3fbbb1a93b
- Next.js 14+ with App Router and TypeScript - Tailwind CSS and ShadCN UI styling - Zustand state management - Dexie.js for IndexedDB (local-first data) - Auth.js v5 for authentication - BMAD framework integration Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
5.1 KiB
5.1 KiB
Epic 1 Retrospective: "Active Listening"
Date: 2026-01-22 Epic: Epic 1 - Core Chat & Teacher Agent Participants:
- Bob (Scrum Master)
- Alice (Product Owner)
- Charlie (Senior Dev)
- Dana (QA Engineer)
- Elena (Junior Dev)
- Max (Project Lead)
1. Epic Overview
Goal: Enable users to start a session, "vent" their raw thoughts, and have the system "Active Listen" (store chat) and "Teach" (probe for details) using a local-first architecture.
Metrics:
- Status: Complete (4/4 Stories Done)
- Velocity: High (All stories completed efficiently)
- Test Coverage: Excellent (>98 tests passing across stories)
- Quality: High adherence to Logic Sandwich pattern; strict TDD followed.
2. Successes & Strengths (What went well)
- TDD Discipline: The team consistently followed Test-Driven Development (Red-Green-Refactor). Every story (1.1 - 1.4) reports comprehensive test coverage, including unit and integration tests.
- Architectural Integrity: The "Logic Sandwich" pattern (UI -> Zustand -> Service -> DB/LLM) was strictly enforced. Code reviews proactively caught violations (e.g., direct DB access in components), ensuring a clean separation of concerns.
- Local-First Implementation: Dexie.js integration works seamlessly. Data privacy (local storage) is robust.
- Intent Detection Accuracy: Story 1.3 achieved >85% accuracy in intent detection using hybrid keyword/heuristic approach, properly enabling the Teacher Agent.
- Fast Track Implementation: Story 1.4 was delivered with a simplified but effective UI integration (toggle in ChatInput), saving development time while meeting user needs.
3. Challenges & Growth Areas (Where we struggled)
- State Management Nuances: Early friction with Zustand selectors. Code reviews frequently flagged unnecessary re-renders caused by non-atomic selectors (e.g.,
const { x, y } = useStore()). We've now standardized onuseStore(s => s.x). - Testing Streaming Services: Story 1.4 encountered significant issues mocking the streaming LLM response in tests. This required a fix to
chat-store.test.tsto properly simulate callbacks (onIntent,onToken). - Tooling/Config: Encountered minor friction with Playwright configuration in Vitest (Story 1.3), leading to exclusion of e2e tests from the standard test run.
- Missing State: "isTyping" state was initially missed in Story 1.2, requiring a senior dev intervention to add it for proper UI feedback.
4. Key Insights & Learnings
- Atomic Selectors are Non-Negotiable: For chat applications with high-frequency updates (typing), optimizing re-renders via atomic selectors is critical.
- Mocking Streams is Hard but Essential: We need a standardized mock helper for the AI SDK's streaming responses to avoid fragility in future tests (especially for Epic 2's Ghostwriter).
- Simple is Better: The Fast Track toggle in the input box proved far superior UX than a separate header control, proving that keeping controls close to the action works best.
5. Next Epic Preview: Epic 2 - "The Magic Mirror"
Goal: Transform chat context into a structured Markdown artifact.
Dependencies:
- Ghostwriter Agent: Relies on the Intent Detection and LLM Service infrastructure built in Epic 1.
- Draft View: Implementing the "Medium-style" typography (Merriweather) requires updated font configs.
- Refinement Loop: Will need robust streaming support (tested in 1.4).
Readiness Assessment:
- Technical Infrastructure: Ready. Vercel Edge Runtime is configured.
- Data Layer: ChatLogs schema is flexible enough.
- Risks: The "Refinement Loop" (Regeneration) might introduce complex state management if not carefully architected.
6. Action Items
| Action Item | Owner | Priority | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create Streaming Mock Helper Standardize the mock for AI SDK streams to prevent test flake in Epic 2. |
Charlie (Senior Dev) | High | Before start of Story 2.1 |
| Doc Update: State Management Explicitly document the "Atomic Selector" rule in project-context.md with examples. |
Bob (Scrum Master) | Medium | End of Sprint |
| Accessibility Audit Complete the deferred visual label accessibility checks from Story 1.2. |
Dana (QA) | Medium | Mid-Epic 2 |
| Playwright Config Fix Resolve the e2e test exclusion issue in Vitest config. |
Elena (Junior Dev) | Low | When capacity allows |
7. Commitments & Conclusion
The team is confident moving into Epic 2. The foundation (Local-First DB + Secure LLM Proxy + TDD Pipeline) is solid. We commit to maintaining the strict TDD discipline and architectural boundaries that made Epic 1 a success.
Retrospective Status: Completed