automaton/.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