Files
automaton/.rules.md
T
gitea cc2e97bd43 Add scope confinement rule to prevent cross-project task scanning
The agent scanned tasks in invest-copilot while working on automaton
framework, wasting time on unrelated work. Added a rule with concrete
failure example limiting work to the current project's .automaton/tasks/
only.
2026-06-13 22:25:43 -04:00

1.8 KiB

.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

Scope Confinement

  • Only work on tasks in the current project's .automaton/tasks/ directory
  • Never scan, read, or modify tasks in other projects on the system
  • The {project} in the Orchestrator prompt is the project root where the session started — do not broaden scope
  • Past failure: agent scanned tasks in ~/ai-env/projects/invest-copilot/ while working on the automaton framework itself, wasting time on unrelated work across project boundaries