# SPEC: Enforce Task-Driven Development via Framework Rules

## Overview

The automaton framework has a task-driven workflow (SPEC → Design → Implementation → Verification → Resolution) but nothing tells the AI agent to follow it. The agent makes ad-hoc edits instead of creating proper tasks first.

## Root Cause

The agent reads `system-prompt.md`, `.agent.md`, and `.rules.md` at startup, but none instruct it to use the task-driven process. The agent treats framework modifications as "normal coding."

## Framework Audit Context

This task covers 4 gaps identified in `framework-audit/RESEARCH.md`:

| Gap | Principle | Rule to Add |
|-----|-----------|-------------|
| G1 | Task-driven development | Create task before editing files |
| G2 | VRAM-aware task sizing | Check config.md VRAM before scoping tasks |
| G4 | No manual task creation | Never mkdir tasks/ — use Orchestrator |
| G5 | Agent reads global rules | system-prompt.md must read global .rules.md |
| G6 | Self-improving rules | Add rules per failure mode observed |

## Changes

### 1. `~/.automaton/.rules.md`

Replace the template with concrete rules:

```markdown
# .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

## 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

## 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
```

### 2. `system-prompt.md`

After existing instructions, add:

```
4. Read ~/.automaton/.rules.md (global framework rules)
```

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] `~/.automaton/.rules.md` has Task-Driven Development, VRAM-Aware Sizing, and Self-Improvement sections
- [ ] `system-prompt.md` instructs agent to read global `.rules.md`
- [ ] Agent creates tasks before making changes
- [ ] Agent checks VRAM limits before scoping tasks
- [ ] Agent never creates task directories manually

## Out of Scope

- Documentation/changelog process (separate task)
- Project migration/cleanup (separate task)
- Onboarding changes (separate task)
- Dashboard task review UI (separate task)