octopus-quick

Host: Codex CLI — This skill was designed for Claude Code and adapted for Codex.

Cross-reference commands use installed skill names in Codex rather than /octo:* slash commands.

Use the active Codex shell and subagent tools. Do not claim a provider, model, or host subagent is available until the current session exposes it.

For host tool equivalents, see skills/blocks/codex-host-adapter.md.

Quick Mode - Lightweight Task Execution ⚡

Fast-track execution for small tasks that don't need full Double Diamond workflow overhead.

When to Use Quick Mode

✅ Use Quick Mode For:

Bug Fixes:

• One-file bug fixes with known solution
• Typo corrections
• Logic error fixes
• Import/export corrections

Configuration Changes:

• Update environment variables
• Modify config files
• Adjust settings
• Update dependencies

Small Refactorings:

• Rename variables/functions
• Extract helper functions
• Simplify logic in single file
• Code cleanup

Documentation:

• Fix typos in README
• Update comments
• Add/update docstrings
• Clarify documentation

Dependency Management:

• Update package versions
• Add new dependency
• Remove unused dependency

❌ Don't Use Quick Mode For:

Complex Work:

• New features
• Architecture changes
• Multi-file refactorings
• Security-sensitive changes
• Performance optimizations requiring research
• Database schema changes
• API contract changes

Use full workflows for complex work to ensure quality.

Execution Flow

Quick mode follows a streamlined process:

User Request → Direct Implementation → Atomic Commit → Summary

What Quick Mode SKIPS:

• ❌ Multi-AI research (probe/discover)
• ❌ Requirements planning (grasp/define)
• ❌ Multi-AI validation (ink/deliver)
• ❌ Plan-checker verification

What Quick Mode KEEPS:

• ✅ State tracking (records in state.json)
• ✅ Atomic commits (git commit with description)
• ✅ Summary generation (stored in .claude-octopus/quick/)
• ✅ Change documentation

Usage

Via Command

/octo:quick "add dark mode toggle to settings"

Via Skill Invocation

Use skill: octopus-quick
Task: "fix typo in README.md line 42"

Examples

/octo:quick "update Next.js to v15"
/octo:quick "fix the broken import in auth.ts"
/octo:quick "add error handling to login function"
/octo:quick "remove console.log statements"

Implementation

Step 1: Understand the Task

Quickly assess:

• What file(s) need to change?
• What's the specific change?
• Any dependencies or side effects?

Step 2: Make the Change

Implement directly using appropriate tools:

• Edit - For modifying existing files
• Write - For creating new files (rare in quick mode)
• Bash - For file operations, dependency updates

Step 3: Create Atomic Commit

Always create a descriptive commit:

# Stage changes
git add [changed-files]

# Create commit with clear message
git commit -m "quick: [brief description]

[Detailed explanation if needed]

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>"

Commit message format:

• Prefix with quick: to indicate quick mode
• Brief description in present tense
• Optional detailed explanation
• Co-authored tag

Step 4: Record in State

# Update state with quick task execution
"${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/state-manager.sh" write_decision \
  "quick" \
  "$(git log -1 --pretty=%s)" \
  "Ad-hoc task executed in quick mode"

# Update metrics
"${HOME}/.claude-octopus/plugin/scripts/state-manager.sh" update_metrics \
  "execution_time" \
  "1"  # Estimated in minutes

Step 5: Generate Summary

# Create quick task summary
mkdir -p .claude-octopus/quick

summary_file=".claude-octopus/quick/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)-summary.md"

cat > "$summary_file" <<EOF
# Quick Task: $(git log -1 --pretty=%s)

## Task Description
$TASK_DESCRIPTION

## Changes Made
$(git diff HEAD~1..HEAD --stat)

## Files Modified
$(git diff --name-only HEAD~1..HEAD)

## Commit
$(git rev-parse HEAD)

## Timestamp
$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)

*Executed in Quick Mode - minimal overhead execution*
EOF

echo "📝 Summary saved to: $summary_file"

Complete Example

User Request:

/octo:quick "fix typo in README - change 'recieve' to 'receive'"

Execution:

1. Read the file

`` Read README.md to locate the typo ``

1. Make the change

`` Edit README.md: replace "recieve" with "receive" ``

1. Commit atomically

```bash git add README.md git commit -m "quick: fix typo in README (recieve → receive)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>" ```

1. Record in state

``bash state-manager.sh write_decision "quick" \ "Fixed typo in README" \ "Ad-hoc documentation fix" ``

1. Generate summary

``bash Created: .claude-octopus/quick/20260129-143045-summary.md ``

1. Report to user

`` ✅ Fixed typo in README.md 📝 Commit: abc123f 📋 Summary: .claude-octopus/quick/20260129-143045-summary.md ``

Benefits of Quick Mode

Speed ⚡

• No multi-AI orchestration overhead
• Direct implementation
• Faster for simple tasks

Cost Savings 💰

• No external provider API calls
• Only uses Claude (included with Claude Code)
• Efficient for ad-hoc work

Still Tracked 📊

• Commits recorded
• State updated
• Summaries generated
• Full audit trail maintained

Appropriate Scope 🎯

• Right tool for small tasks
• Doesn't over-engineer simple changes
• Reserves full workflows for complex work

When Quick Mode Isn't Enough

If during execution you realize the task is more complex than expected:

Stop and escalate to full workflow:

This task is more complex than anticipated. I recommend using the full
workflow instead:

- For research: /octo:discover "research authentication patterns"
- For planning: /octo:define "define auth requirements"
- For building: /octo:develop "implement auth system"
- For validation: /octo:deliver "validate auth implementation"

Would you like me to switch to a full workflow?

Indicators to escalate:

• Multiple files need changes
• Requires architectural decisions
• Needs research or comparison
• Security implications
• Performance implications
• Breaking changes

Directory Structure

Quick mode creates summaries in a dedicated directory:

.claude-octopus/
└── quick/
    ├── 20260129-143045-summary.md
    ├── 20260129-150122-summary.md
    └── 20260129-161530-summary.md

Each summary includes:

• Task description
• Changes made
• Files modified
• Commit hash
• Timestamp

Comparison: Quick Mode vs Full Workflow

| Aspect | Quick Mode ⚡ | Full Workflow 🐙 | |--------|-------------|------------------| | Time | 1-3 minutes | 5-15 minutes | | Cost | Claude only | Claude plus available external providers | | Providers | 1 (Claude) | Available provider fleet | | Research | None | Comprehensive | | Planning | None | Detailed | | Validation | Basic | Multi-AI review | | Best For | Simple fixes | Complex features | | When to Use | Known solution | Unknown solution |

Best Practices

DO:

• ✅ Use quick mode for straightforward tasks
• ✅ Create descriptive commit messages
• ✅ Generate summaries for audit trail
• ✅ Update state even in quick mode
• ✅ Escalate to full workflow if complexity increases

DON'T:

• ❌ Use quick mode for new features
• ❌ Skip commits (always commit atomically)
• ❌ Skip state updates (maintain consistency)
• ❌ Use quick mode for security-sensitive changes
• ❌ Force quick mode when full workflow is appropriate

Troubleshooting

"Quick mode is taking too long"

→ Task is probably too complex. Escalate to full workflow.

"Change broke tests"

→ Quick mode assumes simple, safe changes. Use full workflow for risky changes.

"Need to research best approach"

→ Quick mode is for known solutions only. Use /octo:discover for research.

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