alex-core-invariants

# Alex Core Invariants Skill ## Source of Truth - Canonical policy text lives in `README.md`. - If this file and `README.md` differ, `README.md` wins. - On policy drift, README.md wins. ## When To Use Use this skill when reviewing architecture, refactors, data flow, persistence boundaries, migration design, failure-handling behavior, or debug discipline (especially when a problem lives in a standardized infra/spec domain — Cloudflare, HTTP, OAuth, browser APIs, AWS/GCP, Kubernetes, build toolchains). ## Workflow 1. Read `README.md` first. 2. Identify the canonical owner for each important truth. 3. Flag dual-write, legacy shadow paths, silent fallback, and history-as-canonical patterns. 4. Prefer self-heal from live truth over adding another truth surface. 5. If explicit failover exists, verify that it is observable and does not mutate canonical truth. 6. For problems in a standardized domain, search the official documentation before dispatching hypotheses. 7. Recommend the smallest change that restores the invariant boundary. ## Output Expectations - Findings first when doing review work. - Name which invariant is being violated. - Prefer fixes that reduce structure, ownership overlap, or hidden recovery logic. - Call out explicit failover separately from silent fallback. - For doc-first violations, cite the exact docs page that already had the answer. ## Do Not - Create a second canonical copy of the eight invariants in another file. - Keep legacy write paths alive "just in case". - Hide primary-path failure with quiet fallback behavior. - Burn cycles dispatching guesses on a problem the official docs already solved.