Compliance Policy Check

Overview

Evaluate a design/plan against framework policy and rule constraints before execution. Use this for regulated or high-risk changes.

When to Use

• Before creator workflows for new artifacts
• Before HIGH/EPIC implementation phases
• During reflection when repeated policy violations are observed

Iron Laws

1. NEVER execute or modify code during compliance checks — this skill assesses policy alignment only; any implementation must happen separately after compliance is confirmed.
2. ALWAYS run compliance check before HIGH/EPIC implementation — high-risk changes that bypass compliance checks create undetected policy drift that compounds over time into systemic violations.
3. ALWAYS report findings with specific remediation tasks and owning agent — vague "policy violation" reports without actionable remediation steps don't produce fixes; every FAIL and CONDITIONAL must include a concrete task.
4. NEVER report PASS on partial compliance — a plan that satisfies 80% of policies is a CONDITIONAL, not a PASS; partial compliance masks the remaining violations and gives false confidence.
5. ALWAYS recheck after remediation, not just once — a single compliance check before implementation is insufficient; verify again after major changes to confirm remediations are complete.

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Policy Context

• Read relevant files in .claude/rules/
• Read applicable workflow/agent constraints
• Read enforcement hook docs if needed

Step 2: Evaluate Proposed Change

Assess against:

1. Creator guard and artifact lifecycle rules
2. Routing and specialist-first requirements
3. Security and quality gate requirements
4. Memory/search/token-saver policy expectations

Step 3: Produce Decision

Return one policy decision:

• PASS: policy-aligned
• CONDITIONAL: allowed with required mitigations
• FAIL: not policy-compliant

Use this output shape:

{
  "decision": "PASS|CONDITIONAL|FAIL",
  "policyFindings": ["..."],
  "requiredMitigations": [],
  "evidencePaths": ["..."],
  "recommendedNextStep": "..."
}

Output Protocol

For CONDITIONAL and FAIL, include precise remediation tasks and ownership (agent type).

Anti-Patterns

Anti-Pattern	Why It Fails	Correct Approach
Implementing code during compliance check	Conflates assessment with implementation	Assess only; implementation happens separately after PASS
Skipping compliance for "small" changes	Small changes introduce policy violations silently	Run compliance check proportionally for all HIGH/EPIC work
Reporting PASS on partial compliance	Masks unresolved violations; gives false confidence	Report CONDITIONAL with specific remediation required
Vague violation reports without remediation	Violations aren't fixed without clear next steps	Include agent, task, and target file for every FAIL/CONDITIONAL
Only checking once before implementation	Post-change compliance drift goes undetected	Recheck compliance after major implementation changes

Memory Protocol

Record recurring policy drift patterns in .claude/context/memory/issues.md and stabilized controls in .claude/context/memory/decisions.md.