marsai:using-dev-team

Using MarsAI Developer Specialists

The marsai-dev-team plugin provides 8 specialized developer agents. Use them via Task tool with subagent_type:.

See CLAUDE.md and marsai:using-marsai for canonical workflow requirements and ORCHESTRATOR principle. This skill introduces dev-team-specific agents.

Remember: Follow the ORCHESTRATOR principle from marsai:using-marsai. Dispatch agents to handle complexity; don't operate tools directly.

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Blocker Criteria - STOP and Report

<block_condition>

• Technology Stack decision needed
• Architecture decision needed (monolith vs microservices)
• Infrastructure decision needed (cloud provider)
• Testing strategy decision needed (unit vs E2E) </block_condition>

If any condition applies, STOP and ask user.

always pause and report blocker for:

Decision Type	Examples	Action
Technology Stack	TypeScript variant for new service	STOP. Check existing patterns. Ask user.
Architecture	Monolith vs microservices	STOP. This is a business decision. Ask user.
Infrastructure	Cloud provider choice	STOP. Check existing infrastructure. Ask user.
Testing Strategy	Unit vs E2E vs both	STOP. Check QA requirements. Ask user.

You CANNOT make technology decisions autonomously. STOP and ask.

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Common Misconceptions - REJECTED

See shared-patterns/shared-anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations (including Specialist Dispatch section).

Self-sufficiency bias check: If you're tempted to implement directly, ask:

1. Is there a specialist for this? (Check the 9 specialists below)
2. Would a specialist follow standards I might miss?
3. Am I avoiding dispatch because it feels like "overhead"?

If any answer is yes → You MUST DISPATCH the specialist. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE.

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Severity Calibration

Severity	Criteria	Examples
CRITICAL	Wrong agent dispatched, security risk	Backend agent for frontend task, skipped security review
HIGH	Missing specialist dispatch, sequential reviewers	Implemented directly without agent, reviewers run one-by-one
MEDIUM	Suboptimal agent selection, missing context	Used general agent when specialist exists
LOW	Documentation gaps, minor dispatch issues	Missing agent context, unclear prompt

Report all severities. CRITICAL = immediate correction. HIGH = fix before continuing. MEDIUM = note for next dispatch. LOW = document.

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Anti-Rationalization Table

See shared-patterns/shared-anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations (including Specialist Dispatch section and Universal section).

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Cannot Be Overridden

<cannot_skip>

• Dispatch to specialist (standards loading required)
• 8-gate development cycle (quality gates)
• Parallel reviewer dispatch (not sequential)
• TDD in Gate 0 (test-first)
• User approval in Gate 9 </cannot_skip>

These requirements are NON-NEGOTIABLE:

Requirement	Why It Cannot Be Waived
Dispatch to specialist	Specialists have standards loading, you don't
8-gate development cycle	Gates prevent quality regressions
Parallel reviewer dispatch	Sequential review = 3x slower, same cost
TDD in Gate 0	Test-first ensures testability
User approval in Gate 9	Only users can approve completion

User cannot override these. Time pressure cannot override these. "Simple task" cannot override these.

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Pressure Resistance

See shared-patterns/shared-pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios (including Combined Pressure Scenarios and Emergency Response).

Critical Reminder:

• Urgency ≠ Permission to bypass - Emergencies require MORE care, not less
• Authority ≠ Permission to bypass - MarsAI standards override human preferences
• Sunk Cost ≠ Permission to bypass - Wrong approach stays wrong at 80% completion

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Emergency Response Protocol

See shared-patterns/shared-pressure-resistance.md → Emergency Response section for the complete protocol.

Emergency Dispatch Template:

Task tool:
  subagent_type: "marsai:backend-engineer-typescript"
  prompt: "URGENT PRODUCTION INCIDENT: [brief context]. [Your specific request]"

IMPORTANT: Specialist dispatch takes 5-10 minutes, not hours. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE even under CEO pressure.

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Combined Pressure Scenarios

See shared-patterns/shared-pressure-resistance.md → Combined Pressure Scenarios section.

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8 Developer Specialists

<dispatch_required agent="{specialist}"> Use Task tool to dispatch appropriate specialist based on technology need. </dispatch_required>

Agent	Specializations	Use When
marsai:backend-engineer-typescript	TypeScript/Node.js, Express/Fastify/NestJS, Prisma/TypeORM, async patterns, Jest/Vitest	TS backends, JS→TS migration, NestJS design, full-stack TS
marsai:devops-engineer	Docker/Compose, Terraform/Helm, cloud infra, secrets management	Containerization, local dev setup, IaC provisioning, Helm charts
marsai:frontend-bff-engineer-typescript	Next.js API Routes BFF, Clean/Hexagonal Architecture, DDD patterns, Inversify DI, repository pattern	BFF layer, Clean Architecture, DDD domains, API orchestration
marsai:frontend-designer	Bold typography, color systems, animations, unexpected layouts, textures/gradients	Landing pages, portfolios, distinctive dashboards, design systems
marsai:ui-engineer	Wireframe-to-code, Design System compliance, UX criteria satisfaction, UI states implementation	Implementing from product-designer specs (ux-criteria.md, user-flows.md, wireframes/)
marsai:qa-analyst	Test strategy, coverage analysis, API testing, integration/chaos testing	Backend test planning, coverage gaps, quality gates
marsai:qa-analyst-frontend	Vitest, Testing Library, axe-core, Playwright, Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals, snapshot testing	Frontend test planning, accessibility, visual, E2E, performance testing
marsai:sre	Structured logging, tracing, health checks, observability	Logging validation, tracing setup, health endpoint verification

Dispatch template:

Task tool:
  subagent_type: "marsai:{agent-name}"
  prompt: "{Your specific request with context}"

Frontend Agent Selection:

• marsai:frontend-designer = visual aesthetics, design specifications (no code)
• marsai:frontend-bff-engineer-typescript = business logic/architecture, BFF layer
• marsai:ui-engineer = implementing UI from product-designer specs (ux-criteria.md, user-flows.md, wireframes/)

When to use marsai:ui-engineer: Use marsai:ui-engineer when product-designer outputs exist in docs/pre-dev/{feature}/. The marsai:ui-engineer specializes in translating design specifications into production code while ensuring all UX criteria are satisfied.

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When to Use Developer Specialists vs General Review

Use Developer Specialists for:

• ✅ Deep technical expertise needed – Architecture decisions, complex implementations
• ✅ Technology-specific guidance – "How do I optimize this TypeScript service?"
• ✅ Specialized domains – Infrastructure, SRE, testing strategy
• ✅ Building from scratch – New service, new pipeline, new testing framework

Use General Review Agents for:

• ✅ Code quality assessment – Architecture, patterns, maintainability
• ✅ Correctness & edge cases – Business logic verification
• ✅ Security review – OWASP, auth, validation
• ✅ Post-implementation – Before merging existing code

Both can be used together: Get developer specialist guidance during design, then run general reviewers before merge.

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Dispatching Multiple Specialists

If you need multiple specialists (e.g., backend engineer + DevOps engineer), dispatch in parallel (single message, multiple Task calls):

✅ CORRECT:
Task #1: marsai:backend-engineer-typescript
Task #2: marsai:devops-engineer
(Both run in parallel)

❌ WRONG:
Task #1: marsai:backend-engineer-typescript
(Wait for response)
Task #2: marsai:devops-engineer
(Sequential = 2x slower)

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ORCHESTRATOR Principle

Remember:

• You're the orchestrator – Dispatch specialists, don't implement directly
• Don't read specialist docs yourself – Dispatch to specialist, they know their domain
• Combine with marsai:using-marsai principle – Skills + Specialists = complete workflow

Good Example (ORCHESTRATOR):

"I need a TypeScript service. Let me dispatch marsai:backend-engineer-typescript to design it."

Bad Example (OPERATOR):

"I'll manually read TypeScript best practices and design the service myself."

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Available in This Plugin

Agents: See "9 Developer Specialists" table above.

Skills: marsai:using-dev-team (this), marsai:dev-cycle (8-gate backend workflow), marsai:dev-cycle-frontend (9-gate frontend workflow), marsai:dev-refactor (backend/general codebase analysis), marsai:dev-refactor-frontend (frontend codebase analysis)

Commands: /marsai:dev-cycle (backend tasks), /marsai:dev-cycle-frontend (frontend tasks), /marsai:dev-refactor (analyze backend/general codebase), /marsai:dev-refactor-frontend (analyze frontend codebase), /marsai:dev-status, /marsai:dev-cancel, /marsai:dev-report

Note: Missing agents? Check .claude-plugin/marketplace.json for marsai-dev-team plugin.

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Development Workflows

All workflows converge to the 8-gate development cycle:

Workflow	Entry Point	Output	Then
New Feature	/marsai:pre-dev-feature "description"	docs/pre-dev/{feature}/tasks.md	→ /marsai:dev-cycle tasks.md
Direct Tasks	/marsai:dev-cycle tasks.md	—	Execute 8 gates directly
Refactoring	/marsai:dev-refactor	docs/marsai:dev-refactor/{timestamp}/tasks.md	→ /marsai:dev-cycle tasks.md
Frontend Refactoring	/marsai:dev-refactor-frontend	docs/marsai:dev-refactor-frontend/{timestamp}/tasks.md	→ /marsai:dev-cycle-frontend tasks.md

8-Gate Backend Development Cycle:

Gate	Focus	Agent(s)
0: Implementation	TDD: RED→GREEN→REFACTOR	marsai:backend-engineer-*, marsai:frontend-bff-engineer-typescript, marsai:ui-engineer
1: DevOps	Dockerfile, docker-compose, .env	marsai:devops-engineer
2: SRE	Health checks, logging, tracing	marsai:sre
3: Unit Testing	Unit tests, coverage ≥85%	marsai:qa-analyst
4: Integration Testing	Integration tests (write per unit, execute at end)	marsai:qa-analyst
5: Chaos Testing	Chaos tests (write per unit, execute at end)	marsai:qa-analyst
6: Review	7 reviewers IN PARALLEL	marsai:code-reviewer, marsai:business-logic-reviewer, marsai:security-reviewer, marsai:test-reviewer, marsai:nil-safety-reviewer, marsai:consequences-reviewer, marsai:dead-code-reviewer
7: Validation	User approval: APPROVED/REJECTED	User decision

Gate 0 Agent Selection for Frontend:

• If docs/pre-dev/{feature}/ux-criteria.md exists → use marsai:ui-engineer
• Otherwise → use marsai:frontend-bff-engineer-typescript

Key Principle: Backend follows the 8-gate process. Frontend follows the 9-gate process.

Frontend Development Cycle (9 Gates)

Use /marsai:dev-cycle-frontend for frontend-specific development:

Gate	Focus	Agent(s)
0: Implementation	TDD: RED→GREEN→REFACTOR	marsai:frontend-engineer, marsai:ui-engineer, marsai:frontend-bff-engineer-typescript
1: DevOps	Dockerfile, docker-compose, .env	marsai:devops-engineer
2: Accessibility	WCAG 2.1 AA, axe-core, keyboard nav	marsai:qa-analyst-frontend
3: Unit Testing	Vitest + Testing Library, ≥85%	marsai:qa-analyst-frontend
4: Visual Testing	Snapshots, states, responsive	marsai:qa-analyst-frontend
5: E2E Testing	Playwright, cross-browser, user flows	marsai:qa-analyst-frontend
6: Performance	Core Web Vitals, Lighthouse > 90	marsai:qa-analyst-frontend
7: Review	7 reviewers IN PARALLEL	marsai:code-reviewer, marsai:business-logic-reviewer, marsai:security-reviewer, marsai:test-reviewer, marsai:nil-safety-reviewer, marsai:consequences-reviewer, marsai:dead-code-reviewer
8: Validation	User approval: APPROVED/REJECTED	User decision

Backend → Frontend Handoff: When backend dev cycle completes, it produces a handoff with endpoints, types, and contracts. The frontend dev cycle consumes this handoff to verify E2E tests exercise the correct API endpoints.

Step	Command	Output
1. Backend	/marsai:dev-cycle tasks.md	Backend code + handoff (endpoints, contracts)
2. Frontend	/marsai:dev-cycle-frontend tasks-frontend.md	Frontend code consuming backend endpoints

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Integration with Other Plugins

• marsai:using-marsai (default) – ORCHESTRATOR principle for all agents

Dispatch based on your need:

• General code review → default plugin agents
• Specific domain expertise → marsai-dev-team agents