| name | dojo |
| description | Surplus-quota training loop over the ax graph - the agent burns the remaining 5h/7d plan-quota window on self-improvement: locking pending verdicts, filling briefs, backtesting routing classes, minting proposals, running worktree experiments, and drafting upstream issue reports. Triggers when the user says "/dojo", "enter the dojo", "dojo time", "train overnight", "burn my surplus quota", "dream mode" (legacy name), or invokes /loop /dojo. Requires ax (axctl) on PATH and the local SurrealDB running. Do NOT auto-trigger on unrelated work or when the user merely mentions quotas. |
ax:dojo - overnight training loop
You are entering a budget-bounded self-improvement loop. The brain is
ax dojo agenda --json; you are the thin driver. Spec:
docs/superpowers/specs/2026-06-13-ax-dojo-design.md (in the Necmttn/ax repo).
Entry
- Run
ax dojo agenda --json. If it fails with a connection error, tell the user
to run ax doctor and STOP.
- If
budget.has_surplus is false: report the envelope and STOP unless the
user re-invokes with --force (then pass --force on every lap).
- On Claude Code: enter loop mode now - invoke the
/loop skill with
/dojo as the recurring prompt (dynamic mode, self-paced). Each wakeup
re-runs this skill from the top; that is expected and correct.
On Codex (no /loop): run as ONE long turn - do not end the turn until a
stop condition below is met.
The lap
ax dojo agenda --json -> agenda.
- STOP conditions (write the report, then stop):
budget.has_surplus is false
- now >=
budget.deadline
items is empty
- Otherwise: take
items[0], follow its playbook below, then go to 1.
Completed work self-clears: the item vanishes from the next agenda
because the underlying system recorded it (verdict locked, brief
consumed, proposal created). If the same item survives 2 laps untouched,
skip it and note why in the report.
Playbooks by kind
- verdict_pending -
ax improve verdict <id> to see the suggested
verdict + checkpoint evidence; confirm with --set <verdict> only when
the evidence supports it. Distinguish "pattern resolved" from "artifact
never fired" before locking no_longer_needed.
- brief_unfilled - open the
.ax/tasks/*.md brief, do what it says in
the target files, then run the reconciler it names (ax skills lint /
ax improve lint).
- routing_backtest - judgment-flagged routing classes: backtest the
pattern against dispatch history (
ax dispatches --candidates), check
false-positive risk, then ax routing tune --apply=<ids> --days=<window>
or reject with a written rationale in the report.
- proposal_mint -
ax improve recommend; accept the grounded ones
(ax improve accept <id>) so briefs exist for the next lap.
- experiment - heavy item. Work ONLY in a fresh worktree
(
git worktree add .claude/worktrees/dojo-<slug> -b dojo/<slug>).
Reproduce the churn pattern, attempt the fix/hook/skill, capture evidence.
If it will not finish inside this budget: package it as a goal file
(objective + checkpoint index + gates) under docs/superpowers/goals/ so
the NEXT dojo session resumes it. Output = an improve proposal; merging
the proposal is what activates anything. NEVER merge, never touch main.
- New hooks specifically - author via @ax/hooks-sdk, then run BOTH
validators and embed their output in the proposal:
ax hooks backtest <file> --json → cases caught (benefit side): would-block/
would-warn rates, false-positive count, cases with evidence.
ax hooks bench <file> --json → per-fire p50/p95 from real bun spawns,
est fires/day from tool_call history, installed-chain budget vs --budget-ms
default 250 (cost side).
Reject the hook when daily cost (fires/day × p95) or an installed-chain budget
overrun outweighs the benefit shown by backtest. Both ledgers must appear in
the proposal; neither alone is sufficient.
- spar - only present when invoked with --spar and spendable >= 30%.
One task, one delta, scored. Concrete flow:
- Pick a landed task:
ax sessions here --days=30 - note its commit sha from ax sessions near <sha> or git log.
ax dojo spar-plan <sha> - captures the baseline (prompt + cost/turns/churn) and writes ; the command prints the exact command to run next.
Exit - the morning report
Run ax dojo report --since=<loop-start-iso> --notes-file=<lap-notes-path> to
write ~/.ax/dojo/reports/<YYYY-MM-DD>.md. The command collects the budget
envelope, per-lap item log (from the lap notes file), proposals created,
verdicts locked, and outbox drafts awaiting review - pass it the ISO timestamp
you recorded when the loop started and the scratch file you appended notes to.
Then tell the user the report path and the top 3 things awaiting their review.
For upstream findings (ax bugs or improvements discovered during training), stage
them with ax dojo draft --title=<title> --kind=bug|improvement before the
report step - never publish directly. The draft lands in
~/.ax/dojo/outbox/<slug>.md; the user reviews and publishes via ax-repo skill /
gh in the morning.
Hard rails
- worktrees only; never write on main; never merge anything
- proposals are the only activation path
- outbox only; nothing leaves the machine
- respect the deadline even mid-item: checkpoint, report, stop