Ai Context Refresh

---
name: ai-context-refresh
description: '[Documentation] Use when initializing, updating, smart-merging, or refactoring portable project AI context and its Claude/Codex projections.'
---

> Codex compatibility note:
> - Invoke repository skills with `$skill-name` in Codex; this mirrored copy rewrites legacy Claude `/skill-name` references.
> - Task tracker mandate: BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all steps and keep it synchronized as progress changes.
> - User-question prompts mean to ask the user directly in Codex.
> - Ignore Claude-specific mode-switch instructions when they appear.
> - Strict execution contract: when a user explicitly invokes a skill, execute that skill protocol as written.
> - Subagent authorization: when a skill is user-invoked or AI-detected and its protocol requires subagents, that skill activation authorizes use of the required `spawn_agent` subagent(s) for that task.
> - Do not skip, reorder, or merge protocol steps unless the user explicitly approves the deviation first.
> - For workflow skills, execute each listed child-skill step explicitly and report step-by-step evidence.
> - If a required step/tool cannot run in this environment, stop and ask the user before adapting.
<!-- CODEX:PROJECT-REFERENCE-LOADING:START -->
## Codex Project-Reference Loading (Hook-Independent)

Claude and Codex use static project-reference loading as the authority; hooks may accelerate discovery but never replace the explicit read.
When coding, planning, debugging, testing, or reviewing, open project docs explicitly using this routing.

**Always read:**
- `docs/project-config.json` (project-specific paths, commands, modules, and workflow/test settings)
- `docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md` (routes to the full `docs/project-reference/*` catalog)
- `docs/project-reference/lessons.md` (always-on guardrails and anti-patterns)

**Missing/stale context route:** If `docs/project-config.json`, the docs index, `lessons.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, `AGENTS.md`, or any task-required reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run `$project-init` or the narrow setup route (`$project-config`, `$docs-init`, `$scan-all`, `$scan --target=<key>`, `$ai-context-refresh`) before ordinary project-specific work. A full `$sync-codex` run preflights `CLAUDE.md`; a completed `$ai-context-refresh` run may invoke the standalone runner with `--skip=claude-md` after final source edits. Markerless roots need AI smart-merge unless `portability.requireUniversalGuides: false` is explicit.

**Situation-based docs:**
- Project structure/architecture/tech-stack/deployment/setup (any layer — backend, frontend, or infra): `project-structure-reference.md`
- Backend/CQRS/API/domain/entity changes: `backend-patterns-reference.md`, `domain-entities-reference.md`
- Frontend/UI/styling/design-system: `frontend-patterns-reference.md`, `configured styling reference`, `design-system/README.md`
- Spec authoring, `docs/specs/` pathing, or TC format: `feature-spec-reference.md`, `spec-system-reference.md`, `spec-principles.md`
- Behavior/public-contract changes or spec-test-code sync: `workflow-spec-test-code-cycle-reference.md` plus the spec docs above
- Derived spec indexes/ERDs/reimplementation guides: `spec-system-reference.md` and source Feature Specs under `docs/specs/`
- Integration test implementation/review: `integration-test-reference.md`
- E2E test implementation/review: `e2e-test-reference.md`
- Code review/audit work: `code-review-rules.md` plus domain docs above based on changed files

Do not read all docs blindly. Start from `docs-index-reference.md`, then open only relevant files for the task.
<!-- CODEX:PROJECT-REFERENCE-LOADING:END -->

## Quick Summary

**Goal:** Refresh the portable project AI-context lifecycle — generate or update the Claude root context from project-config.json + template, preserve project instructions through smart merge/refactor, and refresh Codex projections.

**Summary:**

- Preflight config and detect `init`, `update`, markerless `smart-merge`, or AI-only `refactor` mode.
- Generate/update root context from config + template while preserving unmanaged project instructions.
- AI-fill and verify markers, placeholders, portability, and project-specific content.
- After final root edits, run the standalone sync runner with `--skip=claude-md`; verify every Codex mirror and report failures.

**Workflow:**

1. **Detect Mode** — init (no root context or `--mode init`), update (`--mode update`), refactor (`--mode refactor`)
2. **Run Generator** — `node .claude/skills/ai-context-refresh/scripts/generate-claude-md.cjs --mode <mode>`
3. **AI Fill** — Review output, fill creative sections (project description, golden rules inference)
4. **Verify** — Confirm output is valid, no project-specific leaks from template
5. **Sync Codex Mirrors** — After the final AI edits and verification, run the shared standalone runner with `--skip=claude-md` so `AGENTS.md`, `.agents/`, and `.codex/` are regenerated from the finished `CLAUDE.md`.

**Key Rules:**

- Generic — works in any project by reading `docs/project-config.json`
- Section markers (`<!-- SECTION:key -->`) enable incremental updates without overwriting user content
- Conditional sections — generated ONLY when config has matching data; empty config = section omitted
- Static framework sections (8 total) are portable across all projects
- `$sync-codex` owns Codex mirror generation; this skill owns the root AI-context lifecycle and calls the same runner only after its explicit init/update/refactor work is complete

## Bootstrap Gate (when CLAUDE.md is missing or incomplete)

This skill is the **AI-runnable** route the agent-files bootstrap gate offers when a portable
`.claude` install lands in a project without a root `CLAUDE.md` — or with one that carries only
project-specific knowledge and is missing the universal portable guides. A single hook detects the gap
and routes here (shared detection lib: `.claude/hooks/lib/agent-files-state.cjs`):

- `init-prompt-gate.cjs` (UserPromptSubmit) — blocks the first prompt once `project-config.json`
  is populated but `CLAUDE.md` / `AGENTS.md` is missing **or incomplete**. This UserPromptSubmit
  gate is the sole agent-files bootstrap router.

**Three-state detection** per root file: `missing` → routes to `--mode init` (fresh from template);
`incomplete` → routes to `--mode update` (smart-merge — preserves your project content, injects the
guides); `ok` → no block. Completeness is decided by `hasUniversalGuides()`: a current-or-newer
sentinel (`<!-- CK:UNIVERSAL-GUIDES v7 -->`) → complete; an older sentinel → flag for update; no
sentinel → fall back to scanning required anchors (Workflow Step Advancement,
Task Planning Rules, Code Responsibility Hierarchy, Evidence-Based Reasoning) so legacy/hand-written
complete files still pass.

Run `$ai-context-refresh` (or the generator directly) to produce `CLAUDE.md` from
`docs/project-config.json` + template. The generated file ships the canonical workflow gate and universal guides
(workflow execution barriers for explicitly invoked workflows, task planning, code hierarchy,
naming, and evidence rules) and stamps the sentinel at the top so the gate recognizes it as
complete. It removes legacy `CK:WORKFLOW-GATE`, `CK:WORKFLOW-SKILLS`, and generated
`## First Action Decision` content before stamping the canonical routing gate into tracked files.

**Default-on workflow routing** is stamped into tracked context by this skill. A team can disable it
in tracked `docs/project-config.json`:

```jsonc
{ "portability": { "workflowAutoDetect": false } }
```

A developer can override the team value in `.claude/.ck.local.json`, which the portable bundle's
`.claude/.gitignore` excludes:

```jsonc
{ "portability": { "workflowAutoDetect": true } }
```

Resolution is default `true` → tracked team value → developer-local value, with the last valid
boolean winning. The tracked value controls generated context; the local value controls only the
runtime refresh hook so one developer cannot rewrite shared files. Missing, malformed, and non-boolean layers fall through. The hook emits only on
`UserPromptSubmit`, never blocks a prompt, and records delivery per session and content hash. It
re-injects after compaction, a content change, or about 4.5 MB of transcript growth (the existing
framework proxy for roughly 200k tokens); hosts without a measurable transcript use a bounded age
fallback. Explicitly named skills and workflows remain available through normal host discovery.

The optional **custom route protocol** (`portability.workflowRouteProtocol`, team or developer-local)
is RUNTIME-ONLY: `workflow-route-inject.cjs` appends it at `UserPromptSubmit`, and it must NEVER be
stamped into tracked `CLAUDE.md`/`AGENTS.md`/Codex context. A valid local value replaces the team
value. This skill ignores it entirely when generating tracked files.

**Opt-out (universal guides)** — to keep a project-only `CLAUDE.md`/`AGENTS.md` (your custom knowledge, none of the
universal guides), set `portability.requireUniversalGuides: false` in `docs/project-config.json`
(persistent; default `true`). The gate then checks only existence, never completeness. The transient
`skip init` escape still dismisses both hooks for 24h. The gate is dormant in empty/greenfield folders
and before config is populated. `AGENTS.md` and the other Codex surfaces are generated by the shared runner owned by
`$sync-codex`; this skill invokes that runner directly after its final source edit, rather than recursively invoking
the skill. A full `$sync-codex` invocation performs its own CLAUDE.md preflight before mirror generation.

## Coordination with sync-codex

`ai-context-refresh` and `sync-codex` remain separate user-facing skills with one executable pipeline:

- `ai-context-refresh` owns root-context authoring and the AI smart-merge/refactor decision. After init/update/refactor and the
  final AI fill, it runs `node .claude/skills/sync-codex/scripts/run-codex-sync.mjs --skip=claude-md`.
- `sync-codex` owns generated outputs and verification. Its full run starts with a `claude-md` preflight: missing
  `CLAUDE.md` is initialized, marker-managed content is updated, and `portability.requireUniversalGuides: false`
  may accept a markerless project-only root.
- A markerless root with universal guides required is never overwritten by preflight. Run
  `$ai-context-refresh --mode update`, preserve the project instructions through AI smart-merge, then rerun sync.
- The handoff uses the runner directly, not a nested `$sync-codex` skill call, so there is no recursion or duplicate
  source generation. If the runner fails, report the failing stage and do not claim that Codex mirrors are current.

## Modes

| Mode       | When                                     | Behavior                                                                                                                |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `init`     | No CLAUDE.md exists, or first-time setup | Generate fresh CLAUDE.md from template + config. Populates all markers.                                                 |
| `update`   | CLAUDE.md exists with markers            | Replace only content between markers. Preserve everything else.                                                         |
| `refactor` | CLAUDE.md exists, needs optimization     | AI reads entire CLAUDE.md, optimizes for token efficiency, removes redundancy, improves structure. No script — pure AI. |

## Prerequisites

- `docs/project-config.json` — primary data source (run `$project-config` first if missing)
- Node.js available (for generator script)

## Phase 1: Detect Mode

```bash
# Check CLAUDE.md state
node .claude/skills/ai-context-refresh/scripts/generate-claude-md.cjs --detect
```

**Decision logic:**

- No CLAUDE.md → `init`
- CLAUDE.md with markers → `update`
- CLAUDE.md without markers → `smart-merge` (see below)
- User explicit `--mode` flag → override detection

## Phase 2: Run Generator Script

```bash
# Init mode: generate fresh CLAUDE.md
node .claude/skills/ai-context-refresh/scripts/generate-claude-md.cjs --mode init

# Update mode: sync marked sections only
node .claude/skills/ai-context-refresh/scripts/generate-claude-md.cjs --mode update
```

**Script behavior:**

1. Reads `docs/project-config.json`
2. Reads template (`references/claude-md-template.md`) for init, or existing CLAUDE.md for update
3. Calls section builders to generate content for each marker key
4. Writes output to `CLAUDE.md` (creates backup `.claude-md.backup` first)
5. Outputs report: which sections were generated, which skipped (no data), which preserved

### Smart-Merge (Update on CLAUDE.md Without Markers)

When running update on an existing CLAUDE.md that has NO section markers:

1. Read existing CLAUDE.md
2. Match sections by `##` heading text against known section keys (see `references/section-registry.md`)
3. For each matched section: wrap with markers, replace content with generated content
4. For unmatched user sections: preserve as-is (no markers added)
5. Write output with backup

## Phase 3: AI Fill (Post-Script)

After the script generates the mechanical parts, AI reviews and fills:

1. **Project description** in TL;DR — write a concise 2-3 sentence description based on config + codebase
2. **Golden rules** — preserve each contextGroups group's name, matchers, exclusions, and rule scope; never promote a path-scoped rule to a global reminder.
3. **Decision quick-ref** — use explicit pattern declarations and project references; never infer architecture from database, broker, framework, or resource presence alone.
4. **Naming conventions** — detect from codebase patterns if not in config

## Phase 4: Verify

- [ ] CLAUDE.md is valid markdown
- [ ] All section markers are properly paired (open + close)
- [ ] No template placeholder text remains (e.g., `{project-name}`, `TODO`)
- [ ] No `.claude/skills/ai-context-refresh/` implementation paths leak into generated project context (self-reference)
- [ ] Conditional sections with no data are omitted (not empty stubs)

## Phase 5: Sync Codex mirrors (after the final CLAUDE.md edit)

Writing/updating CLAUDE.md makes the generated mirror surfaces stale — `AGENTS.md` (Codex), the
`.codex/` mirrors, and other downstream surfaces are derived FROM CLAUDE.md. They must be regenerated
only after the final AI fill/refactor and verification, otherwise the mirrors can capture an intermediate
source state.

**MUST add a final todo task — "Sync Codex mirrors from updated CLAUDE.md" — after
init/update/refactor and verification complete.** When CLAUDE.md content changed, execute the shared
standalone runner directly:

```text
Task tracking: "Sync Codex mirrors from updated CLAUDE.md → invoke $sync-codex"
node .claude/skills/sync-codex/scripts/run-codex-sync.mjs --skip=claude-md
```

`--skip=claude-md` is intentional: this skill has just completed the root-source lifecycle, so the
runner must start at mirror generation and still execute every configured verification stage. The
direct node call is the authorized completion handoff of an explicit `$ai-context-refresh` request; it is
not an autonomous invocation of the user-facing `$sync-codex` skill. Skip the task only when no
CLAUDE.md content actually changed. If the runner fails, keep this task incomplete and report the
failing stage and exact recovery command.

## Refactor Mode (AI-Only)

When `--mode refactor` or user asks to optimize CLAUDE.md:

1. Read entire CLAUDE.md
2. Identify: redundant sections, verbose explanations, duplicate info available in referenced docs
3. Apply token efficiency: remove duplication, consolidate tables, shorten where possible
4. Preserve all section markers
5. Report: lines before/after, sections changed, estimated token savings

## Section Marker Protocol

```markdown
<!-- SECTION:tldr -->

Auto-generated content here...

<!-- /SECTION:tldr -->
```

**Rules:**

- Only content between markers is replaced on update
- Content outside markers is never touched
- Missing markers in update mode → section skipped (not inserted)
- Init mode uses template which includes all markers
- Markers use lowercase kebab-case keys matching section-registry.md

## Section Keys (Quick Reference)

See `references/section-registry.md` for full mapping. Summary:

| Key                   | Source                                  | Conditional?              |
| --------------------- | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| `tldr`                | `project.*`, `modules[]`, `framework.*` | No — always generated     |
| `golden-rules`        | `contextGroups[].rules`                 | Yes — skip if no rules    |
| `decision-quick-ref`  | `modules[]`, `framework.*`              | Yes — skip if no modules  |
| `key-locations`       | `modules[].pathRegex`                   | Yes — skip if no modules  |
| `dev-commands`        | `testing.commands`, `infrastructure.*`  | Yes — skip if no commands |
| `infra-ports`         | `modules[].meta.port` (infra)           | Yes — skip if no ports    |
| `api-ports`           | `modules[].meta.port` (services)        | Yes — skip if no ports    |
| `integration-testing` | `framework.integrationTestDoc`          | Yes — skip if no doc      |
| `e2e-testing`         | `framework.e2eTestDoc`, scan, or `e2eTesting.execution` | Yes — skip if no E2E evidence/profile |
| `doc-index`           | Scan `docs/` directory                  | Yes — skip if no docs/    |
| `doc-lookup`          | `modules[]` + business features         | Yes — skip if no modules  |

## Running Tests

Generator + bootstrap-gate coverage lives in the hooks test suite:

```bash
node .claude/hooks/tests/run-all-tests.cjs --filter=agent-files
```

---

> **[IMPORTANT]** Use task tracking to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.

<!-- SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset -->

> **Critical Thinking Mindset** — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act.
> **Anti-hallucination:** Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.

<!-- /SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset -->

<!-- SYNC:output-quality-principles -->

> **Output Quality** — Token efficiency without sacrificing quality.
>
> 1. No inventories/counts — AI can `grep | wc -l`. Counts go stale instantly
> 2. No directory trees — AI can `glob`/`ls`. Use 1-line path conventions
> 3. No TOCs — AI reads linearly. TOC wastes tokens
> 4. No examples that repeat what rules say — one example only if non-obvious
> 5. Lead with answer, not reasoning. Skip filler words and preamble
> 6. Sacrifice grammar for concision in reports
> 7. Unresolved questions at end, if any

<!-- /SYNC:output-quality-principles -->

<!-- SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention -->

> **AI Mistake Prevention** — Failure modes to avoid on every task:
>
> **Project applicability gate.** Before applying a stack, layer, style, tool, or architecture rule, read the project's config and relevant references, then check local implementations. Treat framework examples as examples; honor explicit N/A and do not require a technology or convention the project does not use.
> **ROOT-CAUSE GATE — INVESTIGATE FIRST.** Before applying any project-related correction, always use the project's root-cause investigation protocol and establish the cause; the failure site may be only a symptom.
> **FAILED-TEST GATE.** For any failed or unstable test, use the project's test-investigation protocol before editing source or tests; never change either side merely to force green.
> **Re-read files after context changes.** Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting.
> **Verify generated content against source evidence.** AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing.
> **Check downstream references before deleting or renaming.** Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first.
> **Trace the full impact chain after edits.** Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done.
> **Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first.** One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect.
> **Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect.** Before changing or reporting a constant, limit, flag, cutoff, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history, the CALLER's ordering, and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard.
> **Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently.** Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk.
> **Assert the outcome your system owns, not the intermediate state your infrastructure owns.** When verifying async work, assert the final business state — never the delivery/retry bookkeeping held in shared infrastructure that any co-running process can write. Such a check passes when run alone and flakes the moment anything else shares that infrastructure.
> **Store disposable generated output in the project workspace.** If an output can be regenerated and is not source code, a canonical source-of-truth, or an intentionally versioned projection, write it under the project-root `tmp/` or `temp/` directory (prefer `tmp/`), scoped to the run. This includes temporary state, integration/E2E results, reports, logs, screenshots, traces, videos, coverage, dumps, and candidate evidence. Never put these outputs in source, docs, the plans root (default `plans/`; a `docsRoots.plans.path` entry in `docs/project-config.json` overrides the path), the team-artifacts root (default `team-artifacts/`; `docsRoots.teamArtifacts.path` in the same config overrides the path), or mirror directories; the project-root `.gitignore` must ignore `/tmp/` and `/temp/` by default. Committed fixtures, accepted baselines, canonical specs/docs, and explicitly versioned generated mirrors remain at their declared owner paths.
> **Judge the environment before judging the code.** A bug report, failed test, error, or unexpected output is not proof of a code defect. Before and during adjudication, weigh environment causes as a competing hypothesis — setup, config, version and dependency state, service dependencies, stale artifacts or leftover state, and transient resource pressure (RAM, CPU, disk, handles, network). State the discriminator you ran; fix an environment cause in the environment, never by editing product code or weakening a test to absorb it.
> **Keep shared guidance role-relevant.** Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols.

<!-- /SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention -->

<!-- SYNC:output-quality-principles:reminder -->

**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** maintain >=8 rules per 100 lines. Critical rules in first+last 5 lines. Tables over prose.

<!-- /SYNC:output-quality-principles:reminder -->

<!-- SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset:reminder -->

**MUST ATTENTION** critical + sequential thinking: every claim carries traced evidence (`file:line` for code, source URL or artifact section otherwise); confidence >80% to act, <60% do NOT recommend. Never present a guess as fact; admit uncertainty and stay skeptical of your own confidence.

<!-- /SYNC:critical-thinking-mindset:reminder -->

<!-- SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention:reminder -->

**MUST ATTENTION** Check project config, relevant references, and local evidence before applying stack-specific conventions; honor explicit N/A. ROOT-CAUSE GATE: before any project-related correction, use the appropriate root-cause investigation protocol; failed/unstable tests require the test-investigation protocol before editing source/tests — never force green.

<!-- /SYNC:ai-mistake-prevention:reminder -->

<!-- SYNC:project-protocol-overlay -->

> **Project Protocol Overlay** — Before executing this skill, resolve project overlays from the index at `<docsRoots.projectReference.path>/skill-protocols-reference.md` (default `docs/project-reference/`; `docsRoots.projectReference.path` in `docs/project-config.json` overrides it). A matching `referenceDocs[]` filename may relocate the index within that root; this registry is independent from task-specific reference-doc selection, so omitted or empty `referenceDocs` does not disable it. The index's `**Protocols directory:**` header selects a project-root-relative body directory (default `docs/project-protocols/`). Match this skill against the `Target` column and take the most specific tier ONLY — exact name > glob > `*`. **That precedence orders overlays against EACH OTHER, never against this skill.** Read only matched bodies derived as `<protocols-dir>/<Name>.md`; the row's Body link is display text, never a read path. Reject unsafe paths without reading. A matched body that is missing or malformed is REPORTED and skipped — never reconstructed from the index Description. An absent index or no match -> proceed with no overlay, silently. Full contract: `.claude/skills/project-skill-protocol/references/registry.md`.
>
> Overlays are **ADDITIVE ONLY**: they ADD rules on top of this skill's own protocol and NEVER replace, override, disable, or reinterpret a rule it already states — removing every overlay must return this skill to exactly its documented behavior. An overlay is a BRIEF, not an authority escalation: it can NEVER waive a workflow gate, git discipline, a review gate, or a user-confirmation gate. A genuine overlay-vs-skill conflict, or two equally-specific overlays that directly contradict -> surface both to the user; NEVER resolve silently.

<!-- /SYNC:project-protocol-overlay -->

<!-- SYNC:project-protocol-overlay:reminder -->

**MUST ATTENTION** resolve this skill's overlays from the index at `<docsRoots.projectReference.path>/skill-protocols-reference.md` (default `docs/project-reference/`; `docsRoots.projectReference.path` in `docs/project-config.json` overrides it); an empty task `referenceDocs` does NOT disable this lookup. Read ONLY matched bodies from the directory the index header names (default `docs/project-protocols/`). Specificity (exact > glob > `*`) ranks overlays against EACH OTHER, never against the skill. Missing/malformed body → report and skip; no index or no match → proceed silently. Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY — never an authority escalation or a gate waiver; equal-tier contradiction goes to the user.

<!-- /SYNC:project-protocol-overlay:reminder -->

## Closing Reminders

**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION Goal:** Refresh the portable project AI-context lifecycle — generate or update the Claude root context from project-config.json + template, preserve project instructions through smart merge/refactor, and refresh Codex projections.

**Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):** MUST ATTENTION honor every protocol below.

- **Critical Thinking:** apply critical + sequential thinking; traced proof, confidence >80% to act.
- **Output Quality:** token-efficient — no inventories/trees/TOCs; tables over prose.
- **AI Mistake Prevention:** verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity.

**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** break work into small todo tasks using task tracking BEFORE starting
**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** cite `file:line` evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** add a final review todo task to verify work quality
**IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** execute in order: preflight config and detect mode → generate/update or AI smart-merge/refactor while preserving unmanaged content → AI-fill and verify markers/placeholders/portability → run the standalone `$sync-codex` runner with `--skip=claude-md` after final root edits and verify every Codex mirror

| Evasion | Rebuttal |
| --- | --- |
| "It is only a rename" | Trace canonical sources, generated mirrors, catalogs, routes, and tests. |
| "The mirrors are already current" | Run the sync and divergence gates; stale derived output is not completion. |
| "Hand-fix the Codex copy" | Edit `.claude/**` sources, then regenerate `.agents/`, `.codex/`, and `AGENTS.md`. |

**[TASK-PLANNING]** Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using task tracking.

<!-- CODEX:SYNC-PROMPT-PROTOCOLS:START -->
## Static Prompt Protocol Mirror (Auto-Synced)

Source: `.claude/.ck.json` + `.claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md` (`:full` blocks) + `.claude/scripts/lib/hookless-prompt-protocol.cjs` (static quality-protocol composer)

## Shared AI-SDD Protocol Markers

Source: `.claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md`

## SYNC:ai-sdd-artifact-contract

> **AI-SDD Artifact Contract** — Shared spec-driven development rules stay portable and source-owned.
>
> 1. Keep reusable AI-SDD principles in `.claude`; put repository-specific paths, commands, owners, products, and formats in project config/reference docs.
> 2. Preserve cycle: `spec -> plan -> tasks -> implement -> verify -> update spec/docs`.
> 3. Resolve `specArtifacts` before selecting identity or carrier: use a valid profile, use strict-default TC/test identity only when the profile is absent, and block a malformed or unsupported declaration. Trace every requirement or invariant through decision, task, configured case/test identity and inspected assertion evidence, then carry it through source evidence and canonical docs/spec updates.
> 4. Treat code-to-spec extraction as reference-only until accepted by the canonical spec owner.
> 5. Any supported AI tool may plan, implement, review, or verify with synced context; using multiple tools is optional.
> 6. Update `.claude` source first, then sync generated mirrors; do not manually edit `.agents`, `.codex`, or `AGENTS.md`. — why: mirrors are generated artifacts; hand-edits are overwritten on the next sync
> 7. If `docs/project-config.json`, root instruction files, or a required project-reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run `$project-init` or the narrow lower-level route before ordinary project-specific work.
>
> **Active reference:** `shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md` in the active skills root.

---

## SYNC:ai-sdd-artifact-contract:reminder

- **MANDATORY** Apply `shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md`; keep reusable AI-SDD in `.claude` and local rules in project docs.
- **MANDATORY** Resolve and validate `specArtifacts`: use valid native owner/case/variant identity and assertion-bearing evidence; use strict-default TC/TestSpec only when the profile is absent; block a malformed or unsupported declaration without fallback.
- **MANDATORY** Code-to-spec extraction is reference-only until canonical acceptance; any supported AI tool may execute with synced context.
- **MANDATORY** Update `.claude` source before syncing generated mirrors; do not manually edit `.agents`, `.codex`, or `AGENTS.md`.
- **MANDATORY** Missing or stale project config, root instruction files, or required reference docs route project-specific work through `$project-init` or the narrow setup route automatically.
**[TASK-PLANNING] [MANDATORY]** BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all planned steps, analyze the task graph (output dependencies, shared write targets) into ordered parallel waves per PARALLELIZE before starting any task, then keep it synchronized as each step starts/completes. Preserve fixed ordering when a skill or workflow explicitly fixes it.
- **MANDATORY** Pin `Original goal:` before the first action and keep `User prompts this session: P1…Pn` current; re-read both at every step, before delegation, and after compaction.
- **MANDATORY** Before claiming done, map the result to the original goal and every prompt (`P# → done | deferred | n/a`); never store secrets in them.
## [LESSON-LEARNED-REMINDER] [BLOCKING] Task Planning & Continuous Improvement — MANDATORY. Do not skip.

Break work into small tasks (task tracking) before starting. Add final task: "Analyze AI mistakes & lessons learned".

**Extract lessons — ROOT CAUSE ONLY, not symptom fixes:**
1. Name the FAILURE MODE (reasoning/assumption failure), not symptom — "assumed API existed without reading source" not "used wrong enum value".
2. Generality test: does this failure mode apply to ≥3 contexts/codebases? If not, abstract one level up.
3. Write as a universal rule — strip project-specific names/paths/classes. Useful on any codebase.
4. Consolidate: multiple mistakes sharing one failure mode → ONE lesson.
5. **Recurrence gate:** "Would this recur in future session WITHOUT this reminder?" — No → skip `$learn`.
6. **Auto-fix gate:** "Could `$code-review`/`$code-simplifier`/`$security-review`/a linter catch this?" — Yes → improve review skill instead.
7. BOTH gates pass → ask user to run `$learn`.
**[CRITICAL-THINKING-MINDSET]** Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act.
**Anti-hallucination principle:** Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.
**AI Attention principle (Primacy-Recency):** Put the 3 most critical rules at both top and bottom of long prompts/protocols so instruction adherence survives long context windows.
**Goal-driven execution:** Define success criteria first, loop until verified, and stop only when observable checks pass.
**Tests verify intent:** Tests must protect business rules/invariants and fail when the protected intent breaks, not only mirror current behavior.
## Common AI Mistake Prevention (System Lessons)

- **Resolve project applicability before using framework examples.** Read the project config and relevant references, then inspect local evidence; honor explicit N/A and never impose a language, framework, architecture layer, styling method, tool, or runtime surface the project does not use.
- **ROOT-CAUSE GATE — INVESTIGATE FIRST.** Before applying any project-related correction, always use the project's root-cause investigation protocol and establish the cause; the failure site may be only a symptom.
- **FAILED-TEST GATE.** For any failed or unstable test, use the project's test-investigation protocol before editing source or tests; never change either side merely to force green.
- **Re-read files after context compaction.** Edit requires prior Read in same context; compaction wipes read state. Re-read before editing.
- **Grep for old terms after bulk replacements.** AI over-trusts find/replace completeness. Grep full repo after bulk edits for missed refs in docs/configs/catalogs.
- **Check downstream references before deleting.** Deletions cascade doc/code staleness. Map referencing files before removal.
- **After memory loss, check existing state before creating new.** Compaction wipes prior-work memory. Query current state to resume — never blindly duplicate.
- **Verify AI-generated content against actual code.** AI hallucinates APIs, class names, method signatures. Grep to confirm existence before documenting/referencing.
- **Trace full dependency chain after edits.** Changing a definition misses downstream consumers. Trace the full chain.
- **When renaming, grep ALL consumer file types.** Some file types silently ignore missing refs (no compile error). Search code, templates, configs, generated files.
- **Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness.** Code existing ≠ code executing. Trace early exits, error branches, conditional skips — not just happy path.
- **Update docs that embed canonical data when source changes.** Docs inlining derived data (workflows, schemas, configs) go stale silently. Update all embedding docs alongside source.
- **Verify sub-agent results after context recovery.** Background agents may finish while parent compacted — grep-verify output, don't trust assumed completion.
- **Cross-check full target list against sub-agent assignments.** Parallel sub-agents by category miss boundary items. Reconcile union of assignments against target list before proceeding.
- **Sub-agents inherit knowledge only from their agent .md definition — use custom agent types, not built-in Explore.** Tool adoption = permission + knowledge + enforcement (numbered workflow step).
- **Persist sub-agent findings incrementally, not as a final batch.** Long sub-agents hit cutoffs before final write — findings lost. Instruct append-per-section to report file.
- **Ownership before action.** When investigating a failure, ask which part owns the behavior before changing anything. Trace the wrong state to the component responsible for its invariant, then make one authoritative correction there.
- **Test failure → record a provisional verdict before trace/edit, then investigate.** Use the full five-way taxonomy: SOURCE-WRONG (production violates intent), TEST-WRONG (assertion/setup is stale), TEST-NOT-OPTIMAL (valid but fragile or low-signal test), ENVIRONMENT-BLOCKED (external state prevents a verdict), or AMBIGUOUS (intent/evidence cannot choose safely). Then trace root cause and triangulate against the governing spec if one exists (the business spec root — default `docs/specs`; a `specRoots.business.path` entry in `docs/project-config.json` overrides the path) AND source. NEVER weaken an assertion, add a skip, relax a timeout, or change source merely to force green.
- **Grep ALL removed names after extraction/refactoring.** Primary file "done" ≠ secondary files clean. Grep entire scope for every removed symbol before declaring complete.
- **Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect.** Pattern-matching as "wrong" skips context. Before changing or reporting any constant/limit/flag/cutoff: read comments, git blame, the CALLER's ordering (the guarantee that makes the value correct usually lives in code running immediately BEFORE the cited line), and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard — and in a validation pass, an accurate `file:line` citation proves the transcription, never the defect.
- **Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first.** One build green ≠ all green. Multi-stack changes (backend/frontend/tests/docs) require verifying EVERY output.
- **Evaluate fit before copying a nearby pattern.** Closest example ≠ matching preconditions — verify the new context shares the same constraints, base classes, scope, lifetime.
- **Holistic analysis — resist the nearest-attention trap.** Do not dive into the first plausible cause. List every precondition (configuration, environment, inputs, dependencies, versions, permissions, and state). Verify each against evidence, not intuition. Ask "what would falsify this?" — if nothing, it is not a hypothesis. The most expensive failure is going deeper into an assumed area while the real issue sits in an unexamined condition.
- **Minimal changes — apply the relevance test.** Every change must trace to the reported problem; avoid unrelated cleanup. For review or enhancement work, announce improvements beyond the main request rather than silently expanding scope. Ask: "Would this change exist if I were not addressing this request?" — if not, remove it or disclose it.
- **Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently.** Multiple valid interpretations → present each with effort: "[Request] could mean (1) [N h], (2) [N h]. Which matters?" List scope/format/volume/constraints assumptions first. If simpler path exists, say so. Never silently pick.
- **Why-Review adversarial mindset — apply when reviewing any plan, decision, or design.** Default SKEPTIC not VALIDATOR: steel-man a rejected alternative, invert each stated reason ("what does it sacrifice?"), stress-test top 2-3 assumptions, run pre-mortem ("ships, fails in 3 months — what breaks?"), surface 1-2 alternatives author missed. Section presence ≠ quality; quality = causal reasoning + concrete mitigations + evidence, not "it's better" or "monitor closely".
- **Front-load report-write in sub-agent prompts for large reviews.** Many-file sub-agents hit budget before final write — findings lost. Design prompts so: (1) report-write is first explicit deliverable, (2) append per-file/section (not batched), (3) scope bounded so reads don't exhaust budget. Truncated mid-sentence with no report file → spawn narrower scope, don't retry same prompt.
- **After context compaction, re-verify all prior phase outcomes before continuing.** Summaries describe intent, not environment state (git index, filesystem, processes). On resume, FIRST audit: git status, re-read modified files, verify filesystem. Every "completed" claim is an untested hypothesis until evidence confirms.
- **OOM/memory: check row count before row size.** Triage: (1) Unbounded query — no DB filter for trigger? Push filter to DB; eliminates OOM. (2) Large rows? Projection reduces proportionally. Row reduction > projection in ROI.
- **Assert the outcome your system OWNS, never the intermediate state your INFRASTRUCTURE owns.** When testing anything asynchronous (queue/broker delivery, retries, background jobs, caches, replication), assert the final business/entity state. NEVER assert the delivery bookkeeping — consume/send status, attempt counts, last-error, row existence or counts in a broker, scheduler, or outbox/inbox table. That bookkeeping lives in shared infrastructure that ANY co-running process (a peer worker, a second replica, a leftover local container) can write, usually under a deterministic shared key, so the assertion silently tests the developer's environment instead of the system: green when run alone, flaky the instant anything else shares that broker + database. Gate question for every assertion: "would this hold no matter WHICH process did the work?" — if no, assert the converged data state instead. Corollary: process-local fault injection and in-process telemetry cannot gate work any process may perform — use them as stress amplifiers (arm → bounded window → disarm → assert convergence), never as preconditions.
- **Store disposable generated output in the project workspace.** If an output can be regenerated and is not source code, a canonical source-of-truth, or an intentionally versioned projection, write it under the project-root `tmp/` or `temp/` directory (prefer `tmp/`), scoped to the run. This includes temporary state, integration/E2E results, reports, logs, screenshots, traces, videos, coverage, dumps, and candidate evidence. Never put these outputs in source, docs, the plans root (default `plans/`; a `docsRoots.plans.path` entry in `docs/project-config.json` overrides the path), the team-artifacts root (default `team-artifacts/`; `docsRoots.teamArtifacts.path` in the same config overrides the path), or mirror directories; the project-root `.gitignore` must ignore `/tmp/` and `/temp/` by default. Committed fixtures, accepted baselines, canonical specs/docs, and explicitly versioned generated mirrors remain at their declared owner paths.
- **Judge the environment before judging the code — a competing hypothesis, not a fallback.** A bug, failed test, error, or odd output is NOT proof of a code defect. Before deep tracing and before any verdict, sweep environment preconditions (toolchain/dependency/lockfile state, stale build or cache artifacts, env vars and config profile, service dependencies up-migrated-seeded, ports/network/clock, OS-path/locale, permissions and locks, leftover processes/containers/test data) AND transient resource pressure (RAM/OOM, CPU saturation under parallel workers, disk/temp exhaustion, handle and connection-pool limits, network flakiness, a timeout that is really slowness). Tell-tale shape: non-deterministic, timing-dependent, passes alone but fails in parallel, fails only on one machine or only on CI, or an error naming resources rather than business rules. Cite the discriminator you ran (clean environment? did code on the failing path change since it last passed? one machine or all? concurrency 1 or a clean rebuild?) — a verdict without one is a guess, for code as much as for the environment. Fix an environment cause in the environment or setup; NEVER edit product code or weaken/skip a test to absorb it, and a failure that vanishes on retry stays unexplained until its mechanism is named. — why: forcing green against an environment fault hides the real defect and permanently rots the test.
- **Cross-platform execution is a required contract.** Before authoring or changing a tool, script, process launcher, path assertion, or filesystem test, name the supported Windows, macOS, and Linux behaviors. Use platform-neutral Node APIs and literal argv vectors; never infer shell, temporary-path, executable-extension, ACL, or symlink semantics from the current host. Canonicalize existing paths before identity, hashing, or equality checks; test native Windows and POSIX seams when behavior differs; keep CI platform matrices authoritative. Preserve fail-closed security boundaries — repair the fixture or platform branch, never weaken the guard just to make one OS green.
- **Keep domain concepts out of generic/shared/infrastructure layers.** Reusable layer (shared library, framework, infra module) must reference NO consumer-specific domain concept — tenant/customer/product IDs, business entities, feature rules. Leak compiles + runs → passes review silently while coupling the "reusable" layer to one consumer. Keep shared type domain-free; push domain fields/logic down into the consumer via subclass/composition. — why: a layer coupled to one consumer's domain is no longer reusable.

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