orch-change-feature

SkillDev tools

orch-change-feature is an agent skill for changing the behavior of an existing, working feature. Instead of treating the change as a bug fix, it first updates the feature's tests to describe the new desired behavior, then adjusts the implementation until those tests pass. It reviews the resulting diff and pauses at approval gates before planning and again before committing.

Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.

Have an existing feature that works but whose behavior should be different.

Then ask your AI: use the orch-change-feature skill

What your AI can do with it

  • Updates existing tests to express the new desired behavior before touching code
  • Changes the implementation until the updated tests pass
  • Runs a code review of the diff before committing
  • Stops at Gate 1 for plan and changed-test approval
  • Stops at Gate 2 for confirmation before committing
  • Adds a security-reviewer pass when the change touches a security trigger

Getting started

  1. Have an existing feature that works but whose behavior should be different.
  2. Add the orch-change-feature skill to your agent's available skills.
  3. Invoke it with a plain instruction describing the new behavior, such as changing a threshold from one value to another.
  4. Approve the plan and updated tests at Gate 1, then confirm the commit at Gate 2.
  5. Add the security-reviewer step if the change involves a security trigger.

What this skill tells your AI

The instructions your AI receives, as published by affaan-m/ecc in skills/orch-change-feature/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.

Actor · action · target: orch · change · feature. Thin wrapper over the shared engine in orch-pipeline.

When to Use

  • An existing feature works, but the desired behavior is different ("change", "adjust", "make it also …", "instead of X do Y").
  • Distinguish from siblings:
    • not broken → not orch-fix-defect (no bug to reproduce).
    • not new → not orch-add-feature (the capability already exists).

Operation settings

  • Default size floor: small — most tweaks are a function or two.
  • Phase mask: 0 → (1 only if the new behavior needs research) → light 2 → 4 → 5 → 6.
  • First move (phase 4): update the existing tests to express the new desired behavior, then change the implementation until they pass. Changing the tests first is what separates a tweak from a fix.

How It Works

  1. Run the orch-pipeline engine with the settings above.
  2. Keep the plan light — only standard+ size warrants the full planner pass.
  3. Stop at Gate 1 (plan / changed-test approval) and Gate 2 (pre-commit).
  4. Add security-reviewer if the change touches a security trigger.

Example

orch-change-feature: make nws-poller alert at 2 warnings instead of 3
→ update threshold tests to new spec → change impl to green
→ code-review → commit  [GATE 2: confirm]

Signals

GitHub stars
268k
Forks
40k
Last commit
Sep 2026

Questions

When should this be used instead of a fix or add-feature skill?
Use it when the feature is not broken and not new, the capability already exists but the desired behavior is different, like "instead of X do Y" or "make it also...". Broken behavior calls for orch-fix-defect; missing capability calls for orch-add-feature.
Why are tests changed first?
Updating the existing tests to the new spec first is what separates a behavior tweak from a bug fix. The implementation is then changed until those updated tests pass.
Advanced
Item type
skill
Key
orch-change-feature
Source
github.com/affaan-m/ecc