Spawn Manifest Schema

The manifest file (.lumenflow/templates/manifest.yaml) controls how templates are assembled into spawn prompts. It defines the order, requirements, and conditions for each template.

File Location

.lumenflow/
  templates/
    manifest.yaml          # This file
    spawn-prompt/
      tdd-directive.md
      constraints.md
      ...

Minimal Manifest

version: '1.0'

templates:
  - id: tdd-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/tdd-directive.md
    required: true
    order: 10

Complete Manifest

version: '1.0'

defaults:
  tokenFormat: '{TOKEN}'

templates:
  # Type-specific directives (order 10-50)
  - id: tdd-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/tdd-directive.md
    required: false
    order: 10
    condition: "type !== 'documentation'"

  - id: documentation-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/documentation-directive.md
    required: false
    order: 10
    condition: "type === 'documentation'"

  # Common sections (order 50-200)
  - id: skills-selection
    path: spawn-prompt/skills-selection.md
    required: true
    order: 50

  - id: effort-scaling
    path: spawn-prompt/effort-scaling.md
    required: true
    order: 100

  # Lane-specific guidance (order 400-500)
  - id: lane-guidance-framework
    path: spawn-prompt/lane-guidance/framework.md
    required: false
    order: 400
    condition: "laneParent === 'Framework'"

  # Constraints always last (order 900+)
  - id: constraints
    path: spawn-prompt/constraints.md
    required: true
    order: 1000

Schema Reference

Root Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
version	string	Yes	Manifest schema version
defaults	object	No	Default settings for processing
templates	array	Yes	List of template entries

defaults Object

Field	Type	Default	Description
tokenFormat	string	{TOKEN}	Token placeholder format

Note

The tokenFormat field is reserved for future use. Currently, all tokens use the {TOKEN} format.

Template Entry

Each entry in the templates array:

Field	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Unique identifier matching template frontmatter
path	string	Yes	Relative path from .lumenflow/templates/
required	boolean	Yes	Whether template must exist
order	number	Yes	Sort position (ascending)
condition	string	No	Inclusion condition expression

Field Details

version

The manifest schema version. Currently only 1.0 is supported.

version: '1.0'

Future versions may add new fields or change behavior.

id

A unique identifier for the template. Must match the id field in the template’s YAML frontmatter.

- id: tdd-directive # Matches template frontmatter id
  path: spawn-prompt/tdd-directive.md

The id is used for:

• Matching templates during loading
• Client override resolution
• Error messages and debugging

path

Relative path from .lumenflow/templates/ to the template file.

# Direct file
- id: constraints
  path: spawn-prompt/constraints.md

# Nested in subdirectory
- id: lane-guidance-framework
  path: spawn-prompt/lane-guidance/framework.md

Caution

Paths are relative to .lumenflow/templates/, not the repository root.

required

Controls behavior when a template cannot be found or loaded.

When true:

- id: constraints
  required: true
  # Error thrown if template is missing

Assembly fails with an error message indicating the expected path.

When false:

- id: visual-directive
  required: false
  # Silently skipped if missing

Missing template is skipped without error.

order

Numeric value controlling assembly sequence. Lower values appear first in the output.

templates:
  - id: tdd-directive
    order: 10 # Appears first
  - id: constraints
    order: 1000 # Appears last

Recommended ranges:

Range	Purpose
10-50	Type-specific directives
50-100	Skills and methodology
100-200	Agent guidance
200-300	Operational guidance
300-400	Recovery and worktree
400-500	Lane-specific guidance
900+	Constraints (always last)

Equal order values:

When multiple templates have the same order, their relative order is undefined. Use conditions to ensure only one is included:

# Both have order 10, but conditions are mutually exclusive
- id: tdd-directive
  order: 10
  condition: "type !== 'documentation'"

- id: documentation-directive
  order: 10
  condition: "type === 'documentation'"

condition

Optional JavaScript-like expression controlling template inclusion.

Syntax:

Operator	Example
Equality	type === 'feature'
Inequality	type !== 'documentation'
Truthy	worktreePath
AND	type === 'bug' && laneParent === 'Core'
OR	type === 'feature' || type === 'bug'

Available variables:

Variable	Description
type	WU type (feature, bug, documentation)
lane	Full lane name
laneParent	Parent lane (Framework, Content, etc.)
wuId	Work Unit ID
worktreePath	Worktree path (truthy if claimed)
title	WU title
description	WU description

Examples:

# Feature and bug WUs only
condition: "type === 'feature' || type === 'bug'"

# Documentation WUs only
condition: "type === 'documentation' || type === 'docs'"

# Only when worktree exists
condition: "worktreePath"

# Framework lane only
condition: "laneParent === 'Framework'"

# Combined: features in Framework lane
condition: "type === 'feature' && laneParent === 'Framework'"

Validation

The manifest is validated when loaded. Errors include:

Missing version

Error: manifest.yaml: 'version' field is required and must be a string

Missing templates array

Error: manifest.yaml: 'templates' field is required and must be an array

Invalid template entry

Error: manifest.yaml: Template entry 'my-template' is missing required fields: order, required

YAML syntax error

Error: Failed to parse manifest.yaml: <yaml error details>

Assembly Algorithm

When wu:brief assembles templates:

1. Parse manifest - Validate structure and entries
2. Load templates - Read files from spawn-prompt/
3. Apply overrides - Replace base templates with client-specific versions
4. Sort entries - Order by order field ascending
5. Evaluate conditions - Skip templates where condition is false
6. Check required - Error if required template is missing
7. Replace tokens - Substitute {TOKEN} placeholders
8. Join sections - Concatenate with double newlines

Client Override Resolution

Client-specific manifests are not supported. Overrides work at the template level:

.lumenflow/
  templates/
    manifest.yaml              # Single manifest for all clients
    spawn-prompt/
      skills-selection.md      # Base template
  templates.claude/
    spawn-prompt/
      skills-selection.md      # Claude override (same id)

When assembling for claude:

1. Load base template with id: skills-selection
2. Load override from templates.claude/spawn-prompt/skills-selection.md
3. Override replaces base (matched by id)

Tip

To add client-specific templates not in the base manifest, add them to the manifest with a client-specific condition or create them in the base directory with a client condition.

Example: Full Manifest

This example shows the default LumenFlow manifest structure:

# .lumenflow/templates/manifest.yaml
version: '1.0'

defaults:
  tokenFormat: '{TOKEN}'

templates:
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Phase 1: Type-specific directives (order 10-50)
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: tdd-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/tdd-directive.md
    required: false
    order: 10
    condition: "type !== 'documentation' && type !== 'docs' && type !== 'config'"

  - id: documentation-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/documentation-directive.md
    required: false
    order: 10
    condition: "type === 'documentation' || type === 'docs' || type === 'config'"

  - id: visual-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/visual-directive.md
    required: false
    order: 15
    condition: "type === 'visual' || type === 'design' || type === 'ui'"

  - id: refactor-directive
    path: spawn-prompt/refactor-directive.md
    required: false
    order: 15
    condition: "type === 'refactor'"

  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Skills selection (order 50)
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: skills-selection
    path: spawn-prompt/skills-selection.md
    required: true
    order: 50

  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Phase 2: Agent guidance (order 100-200)
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: effort-scaling
    path: spawn-prompt/effort-scaling.md
    required: true
    order: 100

  - id: parallel-tool-calls
    path: spawn-prompt/parallel-tool-calls.md
    required: true
    order: 110

  - id: search-heuristics
    path: spawn-prompt/search-heuristics.md
    required: true
    order: 120

  - id: token-budget
    path: spawn-prompt/token-budget.md
    required: true
    order: 130

  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Phase 3: Operational guidance (order 200-300)
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: bug-discovery
    path: spawn-prompt/bug-discovery.md
    required: true
    order: 200

  - id: quick-fix-commands
    path: spawn-prompt/quick-fix-commands.md
    required: true
    order: 210

  - id: lane-selection
    path: spawn-prompt/lane-selection.md
    required: true
    order: 220

  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Phase 4: Recovery and worktree (order 300-400)
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: worktree-recovery
    path: spawn-prompt/worktree-recovery.md
    required: false
    order: 300
    condition: 'worktreePath'

  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Phase 5: Lane-specific guidance (order 400-500)
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: lane-guidance-operations
    path: spawn-prompt/lane-guidance/operations.md
    required: false
    order: 400
    condition: "laneParent === 'Operations'"

  - id: lane-guidance-framework
    path: spawn-prompt/lane-guidance/framework.md
    required: false
    order: 400
    condition: "laneParent === 'Framework'"

  - id: lane-guidance-content
    path: spawn-prompt/lane-guidance/content.md
    required: false
    order: 400
    condition: "laneParent === 'Content'"

  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  # Phase 6: Constraints (order 900+) - ALWAYS LAST
  # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  - id: constraints
    path: spawn-prompt/constraints.md
    required: true
    order: 1000

Next Steps

• Template Format - Template file structure
• Customizing Spawn Prompts - Create custom templates
• CLI Reference - wu:brief and wu:delegate command options