project-doctrine

name	<project>-doctrine
description	Project posture loader for <project>. Load before planning, reviewing, or making non-trivial decisions. Teaches how this project judges — not just what happened.

Doctrine

Replace <project> with your project name throughout.

Delete this quote block before using.

What this skill is

This skill is the posture loader for . It exists because has accumulated enough judgment that normal handoffs are not sufficient: a new session needs to inherit not just what happened, but how we decide.

The doctrine is organized into six layers plus a volatile state snapshot. The load protocol is: snapshot → ideology → thinking modes → heart methods, then the rest on demand.

Do not summarize this skill back. Enter the posture.

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Load protocol

Read in order:

1. references/state-snapshot.md — what is true about right now
2. references/layer-1-ideology.md — what must stay true (durable convictions)
3. references/layer-5-thinking-modes.md — how we reason
4. references/layer-6-heart-methods.md — compressed lessons from scars

Then, on demand as the work requires:

• references/layer-2-knowledge.md — pointers to authoritative docs
• references/layer-3-methods.md — validated ways of working
• references/layer-4-sops.md — procedures for recurring situations
• references/failure-memory.md — tempting mistakes and how to detect them
• references/taste-examples.md — good/bad contrast on project-specific choices
• references/apprenticeship-check.md — the 6 questions a new agent should answer
• references/bootstrap-prompt.md — copy-paste agent loader
• references/provenance.md — where the entries came from
• references/incubation.md — candidate doctrine not yet promoted (the "not sure yet" parking lot)
• references/execution-state.md — optional live control file for long-running campaigns

Team mode only (solo projects can delete these):

• references/governance.md — who owns what; change process; conflict resolution
• references/decision-records.md — lightweight DRs for doctrine-shaping decisions

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The six layers (one-line refresher)

Layer	Name	Question
state-snapshot	Current state	Where are we right now?
L1	Ideology	What must stay true?
L2	Knowledge	Where is the current truth written?
L3	Methods	How do we work (validated)?
L4	SOPs	What do we repeat?
L5	Thinking Modes	How do we reason?
L6	Heart Methods	What scars compressed into a maxim?

Full model: see docs/six-layer-model.md in the project-doctrine repo.

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How to use this skill

At session start

1. Read state-snapshot
2. Read L1, L5, L6
3. If references/execution-state.md is active and non-empty, read it before picking work
4. Run the apprenticeship check (see references/apprenticeship-check.md) if this is a fresh session or if the doctrine has changed materially

Before writing a plan

• Consult L1 (does the plan respect the durable convictions?)
• Consult failure-memory (is this plan rerunning a known trap?)
• Consult taste-examples (does the plan match the project's taste?)

During a plan's round-2 review

• Does the plan violate any L1?
• Does the plan trigger any failure-memory entry?
• Is the plan using L3 methods faithfully?

When a user says "no, not like that"

• That is a taste-examples entry waiting to be written
• Capture it before the conversation moves on

After a scar

• If the project just paid for a lesson, write the L6 entry before memory of the pain fades
• A scar with no compressed lesson gets paid twice

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Maintenance rhythm

• state-snapshot: update weekly, or on state change
• L1: rarely; when updated, announce loudly
• L2: refresh when specs move
• L3: add when a method validates
• L4: add when a situation recurs for the third time
• L5: rare additions; these are stable reasoning postures
• L6: one entry per real scar; never manufactured
• failure-memory: add as traps become visible
• taste-examples: add when a "no, like this" happens
• execution-state: update when a long-running campaign changes focus, queue, friction, or verification baseline

If nothing in the doctrine has changed in a month and the project is active, the doctrine is probably stale.

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Conventions

• Bilingual (EN / CH / your team's language) is fine. Use whichever best compresses the lesson.
• No motivational slogans. Every entry should be load-bearing.
• Contrast > adjectives. Good/bad pairs > "be thoughtful."
• Date-stamped where volatile; undated where durable.

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Integration

• Referenced from: CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, .cursor/rules/, or wherever your agent runtime loads skills.
• Imports from: nothing. Doctrine is self-contained.
• Used by: every session, every plan, every non-trivial decision.

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Closing principle

Do not summarize this project. Extract the school.