sdd-constitution

name	sdd-constitution
description	Guide a semver constitution amendment and Sync-Impact Report entry.
metadata	{"author":"thoth-agents","version":"1.0.0"}

SDD Constitution Skill

Perform a guided, human-confirmed amendment of openspec/memory/constitution.md ONLY — a semver version bump, an updated Last-Amended date, and one prepended ## Sync-Impact Report entry. This skill closes the constitution lifecycle by adding its AMENDMENT side; it never edits any other bundled asset.

Shared Conventions

• ../_shared/openspec-convention.md
• ../_shared/persistence-contract.md
• ../_shared/thoth-mem-convention.md

Persistence Mode

The orchestrator passes the artifact store mode (thoth-mem, openspec, or hybrid). Follow the persistence contract for read/write rules per mode.

• thoth-mem: record the amendment as a governance observation only — do NOT create or modify openspec/ files.
• openspec: write openspec/memory/constitution.md only — do NOT call thoth-mem save tools.
• hybrid: do both — write the file AND record the governance observation (default).

When to Use

• A native principle must be added, redefined, removed, or its guidance materially expanded or clarified, and the constitution must record it.
• A report-only suggestion from sdd-verify or sdd-archive flagged a completed change as governance-touching and a human chooses to record an amendment.

Prerequisites

• An existing openspec/memory/constitution.md (bootstrapped by sdd-init).
• A human-described principle change (what changed and why).
• change-name — OPTIONAL context only; the skill may run standalone and is not a per-change pipeline phase.
• Selected persistence mode (default: hybrid).

Workflow

1. Read the shared conventions, especially openspec-convention.md > Constitution Governance (amendment doctrine, read-only-asset rules, and the Sync-Impact Report entry format).
2. Load openspec/memory/constitution.md and read its Version:, Ratified:, Last-Amended: header fields and the existing ## Sync-Impact Report section. If the file is absent, instruct the user to run sdd-init first; do NOT create the constitution here.
3. Determine the principle change from the human description. If no principle change is warranted, report a no-op and stop — write nothing.
4. Classify the bump per policy: MAJOR = a principle is removed or redefined; MINOR = a principle is added or guidance materially expanded; PATCH = clarification or wording with no behavioral change. Present the classification for confirmation via the harness blocking-input surface (AskUserQuestion-equivalent). Do NOT write any version bump before the user confirms, and NEVER use a runtime parser to auto-select the bump.
5. Apply the amendment to openspec/memory/constitution.md ONLY: bump the Version: field, set Last-Amended: to the current date, and PREPEND exactly one entry to the top of the ## Sync-Impact Report section in the canonical format - X.Y.Z | change type | principles touched | downstream gates/artifacts affected. Preserve all existing content and ALL prior Sync-Impact Report entries.
6. Emit REPORT-ONLY impact: name the live-read consuming gates (sdd-design, plan-reviewer) in the Sync-Impact entry, and FLAG any in-flight change openspec/changes/{name}/design.md or tasks.md that reference now-changed principles for HUMAN re-review. Do NOT edit those artifacts or any other bundled asset.
7. Persist per the selected mode: in modes that include OpenSpec write the constitution file; in modes that include thoth-mem record a governance observation per the persistence contract.

Output Format

Return:

• Constitution Version: old X.Y.Z -> new X.Y.Z (or unchanged on no-op)
• Bump: MAJOR, MINOR, PATCH, or no-op
• Sync-Impact Entry: the single prepended line (or none on no-op)
• Consuming Gates: live-read gates that consume the changed principles (e.g. sdd-design, plan-reviewer)
• In-Flight Artifacts Flagged: change design.md / tasks.md flagged for human re-review, or none
• Files Written: openspec/memory/constitution.md only, or none
• Status: amended or no-op

Rules

• NEVER edit, create, or delete any other SKILL.md, any file under src/, or any bundled/template asset — the ONLY writable target is openspec/memory/constitution.md.
• NEVER auto-bump: there is no runtime parser, and no Version: change is written without explicit human confirmation via the blocking-input surface.
• No-op when no principle change is warranted: report it and write nothing.
• Preserve all existing constitution content and ALL prior ## Sync-Impact Report entries; only PREPEND the new entry and update the version/date.
• Propagation is report-only: document the consuming gates and flag in-flight change artifacts for human re-review; NEVER auto-fix them.