| name | auto-eng-review |
| description | Optional engineering go/no-go on a plan. Use when execution safety needs review before implementation. |
| metadata | {"stage":"plan"} |
auto-eng-review
Optional engineering-safety review. Validates that a plan is safe to execute before implementation begins.
First action: run node .agent/.automaton/scripts/get-context.mjs from the project root.
Preamble
Execution safety review. Architecture, data flow, edge cases, test strategy, not product vision. It does not change the plan's content or reopen product scope; its only write is appending its own ## Review: Engineering section. Identifies risks that could cause failure, stalling, or rework.
A good review names the riskiest slice, the most likely failure mode, and whether the test strategy catches it. A bad review lists generic concerns.
Loading discipline: one PLAN.md read, optional DESIGN.md when canonical_design exists, one risk matrix, one verdict. Read source files when assessing technical risk: slice boundaries, dependency assumptions, and blast radius claims are only verifiable against the actual code.
Quality Gate
Before appending the engineering review:
- Ground concerns in slices, file areas, commands, or missing artifacts.
- Separate blockers from follow-up cleanup.
- Avoid reopening product scope unless the plan is unbuildable.
- Read
references/quality.md when findings are generic or unactionable.
Do
Do NOT proceed unless:
canonical_plan is set and PLAN.md is readable.
If the plan is missing or unreadable, set verdict to needs_correction and stop.
Load State
Read the canonical PLAN.md. Read DESIGN.md only when canonical_design is set and resolves to a file. An unset pointer means the plan intentionally has no design artifact; continue without it. A set pointer with a missing file is stale: report it and continue (DESIGN.md is optional here).
Restate the Plan
In engineering terms: what is being built, what systems does it touch, and what is the critical path?
Evaluate Risks
Use this matrix as an internal checklist. Apply standards from references/prime-directives.md while evaluating.
Risk Matrix
Architecture fit, data flow clarity, edge case coverage, test strategy, rollback safety, dependency risk.
A dimension where you can already name the concrete failure mode is a blocking concern, and naming it is the review's job. Surface it explicitly. Blocking concerns return needs_correction. Dimensions that clear the bar but carry named, slice-scoped risks return approved_with_risks. Read references/engineering-sections.md only when the plan carries non-trivial engineering risk.
Render Verdict
Read references/implementation-alternatives.md only when PLAN.md lacks an approach rationale, the user asks for alternatives, or the verdict depends on comparing safer execution paths.
Use strict vocabulary: exactly one of the three approved values, no synonyms.
| Verdict | Meaning | Next Action |
|---|
approved | Implementation is safe to proceed. | auto-execute |
approved_with_risks | Implementation is safe but carries known risks. Document them. | auto-execute |
needs_correction | Plan is flawed or unsafe. Return to planning. | auto-plan |
Outside Voice
Optional. When a second model is reachable from this session and the plan carries non-trivial risk, read references/outside-voice.md after rendering the verdict: a round-capped cross-model loop that arbiters findings with logged reasons, surfaces tension to the user, and never auto-applies anything.
Append Review
Add a ## Review: Engineering section to PLAN.md using the exact template in references/review-template.md.
Update State
Run node .agent/.automaton/scripts/sync-status.mjs --engineering-review "<verdict>" from the project root.
Hand Off
The review always stops. The edge's why: .agent/.automaton/references/ARTIFACT-LIFECYCLE.md (Handoff Contract).
Report the verdict, the riskiest slice, and the one concern execution should watch for. Then end the turn with **Next:** auto-execute, <reason> for approved or approved_with_risks, or **Next:** auto-plan, <reason> for needs_correction.
Output
PLAN.md with appended ## Review: Engineering section.agent/.automaton/state/current.json updated through sync-status.mjs with engineering_review; stage is unchanged by this skill
Rules
- Do not emit the full risk matrix when all dimensions are acceptable. Keep the durable review to the review-template fields.
- Missing DESIGN.md is not a blocker when
canonical_design is null, absent, or intentionally skipped by the plan.
