Cheat Sheet

Every PAPI stage in one page. Keep this open alongside your AI tool.

Workflow Stages

Session Start

orient()

Returns cycle state, task counts, and recommended next action.

First call of every session.

Planning

plan(mode: prepare/apply)

Selects tasks from backlog, generates BUILD HANDOFFs, assigns to cycle.

Start of a new cycle. After release.

Building

build_execute(task_id)

Start returns handoff. Complete submits build report with effort and findings.

Each task in the cycle, one at a time.

Reviewing

review_list() → review_submit()

List pending reviews. Submit accept, request-changes, or reject.

After build completes. Human reviews.

Releasing

release(branch, version)

Creates git tag, generates CHANGELOG, pushes to remote.

All cycle tasks Done or Cancelled.

Strategy Review

strategy_review(mode: prepare/apply)

Deep analysis of velocity, ADs, and direction. Produces recommendations.

Every 5 cycles. Own session.

Common Flags

light=true

Skip branch/PR creation for XS/S single-task builds.

skip_handoffs=true

Run planning without generating handoffs. Use handoff_generate separately.

force=true

Bypass planning guards (unreleased cycle block, strategy review cadence).

existing_project=true

Tell setup to scan an existing codebase instead of starting fresh.

The Cycle

orient → plan → build → review → release → repeat
                              ↑
                      strategy review (every 5 cycles)