A Director Mode workflow for repository-scale work

Director Mode here means a repository orchestration pattern, not an official Git or GitHub product. A lead coordinator retains the requirement, architecture, scope, and completion judgment, delegates independent exploration or implementation, and integrates against shared evidence. Parallelism is valuable when problems are independent, not when several agents edit the same file. As of 2026-07-29, Git worktrees support multiple checked-out branches for one repository. GitHub pull requests and status checks support diff review and automated validation against commits. A Director workflow should use these observable primitives instead of trusting an agent's statement that work is complete. Implementation steps Create a task brief with user outcome, in and out of scope, acceptance criteria, sources of truth, protected files, verification, and remote-action policy. Run git status --short first and record pre-existing dirty files. Every contributor preserves work that belongs to someone else. Draw an ownership map. A parallel subtask has a specific file or module responsibility and interface: Agent A owns a database migration, B owns a UI component, and C performs a read-only audit. If two tasks require a shared type or package lock, assign one owner or integrate those changes serially. Use linked worktrees for isolation, with one absolute path per branch. When agents share one worktree, communicate edits and avoid repository-wide formatting. git status --short git worktree add ../project-auth -b feat/auth git worktree add ../project-content -b feat/content git worktree list Maintain a scope ledger containing task, owner, files, dependency, status, evidence, and blockers. An agent report includes changed files, test commands and outcomes, and residual risk—not only a summary. An exploration task stays read-only; an implementation task does not refactor unrelated surfaces opportunistically. Define interfaces before parallel implementation: schema, API, component props, error contract, and migration sequence. If evidence changes an interface, the coordinator communicates one revision to every dependent owner. Integrate in dependency order: migrations and types, service, UI, and cross-surface tests. Review each diff and conflict before merge or cherry-pick, then run affected tests. Do not wait until every change is stacked before the first build. In a shared worktree, do not cherry-pick changes already visible in the filesystem. Review in layers: owner self-review, another reviewer for correctness and security, and coordinator acceptance. A draft pull request can share work in progress; once ready, required checks must apply to the latest commit SHA. A skipped workflow can appear successful, so verify triggers too. Judge completion from evidence: clean diff checks, type, lint, tests, build, integration or E2E, migration dry run, and preview or live behavior when required. A UI renovation covers meaningful routes and mobile rather than one screenshot. A production task requires a remote read or live response, not only a successful push or deployment. Failure and recovery When agents edit one file concurrently, stop one side, preserve both patches, and let the owner integrate them against the interface. Never use checkout or hard reset on a shared worktree. Rerun both test sets after resolving the conflict. When a subtask reports completion without evidence, keep it in review. Ask for exact commands and results or run the gate centrally. For a pre-existing failure, prove the baseline; “it may already have been broken” is not evidence. When a branch drifts, rebase or merge the target into its isolated worktree and resolve and test there. Do not force a large branch directly into main at the end. Director Mode does not expand authority for destructive remote actions. When context or an agent is interrupted, hand off goal, done and not done, files, commands and outcomes, current Git state, and the next exact action. Resume from the newest verified state instead of restarting completed work. Verification commands git status --short git diff --check git diff --stat npm run type-check npm run test:run npm run build Map every acceptance criterion to an artifact, test, or live observation and list unresolved caveats. Confirm required checks correspond to the latest SHA, the pull request contains no unrelated files, worktrees and branches are traceable, and a rollback commit or artifact exists. Primary sources Git worktree documentation GitHub Pull requests GitHub Status checks Internal links Browse technical articles for the production stack and agent permissions. Practice branches, CI, and review gates through the course catalog . Review coaching services for repository-scale work.