styrene-cleave 0.4.0

Recursive task decomposition for Claude Code - domain-aware splitting and reunification

Cleave

Recursive task decomposition for Claude Code. Split complex directives along domain boundaries, execute in parallel, reunify with conflict detection.

Etymology

"Cleave" holds contradictory meanings: to split apart AND to hold fast together. This duality captures the tool's essence—we cleave tasks into independent pieces, then cleave the results back into a unified whole.

Installation

Both the CLI tool and Claude Code skill are required for full functionality.

Option 1: pipx (Recommended)

Install in isolated environment with automatic skill installation:

# Install from PyPI
pipx install styrene-cleave

# Install the skill (creates symlink or copy as needed)
cleave install-skill

# Verify
cleave --help

Updates:

pipx upgrade styrene-cleave
cleave install-skill  # Auto-detects and updates stale installations

Option 2: pip

# Install from PyPI
pip install styrene-cleave

# Install the skill
cleave install-skill

# Verify
cleave --help

Option 3: Development (Editable)

# Clone the repo
git clone [e-mail]:styrene-lab/cleave.git ~/projects/cleave

# Install in editable mode
pip install -e ~/projects/cleave

# Install the skill
cleave install-skill

# Verify
cleave --help

Updates:

cd ~/projects/cleave && git pull
cleave install-skill  # Updates if version changed

Windows Users

On Windows 11, cleave install-skill will:

• Try to create a symlink (requires Developer Mode or admin privileges)
• Automatically fall back to directory copy if symlink fails
• Track version and auto-update on upgrades

To enable symlinks (optional, for better performance):

1. Open Settings → System → For developers
2. Enable "Developer Mode"
3. Run cleave install-skill again

Usage

Within Claude Code

Invoke via /cleave in any Claude Code session:

/cleave

Implement user authentication with JWT tokens, ensuring backwards
compatibility with existing session-based auth. Include migration
path and tests.

Claude will:

1. Assess complexity
2. Split into 2-3 child tasks if needed
3. Execute children (parallel or sequential)
4. Reunify results with conflict detection

CLI Commands

# Assess complexity of a directive
cleave assess --directive "Add user auth with JWT"

# Match against known patterns
cleave match --directive "Add Stripe payments"

# Initialize workspace for manual execution
cleave init --directive "Add auth" --children '["Backend", "Frontend"]'

# Detect conflicts between task results
cleave conflicts --results ".cleave/0-task.md,.cleave/1-task.md"

# Reunify completed tasks
cleave reunify --workspace .cleave

Concepts

Complexity Assessment

Formula: complexity = (1 + systems) × (1 + 0.5 × modifiers)

• Systems: Distinct architectural boundaries (UI, API, DB, external services)
• Modifiers: State coordination, error handling, concurrency, security, etc.

If complexity > threshold, the directive gets cleaved.

Splitting Strategy

• Binary (2): Clean frontend/backend or data/logic seams
• Ternary (3): Multi-layer stacks (UI/API/DB)
• Never 4+: Coordination overhead exceeds benefits

Workspace Structure

.cleave/
├── manifest.yaml      # Intent, ancestry, children, assessment
├── siblings.yaml      # Sibling coordination, file claims
├── 0-task.md          # Child 0 task file
├── 1-task.md          # Child 1 task file
├── metrics.yaml       # Telemetry
├── merge.md           # Reunification report
└── review.md          # Adversarial review

Conflict Detection

Four conflict types detected during reunification:

1. File Overlap - Multiple children modified same file
2. Decision Contradiction - Incompatible choices (Redis vs Memcached)
3. Interface Mismatch - Different signatures for same function
4. Assumption Violation - Child assumption contradicts sibling decision

Configuration

Modes

• Lean (default): Terse output, fast-path assessment
• Robust: Verbose reasoning, sequential thinking for all assessments

Flags

• --no-tdd: Skip TDD workflow instructions in task files
• --no-review: Skip adversarial review during reunification
• --infer-permissions: Detect required bash permissions upfront

Requirements

• Python 3.11+
• Claude Code CLI (for skill usage)
• Sequential Thinking MCP server (recommended for complex assessments)

License

MIT