Architecture Overview

4.1 Overall Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                             User                             │
└─────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│    Claude Code / Cursor / Codex / OpenCode / Kilo / Kiro     │
│               (AI Coding Assistant Interface)                │
└─────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                 ┌────────────┼────────────┐
                 │                         │
                 ▼                         ▼
      ┌────────────────────┐      ┌───────────────────────────┐
      │  Slash Commands    │      │  Hook System              │
      │  /trellis:*        │      │  (Auto-inject)            │
      │                    │      │  [Claude Code only]       │
      │  User-triggered    │      │                           │
      │  Trigger workflows │      │  session-start.py         │
      │                    │      │  inject-context.py        │
      │  [All platforms]   │      │  ralph-loop.py            │
      └─────────┬──────────┘      └─────────────┬─────────────┘
                │                              │
                └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                               │
                               ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │                 .trellis/ Directory                  │
      │                                                      │
      │  spec/        workspace/      tasks/      scripts/   │
      │  (Specs)      (Records)       (Tasks)     (Auto)     │
      └─────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │                     Agent System                     │
      │                                                      │
      │  Plan → Research → Implement → Check → Debug         │
      │                                                      │
      │  Each Agent receives precise context via Hooks       │
      └─────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────┘
                                │
                                ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
      │                  Your Project Code                   │
      │        (AI generates/modifies code per specs)        │
      └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

4.2 Session Startup Flow

Claude Code / OpenCode
Cursor / Codex
Kilo
Kiro

These two platforms’ Hook systems automatically trigger session-start.py at session start, no need to manually enter /start. Users can describe tasks immediately after opening the terminal. Optionally run /start for a more detailed context report.

Cursor’s Hook support is still in development, and Codex provides base context via AGENTS.md. Users must manually invoke /start (or $start for Codex) to get full project context. The command internally executes the same steps as the Claude Code Hook: reading identity, workflow, history, tasks, etc.

Kilo auto-loads project rules via .kilocode/rules/ and AGENTS.md into every interaction. Optionally run the /start.md workflow for full Trellis context (identity, Git status, active tasks, etc.).

Kiro auto-loads project context via .kiro/steering/ (product.md, tech.md, structure.md, etc.) into every interaction. Optionally run a custom prompt for full Trellis context. Kiro also supports auto-generating requirements, design, and task documents via Spec mode.

When you enter /start (or when the Claude Code Hook fires automatically), here’s what happens behind the scenes:

/start
     │
     ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Hook: session-start.py (auto-trigger) │
│                                        │
│  Read .trellis/.developer    → identity│
│  Read .trellis/workflow.md   → workflow│
│  Read workspace/{name}/index → history │
│  Read git log               → commits  │
│  Read .trellis/tasks/        → tasks   │
└───────────────────┬────────────────────┘
                    │
                    ▼
         ┌──────────────────────────┐
         │  Context injected into AI│
         └────────────┬─────────────┘
                      │
                      ▼
      ┌──────────────────────────────────┐
      │  start.md command runs:          │
      │                                  │
      │  Step 1: Read workflow.md        │
      │  Step 2: Run get-context.py      │
      │  Step 3: Read spec indexes       │
      │  Step 4: Report & ask user       │
      └──────────────────────────────────┘

session-start.py is a SessionStart Hook that fires automatically at the start of each new session, ensuring the AI always begins with full context.

4.3 Spec Injection Mechanism

Automatic spec injection is a Claude Code exclusive feature, relying on the Hook system (PreToolUse intercepting Task tool calls). Cursor, Codex, OpenCode, and other platforms require manually loading specs via commands (e.g., /before-backend-dev).

inject-subagent-context.py is the core engine of Trellis. When the main Agent invokes a sub-Agent (e.g., Implement), this Hook automatically intercepts and injects context. Workflow:

Main Agent calls: Task(subagent_type="implement", prompt="...")
     │
     ▼
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Hook: inject-subagent-context.py (PreToolUse intercept)     │
│                                                              │
│  1. Read .trellis/.current-task                              │
│     → Get current task directory path                        │
│                                                              │
│  2. Read {task_dir}/implement.jsonl                          │
│     → Get spec file list for this Agent                      │
│                                                              │
│  3. Read each file referenced in JSONL                       │
│     → .trellis/spec/backend/index.md                         │
│     → .trellis/spec/backend/database-guidelines.md           │
│     → ...                                                    │
│                                                              │
│  4. Read prd.md (requirements) and info.md (design)          │
│                                                              │
│  5. Assemble all into new prompt, replace original           │
│                                                              │
│  6. Update current_phase in task.json                        │
└───────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────┘
                        │
                        ▼
Actual prompt received by Implement Agent:

  # Implement Agent Task
  ## Your Context
  === .trellis/spec/backend/index.md ===
  (Full backend spec content)
  === .trellis/spec/backend/database-guidelines.md ===
  (Full database spec content)
  === {task_dir}/prd.md (Requirements) ===
  (Full requirements doc)
  ## Your Task
  Implement the feature

JSONL Configuration Format Explained

JSONL (JSON Lines) files define which files each Agent needs to read. Each line is a JSON object:

{"file": ".trellis/workflow.md", "reason": "Project workflow and conventions"}
{"file": ".trellis/spec/backend/index.md", "reason": "Backend development guide"}
{"file": ".trellis/spec/backend/database-guidelines.md", "reason": "Database patterns"}
{"file": "src/services/", "type": "directory", "reason": "Existing service patterns"}

Field descriptions:

Field	Required	Description
`file`	Yes	Relative path to file or directory (relative to project root)
`reason`	Yes	Why this file is needed (also used to generate completion markers)
`type`	No	Defaults to `"file"`. Set to `"directory"` to read all `.md` files in the directory (max 20)

Three types of JSONL files:

File	Used By	Typical Content
`implement.jsonl`	Implement Agent	workflow.md + relevant specs + code pattern examples
`check.jsonl`	Check Agent	finish-work.md + check commands + relevant specs
`debug.jsonl`	Debug Agent	relevant specs + check commands

Practical example (implement.jsonl for a backend task):

{"file": ".trellis/workflow.md", "reason": "Project workflow and conventions"}
{"file": ".trellis/spec/shared/index.md", "reason": "Shared coding standards"}
{"file": ".trellis/spec/backend/index.md", "reason": "Backend development guide"}
{"file": ".trellis/spec/backend/api-module.md", "reason": "API module conventions"}
{"file": ".trellis/spec/backend/quality.md", "reason": "Code quality requirements"}

Injection timing and control:

implement Agent: injects implement.jsonl + prd.md + info.md
check Agent: injects check.jsonl + prd.md (to understand intent)
check Agent ([finish] marker): lightweight injection of finish-work.md + prd.md
debug Agent: injects debug.jsonl + codex-review-output.txt (if available)
research Agent: injects project structure overview + research.jsonl (optional)

4.4 Quality Control Loop (Ralph Loop)

Ralph Loop is a Claude Code exclusive quality control mechanism, relying on the SubagentStop Hook. Cursor and other platforms require manually running /check-backend (/trellis-check-backend) or /check-frontend for code checks.

Ralph Loop is based on the Ralph Wiggum technique, automatically verifying when the Check Agent finishes its work.

Check Agent thinks it's done
         │
         ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Hook: ralph-loop.py (SubagentStop intercept)          │
│                                                        │
│  1. Read verify config from worktree.yaml              │
│                                                        │
│  ┌── Has verify commands? ──┐                          │
│  │                          │                          │
│  ▼ Yes                      ▼ No                       │
│  Run verify commands        Check completion           │
│  (pnpm lint etc.)           markers                    │
│  │                          │                          │
│  ├── All pass ──────────┤── All present ──→ Allow stop │
│  │                          │                          │
│  └── Has failure ───────┘── Missing ──→ Block stop     │
│                              │                         │
│                 Return to Check Agent                  │
│                 Continue fixing                        │
│                                                        │
│  Safety limit: max 5 iterations                        │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Two verification modes: Mode A — Programmatic verification (recommended, configured in worktree.yaml):

verify:
  - pnpm lint
  - pnpm typecheck
  - pnpm test

Ralph Loop runs each command in sequence; all must return 0 to pass. Mode B — Completion Markers (fallback when no verify config): Markers are generated from check.jsonl reason fields. For example:

{"file": "...", "reason": "TypeCheck"}
{"file": "...", "reason": "Lint"}

Generated markers: TYPECHECK_FINISH, LINT_FINISH. The Check Agent must include all markers in its output to stop. State tracking: Ralph Loop tracks iteration count via .trellis/.ralph-state.json:

{
  "task": ".trellis/tasks/02-27-user-login",
  "iteration": 2,
  "started_at": "2026-02-27T10:30:00"
}

Resets automatically on task switch
30-minute timeout auto-reset
Force pass at 5 iterations (prevents infinite loops)

4.5 Complete Agent System

Trellis includes 6 built-in Agents, each with different roles, tools, and responsibilities:

Agent	Role	Tools	Model	Key Features
dispatch	Pure orchestrator	Read, Bash, Exa Search, Exa Code Context	opus	Only invokes other Agents in sequence, does not read specs
plan	Requirements assessment	Read, Bash, Glob, Grep, Task	opus	Can reject unclear requirements
implement	Code implementation	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, Exa Search, Exa Code Context	opus	Forbidden from git commit
check	Quality checking	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, Exa Search, Exa Code Context	opus	Must self-fix, controlled by Ralph Loop
debug	Bug fixing	Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Glob, Grep, Exa Search, Exa Code Context	opus	Precise fixes only, no extra refactoring
research	Information search	Read, Glob, Grep, Exa Search, Exa Code Context	opus	Read-only, does not modify files

Agent Collaboration Flow (Multi-Agent Pipeline):

Plan Agent
  │
  │  Assess requirements → accept/reject
  │  Invoke Research Agent to analyze codebase
  │  Create task directory + JSONL config
  │
  ▼
Dispatch Agent
  │
  ├──→ Implement Agent (phase 1)
  │      Hook injects implement.jsonl context
  │      Implement feature → report completion
  │
  ├──→ Check Agent (phase 2)
  │      Hook injects check.jsonl context
  │      Check code → auto-fix → Ralph Loop verification
  │
  ├──→ Check Agent [finish] (phase 3)
  │      Lightweight injection of finish-work.md
  │      Final verification → confirm requirements met
  │
  └──→ create-pr.py (phase 4)
         Commit code → push → create Draft PR

Dispatch Agent Timeout Configuration:

Phase	Max Time	Poll Count
implement	30 minutes	6 polls
check	15 minutes	3 polls
debug	20 minutes	4 polls

OpenClaw

Trellis legacy · basics

Trellis legacy · advanced

Trellis legacy · customization

Trellis legacy · workflow

Trellis legacy · appendices

Skills and templates

Showcase and community

API reference

Agentic design patterns

Architecture Overview