/nova-build

Where code actually gets written. Walks tasks.md top to bottom, ticking off each task as it completes.

/nova-build

What it does

1. Reads context/changes/active/<TICKET>/tasks.md.
2. For each unchecked task:
   • Implements it.
   • Self-checks (does it match the spec? is the diff focused? are there leftover prints/imports?).
   • Marks the task - [x].
   • Auto-advances to the next task without asking permission.
3. Stops when:
   • All tasks are checked → tells you to run /nova-review.
   • A task fails (test red, unexpected error) → marks it - [!] with a note and stops, asking you to investigate.

For quick-fix tickets there's no tasks.md — the agent implements the fix directly with the same self-check discipline.

Guardrails

#	Check
1	Branch matches branch.pattern
2	proposal.md exists (skipped for quick-fix)
3	tasks.md exists (skipped for quick-fix)

The self-check between tasks

Before marking a task done, the agent runs through:

• Does the change implement what the task said?
• Is the diff focused on this task only (no scope creep)?
• Are there dead lines, prints, or stray imports?
• If tests exist for the touched area, do they still pass?

If any of these is "no", the agent fixes before checking off. This is the incremental part — you don't get a 7-task PR with all the same problems amplified.

What it produces

Artifact	Where
Code changes	Across the repo, scoped to tasks.md → Files to touch
Updated tasks.md	Checkboxes flipped to [x] (or [!] on failure)

Next step

/nova-review

Errors you may see

Error	Why	Fix
Task marked - [!]	Test failed or unexpected error mid-task	Investigate the message, fix manually, then re-run /nova-build
Agent does too much in one task	Task was too coarse in tasks.md	Edit tasks.md to split it; re-run
Agent does too little	Task was too vague	Edit tasks.md to specify; re-run

Customizing it

• Self-check criteria → edit step 3 of novaspec/commands/nova-build.md.
• Auto-advance behavior (e.g. ask for confirmation every N tasks) → add a soft cap in the same file.
• Task categories or special markers → add support both to nova-build.md and tasks.md template.

A note on tokens

/nova-build consumes more tokens than any other command because it loops through tasks. If you have a 30-task plan, expect proportional cost. Consider splitting very large changes across multiple tickets so each plan stays under ~10 tasks.