Execution and parallelism
These settings control planning, execution and reporting. Some are limits the workflow works within; others report measurements after the work. A setting named a ceiling isn’t necessarily an execution cutoff.
For example, to keep plans sequential:
/cadence:cad-config parallelization.enabled=false
Parallel work needs independent plans
Enabling parallelization doesn’t force a parallel run. Plans must be independent, with non-overlapping declared files, and the host must support the required worktree behavior. If Cadence can’t establish that, it runs sequentially.
The host’s worktree.baseRef setting must resolve to head for this path. It belongs in Claude Code’s settings, outside Cadence’s schema. /cadence:cad-config offers to configure it when worktrees are enabled and asks which settings file to update. Disabling worktrees leaves parallel execution unavailable.
Reported limits
workflow.max_plan_bytes reports the size of a plan’s declared files; exceeding it doesn’t itself refuse planning or execution. The six workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.* settings report a dispatch’s final recorded context-window figure after it returns. They aren’t token budgets enforced by the host, and they aren’t cumulative token spend.
Local commands
workflow.test_command and workflow.lint_command are user-global only. Repository values are ignored. When no override is configured, the workflows use their documented project-manifest detection or fallback. The lint override covers lint, not a separately configurable typecheck command.
Settings
workflow.research
Default: false · Type: boolean · Scope: repository or user-global.
Enable the research pass during new-project setup. Other workflows do not read this switch.
workflow.plan_check
Default: false · Type: boolean · Scope: repository or user-global.
Add the optional plan-checker pass before implementation. This is separate from the standing plan-review trigger.
workflow.verifier
Default: true · Type: boolean · Scope: repository or user-global.
Enable the goal-backward deep-verification path. The risk floor can request it and --deep requests it explicitly; false is the workflow’s off switch. This does not disable the ordinary verification walk.
workflow.skip_discuss
Default: false · Type: boolean · Scope: repository or user-global.
Change the next-step suggestion for an unplanned phase in /cad-progress. It suggests planning instead of context gathering; it does not skip a workflow step.
workflow.inline_plan_threshold
Default: 3 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 0 or greater.
Task count at or below which the plan can use the inline path rather than its own plan document.
workflow.max_plan_tasks
Default: 8 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Maximum tasks per plan. A larger phase needs more plans, not fewer requirements. Plans that share files remain sequential.
workflow.max_plan_bytes
Default: 675000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for the summed on-disk sizes of a single plan’s declared files. A crossing is reported by plan-size; it does not block dispatch or execution.
workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.cad-planner
Default: 200000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for cad-planner’s final recorded context-window size. Read after dispatch; it neither stops the agent nor caps total token spend.
workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.cad-assumptions-analyzer
Default: 150000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for cad-assumptions-analyzer’s final recorded context-window size. Read after dispatch; it neither stops the agent nor caps total token spend.
workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.cad-verifier
Default: 100000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for cad-verifier’s final recorded context-window size. Read after dispatch; it neither stops the agent nor caps total token spend.
workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.cad-reviewer
Default: 150000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for cad-reviewer’s final recorded context-window size. Read after dispatch; it neither stops the agent nor caps total token spend.
workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.cad-executor
Default: 200000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for cad-executor’s final recorded context-window size. Read after dispatch; it neither stops the agent nor caps total token spend.
workflow.max_dispatch_tokens.cad-plan-checker
Default: 75000 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Reporting threshold for cad-plan-checker’s final recorded context-window size. Read after dispatch; it neither stops the agent nor caps total token spend.
workflow.test_command
Default: null · Type: string or null · Scope: user-global only.
Override the local test command. null means no override; the executor and verifier use their project-manifest fallback. Set this in the user-global layer.
workflow.lint_command
Default: null · Type: string or null · Scope: user-global only.
Override the executor’s pre-commit lint command. With no override, command detection reads the project manifests. There is no companion typecheck setting.
parallelization.enabled
Default: true · Type: boolean · Scope: repository or user-global.
Allow independent plans to execute concurrently when the worktree and independence checks pass. Otherwise execution remains sequential.
parallelization.max_concurrent_agents
Default: 3 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Maximum simultaneous agents for parallel execution.
parallelization.min_plans_for_parallel
Default: 2 · Type: integer · Scope: repository or user-global.
Range: 1 or greater.
Minimum number of plans needed before considering parallel execution.
parallelization.use_worktrees
Default: true · Type: boolean · Scope: repository or user-global.
Use separate Git worktrees for parallel writes. Turning this off prevents the parallel path from establishing the isolation it requires.