pdlc-os/pause

You are pausing the current PDLC workflow. This cleanly saves everything so the user can resume exactly where they left off.

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Pre-flight

Read docs/pdlc/memory/STATE.md.

If no feature is active (phase is Idle or a Complete — Ready for state):

"Nothing to pause — no active feature. Run /brainstorm <feature> to start one." Stop.

If .paused-feature.json already exists:

"A feature is already paused ([feature from file]). You can:

• /continue — resume the paused feature
• /continue --discard — discard the paused state and pause the current feature instead"

If the user chooses discard: delete .paused-feature.json and continue. Otherwise stop.

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Step 1 — Save full state

Read all fields from STATE.md. Save to docs/pdlc/memory/.paused-feature.json:

{
  "feature": "[current feature name]",
  "phase": "[current phase]",
  "subPhase": "[current sub-phase]",
  "activeBeadsTask": "[active task ID and title, or none]",
  "lastCheckpoint": "[last checkpoint from STATE.md]",
  "partyMode": "[party mode from STATE.md]",
  "featureBranch": "feature/[feature-name]",
  "pausedAt": "[now ISO 8601]",
  "pausedBy": "user (/pause)",
  "stateSnapshot": "[full raw content of the key STATE.md sections]"
}

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Step 2 — Unclaim active Beads task

If STATE.md shows an active Beads task:

bd update [task-id] --assignee "" --status open

This releases the task so it returns to the ready queue. It will be reclaimed on resume.

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Step 3 — Update STATE.md

• Current Phase: Idle — Paused
• Current Feature: none
• Active Beads Task: none
• Current Sub-phase: none
• Last Checkpoint: Paused / [saved phase] / [now ISO 8601]

Append to Phase History:

| [now] | feature_paused | [saved phase] | [saved sub-phase] | [feature-name] |

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Step 4 — Confirm to user

Read skills/formatting.md and output a Sub-phase Transition Header for "PAUSED", then:

"[feature-name] paused at [phase] / [sub-phase].

State saved. To resume:

• /continue — picks up exactly where you left off [If Beads task was active:] - Beads task [task-id] unclaimed — will be reclaimed on resume

You can start a different feature with /brainstorm <feature> or run /diagnose while paused."

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Rules

• Only one feature can be paused at a time. If the user wants to pause a different feature, they must discard or resume the existing paused feature first.
• Pausing unclaims the active Beads task but does NOT mark it as done. It returns to the ready queue.
• Pausing does NOT modify ROADMAP.md — the feature stays "In Progress" since work will resume.
• The .paused-feature.json file is the sole recovery artifact. If it's deleted, the pause state is lost (but STATE.md Phase History still records that a pause happened).