Case study / 05
Agent speed, bounded by engineering control.
An experimental delivery workflow separating planning, implementation, testing, and review across isolated Git worktrees.
- Role
- Workflow Architect
- Scope
- Agent roles · Isolation · Quality gates · Human approval
- Status
- Experimental workflow
- Year
- 2026
01 / CONTEXT
The problem
Automate delivery without granting agents uncontrolled access to the main branch, credentials, or publishing actions.
02 / RESPONSE
The response
A planner/reviewer and implementation agent use structured tasks, isolated worktrees, bounded repairs, evidence checks, and a human merge decision.
03 / EXPERIENCE
Product flow
- 01
Plan
Define a decision-complete task.
- 02
Isolate
Create a dedicated worktree.
- 03
Implement
Execute inside bounded permissions.
- 04
Verify
Run tests and limited repairs.
- 05
Review
Keep merge human-controlled.
05 / SYSTEM
System architecture
Plans, diffs, test evidence, and review decisions are explicit delivery artifacts.
06 / TRADE-OFFS
Architecture decisions
Role separation
Planning and implementation target different risks.
Worktree isolation
Parallel tasks cannot overwrite the primary workspace.
Bounded autonomy
Repair limits prevent endless or unsafe loops.
07 / QUALITY
Security & reliability
- Agents cannot automatically push or merge.
- Credential access is prohibited.
- Repair attempts are limited and auditable.
08 / EVIDENCE
Outcomes & evidence
- A repeatable contract for delegated software work.
- Clear evidence at every quality gate.
- Human ownership of irreversible actions.
09 / STACK