Feature dependency resolution

[adamdaum]

Summary

Features in feature_list.json are ordered by a flat priority number, but there's no explicit dependency graph. If Feature B depends on Feature A's database schema or API route, the agent might attempt B before A is passing, leading to failures and wasted iterations.

Current Behavior

• Features are selected by priority order (lowest number first)
• Agents pick the "highest-priority unfinished feature" each iteration
• No validation that prerequisite features are complete
• No way to express "Feature X depends on Feature Y"

Proposal

Add an optional depends_on field to feature entries:

{
  "id": "API-001",
  "priority": 4,
  "depends_on": ["INFRA-001", "INFRA-002"],
  "description": "REST API for managing items",
  "steps": ["..."],
  "passes": false
}

• Agent selects features where all depends_on entries have passes: true
• init_prompt.md should instruct the AI to generate depends_on when creating the feature list
• Add validation in the coding prompt: skip features whose dependencies aren't met
• Optionally, add a CLI command to visualize the dependency graph

Considerations

• Keep it optional — simple projects can omit depends_on and rely on priority alone
• Circular dependency detection should warn early rather than deadlocking the loop