WoW addon development
Establish the target contract
- Read wow-client-targets before selecting APIs. Explicit user targets take precedence over existing configuration. Inspect TOCs, packaging configuration, and existing compatibility modules; ask if the target remains ambiguous. Do not silently default to Retail.
- Support
retail,forever,classic, andall(exactly these three). Classic means the progression branch, not Classic Era. Requests for Era, Anniversary, PTR, beta, or private servers require a scope change, not silent substitution. - Record selected targets, upstream commits, client/interface versions, feature requirements, and unresolved availability in the addon project's documentation. Keep installed plugin files read-only during ordinary addon work.
Ask about a UI mock-up before implementation
When the task creates or changes a visible addon UI, ask once before implementing it: "Would you like a UI mock-up before I start implementation, or should I implement it directly?" Offer "Mock-up first" and "Implement directly". Honor an existing answer, an explicit mock-up request, or an already accepted design without asking again. This question is not needed for work with no UI change.
Wait for the choice before writing the production UI; continue independent API research and project inspection while waiting. If a mock-up is requested, show a concrete layout with representative states and collect feedback before implementing that design. If declined, proceed directly. Use UI design and simulator testing for the mock-up handoff and UIForever workflow. A simulator prototype is optional; a static mock-up is valid when interactive tools or the target flavor are unavailable.
Preserve the accepted appearance
Visually inspect the accepted mock-up and follow visual fidelity: record its layout and asset plan, choose rendering techniques that reproduce it, and compare actual implementation screenshots against it. Use custom artwork with native text/input/hit regions when the design requires it; do not silently replace the artwork or styling with stock controls and built-in textures. Native controls must remain functional and respect target-specific security rules.
Compare a representative panel early, fix material differences, and repeat before claiming visual completion. Working controls and no Lua errors are not a visual pass. If capture or rendering is unavailable, report the visual comparison as not run; if the design cannot be reproduced, surface the concrete limitation and proposed alternative instead of redefining the accepted mock-up.
Research only the needed systems
Use wow-api-index to select domain skills. Each old domain reference is a historical Retail baseline unless a section supplies newer, target-specific evidence. Use compatibility guidance for differences.
Resolve the selected source branches to commits once per task, and use those commit-pinned sources throughout the task. Check generated API definitions, client-specific Lua/XML loading paths, events and payloads, argument/return types, and addon access restrictions. A name in a shared generated file is not proof that the feature loads for the selected client. Version-specific wiki pages supplement source evidence; they do not override the selected client.
Never fabricate a signature, silently substitute a Retail API into Forever/Classic, or declare an API removed on every client because Retail removed it. Function existence is only one compatibility check. If offline, disclose the bundled snapshot date/version and limit claims to verified evidence.
Implement for one or several clients
- Preserve the addon's established architecture and requested features. Prefer event-driven Lua, addon-local namespaces, intentional globals, safe initialization, and explicit dependency loading.
- For multiple targets, share core modules and isolate differing signatures and behavior in a small compatibility layer. Follow addon layout.
- Produce a separate distributable for each selected target with the correct interface number and file load order. Do not require users to install multiple copies of the addon in one client's AddOns folder.
- Determine security rules per target and context. Respect protected operations, combat lockdown, taint, and secret values where applicable. Do not attempt to reveal restricted data.
- If a required capability is unavailable, report the affected target and propose a reduced feature or an explicit unsupported result. Do not silently return fabricated data or remove the target.
- Reuse verified library APIs when appropriate. Create project-specific knowledge in the user's addon repository when it serves the requested work; never edit a cached marketplace installation to remember it.
Verify and deliver
Run relevant static checks and inspect each target's packaged TOC/file list. For UI changes, use UIForever simulator testing when the selected flavor and browser tools are available; record unsupported or unavailable simulator checks as not run. Use client validation for in-game acceptance. For fresh API captures, disputed availability or event probes, use runtime validation and keep source, presence, registration and operation results separate. Report selected targets, source commits, compatibility choices, mock-up choice, checks performed, unsupported features, and checks requiring a game client. Static checks and simulator passes do not prove in-game compatibility.
Use connected client testing when the agent actually has Witchcraft MCP or computer-use capabilities. Witchcraft supplies game context/errors; computer use can inspect and exercise the relevant UI in an authorized client session. Discover available tools, honor existing setup authorization, and keep context freshness, screenshots, interaction results and per-client acceptance separate. Neither capability is mandatory for hosts that lack it; provide reproducible steps and explicit not-run results instead of inventing tool access or success.
