critic-cache

name	critic-cache
description	Check if critic reviews are still valid before re-running Phase 2.5 critics. Compares plan.json + critic-gates.json content hash against stored hash from last critic run. Triggers on: entering Phase 2.5, checking critic cache, before launching critics. Returns CRITIC_CACHE_HIT to skip critics or CRITIC_CACHE_MISS to re-run them.
context	fork
allowed-tools	Bash

Critic Cache

Check whether prior critic reviews are still valid, avoiding redundant Sonnet agent launches when the plan hasn't changed since the last critic run.

When to Use

Activate this skill at the start of Phase 2.5 (Critic Validation), before launching any critic agents. If the cache is fresh, skip the entire critic phase.

Usage

Run the cache check script:

bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/check_critic_cache.sh <WORKDIR>

Interpreting Output

Cache Hit

CRITIC_CACHE_HIT

Action: Skip all critic agent launches. Proceed directly to Phase 2.6 (or Phase 2.7 if no merge is needed). The existing $WORKDIR/reviews/*.review.json files are still valid.

Cache Miss

CRITIC_CACHE_MISS
reason: <why the cache is stale or missing>

Action: Run critics as normal. After all critics complete, stamp the cache:

if [ -f ".closedloop-ai/settings/critic-gates.json" ]; then
  cat $WORKDIR/plan.json .closedloop-ai/settings/critic-gates.json | shasum -a 256 > $WORKDIR/reviews/.plan-hash
else
  shasum -a 256 $WORKDIR/plan.json > $WORKDIR/reviews/.plan-hash
fi

How Freshness Works

The script hashes both plan.json and .closedloop-ai/settings/critic-gates.json (if it exists) into a single combined hash. This ensures:

• Plan content changes → cache miss → critics re-run
• Critic configuration changes (adding/removing critics) → cache miss → critics re-run
• No changes → cache hit → critics skipped

Cache Conditions

Cache hit requires ALL of:

1. plan.json exists
2. reviews/ directory exists with at least 1 .review.json file
3. reviews/.plan-hash exists
4. Current combined hash matches stored hash