Chain Patterns
Overview
Foundation patterns for CC 2.1.71 pipeline skills. This skill is loaded via the skills: frontmatter field — it provides patterns that parent skills follow.
Pattern 1: MCP Detection (ToolSearch Probe)
Run BEFORE any MCP tool call. Probes are parallel and instant.
FIRST thing in any pipeline skill — all in ONE message:
ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__memory__search_nodes") ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__context7__resolve-library-id") ToolSearch(query="select:mcp__sequential-thinking__sequentialthinking")
Store results for all phases:
Write(".claude/chain/capabilities.json", JSON.stringify({ "memory": true_or_false, "context7": true_or_false, "sequential": true_or_false, "timestamp": "ISO-8601" }))
Usage in phases:
BEFORE any mcp__memory__ call:
if capabilities.memory: mcp__memory__search_nodes(query="...")
else: skip gracefully, no error
Load details: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/mcp-detection.md")
Pattern 2: Handoff Files
Write structured JSON after every major phase. Survives context compaction and rate limits.
Write(".claude/chain/NN-phase-name.json", JSON.stringify({ "phase": "rca", "skill": "fix-issue", "timestamp": "ISO-8601", "status": "completed", "outputs": { ... }, # phase-specific results "mcps_used": ["memory"], "next_phase": 5 }))
Location: .claude/chain/ — numbered files for ordering, descriptive names for clarity.
Load schema: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/handoff-schema.md")
Pattern 3: Checkpoint-Resume
Read state at skill start. If found, skip completed phases.
FIRST instruction after MCP probe:
Read(".claude/chain/state.json")
If exists and matches current skill:
→ Read last handoff file
→ Skip to current_phase
→ Tell user: "Resuming from Phase N"
If not exists:
Write(".claude/chain/state.json", JSON.stringify({ "skill": "fix-issue", "started": "ISO-8601", "current_phase": 1, "completed_phases": [], "capabilities": { ... } }))
After each major phase:
Update state.json with new current_phase and append to completed_phases
Load protocol: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/checkpoint-resume.md")
Pattern 4: Worktree-Isolated Agents
Use isolation: "worktree" when spawning agents that WRITE files in parallel.
Agents editing different files in parallel:
Agent( subagent_type="backend-system-architect", prompt="Implement backend for: {feature}...", isolation="worktree", # own copy of repo run_in_background=true )
When to use worktree: Agents with Write/Edit tools running in parallel. When NOT to use: Read-only agents (brainstorm, assessment, review).
Load details: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/worktree-agent-pattern.md")
Pattern 5: CronCreate Monitoring
Schedule post-completion health checks that survive session end.
Guard: Skip cron in headless/CI (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON)
if env CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_CRON is set, run a single check instead
CronCreate( schedule="*/5 * * * *", prompt="Check CI status for PR #{number}: Run: gh pr checks {number} --repo {repo} All pass → CronDelete this job, report success. Any fail → alert with failure details." )
Load patterns: Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/cron-monitoring.md")
Rules
Rule Impact Key Pattern
rules/probe-before-use.md
HIGH Always ToolSearch before MCP calls
rules/handoff-after-phase.md
HIGH Write handoff JSON after every major phase
rules/checkpoint-on-gate.md
MEDIUM Update state.json at every user gate
References
Load on demand with Read("${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/<file>") :
File Content
mcp-detection.md
ToolSearch probe pattern + capability map
handoff-schema.md
JSON schema for .claude/chain/*.json
checkpoint-resume.md
state.json schema + resume protocol
worktree-agent-pattern.md
isolation: "worktree" usage guide
cron-monitoring.md
CronCreate patterns for post-task health
tier-fallbacks.md
T1/T2/T3 graceful degradation
Related Skills
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ork:implement — Full-power feature implementation (primary consumer)
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ork:fix-issue — Issue debugging and resolution pipeline
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ork:verify — Post-implementation verification
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ork:brainstorm — Design exploration pipeline