Dev

User/host safety and tool contracts prevail. Diagnosis/review permits investigation only; changes stay in authorized scope. Prose is not runtime enforcement.

§0.0 Work Classifier (C0-C5)

DEV-CLASS-01 (DEFAULT): classify before depth; reclassify growth. Decide discovery ownership before broad reads, even read-only.

Class	Signals	Process
C0	Text only; zero behavior change	Direct edit + smallest proof
C1	One file, local behavior, no new abstraction	Fast path + focused check
C2	Conventional product slice	Compact plan, adjacent conventions, focused tests, micro-audit
C3	Module boundaries, shared types, broad behavior	PABCD depth by risk/persistence; subagent audit when warranted
C4	Auth, payments, deletion, migration, release, permissions, security	Full PABCD, gates, durable risk/evidence
C5	Ambiguity after one clarification round	Interview via pabcd; resolve/reclassify C0-C4 before build

Tie-break: higher class wins (DEFAULT); route→service→storage remains C2. DEV-ESCALATE-01 (STRICT): security, deletion/migration, destruction, public contracts, release, permissions, new dependencies/frameworks promote the affected part to C4. Split it out; promotion alone requires no question.

§0.1 Patch Fast-Path (C0/C1)

C0/C1 skip convention/owner search and references unless explicitly routed; keep §3/4/5/static checks and visible conventions. Five lines is illustrative. Security/data-loss/new abstractions exclude this path; text-only edits do not escalate by location. C0 needs no numbered unit; C1 records change/reason/proof in existing units only. Never create units just for C0/C1; unit residence owns UNIT-RESIDENCE-01.

§0.2 Rule Classes

Safety/correctness/permissions/truthful proof are mandatory. Size/naming/layout/style are DEFAULT/STYLE_SAMPLE despite old MUST/HIGH labels unless a cited project/user contract binds them. Requested workflows keep phase/evidence; other unclassified rules are DEFAULT.

• STRICT: violation blocks completion.
• DEFAULT: follow unless a stated, documented reason warrants deviation.
• HEURISTIC: judgment guide; deviation needs no rationale.
• DEV-STYLE-SAMPLE-01 (STYLE_SAMPLE): illustration, never universal.
• ESCALATE: stop and ask the user.

§0.4 Workflow Modes

Mode: chat, PABCD, goal, scoped subagent, read-only (no writes), docs-only (consistency checks). Read pabcd/cxc-loop for mechanics; classify each work-phase. Docs-first: cxc-loop (LOOP-DOCS-FIRST-01). Production: deployed to real users beyond the author; excludes prototypes/spikes/internal demos.

Companion Skills

DEV-ROUTE-01 (STRICT): before writing, read every matching surface router SKILL.md; C0/C1 exceptions apply.

Reading contract

Read active SKILL.md fully; references only when applicable. Resolve a skill's relative links from that skill's directory, not the working directory. Truncation is incomplete even at exit 0: reread separately or in numbered contiguous, non-overlapping chunks through EOF; verify no gaps before acting.

Change surface	Primary router	Also load
Backend / API / server	dev-backend	dev-security for auth/input
Frontend / UI / web	dev-frontend	dev-uiux-design for vague/open visual direction, UX-state meaning, IA, brand, concept gen
App database / OLTP / transactional schema	dev-backend	dev-security for access; dev-testing for migrations
Analytics / ETL / data quality / analytical backfills	dev-data	dev-backend for API integration
Tests / QA	dev-testing	dev-frontend for browser QA
Security / auth / secrets	dev-security	surface-specific router
Architecture / modules / deps	dev-architecture	dev-scaffolding for new structure
Debugging / crashes / perf / comprehending unknown systems	dev-debugging	surface-specific router; references/logic-analysis.md when no defect
DevOps / deploy / infra	dev-devops	dev-security for credentials
Native desktop: Tauri, AppKit/SwiftUI, WidgetKit, menu-bar/tray apps, embedded sidecars, signing/notarization, macOS approval prompts	dev-devops → references/native-desktop-acceptance.md and references/macos-system-approvals.md	dev-testing for suites and CI matrix; cxc-qa for gui/cli verdicts; dev-frontend for web-view UI; dev-security for entitlements and credentials; dev-debugging runtimes/swift.md
Scaffolding / docs / setup	dev-scaffolding	dev-architecture for boundaries
Code review	dev-code-reviewer	dev-security + dev-testing
Diagrams / charts / visual documents / reports / PDF composition	dev-visualizer	Available document-format owner for PDF/DOCX/Slides mechanics; dev-frontend and dev-uiux-design retain implementation/design ownership

Subagent Skill Injection (DEV-SKILL-INJECT-01)

Attach dev+surface skills explicitly; search tasks also attach search and its policy. Use resolvable links or supported mentions/v1 items; hooks never infer omissions. Mappings: ownership; triggers: agents/openai.yaml.

Discovery delegation

Before broad reads, bound the question; delegate to configured explorer if independent and main has separate work. State scopes; host/no-delegation limits win. Record unavailability; read narrowly. Local lookup must determine next steps or be inseparable; explain substantial reads. Read-only/counts/parallelism do not justify them. Revisit on new subsystems/rereads/truncation; reclassify growth. Use a discovery packet; check needed spans, reassign named gaps before expanding, no routine re-investigation. Discovery replaces neither implementation delegation nor independent review. Isolation: dispatch surfaces; read-only leaves do not justify parallel writes. Authorized delegation needs no new approval. Model claims need runtime proof; cost compares main+child input/cache/output prices/tiers, not tokens.

Family Invariants

• FAMILY-SLOP-01 (DEFAULT): no filler, performative narration, decorative rationale, placeholders, TODO-only output, fake fallbacks, speculative wrappers/defensive clutter without boundary reasons. Prose/page tells: kwrite and dev-visualizer REPORT-DESIGN-01.
• FAMILY-READER-01 (DEFAULT): reader documents for human deliverables; link raw audit artifacts.
• FAMILY-CITE-01 (STRICT): findings/plans/reviews/contradictions cite path:line; plans name paths/verifiers; proof includes command+output/artifact.
• FAMILY-PROOF-01 (STRICT): completion follows §3; all routers inherit it.

3. Verification Before Completion (STRICT)

1. Identify the command proving the claim.
2. Run it fresh, never cached.
3. Read full output; check exit code and count failures.
4. Confirm it supports the claim.
5. Report the claim with evidence.

Claim	Requires	Insufficient
Tests pass	Expected tests executed; fresh zero failures	Old/absent/skipped/cancelled tests, assumptions
Build succeeds	Build exit 0	Lint success
Bug fixed	Original symptom resolved	Edit alone
Feature complete	Every requirement checked	Tests alone
Subagent completed	Actual changes in VCS diff	Child report alone
Regression test works	Verified red→green	One passing run

DEV-VERIFY-FLOOR-01 (STRICT): floor, not cap:

Class	Floor
C0/C1	C0 text consistency; C1 focused check, or observed repro with stated limits when automation does not fit
C2	Integration/contract tests + build/typecheck + changed-UI smoke; CRUD negatives: dev-testing references/core/crud-test-matrix.md
C3	Affected suites + public-contract/doc consistency
C4	Full relevant gates + negatives + durable evidence

Verify child success independently: diff and behavior.

4. Change Documentation

C2+ supplied logs record change/reason/proof. C0/C1 follow §0.1; discovered logs create no duty. Explicit requests/release contracts bind named logs; no unrelated records.

5. Safety Rules

• Search consumers before export removal; unused internal exports may go within scope; public removal needs compatibility/migration decisions.
• Confirm import target files/exports; externalize config in files/env and name magic constants.
• Surface async errors: verified JS/TS backend neverthrow boundaries (dev-backend §3), otherwise try/catch with contextual logs.
• Destruction (ESCALATE): explicit approval for file deletion/table drops/state resets/cache clearing.
• DEV-GIT-COMMIT-01 (DEFAULT): locally commit each complete implementation step; do not accumulate a feature uncommitted.
• DEV-GIT-PUSH-01 (ESCALATE): explicit current-session approval for remote pushes, force pushes, remote branch creation and tags. Local commits are autonomous; completion grants no push permission.
• DEV-SHELL-TEXT-01 (STRICT): generated prose/replacements use apply_patch/files/quoted-delimiter heredocs/--body-file, never double-quoted shell or sh -c payloads. Use git -C <source>; hooks cannot see workdir. SHELL-SUBST-01/WORKTREE-GUARD-04 are narrow safeguards.
• DEV-PRIVACY-01 (STRICT): no raw client/personal transcripts, documents/figures, named private conversations or credentials in repo evidence/fixtures/samples. Store outside checkout; devlog records filename/date/summary. Before first branch push, list identifying company/product/people/distinctive-number terms and search the push range (DEFAULT). Fix hits by rewriting unpushed commits, never follow-up commits that retain exposed history.
• Dependent delivery follows stacked PRs (DEV-STACK-01, DEV-STACK-02, DEV-STACK-04, DEV-STACK-OPT-IN-01); retain its merge/native-selection grants.

Conditional Routes

Read matching rows; repo tools own local facts.

When	Read
PR creation/review/merge, dependent delivery	Stacked PRs (DEV-STACK-06/07)
Method/repo requirement/strict trigger	Methodology overlays
C2 conventional slice	CRUD
C2+ implementation/new abstraction	Practice
Debug/comprehend	cxc-dev-debugging; no defect: its references/logic-analysis.md
Hosted CI	CI evidence (DEV-CI-EVIDENCE-01)
Questions	Async questions
Peer contact	Default-off; peer collaboration
Composition/projection/JS	Native execution
Browser proof/extraction/UI QA	Browser routing
Library behavior	Context7 resolve-library-id → query-docs; otherwise official docs
Current/public/HTTP evidence	cxc-search
Lost prior context	DEV-RECALL-01 (STRICT): cxc-recall chat+memory search; both miss: ask/report searches
Code smells	cxc-dev-code-reviewer §3; boundary errors: dev-architecture §4
Types/static checks	Static analysis, gates
Lane observation	Waiting (DISPATCH-POLL-BUDGET-01)
Capability gap	Installed skills come from the host's skill list and these routers. DEV-SKILL-DISCOVERY-01 (DEFAULT): only for gaps, the external catalog via cxc skill search/show; built-ins win
Ownership	Ownership; update owner first