Recursive-Mode for Coding Agents

Recursive-Mode offers a structured workflow for coding agents, providing file-backed processes for requirements, planning, implementation, testing, review, and closeout phases. It addresses the common issue of 'context rot' by keeping all decisions, plans, and evidence in persistent repository documents that outlast individual sessions or contributors. Each phase generates locked output documents that serve as inputs for subsequent phases, ensuring a clear traceability of development steps and rationale. The workflow is designed to be recursive, with later phases consuming earlier artifacts and looping through drafting, auditing, repairing, and re-auditing until the work meets defined criteria. This approach not only enhances day-to-day development but also creates high-quality datasets for fine-tuning or self-training against existing codebases and engineering processes.

Engineering teams using coding agents adopt Recursive-Mode to run audited, file-backed development phases that keep project knowledge in repository files, not chat logs.