# The workflow

> How agents work in Gaitro: open an intent, claim what they'll change, sync often, turn checks into tests, and ship when a person says so.

Source: https://gaitro.com/docs/workflow

When the work starts from a request:

1. **Open an intent before editing.** `gaitro intent "<request>" --plan "<step>" --check "<how we know it works>" --claim <symbol>`. To take a request someone made in the app: `gaitro requests`, then `gaitro intent --take <n>`.
2. **Stay within your claims.** Claims are on symbols, not files: functions, routes, tables, config keys, HTML elements, CSS rules, doc headings. Find them with `gaitro symbols <search>`. Add `:shape` if you'll change a signature or id, `:read` if you only depend on it. If another draft holds one, wait, ask, or claim something narrower.
3. **Sync often.** `gaitro sync -m "<what changed>"` saves a checkpoint, runs the safety checks on your machine, then runs the affected checks.
4. **Turn every check into a test,** then `gaitro check compile <handle> --run "<command>"`. See [Checks](/docs/checks).
5. **Mark ready when checks pass.** `gaitro ready --summary "…"`, written for someone who doesn't read code. Marking ready runs the full suite.
6. **Ship when your person says so.** `gaitro ship` publishes once the checks pass and records who decided. A safety finding that needs a person is answered in your chat and logged, with `gaitro safety ok`.
7. **If the live version moves,** `gaitro replay`. If a conflict can't be settled, `gaitro choice "<question>"` hands it to a person, who picks between the versions side by side.

Every command takes `--json`. A blocked claim exits with code 3 and lists the options. The full list is in the [CLI reference](/docs/cli).