until a live smoke test confirms the engine can invoke a downstream skill via the Skill tool in the installed plugin, and whether that skill runs inline in the engine context or isolated (see the v2.24.0 residual questions). The conductor is the model only for the run-loop / checkpoint / refusal SHAPE; no repo agent has ever declared Skill, so the mechanism is unproven.

All non-Claude clients (Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI): EXPERIMENTAL until a dedicated maintainer-gate test exercises a real multi-artifact inline WRITE run. The orchestrator writes up to three full PM artifacts and may thread state; this is strictly harder than the conductor’s inline path and has never been live-validated off Claude Code.

On ANY client, run --dry-run FIRST as the readiness check (it exercises parsing, checkpointing, stop-on-fail, and the tool-capability pre-flight without invoking consequential skills). See the Sub-Agent Compatibility Matrix for the canonical safe-usage matrix.

When to Use

You produced a foundation-prioritized-action-plan and want to run its runnable Section 7 prompts in order, pausing for go/no-go (Mode A).
You want to run an ad-hoc, user-named chain of pm-skills against shared context (Mode B), for example deliver-prd then deliver-user-stories.
You want a generic runner for a dynamic chain that is NOT a pre-curated workflow-* command.

Run modes (orthogonal to client):

CHECKPOINTED (default): pause after each OK step for approve / edit / skip / redo.
GUARDED AUTO (--auto, opt-in): run without pausing on clean steps; still stop on failed, pause on empty, and stay checkpointed for Complex / Chaotic plans unless --force-auto.

When NOT to Use

You want a fixed, curated, named chain that an author maintains by hand (for example a full Foundation Sprint or Customer Discovery) -> use the existing workflow-* command (workflow-foundation-sprint, workflow-customer-discovery, …). The orchestrator does NOT supersede those and surfaces a workflow step as MANUAL rather than nesting it.
You only need to PRODUCE a prioritized action plan (not run it) -> use foundation-prioritized-action-plan (which can then offer to hand its plan here).
You only need to review one artifact -> use utility-pm-critic.
You want to run library-maintenance machinery as if it were PM work -> the orchestrator refuses Tier-3 maintenance skills.

How to Use

Invoke the skill by name (/pm-skills:utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator on Claude Code, $utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator on Codex):

/pm-skills:utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator "Your context here"

Or reference the skill file directly: skills/utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator/SKILL.md

Instructions

Runtime detection step. Determine which AI client is invoking this skill. Run mode (checkpointed vs auto) comes from the user’s flags and is independent of the client.

If you are running in Claude Code with the pm-skills plugin installed

Invoke @agent-pm-skills:pm-workflow-orchestrator with the user’s input plus any flags from $ARGUMENTS (--auto, --force-auto, --dry-run). The native sub-agent parses the input, builds the step list, and delegates each step via the Skill tool to the real downstream skill, running its own per-step loop with confirmation pauses. Relay the engine’s per-step output blocks and the terminal output to the user.

This path is EXPERIMENTAL at v2.24.0 (see Status summary). Instruct the user to run --dry-run first.

If you are running in any other AI client

Codex CLI, Cursor, Windsurf, Copilot CLI, Gemini CLI, or any client without native pm-skills plugin sub-agent support:

Tool-capability pre-flight (FIRST action, before parsing or step 1). Verify the client can (a) write a file under _pm-skills/plan-orchestrator/<run>/ and (b) run any Bash a downstream skill needs.
- If file write is unavailable: degrade explicitly to CHAT-ONLY mode (warn that multi-step reliability drops and context budget rises because full artifacts must stay in-window) for short runs, or refuse a long run with a clear message. Do not fail mid-chain.
- If Bash is unavailable for a step that needs it: surface that step as blocked at its boundary.
- Record the detected capabilities; they govern disk-write below.
Read the canonical sub-agent definition at agents/pm-workflow-orchestrator.md.
Read the shared parse and step-status contract at references/PARSE-CONTRACT.md (the engine reads the same file; this is what keeps the inline branch and the engine from drifting).
Execute the engine body as your operating instructions: run the pre-flight refusals, build the ordered step list (Mode A parse or Mode B named chain), then walk the per-step loop.
At each step, read the downstream skill’s SKILL.md and execute its method inline in this window; classify the return PRODUCED / EMPTY / FAILED with the rubric in references/PARSE-CONTRACT.md; write NN-<skill-name>.md to the run directory when disk-write is on.
Honor the run mode: pause at each OK step in CHECKPOINTED; auto-advance only unambiguously-PRODUCED steps in GUARDED AUTO; a FAILED step STOPS the run; an EMPTY or ambiguous step always pauses for confirmation (a forced checkpoint pause the user can clear), regardless of --force-auto.
Emit the terminal output (run complete or halted) per the engine’s section 4.5.

The “reference + execute inline” pattern is what enables cross-client compatibility. It is EXPERIMENTAL here until the maintainer-gate WRITE harness validates a real multi-artifact run on each client.

Output Template

utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator streams output as it walks the step list: a run header first, then one per-step block per step (with a confirmation pause between OK steps in CHECKPOINTED mode), then exactly one terminal block. Dry-run mode replaces step execution with a readiness summary. Authoring notes in [ brackets ] are guidance: fill them in or delete them, and do not ship bracketed placeholders in a real run.

Run Header

## Plan run: {Mode A: <plan name> | Mode B: <named chain>}

**Input mode:** A (saved prioritized-action-plan) | B (user-named chain)
**Client + mechanism:** {Claude Code, native sub-agent | <client>, inline execution}
**Run mode:** CHECKPOINTED (default) | GUARDED AUTO
**Disk-write:** on (`_pm-skills/plan-orchestrator/<run>/`) | off (CHAT-ONLY)
**Steps resolved:** {N} runnable, {M} manual

{Mode A only, surfaced not gating:}
**Cynefin domain:** {Clear | Complicated | Complex | Chaotic | undetermined -> CHECKPOINTED}
**Overall plan confidence:** {High | Medium-High | Medium | Medium-Low | Low | Low-Medium - <reasoning>}

Per-Step Output

The section 4.2 block, emitted once per step:

## Step {i} of {N}: {skill-name or "manual"} ({effort name})

**Delegation:** {Skill tool | inline execution | manual (no skill)}
**Result:** PRODUCED / EMPTY / FAILED / SKIPPED-MANUAL
{one-line summary of the artifact, or the failure/refusal narrative}

**Step status:** OK / STOP / WAITING-FOR-CONFIRMATION

{If OK + checkpointed:} Approve, edit, skip, or redo? Reply to advance to Step {i+1}.
{If STOP:} Halting. Resolve before re-invoking:
- {blocker}

A MANUAL step is surfaced as its own block (Delegation: manual (no skill), Result: SKIPPED-MANUAL) and does NOT consume a top-3 runnable-cap slot.

Terminal Output - Run Complete

## Plan run complete: {N} of {N} steps

| Step | Skill | Result | Artifact |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | {skill-name} | PRODUCED | {path or in-chat} |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

**Manual steps (surfaced, not run):**
- Step {k}: {what the user runs by hand, e.g. a workflow-* command}

**Next steps:**
- Deferred P4-P5 actions from the source plan (not in the top-3 cap): {list or "none"}
- Optional: run `utility-pm-critic` on any produced artifact to review it.

Terminal Output - Run Halted

## Plan run halted at Step {i} of {N}

**Stop reason:** {EMPTY step | FAILED step | refusal | tool-capability blocker}
**Detail:** {the failure / refusal narrative}

**Completed steps:**
- Step 1: {skill-name} PRODUCED -> {path or in-chat}
- ... (through Step {i-1})

**Resume guidance:** there is no auto-resume in v1. Resolve the blocker, then re-invoke the skill to restart the run. Persisted artifacts under `_pm-skills/plan-orchestrator/<run>/` are for manual reference only.

Dry-Run Output

## Dry run: {Mode A: <plan name> | Mode B: <named chain>}

Per step:
- Step {i} of {N}: {skill-name or "manual"} - NOT EXECUTED - dry run
  WOULD: delegate via {Skill tool | inline}; run mode {checkpointed | auto}; disk-write {would engage | CHAT-ONLY}.

**Readiness summary:**
- Parse: OK | {parse error detail}
- Chain resolved: {N} runnable, {M} manual | {unresolved skill name}
- Tool-capability: file-write {available | unavailable}, Bash {available | unavailable}

**Recommended next step:** if readiness is clean, re-invoke without `--dry-run` to run live.

Reference Files

Canonical sub-agent: agents/pm-workflow-orchestrator.md
Shared parse + step-status contract: PARSE-CONTRACT.md
Worked example: EXAMPLE.md

Example Output

Example: pm-workflow-orchestrator Dispatch on Claude Code (Mode A, checkpointed)

This example shows utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator running a saved foundation-prioritized-action-plan (Mode A) on Claude Code, where the skill dispatches to the native @agent-pm-skills:pm-workflow-orchestrator sub-agent. The run is CHECKPOINTED (the default): the orchestrator pauses after each OK step and the user approves before it advances. It ends in a clean “Plan run complete” block.

This is the same worked run carried by the library sample at library/sub-agent-samples/pm-workflow-orchestrator/. Because a FAILED step HALTS the run and an EMPTY step pauses rather than silently advancing, neither can appear in a run that ends in “Plan run complete.” A FAILED or EMPTY demonstration is a SEPARATE halted-run sample; this example is the clean approve-all path only.

Invocation

> /utility-pm-workflow-orchestrator _pm-skills/plans/storevine-q3-action-plan.md

Skill behavior

Runtime detection. Detects Claude Code with the pm-skills plugin installed; takes the native-dispatch branch.
Native dispatch. Invokes @agent-pm-skills:pm-workflow-orchestrator with the plan path and no flags (so the default CHECKPOINTED run mode applies).
Engine parses + walks the loop. The sub-agent parses Section 7 of the plan into an ordered step list per references/PARSE-CONTRACT.md, delegates each runnable step via the Skill tool, surfaces one MANUAL block, and pauses at each OK boundary for the user’s go/no-go. The dispatch skill relays the engine’s per-step blocks and the terminal block to the main chat.

Output (relayed verbatim from the engine)

Plan run: storevine-q3-action-plan

Input mode: A (saved prioritized-action-plan) Client + mechanism: Claude Code, native sub-agent Run mode: CHECKPOINTED (default) Disk-write: on (_pm-skills/plan-orchestrator/2026-06-01-storevine-q3/) Steps resolved: 3 runnable, 1 manual Cynefin domain: Complicated Overall plan confidence: Medium-High - converging interview and analytics signal on the activation gap, thinner data on pricing sensitivity.

Step 1 of 3: deliver-prd (Considered effort)

Delegation: Skill tool Result: PRODUCED Drafted a PRD for the guided-onboarding revamp: problem framing, two in-scope flows, success metrics tied to the activation gap, explicit out-of-scope list. Written to _pm-skills/plan-orchestrator/2026-06-01-storevine-q3/01-deliver-prd.md.

Step status: OK

Approve, edit, skip, or redo? Reply to advance to Step 2.

User: approve

Step 2 of 3: deliver-user-stories (Standard effort)

Delegation: Skill tool Result: PRODUCED Generated 9 user stories with acceptance criteria from the PRD scope, grouped by the two onboarding flows, each with a happy-path plus at least one error-state criterion. Written to 02-deliver-user-stories.md.

Step status: OK

Approve, edit, skip, or redo? Reply to advance to Step 3.

User: approve

Step (manual): workflow-customer-discovery

Delegation: manual (no skill) Result: SKIPPED-MANUAL The plan named a full Customer Discovery workflow as a prompt. The orchestrator does NOT nest curated workflow-* commands; it surfaces this as a manual step for the user to run directly. This manual block does NOT consume a top-3 runnable-cap slot.

Step status: OK (surfaced; nothing executed)

Noting and continuing to the next runnable step.

Step 3 of 3: deliver-launch-checklist (Considered effort)

Delegation: Skill tool Result: PRODUCED Produced a pre-launch checklist across engineering, design, support, and marketing readiness for the onboarding revamp, with owners and open-items flagged. Written to 03-deliver-launch-checklist.md.

Step status: OK

Approve, edit, skip, or redo? Reply to finish the run.

User: approve

Plan run complete: 3 of 3 steps

Step	Skill	Result	Artifact
1	deliver-prd	PRODUCED	`01-deliver-prd.md`
2	deliver-user-stories	PRODUCED	`02-deliver-user-stories.md`
3	deliver-launch-checklist	PRODUCED	`03-deliver-launch-checklist.md`

Manual steps (surfaced, not run):

workflow-customer-discovery: run the curated workflow command directly when ready.

Next steps:

Deferred P4-P5 actions from the source plan (not in the top-3 cap): pricing-sensitivity experiment, beta-cohort recruiting.
Optional: run utility-pm-critic on any produced artifact to review it.

Notes on This Example

This is the canonical clean-path narrative for the orchestrator: a single-thread CHECKPOINTED Mode A run that the user approves at every step.

Three runnable steps, one manual. The cap counts only the three skill-bearing blocks; the workflow-customer-discovery manual block is surfaced and skipped, not nested, and does not occupy a cap slot.
Confirmation pauses. The engine pauses after each OK step and only advances on the user’s reply. In GUARDED AUTO (--auto) it would advance clean steps without pausing, but would still stop on an EMPTY or FAILED step.
Disk-write engaged. Because the run has 2+ steps, disk-write auto-enabled and each artifact landed under the run directory; only a one-line summary per step stays in context.
Ends in “Plan run complete.” No step was EMPTY or FAILED, so the run reached the run-complete terminal block. Any failure or empty result would have produced the separate “Plan run halted” block instead.

At v2.24.0 this native path is EXPERIMENTAL until the Skill-from-sub-agent smoke test closes; run --dry-run first as the readiness check.

Canonical sub-agent: agents/pm-workflow-orchestrator.md
Skill manifest: SKILL.md
Output template: TEMPLATE.md
Shared parse + step-status contract: PARSE-CONTRACT.md
Producer: skills/foundation-prioritized-action-plan/SKILL.md
Library sample (same run): library/sub-agent-samples/pm-workflow-orchestrator/

PM Workflow Orchestrator (Dispatch Skill)

When to Use

When NOT to Use

How to Use

Instructions

If you are running in Claude Code with the pm-skills plugin installed

If you are running in any other AI client

Output Template

Output Template

Run Header

Per-Step Output

Terminal Output - Run Complete

Terminal Output - Run Halted

Dry-Run Output

Reference Files

Example Output

Example: pm-workflow-orchestrator Dispatch on Claude Code (Mode A, checkpointed)

Invocation

Skill behavior

Output (relayed verbatim from the engine)

Plan run: storevine-q3-action-plan

Step 1 of 3: deliver-prd (Considered effort)

Step 2 of 3: deliver-user-stories (Standard effort)

Step (manual): workflow-customer-discovery

Step 3 of 3: deliver-launch-checklist (Considered effort)

Plan run complete: 3 of 3 steps

Notes on This Example

Related Files