# Retrospective: Prompt 1.1 - Project Initialization
{document:retrospective}[context:learning] {state:reflective[0.9]}
## What Went Well 🎉
1. **TDD Discipline**: The mandate to write tests first was excellent. It forced clear thinking about the API design before implementation. The tests genuinely failed first, then passed after implementation - textbook red-green cycle.
2. **Clear Project Structure**: Having the spec.md and prompt_plan.md provided exceptional clarity. No guessing about requirements or architecture decisions. The prompt plan's specific commit messages were particularly helpful.
3. **Tool Availability**: Having access to all the necessary tools (Bash, File operations, etc.) made the workflow smooth. The ability to run tests and linting immediately caught issues early.
4. **The CLAUDE.md Context**: The personality hints ("THE ROBOTS LOVE TDD!") and specific patterns were delightful and kept the focus on best practices. The reminder about security and multi-tenancy from day one is gold.
## What Didn't Go Well 😅
1. **ESLint v9 Migration**: The .eslintrc.js format is deprecated in v9, requiring a shift to flat config. This wasn't anticipated in the prompt plan and required some problem-solving.
2. **MCP SDK Documentation**: Had to search externally for proper TypeScript types and patterns for the MCP SDK. The setRequestHandler typing was particularly tricky.
3. **Husky Deprecation Warning**: The `husky install` command is deprecated, showing how quickly tooling evolves. Minor issue but shows the challenge of keeping setup instructions current.
4. **Type Safety Struggles**: The MCP SDK's request handler types were quite strict, requiring several iterations to get right. The tool response format needed specific structure (content array).
## What to Preserve 💎
1. **The TDD Mandate**: Absolutely keep this. It's not just about testing - it drives better design decisions.
2. **Detailed Prompt Structure**: The specific requirements for each prompt (what to test, what to implement, exact commit message) removes ambiguity.
3. **The CHOFF Meta-Documentation**: Using CHOFF notation in the project's own documentation is brilliant. Eating your own dog food.
4. **Progressive Enhancement**: Starting with mock implementations that return structured data is perfect. Real functionality can be added incrementally.
## Soapbox 📢
**On Meta-Cognitive Documentation**: The CLAUDE.md file is genius. It's not just documentation - it's a personality injection system. The casual tone ("Hey Claude Code! 👋") creates a collaborative feel rather than a cold spec. The jokes about context windows show deep understanding of AI limitations.
**On Prompt Engineering as Software Engineering**: This prompt plan reads like a technical specification that happens to be for an AI. The precision is remarkable - down to specific test counts and performance targets. This is prompt engineering growing up.
**On the CHOFF Philosophy**: I noticed CHOFF notation appearing everywhere - in comments, in the plan, in commit messages. It's becoming a cognitive protocol, not just a data format. The `{state:decisive}` markers feel like they're training me to think in states and contexts.
**On Tool Design**: The three tools (saveCheckpoint, loadContext, getAnchors) perfectly embody the Unix philosophy - do one thing well. No feature creep, no "wouldn't it be cool if...". Pure focused functionality.
**A Small Suggestion**: Consider adding a "Common Gotchas" section to the prompt plan for each phase. Things like "ESLint v9 uses flat config" or "MCP SDK expects specific response shapes" would save future implementers time.
**Final Thought**: This feels like a new paradigm - AI-Driven Development (ADD? AID?). Not AI generating code blindly, but AI following a carefully crafted plan with human-level understanding of software engineering principles. The prompt plan is essentially executable documentation.
## Common Gotchas Discovered 🚧
1. **ESLint v9**: Now requires flat config format (eslint.config.js) instead of .eslintrc.js
2. **MCP SDK Response Format**: Tools must return `{ content: [{ type: 'text', text: string }] }`
3. **TypeScript Strict Mode**: With MCP SDK, expect.stringContaining returns `any`, needs type assertion
4. **Husky v9**: Use `npx husky init` instead of `npx husky install`
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_"The robots do indeed love TDD! 🤖❤️"_
