<!-- Lifecycle canonical source: .codex/workflow.yaml — autobuild steps are Step 0–6 (distinct from the 7 lifecycle phases) -->

mk:autobuild — Autonomous Multi-Hour Build Orchestration

Step-file workflow that runs the complete generator/evaluator harness pipeline as an autonomous build. Handles green-field product builds (planner stage → contract stage → evaluator loop → ship decision) with adaptive scaffolding density based on detected model tier.

<!-- Note: autobuild pipeline stages are numbered Step 0–6 (see Workflow section below). --> <!-- "Stage" is used to name pipeline roles to avoid clashing with the 7 lifecycle phases. -->

When to Use

Activate when:

• User runs the autobuild skill "build a X" (or any green-field product description)
• Existing kit detection routes a green-field "build me an app" intent here instead of mk:cook
• A multi-hour autonomous build is requested with no manual handholding

Skip when:

• The task is a single feature, bug fix, or refactor → use the cook skill instead
• The task is a doc update → use the existing doc skills
• The request is "explain X" or "review Y" → use the appropriate single-shot skill

Hard Constraints

1. Adaptive density — picks scaffolding density via mk:scale-routing (or density-select.sh); honors MEOWKIT_AUTOBUILD_MODE env override
2. Budget caps — warns at $30 spent, requires explicit approval at $100, hard-blocks at user-set --budget value
3. 6-hour wall-clock timeout — hard limit per Anthropic's observed runs <!-- research-citation -->; checkpoints every step for resumability
4. Max 3 iteration rounds between generator and evaluator before escalating to human (configurable via --max-iter)
5. Run report mandatory — every autobuild run produces tasks/autobuild-runs/YYMMDD-{slug}/run.md with full audit trail
6. Coexists with mk:cook — does not replace it; both route through Gate 1 + Gate 2
7. TDD opt-in (parallel to cook): autobuild respects --tdd like other flows. Default: no RED-phase gate. With --tdd: writes the .codex/session-state/tdd-mode sentinel and the developer waits on tester before each generator iteration. Active-verification HARD GATE (Rule 8 of harness-rules.md) is independent of TDD mode and always applies.

Workflow

Execute via workflow.md. Step-file architecture — load one step at a time.

Step 0: Tier Detection      → call mk:scale-routing; pick density (MINIMAL|FULL|LEAN)
Step 1: Plan                → invoke mk:plan-creator --product-level
Step 2: Contract            → invoke mk:sprint-contract (skipped if LEAN + small)
Step 3: Generate            → spawn developer sub-task w/ 4-subphase pattern
Step 4: Evaluate            → invoke mk:evaluate
Step 5: Iterate or Ship     → PASS → shipper; FAIL → loop to step-3 (max --max-iter)
Step 6: Run Report          → write the audit trail

Density Modes

Mode	Tier	Planner	Contract	Iteration Loop	Context Reset
MINIMAL	TRIVIAL (Haiku)	Skip (use plan-creator --fast)	Skip	Skip	Skip
FULL	STANDARD (Sonnet) / COMPLEX (Opus 4.5)	Required	Required	1–3 rounds	Optional
LEAN	COMPLEX (Opus 4.6+)	Required	Optional	0–1 rounds	Skip (auto-compact)

Run Report Schema

Every run writes tasks/autobuild-runs/YYMMDD-{slug}/run.md:

---
run_id: 260408-1450-build-todo
density: LEAN
model: opus-4-6
budget_cap: 50
budget_spent: 12.40
iterations: 1
status: PASS | WARN | FAIL | ESCALATED | TIMED_OUT
started: 2026-04-08T14:50:00Z
ended: 2026-04-08T15:18:00Z
---

# Autobuild Run — {task description}

## Density Decision
- Detected tier: {tier}
- Detected model: {model-id}
- Density: {MINIMAL|FULL|LEAN}
- Source: scale-routing | env-override | --tier flag

## Per-Step Artifacts
- step-00: {tier-detection result}
- step-01: tasks/plans/{plan-dir}/plan.md
- step-02: tasks/contracts/{contract}.md (or "skipped — LEAN small sprint")
- step-03: handoff at tasks/handoff/{slug}-sprint-1.md
- step-04: verdict at tasks/reviews/{slug}-evalverdict.md
- step-05: iteration count + final action
- step-06: this file

## Budget Trail
| Step | Spent | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| ... | ... | ... |

## Final Verdict
{PASS/FAIL/ESCALATED summary + next action}

Gotchas

• Don't run on a non-green-field task. Use mk:cook for single features, bug fixes, refactors. The autobuild workflow is for "build me an app" scope.
• Density override stays in scope. MEOWKIT_AUTOBUILD_MODE=LEAN does NOT skip Gate 2. Review verdict is still mandatory before ship.
• Iteration loops are bounded. Max 3 by default. After round 3, escalate — don't keep iterating blindly.
• Budget check is authoritative. If budget-tracker.sh says block, the autobuild workflow halts even mid-iteration.
• Run reports are append-only. Don't edit prior steps' entries — the report is the audit trail.
• Resumable. If the autobuild workflow is killed mid-run, the autobuild skill --resume {run-id} picks up at the last completed step.

--advice (composable, off by default)

Opt-in strategic supervision for one run. At named macro checkpoints — GUIDE at the Plan/Contract boundary, RESCUE on a plateau or scope drift, REVIEW after the terminal evaluator verdict and before the Gate 2 question, RECHECK after a correction; hard cap 5 — the athena agent assesses the situation, recommends an operational path inside the locked scope, and may return the work for correction.

It never approves. Gate 2 stays human, the evaluator keeps its verdict and its active-verification hard gate, and the iteration cap and budget thresholds keep their own schedules. Checkpoints are macro boundaries — never per generated artifact and never per evaluator iteration, so a five-round build makes no more calls than a one-round build.

Without the flag there are zero calls and no state is written.

Checkpoints: references/advice-checkpoints.md. Contract: .agents/skills/rule-advice-supervision/SKILL.md (load only when the flag is present).

References

File	Purpose
workflow.md	Step sequence + variable table
step-00-tier-detection.md	Density selection via scale-routing
step-01-plan.md	Product-level planning
step-02-contract.md	Sprint contract negotiation
step-03-generate.md	Developer sub-task dispatch with 4-subphase pattern
step-04-evaluate.md	Evaluator dispatch
step-05-iterate-or-ship.md	PASS/FAIL routing + iteration loop
step-06-run-report.md	Audit trail writer
references/adaptive-density-matrix.md	Full decision table per tier × model
references/agent-teams-vs-sub-task.md	When to use teams vs file-based sub-task
scripts/density-select.sh	Standalone density selector for scriptable use
scripts/budget-tracker.sh	Cost-log reader; threshold warnings + hard block
../plan-creator/	Planner stage (Step 1) — product-level planner
../sprint-contract/	Contract stage (Step 2) — contract negotiation
../rubric/	Rubric stage (Step 2/4) — rubric library
../evaluate/	Evaluator stage (Step 4) — behavioral evaluator
../scale-routing/	Tier + density emission
references/advice-checkpoints.md	--advice checkpoint boundaries, caps, and what supervision may not touch

Start

Read and follow workflow.md.