.rules.md

# .rules.md

## Task-Driven Development
- All changes must go through a task in tasks/{name}/ with SPEC.md → phases → VERDICT.md
- Never edit files directly without a corresponding task
- Never create task directories manually (mkdir tasks/) — use the Orchestrator instead

## VRAM-Aware Task Sizing
- Before creating or scoping a task, check ~/.automaton/config.md for VRAM limits
- Verify the task fits within max peak context (default: 12k tokens)
- If no config exists, default to 8k with 25% headroom

## Changelog
- When a task reaches Resolution (VERDICT.md written), append an entry to CHANGELOG.md
- Use the format: `- description (#task-name)` under the appropriate [unreleased] section

## Self-Improvement
- Add one rule per observed failure mode with a concrete example
- Consolidate contradictions monthly. Remove stale rules.
- No rule without a real example of the problem it prevents

## Session Discipline
- After writing a SPEC.md for a new task, **stop and wait for user approval** before implementing
- Do not implement a task in the same session it was created unless explicitly told to
- Past failure: agent created pre-commit-hook task, wrote SPEC.md, then immediately built and committed the hook without waiting — bypassing review 3 times in one session despite promises to follow the process
Refactor: rename framework files to dot-prefixed lowercase, fix onboarding references, validate VRAM detection 2026-06-12 12:40:15 -04:00			`# .rules.md`
Initial commit: minimal agent framework 2026-05-30 23:27:09 -04:00
Implement all 5 tasks: additive extension model, framework self-enforcement, changelog, project migration, dashboard review 2026-06-13 12:26:27 -04:00			`## Task-Driven Development`
			`- All changes must go through a task in tasks/{name}/ with SPEC.md → phases → VERDICT.md`
			`- Never edit files directly without a corresponding task`
			`- Never create task directories manually (mkdir tasks/) — use the Orchestrator instead`

			`## VRAM-Aware Task Sizing`
			`- Before creating or scoping a task, check ~/.automaton/config.md for VRAM limits`
			`- Verify the task fits within max peak context (default: 12k tokens)`
			`- If no config exists, default to 8k with 25% headroom`

			`## Changelog`
			`- When a task reaches Resolution (VERDICT.md written), append an entry to CHANGELOG.md`
			- Use the format: `- description (#task-name)` under the appropriate [unreleased] section

			`## Self-Improvement`
			`- Add one rule per observed failure mode with a concrete example`
Initial commit: minimal agent framework 2026-05-30 23:27:09 -04:00			`- Consolidate contradictions monthly. Remove stale rules.`
Implement all 5 tasks: additive extension model, framework self-enforcement, changelog, project migration, dashboard review 2026-06-13 12:26:27 -04:00			`- No rule without a real example of the problem it prevents`
Add session discipline rule with concrete failure example 2026-06-13 17:59:39 -04:00
			`## Session Discipline`
			`- After writing a SPEC.md for a new task, stop and wait for user approval before implementing`
			`- Do not implement a task in the same session it was created unless explicitly told to`
			`- Past failure: agent created pre-commit-hook task, wrote SPEC.md, then immediately built and committed the hook without waiting — bypassing review 3 times in one session despite promises to follow the process`