automaton/README.md

# Agent Framework

A contract-based operating system for LLM agents, designed to enforce disciplined engineering workflows.

## 1. Global Framework Installation (One-time setup)

Before you can use the framework in any project, you must install the core logic into your local environment.

**Run these commands in your terminal:**

```bash
# Clone the framework into the global config directory
git clone [INSERT_FRAMEWORK_REPO_URL_HERE] ~/.agent-framework

# Enter the directory
cd ~/.agent-framework

# Make the installation script executable and run it
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
```
*Note: This creates the "brain" of the framework (prompts, state machines, and rules) in your home directory.*

### Updating the Framework

When the framework is updated, you can update your global installation:

```bash
cd ~/.agent-framework
./update.sh
```

This will:
- Fetch the latest changes from the repository
- Check for uncommitted changes and warn you
- Pull the latest updates

**Upgrading existing projects:** When the framework is updated, existing projects may need their framework files upgraded (new phases added, new prompts, etc.). To upgrade an existing project, tell the agent: "Upgrade the agent-framework for this project." The agent will check for missing files and update them.

---

## 2. Project Setup (Per project)

Once the framework is installed globally, you must "onboard" every individual project you work on.

### Option A: The Agent-Driven Way (Recommended)
If you want the agent to handle the configuration for you, navigate to your project root and run:

> *"Onboard this project into the agent-framework."*

The agent will automatically:
1. Detect your project type (New, Existing, or Upgrade).
2. Create the `./.agent-framework/` directory.
3. Generate your `AGENT.md` and `RULES.md` files.
4. Initiate the "Exploration Ritual" to understand your codebase.

### Option B: The Manual Way
If you prefer to set it up manually, create a `.agent-framework/` directory in your project root and add:
- `AGENT.md`: Project-specific configuration (Mode, rules, etc.).
- `RULES.md`: Project-specific constraints and past failure modes.

---

## The Autopilot Workflow
The framework features an **Autopilot** mode that allows the agent to drive a project to completion with minimal intervention.

### Lifecycle of a Task
1.  **Research**: Produce a `SPEC.md` (Contract). No code allowed. **Interactive** — agent grills you for requirements and gets sign-off.
2.  **Design** (optional): Produce a `DESIGN.md` (Architecture). No code allowed. **Interactive** — agent grills you for design decisions and gets sign-off.
3.  **Test Design** (optional): Produce a `TEST_PLAN.md` (Test specification). No code allowed. **Interactive** — agent grills you for test coverage and edge cases, then presents draft test cases for review and sign-off.
4.  **Implement**: Write code and tests based *only* on the `SPEC.md`, `DESIGN.md` (if present), and `TEST_PLAN.md` (if present). Follow TDD (Red/Green/Refactor). The TEST_PLAN.md (if present) serves as the test specification the implementer follows.
5.  **Bug Find**: Aggressive search for bugs and spec deviations.
6.  **Adversarial Bug Find**: Deep search for complex logic errors, race conditions, and performance issues.
7.  **Doc Review**: Review documentation against DESIGN.md plan and fix missing docs.
8.  **Referee**: Objective evaluation of all bugs, docs, and the final verdict.

### How to use Autopilot

#### Autopilot mode (default)
The default mode is **Autopilot: Enabled**. The Orchestrator automatically drives tasks through all phases. Just say:
- **Start a new task**: "Research add user authentication" (the Orchestrator creates the task and drives it all the way to completion)
- **Continue**: "orchestrate" or "continue" (the Orchestrator finds the most advanced task and drives it)

#### Manual mode (opt-in)
Set `Autopilot: Disabled` in your project's `.agent-framework/AGENT.md` if you prefer to manually run each phase. The Orchestrator reports the current state and tells you the next command. Then run phases by saying things like:
- "Research add user authentication" — starts a new task
- "Design the add-user-auth task" — designs the architecture (optional)
- "Design tests for the add-user-auth task" — designs test cases (optional)
- "Implement the add-user-auth task" — implements the task with tests
- "Find bugs in the add-user-auth task" — finds bugs
- "Perform adversarial bug find for add-user-auth" — deep bug search
- "Review docs for the add-user-auth task" — reviews documentation
- "Review the add-user-auth task" — referee evaluates
- "orchestrate" — asks the Orchestrator what to do next

## Key Components
- `AGENT.md`: Project-specific configuration and mode selection.
- `RULES.md`: Living document of project constraints and past failure modes.
- `prompts/`: Specialized system prompts for each phase (Research, Design, Test Design, Implement, Bug Finder, Adversarial Bug Finder, Doc Review, Referee, etc.).
- `workflow.md`: The state machine governing the Autopilot lifecycle.
- `test_design.md`: Produces a TEST_PLAN.md — an explicit test specification before implementation.

## Contact & Support
[Insert Contact Info]