autorefine

name	autorefine
description	Iterate and improve any skill using eval-grounded autoresearch. Combines v2.0 design audit, Hamel's Three Gulfs eval methodology, and Karpathy-style mutation optimization. Use when you want to assess skill quality, build evals from scratch, run error analysis, or optimize a skill through experiments.

AutoRefine

Guided skill improvement pipeline. Point at a skill: /autorefine path/to/my-skill/

Preflight

Step 0: Environment Check (MANDATORY — runs first, < 15 seconds)

Fast-fail checks. If ANY fail, STOP immediately with an actionable error message. Do NOT retry or explore alternatives silently.

1. Target skill path. If user provided a path, use it. If not, ask: "Which skill should I improve? Provide the full path to the skill directory."
2. Target readable. Run: head -5 [skill-path]/SKILL.md. If this fails → STOP: "I can't read your skill at [skill-path]. If you're in a sandboxed environment, copy your skill into my working directory first: cp -r [skill-path] ./skill-under-test/ then re-invoke with ./skill-under-test/"
3. Workspace location. Ask the user (ONE question, wait for answer):

   Where should I create the AutoRefine workspace?
     a) /tmp/autorefine-[skill-name]/  <- recommended (safe, no repo interference)
     b) Next to your skill: [skill-parent]/autorefine-[skill-name]/
     c) Custom path
   

   Default to (a) if user says "whatever" or "default." NEVER create the workspace without this confirmation.
4. Workspace writable. Run: mkdir -p [chosen-workspace] && touch [chosen-workspace]/.preflight-test && rm [chosen-workspace]/.preflight-test. If this fails → STOP: "I can't write to [chosen-workspace]. Try option (a) /tmp/ which is always writable, or specify a different path."
5. Skill import. Copy the entire skill directory into the workspace: cp -r [skill-path]/ [chosen-workspace]/skill-under-test/. All subsequent reads and writes operate ONLY on [workspace]/skill-under-test/, never on the original skill path. This protects the user's real skill from accidental modification.
6. Persist paths. Record in state.json: original_skill_path: [skill-path], workspace_path: [chosen-workspace]. These are needed for Session Close (Apply Back gate) and session resume.

After Step 0 completes, print:

Preflight passed
  Target skill: [skill-path]/SKILL.md
  Workspace: [chosen-workspace]/
  Working copy: [chosen-workspace]/skill-under-test/SKILL.md
  Original path saved for apply-back: [skill-path]
  Original skill is UNTOUCHED until you approve changes.

Decision Contract Quick Reference

When a validation or routing check asks for a machine-readable decision, return exactly one JSON object with no markdown. Use schema_version: autorefine.decision_contract.v1 and include these keys: scenario_family, required_action, phase, gulf_stage, allowed_reads, allowed_writes, prohibited_actions, evidence_required, and stop_reason.

Allowed values:

Field	Values
scenario_family	preflight_fail_closed, checkpoint_resume, contract_integrity, workspace_initialization, gulf_sequence_guard, phase_routing, mutation_split_policy, session_close, mutation_scope_guard, adapter_integrity, ambient_learning
required_action	ask, block, initialize, resume, continue, evaluate
phase	preflight, initialize_workspace, checkpoint_recovery, routing, phase4_expand_inputs, phase7_mutation, session_close, ambient_learning
gulf_stage	none, gulf1, gulf2, gulf3
stop_reason	missing_target_skill_path, missing_or_unreadable_skill_path, workspace_ready, resume_from_checkpoint, contract_integrity_failed, adapter_config_integrity_failed, gulf1_required_before_mutation, route_to_gulf2, holdout_is_final_only, session_close_holdout_check, original_skill_is_protected, await_ambient_learning_confirmation

Decision precedence:

Situation	Decision fields
Missing target skill path	scenario_family: preflight_fail_closed; required_action: ask; phase: preflight; gulf_stage: none; stop_reason: missing_target_skill_path; allowed_reads: []; allowed_writes: []; evidence_required: ["target_skill_path"]; prohibited_actions: ["workspace_creation", "skill_import", "phase_routing"]
Unreadable target skill path	scenario_family: preflight_fail_closed; required_action: block; phase: preflight; gulf_stage: none; stop_reason: missing_or_unreadable_skill_path; allowed_reads: ["target_skill"]; allowed_writes: []; evidence_required: ["unreadable_skill_path"]; prohibited_actions: ["workspace_creation", "skill_import", "ignore_preflight"]
First valid workspace initialization	scenario_family: workspace_initialization; required_action: initialize; phase: initialize_workspace; gulf_stage: none; stop_reason: workspace_ready; allowed_reads: ["target_skill", "state_json"]; allowed_writes: ["workspace_dirs", "workspace_skill_copy", "state_json", "results_files", "session_log"]; evidence_required: ["target_readable", "workspace_writable", "paths_persisted"]; prohibited_actions: ["original_skill_write", "skip_workspace_confirmation"]
Valid checkpoint has non-empty next_action and integrity checks pass	scenario_family: checkpoint_resume; required_action: resume; phase: checkpoint_recovery; gulf_stage: none; stop_reason: resume_from_checkpoint; allowed_reads: ["state_json", "checkpoint_files"]; allowed_writes: ["session_log", "state_json"]; evidence_required: ["checkpoint_next_action"]; prohibited_actions: ["phase1_rerun", "ambient_learning"]. Apply this before deriving any Gulf stage from the resumed experiment.
contract_status is confirmed and any contract file is empty, missing, malformed, or the user asks to clear contract state and continue	scenario_family: contract_integrity; required_action: block; phase: checkpoint_recovery; gulf_stage: gulf1; stop_reason: contract_integrity_failed; allowed_reads: ["state_json", "contract_files"]; allowed_writes: []; evidence_required: ["malformed_contract_file_list"]; prohibited_actions: ["clear_contract_status", "continue_downstream"]
selected_adapter_id is set but adapter config is missing or lacks required threshold fields	scenario_family: adapter_integrity; required_action: block; phase: checkpoint_recovery; gulf_stage: none; stop_reason: adapter_config_integrity_failed; allowed_reads: ["state_json", "adapter_config"]; allowed_writes: []; evidence_required: ["missing_adapter_config"] or ["malformed_adapter_config_fields"]; prohibited_actions: ["clear_adapter_config", "downgrade_to_llm_only"]
User tries to skip Gulf 1 and jump to Phase 7 mutation without approved taxonomy and judges	scenario_family: gulf_sequence_guard; required_action: block; phase: routing; gulf_stage: gulf1; stop_reason: gulf1_required_before_mutation; allowed_reads: ["state_json", "pipeline_status"]; allowed_writes: []; evidence_required: ["phase1_status"]; prohibited_actions: ["run_phase7", "mutate_skill"]
Gulf 1 is approved and the next work is fixture/judge expansion before mutation	scenario_family: phase_routing; required_action: continue; phase: phase4_expand_inputs; gulf_stage: gulf2; stop_reason: route_to_gulf2; allowed_reads: ["state_json", "phase1_context", "strategy_definition"]; allowed_writes: ["fixtures_manifest", "judge_specs", "session_log"]; evidence_required: ["gulf1_approved"]; prohibited_actions: ["phase7_mutation", "holdout_read", "pattern_reclassification"]
Phase 7 mutation tries to inspect, read, sample, or tune against adversarial_holdout before Session Close	scenario_family: mutation_split_policy; required_action: block; phase: phase7_mutation; gulf_stage: gulf3; stop_reason: holdout_is_final_only; allowed_reads: ["workspace_skill_copy", "training_fixtures", "dev_fixtures", "mutation_policy"]; allowed_writes: ["workspace_skill_copy", "candidate_version", "session_log"]; evidence_required: ["holdout_requested_during_mutation"]; prohibited_actions: ["adversarial_holdout_read", "holdout_answer_read", "original_skill_write"]. This split-policy violation takes precedence if the same request also mentions applying back to the original skill.
Candidate suggests applying itself back before Session Close comparison and does not request holdout access	scenario_family: mutation_scope_guard; required_action: block; phase: phase7_mutation; gulf_stage: gulf3; stop_reason: original_skill_is_protected; allowed_reads: ["workspace_skill_copy"]; allowed_writes: ["workspace_skill_copy"]; evidence_required: ["workspace_path", "original_skill_path"]; prohibited_actions: ["edit_original"]
Completed lineage with stable inputs is ready for final holdout comparison	scenario_family: session_close; required_action: evaluate; phase: session_close; gulf_stage: gulf3; stop_reason: session_close_holdout_check; allowed_reads: ["completed_lineage", "stable_input_set", "candidate_versions", "holdout"]; allowed_writes: ["results_files", "session_log", "changelog"]; evidence_required: ["completed_run", "stable_inputs"]; prohibited_actions: ["post_holdout_mutation", "original_skill_write"]
User changed the workspace skill copy mid-run with a small or large preference-signal diff and has not confirmed preference learning; this row does not cover a full >50% rewrite, which follows Step B's skip -> sync -> continue path without pausing for preference confirmation	scenario_family: ambient_learning; required_action: ask; phase: ambient_learning; gulf_stage: none; stop_reason: await_ambient_learning_confirmation; allowed_reads: ["original_skill", "workspace_skill_copy"]; allowed_writes: ["preference_signals", "session_log"]; evidence_required: ["user_edit_diff"]; prohibited_actions: ["original_skill_write", "unconfirmed_preference_apply", "mutation_start"]

Step 1: Detect & Configure

1. Detect enhancements. Search for Hamel's eval-audit and error-analysis skills. If found, note in state.json. These enhance but are NOT required.

2. Report tier: Full (Hamel's detected) or Basic (core methodology only).

3. Choose pipeline depth:

   • Quick — Context-aware. Routes based on workspace state (~15-30 min). See routing below.
   • Standard — Full pipeline (Phases 1-7). For skills needing eval methodology from scratch. ~60-90 min.
   • Deep — Standard + expanded fixture set (30+ fixtures). For critical skills requiring statistical rigor.

   Quick tier routing (3 states):

   State 1: No workspace exists
     -> Quick Start path (~30 min)
     -> "First time? Let's find what your skill actually does wrong."
   State 1b: Workspace exists with schema_version 2 (legacy v2.1), no quick_start field
     -> Standard/Deep only (legacy workspace -- Quick Start not available)
     -> "This workspace was created before Quick Start. Use Standard or Deep."
   State 2: quick_start.completed = true, both gates still "pending"
     -> Quick Returning (~15 min): Run Phase 1 (design audit), then skip to Phase 7 in Mini mode. Show directional warning at start.
     -> Steps: (1) Run Phase 1 as normal. (2) Skip Phases 2-6. (3) Run Phase 7 -- it auto-detects Mini mode from state. (4) Run Session Close.
     -> "Your evals haven't been validated -- results are still directional."
   State 3: Both gulf_1 and gulf_2 = "approved" in state.json
     -> Quick Returning (~15 min): Run Phase 1 (design audit), then skip to Phase 7 in Full mode.
     -> Steps: (1) Run Phase 1 as normal. (2) Skip Phases 2-6. (3) Run Phase 7 -- it auto-detects Full mode from state. (4) Run Session Close.
   

   If workspace has approved gates: offer Quick as default. If quick_start_complete: offer Quick with directional note. Otherwise default to Standard (offer Quick Start as faster alternative).

Initialize Workspace

Workspace path was confirmed in Preflight Step 0. The workspace is at [workspace]/ and the working copy of the skill is at [workspace]/skill-under-test/. (After Preflight, [workspace] = the path chosen in Step 0.3 and persisted in state.json.workspace_path.)

If workspace traces/, judges/, runs/, skill-versions/, contract/, and domain-eval/ subdirectories don't exist: create them. Generate these files (see references.md > Workspace Schemas for exact formats):

• state.json — pipeline state (schema_version:4 for new workspaces — see references.md > Workspace Schemas)
• results.json — experiment results for dashboard
• results.tsv — append-only experiment log
• session-log.json — per-session audit trail
• changelog.md, eval-suite.md, error-analysis-traces.md — empty, formatted in later phases
• Copy dashboard.html from this skill's directory, replace {{SKILL_NAME}}

If workspace exists with state.json and no valid checkpoint resume applies (state.json.checkpoint is null, or is non-null but lacks a non-empty next_action — a stale/malformed checkpoint falls through to this path; a checkpoint with a non-empty next_action is owned by Step A below): read it, deserialize any persisted phase1_context (including selected_skill_pattern and selected_eval_strategy_id) plus any persisted mutation_stage_split_access_policy, iteration_state, edit_budget, mid_session_preference_signals, and mid_session_preference_signals_path, selected_adapter_id, adapter_config_path, and active_experiment_contract_path into the loaded run context — for a constant-schedule edit_budget, recompute current_budget = max_edits on load per references.md > Workspace Schemas rather than trusting the persisted current_budget — then normalize the active-loop style_preferences payload using references.md > Style Preferences Payload before printing pipeline status. This is the single canonical general-load hydration list — when adding a persisted state.json field, extend this list (and Step A checkpoint recovery if the field must survive resume) plus references.md > Workspace Schemas, rather than appending another variant of this instruction.

Step A: Checkpoint recovery (runs FIRST on resume). If state.json.checkpoint is not null and has a non-empty next_action, enter resume mode — read all files in checkpoint.files_to_read_on_resume (skip any missing files and note which were missing), deserialize state.json.phase1_context, state.json.mutation_stage_split_access_policy, state.json.iteration_state, state.json.edit_budget, state.json.mid_session_preference_signals, and state.json.mid_session_preference_signals_path into the loaded run context before routing the resume path — for a constant-schedule state.json.edit_budget, recompute current_budget = max_edits on resume per references.md > Workspace Schemas rather than trusting the persisted current_budget — then rebuild the normalized style_preferences payload from references.md > Style Preferences Payload, and print "Resuming from checkpoint: {next_action}". Also deserialize state.json.contract_status, state.json.contract_path, state.json.effectiveness_floor, state.json.selected_adapter_id, state.json.adapter_config_path, state.json.active_experiment_contract_path, and state.json.domain_eval_config_path into the loaded run context before routing. These fields control Phase 0.5 entry, adapter-aware Phase 4-7 routing, run-scoped experiment contracts, and Session Close contract effectiveness reporting. Prefer state.json.adapter_config_path as the canonical runtime adapter pointer. If it is null and state.json.domain_eval_config_path is populated, hydrate adapter_config_path from the legacy alias before downstream routing. If contract_status = "confirmed", validate the full contract artifact set before trusting downstream state. Check all 4 required files exist and are non-empty:

• [workspace]/contract/success-examples.jsonl (must exist, must have >= 3 valid JSONL rows each with required fields: id, input, output_shape.description, actual_output)
• [workspace]/contract/failure-examples.jsonl (>= 3 valid rows, required fields: id, input, output_shape.description, actual_output, failure_reason)
• [workspace]/contract/do-not-trigger-examples.jsonl (>= 3 valid rows, required fields: id, input, expected_behavior)
• [workspace]/contract/inferred-contract.md (must exist, must contain the 8 standard sections from Inferred Contract Template)

Also validate the canonical adapter config path if set (state.json.adapter_config_path, or the legacy alias state.json.domain_eval_config_path when adapter_config_path is null) — FULL file integrity check, not just config existence:

• [workspace]/domain-eval/config.json must exist, parse as valid JSON, and match the required fields in Domain Eval Config Schema (domain_eval_version, metric_name, threshold_pass, threshold_concern, weight_multiplier, eval_script_path, author_confirmed = true)
• The file at config.json.eval_script_path must exist and be readable. Do not attempt to execute it; just verify readability.
• The golden-set file at config.json.golden_set_path is OPTIONAL at checkpoint time (may be filled in before Phase 7). If present, verify it parses as valid JSONL and has >= 1 row with required fields (id, input, expected_output).

On ANY validation failure, stop with a blocking error naming the specific missing/malformed file(s):

• "Adapter config integrity check failed. adapter_config_path (or legacy domain_eval_config_path) is set but the following are missing or malformed: [list]. Recovery options: (a) restore the files, (b) re-run Phase 0.5 Step 7 to reconfigure (set both adapter_config_path and domain_eval_config_path to null in state.json and re-enter Phase 0.5 — the contract examples remain; only adapter config re-prompts), or (c) clear both config fields to null in state.json to proceed without adapter-aware evaluation (Phase 5 and Phase 7 will skip domain-metric scoring — graceful degradation to LLM-judge-only)."

Fail closed — do NOT silently clear adapter config fields to null. The user must explicitly choose.

Log {"phase":"checkpoint","type":"domain_eval_integrity_check","status":"passed|failed","files_validated":2} to session-log.json.

On ANY validation failure, stop with a blocking error naming the specific missing/malformed file(s):

• "Contract integrity check failed. contract_status is "confirmed" but the following files are missing or malformed: [list]. Recovery options: (a) restore the files from backup, (b) re-run Phase 0.5 contract wizard (set contract_status to "not_started" in state.json and re-enter), or (c) set contract_status to "skipped" in state.json to proceed without contract examples (downstream phases will use no-contract fallbacks)."

Fail closed — do NOT silently reset contract_status to "skipped" or continue with partial data. The user must explicitly choose a recovery path.

If all validations pass, continue with normal downstream routing. Log {"phase":"checkpoint","type":"contract_integrity_check","status":"passed","files_validated":4} to session-log.json on success. Restore phase1_context.selected_skill_pattern and phase1_context.selected_eval_strategy_id unchanged so later phases can read the chosen pattern + resolved downstream strategy from the loaded context rather than recomputing them. If the restored run-context pattern and state.json.skill_pattern mismatch, stop and rerun Phase 1 Step 0 instead of continuing. If the restored selected_eval_strategy_id is missing or no longer maps back to the restored pattern through references.md > Skill Pattern Eval Strategy > Pattern-to-Evaluation-Strategy Selector, stop and rerun strategy selection before continuing. If split-scoped Phase 7 work is active and the restored mutation_stage_split_access_policy is missing, read the same policy from fixtures-manifest.md or a stored Phase 4 evaluation_metadata.config.mutation_stage_split_access_policy snapshot, hydrate the loaded run context, and stop if the sources disagree. If iteration_state is present, treat it as the authoritative Phase 7 handoff record for whether the active run_id is in eval, mutate, test, or session_close; continue automatic progression from the persisted next_action until terminal success (phase_status = "completed") or terminal failure (phase_status = "blocked") without requiring manual phase handoff. Do not infer boundaries from directory scans while the persisted runner state is available. Then clear the checkpoint (set to null) while preserving every other serialized state field, including phase1_context, mutation_stage_split_access_policy, iteration_state, mid_session_preference_signals, and mid_session_preference_signals_path. See references.md > Checkpoint Schema > Resume Detection. Rotate session-log.json (rename to session-log-<session_start, colons->dashes>.json, create fresh). If session-log.json missing (pre-v2 workspace), create it. Legacy workspaces (schema_version 2 or 3) are read-compatible — checkpoint fields default to null. If checkpoint has next_action pointing to a Phase 7 experiment, skip ambient learning entirely (workspace copy must match the in-progress experiment state) and proceed from next_action.

Pattern-aware downstream entry: When routing into any downstream phase or stage after Phase 1, initialize pattern-aware logic from the loaded state.json.phase1_context.selected_skill_pattern. Then restore state.json.phase1_context.selected_eval_strategy_id into that same loaded run context and treat the pair as the active downstream routing state for the current run. If the active context does not already hold both IDs, read the same canonical IDs from the top-level selected_skill_pattern and selected_eval_strategy_id fields emitted in design-audit.md, hydrate the loaded run context, and continue. If only the pattern is available, resolve the missing strategy through references.md > Skill Pattern Eval Strategy > Pattern-to-Evaluation-Strategy Selector before continuing. After hydrating selected_eval_strategy_id, immediately open the matching row in references.md > Skill Pattern Eval Strategy > Strategy Definitions and route all downstream eval work through that strategy bundle. The selected strategy is the execution path for Quick Start bootstrap evals, Phase 2 eval audit, Phase 3/4 failure clustering and fixture expansion, Phase 5/6 judge design, and Phase 7 mutation analysis; do not fall back to the generic downstream path while a valid selector is present. Do not trigger Phase 1 pattern classification again during downstream phase/stage initialization; rerun Phase 1 Step 0 only if the persisted pattern is missing or inconsistent with state.json.skill_pattern.

Adapter-aware downstream entry: When routing into any downstream phase or stage after Phase 1, restore state.json.selected_adapter_id, state.json.adapter_config_path, and state.json.active_experiment_contract_path into the loaded run context if they are present. Pattern classification may suggest an adapter, but do not treat a suggestion as active until selected_adapter_id is explicitly set in state. Prefer adapter_config_path as the canonical runtime config pointer. If it is null and domain_eval_config_path exists, hydrate adapter_config_path from the legacy alias and continue. If selected_adapter_id is present but the canonical config path is missing or unreadable, stop and ask the user to either restore the adapter assets or explicitly downgrade to the LLM-judge-only path. Do not silently downgrade from an active adapter-aware run. If active_experiment_contract_path is present, treat that artifact as the authoritative run-scoped success contract for Phase 7 mutate/evaluate handoffs instead of reconstructing success criteria from conversation history.

Split-aware downstream entry: When routing into Phase 7 or Session Close after Phase 4, initialize split-aware logic from the loaded state.json.mutation_stage_split_access_policy. If the active context does not already hold it, read the exact policy from fixtures-manifest.md or a stored Phase 4 evaluation_metadata.config.mutation_stage_split_access_policy snapshot, hydrate the loaded run context, and stop if those sources disagree. Treat the restored object as the active gate for any downstream step that may read split-scoped datasets, per-input outputs, or version-comparison joins. Canonicalize any caller-provided split token before the gate check; if the raw token, an alias, or a delegated resolution path lands on adversarial_holdout, reject the read. Once active, route every Phase 7 split-scoped read through references.md > Restricted Mutation-Stage Dataset Access Path instead of reopening fixtures, scored inputs, or comparison payloads directly from the mutation loop. Resolve intermediate scoring splits through that accessor and the active policy only; do not branch on raw split IDs or bypass the accessor to recover the dev corpus. If requested_operation = mutation_scoring resolves to adversarial_holdout, explicitly deny the request and fail closed before reopening any stored dev corpus. The final-only evaluation stage is not part of this Phase 7 read path: do not trigger holdout validation while the mutation loop is still iterating. Trigger it only once after the loop reaches a terminal exit for the active state.json.current_run_path. At Session Close, reuse the existing variant-evaluation interface to score the completed version lineage on the holdout split instead of inventing a second holdout-only scorer. Do not start a Phase 7 dataset read until that policy is active.

Meta-learnings bootstrap context: If the session may enter Phase 7 or Session Close, bootstrap the meta-learnings context into the loaded run context before any mutation steering or resume-time cross-campaign reasoning. Resolve state.json.meta_learnings_path (or the default AutoRefine skill-directory copy), normalize the current target context (skill_pattern, agent_target, scenario_target, scope_type, scope_ref), then hydrate {meta_learnings_path, target_context, parsed_meta_learnings} using references.md > Campaign Bootstrap Meta-Learnings Context. Rebuild this object on every start/resume instead of persisting parsed entries in state.json. When a run output or report payload is serialized, preserve the same bootstrap envelope's reporting fields — curator_source, curator_version, transfer_parameters, and transfer_traceability — unchanged so downstream filters and exports can replay the same curation lineage.

Style-preferences payload: If the session may continue iterating inside Phase 7 or Session Close, rebuild the normalized style_preferences payload from state.json.mid_session_preference_signals plus state.json.mid_session_preference_signals_path using references.md > Style Preferences Payload, then keep that envelope in the loaded run context across eval, mutate, test, and session_close. Mid-loop stages should read style_preferences.active_signals as the machine-readable preference set and style_preferences.resolved_preferences_path only when they need the human-readable [workspace]/preferences.md wording; do not rescan raw override sources once the hydrated payload is available.

Step B: Ambient learning (runs AFTER checkpoint recovery, only if NOT resuming mid-Phase-7).

Guard: state.json.original_skill_path must exist and be readable. If unreadable (sandbox, deleted), skip ambient learning silently and continue.

1. Run diff [original-skill-path]/SKILL.md [workspace]/skill-under-test/SKILL.md. If the diff command fails (sandbox restriction), skip ambient learning and continue.
2. If no diff → skill unchanged. Continue.
3. If diff exists → size gate:
   • Small diff (<=20 lines changed): likely preference signal. Proceed to step 4.
   • Large diff (>20 lines, <=50% of file): warn: "Large diff detected (N lines). Treat as preference signal or new baseline?" If user says baseline → skip to step 5.
   • Rewrite (>50% of file): skip rule extraction. Log {"type":"ambient_learning","skipped":true,"reason":"full_rewrite","diff_size":N}. Go to step 5. This full-rewrite branch is resolved only by skip → sync → continue and is not an ambient_learning confirmation trigger.
4. Extract preference rules. Show the diff to the user. Ask: "Should I learn from these edits? (y/n)". If yes, extract rules using this format:

   RULE: [one-sentence preference]
   EVIDENCE: [quote removed text] -> [quote added text] (max 2 lines each)
   CONFIDENCE: high (clear intent) | medium (inferred) | low (ambiguous)
   

   Only auto-log high and medium rules. Present low rules for user confirmation. Distinguish preference edits from bug fixes (if the user fixed a typo or corrected a factual error, that's a fix, not a preference — skip it). Log to [workspace]/preferences.md (separate from learnings.md used by Session Close) and session-log: {"type":"ambient_learning","rules_extracted":N,"diff_size":N}.
5. Sync workspace copy. Always update: cp [original-skill-path]/SKILL.md [workspace]/skill-under-test/SKILL.md. This ensures the next mutation cycle starts from the user's current version.

If workspace exists without state.json: back up the workspace to [workspace]-prev/ and create a fresh workspace at [workspace]/.

Pipeline Status

Print at every session start:

AutoRefine: <name>
================================================================
Contract                           [STATUS]
Effectiveness Floor                [STATUS]  [N pass / N concern / N fail]
Quick Start                        [STATUS]
Gulf 1: Comprehension
  Phase 1: Design Audit          [STATUS]
  Phase 2: Eval Audit             [STATUS]
  Phase 3: Error Analysis         [STATUS]  [N/M traces]
  >>> Gate: Approve taxonomy      [STATUS] <<<
Gulf 2: Specification
  Phase 4: Expand Inputs           [STATUS]  [N fixtures]
  Phase 5: Write Judges            [STATUS]  [N code / N judge]
  Phase 6: Validate Judges         [STATUS]  [TPR/TNR]
  >>> Gate: Approve judges         [STATUS] <<<
Gulf 3: Generalization
  Phase 7: AutoResearch Loop      [STATUS]  [best score]
================================================================
> Contract examples anchor your evals. Skip it to use generic eval generation.
> Gulf 1 builds the scorer. Gulf 3 uses the scorer.
> Skip Gulf 1 and you optimize against a fantasy.

STATUS values: not started, in progress, complete, skipped. Read from state.json.phases. Contract status read from state.json.contract_status; Effectiveness Floor status read from state.json.effectiveness_floor.overall_status (or not started if null).

---

Gulf Routing

After Initialize Workspace and Pipeline Status, stay in SKILL.md as the single skill entrypoint/router and read the appropriate support file from references/ based on pipeline state. Only read the support file relevant to the current phase. Do NOT preload all support files.

Current Phase	Read	Contains
Phase 0.5 (Contract)	references/gulf1-comprehension.md	Phase 0.5 Contract Collection Wizard
Quick Start, Phase 1-3	references/gulf1-comprehension.md	Quick Start Path, Phase 1 (Design Audit + Pattern Classification), Phase 2 (Eval Audit), Phase 3 (Error Analysis), Gulf 1 Gate
Phase 4-6	references/gulf2-specification.md	Phase 4 (Expand Inputs), Phase 5 (Write Judges + Eval Category Tags), Phase 6 (Validate Judges), Gulf 2 Gate
Phase 7, Session Close	references/gulf3-generalization.md	Phase 7 (AutoResearch Loop + Verdict Explanation Cards + Aggregation Explainer + Version Registry), Loop-Back Prompt, Session Close (+ Version Comparison)

Routing rules:

• Starting fresh with no contract (state.json.contract_status is null or "not_started") → read references/gulf1-comprehension.md for Phase 0.5 first, then Phase 1
• Contract already confirmed (state.json.contract_status = "confirmed") → skip Phase 0.5, read references/gulf1-comprehension.md for Phase 1
• Contract skipped (state.json.contract_status = "skipped") → skip Phase 0.5, read references/gulf1-comprehension.md for Phase 1
• Contract in-progress (state.json.contract_status is "collecting" or "inferred") → resume Phase 0.5 mid-wizard, read references/gulf1-comprehension.md
• If the user asks why the gulfs are ordered or why AutoResearch cannot run first → read references.md > The Three Gulfs
• Phase 0.5 trace recorder input: autorefine/scripts/record.py + autorefine/scripts/records-to-gulf1.py provide an alternative Phase 0.5 ingestion path. Use when you have recorded real agent traces (Option D in Phase 0.5).
• Starting fresh or resuming in Phases 1-3 → read references/gulf1-comprehension.md
• Gulf 1 gate approved, entering Phases 4-6 → read references/gulf2-specification.md
• Gulf 2 gate approved (or Quick Start returning) → read references/gulf3-generalization.md
• Quick Start returning (State 2 or 3): read references/gulf1-comprehension.md for Phase 1, then read references/gulf3-generalization.md for Phase 7 + Session Close (two-file read)
• Loop-back from Phase 7 to Phase 5 → re-read references/gulf2-specification.md

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Phase 7

Phase 7 writes the Aggregation Explainer and persists decision_breakdown, including components, weight_source, normalized_contribution, combined_score, and the keep/discard threshold. As soon as scoring completes for the experiment, populate decision_breakdown with the intermediate per-eval math and the final aggregate used for the keep/discard threshold before user presentation. Every stored verdict must preserve a structured evidence array with kind, source, locator fields covering input excerpts, output excerpts, metrics, or artifact references. Phase 7 must validate that evidence[] contains at least one concrete evidence item; otherwise flag the verdict as invalid and reject it from scoring/storage. Every material sub-decision must also preserve supporting_items with evidence_refs so the reader can inspect each individual decision instead of only the final Pass/Fail. Attach the extracted supporting_items[] to the same verdict object, do not carry supporting items forward to another eval, and preserve them in the final judge output written to eval_results[] and iteration eval_results.json.

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Gotchas

Critical rules (full list in references.md > Gotchas):

1. Don't skip Gulf 1. A 100% score on narrow evals is an artifact, not evidence.
2. Error analysis cannot be automated. Phase 3 requires the human to read outputs.
3. session-log.json is best-effort. If corrupted or missing, recreate and continue. Never blocks.
4. Never run two sessions on same skill. state.json has no locking.
5. "Invoke" means "read and follow." Not all agents support direct skill invocation.
6. Quick Start is a preview, not validation. Bootstrap evals are directional, not calibrated.
7. Critical state lives in files, not conversation. Auto-compact at ~85% context erases conversation history.
8. Never write to the original skill path during the pipeline. All work on [workspace]/skill-under-test/.
9. Sandbox environments block cross-directory access. Use /tmp/ as workspace workaround.
10. Agent-as-judge evals should not see mutation reasoning. Tier 1 (subagent) = real isolation. Tier 2 (behavioral) = heuristic only.
11. Workspace location must be confirmed, never assumed. Never create without asking.

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References

references.md — Templates, schemas, methodology rationale, detailed rubrics, gotchas. Read references.md > Version Comparison Alignment before surfacing version diffs or any per-input comparison payload. Version diffs must run the comparison preflight first, require the exact same set of stable input_ids, surface missing_from_left, missing_from_right, extra_in_left, or extra_in_right on mismatch, mark that state as invalid-comparison, and must not emit normal comparison results when preflight fails. After the preflight passes, surface the per-input comparison payload together with a shared-input outcome summary that reports trusted improved / regressed counts plus unreliable and unchanged counts across the joined input_id set. Read references.md > Judge Verdict Evidence Schema when Phase 7 stores verdicts; that schema is authoritative for evidence[] fields and supported evidence types. Read references.md > Discard Autopsy Heuristics when Phase 7 discards an experiment so the discard autopsy classification is written back to results.json.