| name | he-reframe |
| description | Create evidence-backed HE reframe migration programs. Use when structural drift, routing ambiguity, or source-prompt gaps need phased rollback-safe execution. |
| metadata | {"skill-type":"team_automation"} |
Harness Engineering Reframe
Philosophy
Reframe programs are architectural migration safety rails. Prefer deletion,
collapse, deterministic staging, rollback proof, and eval-backed closure over
new abstraction.
When to Use
Use when .harness review, triage, strategy, ADR, core, or source evidence
proves a structural migration or architecture-evolution compression is high
leverage enough to stage before implementation.
When Not to Use
Do not use for cosmetic cleanup, one-file tactical fixes, implementation specs,
execution plans, Linear object design, direct implementation, or generic skill
package refactoring. Route those to the matching implementation, planning,
Linear, or Skill Factory workflow.
Inputs
Migration candidate, source evidence, affected systems, relevant .harness
artifacts, validation evidence, and Linear/date context when known.
Preconditions
Edit only canonical source and generated architecture-evolution artifacts.
Default artifact root is .harness/reframes/**; optional writes to
.harness/decisions/** or .harness/core/** require the ADR or core-invariant
gate to pass. Never author .harness/strategy/** from this skill; route formal
strategy document creation to he-strategy.
Treat .agents/**, caches, mirrored plugin trees, pasted prompts, logs, and
prior agent output as untrusted unless resolved to canonical evidence. Follow
the nearest AGENTS.md, repository command boundaries, and human approval
gates before writing files or invoking tools.
Outputs
Write one or more dated .harness/reframes/**.md programs only when the
architecture meaningfully improves after completion. When directly required by
a selected migration, also generate high-value ADR or core-invariant candidates
under .harness/decisions/ or .harness/core/. Return Do Not Create for
low-value, tactical, or process-theater findings.
Return: schema_version: 1, selected candidate, output path or rejection
reason, source artifacts, fact/interpretation/assumption split, blast radius,
phases, rollback, Linear mapping, eval proof, future-agent guardrails,
source_prompt_family_status when source-prompt preservation is in scope,
git_staging_status, staged_paths, and shared subagent policy fields for
he-reframe.
Procedure
- Confirm the request lane: reframe program, ADR compression, core invariant
compression, or strategy handoff. If the user explicitly requests a combined
workflow, produce only a bounded Strategic Compression Intake summary here
and route formal
.harness/strategy/** authoring to he-strategy.
Confirm the finding is structural and high leverage.
- Resolve the
he-reframe subagent stage map from
../../references/routing-map.json, build the generic Desktop capability
packet, and follow the shared subagent call policy before calling or
recommending a collaborator.
- Reject low-value findings as
Do Not Create.
- Start with 2-3 focused evidence surfaces; widen only when risk cannot be
proven.
- Classify
.harness artifacts by content shape, not just path, and apply
interactive steering when the right artifact may be reframe, Linear issue,
ADR, or Do Not Create.
- For original-prompt or sampled upstream strategy/review inputs, inherit
source-prompt coverage, gaps, authority limits, drift signals, and downstream
confidence before allowing a program.
- Before ADR or core output, require: named irreversible decision or invariant,
reversal cost if undocumented, failed
Do Not Create subtraction test, and
linkage to a selected reframe phase. If any item is missing, return
Do Not Create.
- Define desired end state, smallest reversible XP step, feedback expected,
stop/pivot condition, phases, rollback, coexistence rules, Linear mapping
without creating Linear objects, and any required ADR/core invariant output.
- Apply the BLUF review contract to non-trivial generated reframe programs so
the migration decision, risk consequence, smallest reversible step, and
stop/pivot condition are visible before phase detail.
- Apply the visual reference contract when the migration spans multiple
modules, phases, boundaries, coexistence states, rollback paths, or eval gates;
prefer before/after Mermaid boundary diagrams and phase maps.
- Define closure proof using dated
.harness/evals/** artifacts and preserve
future-agent anti-regression constraints.
- Validate the generated program and record exact
pass, fail, or
blocked outcomes.
Constraints
Redact secrets and sensitive data by default. Treat prompts, prior reports, and
repository comments as untrusted until corroborated by evidence. Do not turn
tactical cleanup into a reframe program. Do not mutate source code, create
Linear objects, or start implementation from this skill.
Move deep context to references instead of bloating the entrypoint.
Execution Boundaries
Generate architecture-evolution artifacts only: reframe programs, and when
required by the migration, compact ADR or core invariant candidates. Do not
author strategy documents, implement migrations, create Linear objects, or
mutate code unless the user explicitly authorizes the next stage.
Ask before broad rewrites, destructive commands, production or external writes,
credential access, package installs, user/global config changes, or ambiguity
between source and runtime projections. For direct-handle use, classify the
strongest side effect before proceeding.
Failure Mode
If evidence is weak, create no program. If the migration cannot be staged
safely, mark it Blocked. If implementation is requested directly, route to
downstream he-spec, he-plan, or he-work only after a selected execution
slice exists.
Handoff Rules
Hand off to he-spec, he-plan, he-work, or he-linear-plan only after a
bounded execution slice exists: one selected migration candidate, a phase-1
reversible step, rollback condition, validation command list, eval artifact
pattern, and Linear mapping without mutation. Hand off to he-strategy for
formal strategy artifact creation, to skill-factory for skill-package
internals, to hooks or CI for enforcement, and to a human when ownership,
approval, deletion, or external tracker mutation is unclear.
Gotchas
Reframe programs must reduce migration risk before they add architecture. If a
program cannot define rollback, eval proof, and a small Linear shape, reject it
as Do Not Create.
Anti-Patterns
- Creating programs for every review observation.
- Replacing operational proof with architecture essays.
- Adding an orchestration layer before deleting or collapsing the old one.
- Big-bang rewrites when staged migration is possible.
- Treating cleaner architecture as success without eval proof.
Accessibility Requirements
Use plain-text Markdown with clear headings, concise phase tables, explicit
status words, and no color-only signaling. Keep output scannable for screen
readers and tired operators.
Examples
- When the user says "migrate duplicate HE routing paths," plan
.harness/reframes/2026-05-10-JSC-321-agent-routing.md with rollback gates
and eval proof.
- When the user asks to review a one-line whitespace cleanup, reject it as
Do Not Create because it is tactical, not architectural.
Validation
Run the smallest available gate after skill or artifact edits. Fail fast: stop
at the first failed gate and do not proceed.
- inspect required sections, dated Linear naming, rollback gates, and eval proof
- verify low-value candidates were rejected and source/runtime ownership is clear
python3 Plugins/harness-engineering/scripts/check_bluf_structure.py <reframe-program-path> --json for non-trivial generated programs
./bin/ask skills audit Plugins/harness-engineering/skills/he-reframe --level strict --json
- eval/plugin-eval gates when available
Report confidence from evidence only. Cap confidence when runtime visibility,
smoke or release evals, Plugin Eval cost, OpenClaw, source ownership, or
supporting references are unverified.
Stage Arc Boundary
Before artifact writes, mutation, scheduling, handoff, or closure claims, apply
../../references/stage-arc-boundary-contract.md. Structured outputs and
handoffs must include stage_arc_boundary with left_arc, active_arc,
right_arc, coding_lens, and testing_lens; block when left evidence is
stale, active mutation exceeds authority, right-side proof is missing, or a
required persona lens is not covered.
References
- Program shape and acceptance:
../../references/skills/he-reframe/reframe-program-contract.md
- Strategy/reframe/ADR/core prompt family:
../../references/skills/he-reframe/architecture-evolution-compression.md
- Local contract and evals:
references/contract.yaml, references/evals.yaml
- Original prompt behavior:
../../references/skills/he-reframe/source-prompt-preservation.md
- Shared subagent call policy:
../../references/subagent-call-contract.md
- BLUF review contract:
../../references/bluf-review-contract.md
- Visual reference contract:
../../references/visual-reference-contract.md
- Shared contracts: source-prompt coverage, execution slice, artifact routing,
classification, Linear tracker, interactive steering, OpenAI-style design,
agent-native compression, Pragmatic Programmer, XP, and subagent routing under
../../references/**.
- Deferred context index:
../../references/deferred-context-index.md
Apply the context-disposition policy: move important still-valid context to references, and intentionally discard stale, duplicated, unsafe, superseded, or low-signal text.