| name | building-a-discipline-spell |
| description | Use when the meta-builder routes to kind=discipline. Generates a discipline spell with the rule, excuses table, warning signs, and hard gates. |
| kind | workflow |
| audience | anyone |
| ai-tools | any |
| complexity | guided |
| time | 15-25 min |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| source | bundled |
Building a Discipline Spell
What this does
Specialist builder for kind: discipline spells. A discipline is a non-negotiable rule the agent (or the user) keeps slipping on. This skill produces a SKILL.md tuned to enforce the rule against the agent's own rationalization.
When to use
- Routed to from
building-a-spell Stage 2 when kind: discipline
- User describes a "rule I keep skipping" or "I want the AI to never do X"
What you bring (Inputs)
- The non-negotiable rule (one sentence)
- Why it matters (the cost of skipping)
- The rationalizations used to skip it
- The user's domain
What you get (Output)
A draft SKILL.md with all required discipline sections, ready for pressure-testing-a-spell to harden.
How it works (Steps)
This is a workflow chain. Stages are explicit.
Stages
Stage 1: Sharpen the rule
If the rule has any of these words, push back: "should", "try to", "consider", "when possible", "usually". A discipline rule is a hard rule.
Re-write the rule until it's:
- One sentence
- Imperative voice
- Verifiable (you can tell from output whether it was followed)
Stage 2: Inventory the excuses
Ask the user (or extract from prior turns):
- "What's the exact thing you (or the AI) tells yourself when about to skip this rule?"
Capture verbatim. Don't paraphrase. Aim for 4-6 excuses.
For each excuse, write the counter — sharp enough to actually stop the action.
Stage 3: List the warning signs
What patterns in the agent's own reasoning would predict the rule is about to break? Examples:
- "About to claim done without verifying"
- "About to write code without opening the test file"
- "Reasoning includes the words 'obviously' / 'just' / 'trivially'"
These warning signs let the agent self-detect.
Stage 4: Place the hard gate
Identify the latest possible moment in the workflow where the rule could be enforced. Place a <MUST-STOP> block there with explicit "if this isn't true, STOP" language.
Discipline skills have ONE gate, placed late. Multiple gates dilute the effect.
Stage 5: Invoke pressure-testing-a-spell
Hand off the draft to pressure-testing-a-spell. That skill orchestrates the discipline-mode tester (which runs the baseline + with-skill comparison).
Stage 6: Refine based on tester output
If the tester returns NEEDS-REFINEMENT, the typical fixes are:
- Rationalization slipped through → add it to the Excuses and Counters table verbatim
- Warning sign missed → add the missing pattern
- Gate fired too late → move it earlier
- Gate fired but agent rationalized past it → strengthen the gate language ("STOP" → "STOP. The rule says X. Do that now.")
Stage 7: Hand back to meta-builder
Return the PASSing draft. Meta-builder takes over for save.
Checkpoints
- After Stage 1: rule passes the sharpness check
- After Stage 2: at least 4 excuses with counters
- After Stage 3: at least 3 warning signs
- After Stage 4: exactly one
<MUST-STOP> gate in the body
- After Stage 5: tester returned a verdict
- After Stage 6: tester returns PASS
Loop-back conditions
Return to Stage 2 when the tester finds a rationalization not in the table.
Return to Stage 4 when the gate is being rationalized past.
Return to Stage 1 when the tester finds the rule itself is too soft to enforce.
Quality bar
The draft is good enough when:
- Rule passes the sharpness check (no soft words)
- Excuses table covers every rationalization the tester surfaced
- Warning signs are specific patterns, not vague ("be careful")
- One hard gate, late in the flow, with sharp language
- Tester returns PASS
Variations
- Domain-specific discipline: include domain-specific excuses (e.g., for researchers: "everyone in the field knows this")
- Subagent discipline: add
<SUBAGENT-STOP> at top to prevent recursive enforcement
Example
See skills/building-a-spell/examples/example-discipline.md for a full walkthrough of building verifying-before-citing.
