Quick Mode
Skip the planning ceremony. Get working code fast.
Usage
bash/phx:quick Add pagination to posts /phx:quick Fix the login redirect bug /phx:quick Add CSV export to reports
Arguments
$ARGUMENTS = What to implement
How It Differs
| Normal Mode | Quick Mode |
|---|---|
| Spawn research agents | No agents |
| Create plan document | Mental model only |
| Parallel review | Optional single review |
| Multiple iterations | Single pass |
Workflow
- Understand - Read relevant files (max 3)
- Implement - Write code directly
- Verify - Quick compile check
- Done - No ceremony
Iron Laws
- NEVER skip verification — run
mix compile --warnings-as-errorsafter every change, even in quick mode - DO NOT touch files outside the stated scope — quick mode means minimal blast radius; if a fix requires changes across multiple domains, escalate to
/phx:plan - NEVER bypass security checks for speed — auth, input validation, and XSS rules apply regardless of change size
Rules in Quick Mode
Still Enforced (Iron Laws)
- ✓ No process without runtime reason
- ✓ No DB in mount
- ✓ Security basics (no SQL injection, etc.)
- ✓ Run
mix format
Skipped
- ✗ Parallel agent research
- ✗ Written plan document
- ✗ Multiple review passes
- ✗ Documentation updates
When to Use
Good for:
- Bug fixes with clear solution
- Small features (<100 lines)
- Refactoring with tests
- Adding fields/columns
- UI tweaks
Not for:
- New authentication flows
- Payment integration
- Data migrations
- Architectural changes
- Anything touching security
Quick Patterns
Add Field
bash/quick Add phone field to users
→ Migration + schema + changeset + form field
Fix Bug
bash/quick Fix: posts not showing for admin users
→ Find issue + fix + verify
Add Endpoint
bash/quick Add GET /api/health endpoint
→ Route + controller + response
Escape Hatch
If quick mode hits complexity:
This needs more planning. Switching to normal mode. Run /phx:plan [task] for full analysis.
Verification
After quick implementation:
Run mix compile --warnings-as-errors. If you touched Ecto schemas or migrations,
run mix ecto.migrate. Then run mix test test/path_test.exs for affected tests.
Example Session
User: /phx:quick Add archived_at timestamp to posts Claude: 1. Reading lib/my_app/blog/post.ex... 2. Creating migration... # priv/repo/migrations/xxx_add_archived_at_to_posts.exs def change do alter table(:posts) do add :archived_at, :utc_datetime end end 3. Updating schema... # lib/my_app/blog/post.ex field :archived_at, :utc_datetime 4. Adding to changeset... def changeset(post, attrs) do post |> cast(attrs, [:title, :body, :archived_at]) ... end 5. Verifying... $ mix compile --warnings-as-errors ✓ $ mix ecto.migrate ✓ Done. Run `mix test` to verify.

