| name | repo-harness-goal |
| description | Goal-mode entrypoint for Codex and Claude native /goal sessions. Requires detailed PRD or Sprint context before starting bounded long-running execution. |
| when_to_use | repo-harness-goal, repo-harness:goal, /goal, Codex goal, Claude goal, run goal from PRD, run goal from Sprint |
repo-harness-goal
Use this command when the user wants to start a bounded native /goal session in Codex or Claude from repo-harness planning artifacts. The command prepares the goal prompt and acceptance contract; the host-native /goal feature owns continuation.
Protocol
- Confirm the working repo with
git rev-parse --show-toplevel; read repo-local AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md, .ai/harness/policy.json, and the relevant tasks/current.md projection when present.
- Require detailed source context before starting
/goal: a PRD under plans/prds/*.prd.md, a Sprint backlog under plans/sprints/*.sprint.md, or a pasted/attached document with equivalent problem, users, scope, non-goals, acceptance scenarios, backlog order, and verification criteria.
- If the user did not attach or name a detailed PRD/Sprint document, stop and prompt them to attach one. The prompt must ask for the PRD/Sprint artifact, target repo/path, desired goal outcome, hard non-goals, and verification surface.
- Read the PRD/Sprint enough to extract a single goal statement, bounded scope, non-goals, authoritative files, ordered tasks, acceptance checks, rollback or stop condition, and any explicit owner or dependency constraints.
- Produce a host-ready
/goal prompt that tells Codex or Claude to use the attached PRD/Sprint as source of truth, preserve repo-harness workflow gates, run one bounded goal, report checkpoints, and stop on verified completion or blocker evidence.
- When a Sprint row is the source, include the sprint file path, row id or task label, acceptance line, and whether the work should proceed through
$think, repo-harness run capture-plan, and the contract worktree flow before implementation.
- When a PRD is the source but no Sprint exists, route to
repo-harness-sprint from-prd <prd-file> unless the requested goal is explicitly limited to PRD review, Sprint generation, or planning.
- Verify the prepared goal contract against repo state before handing it to
/goal: named files exist, acceptance checks are concrete, and the stop condition is testable.
- For Codex goals, include explicit bounded delegation authorization: spawn no more than 3 subagents, max depth 1, only when the goal contains at least two independent workstreams, and never give overlapping write ownership.
Goal Prompt Shape
Use this shape for the generated host-native /goal prompt:
/goal
Goal: <one bounded outcome>
Source of truth: <attached PRD/Sprint path or pasted artifact name>
Scope: <included files/modules/tasks>
Non-goals: <explicit exclusions>
Execution route: <repo-harness-sprint row, repo-harness-plan, or contract worktree path>
Acceptance checks: <commands or machine-checkable assertions>
Stop condition: <verified completion or blocker evidence>
Delegation: this goal explicitly authorizes bounded Codex subagents when at least two independent workstreams exist; max 3 agents, max depth 1, no overlapping write ownership; do not spawn for trivial or strictly sequential work
Reporting: use the user's language unless repo-local instructions require otherwise; include changed files, tradeoffs, checks, and next bottleneck only if verified
Failure Modes
- If no detailed PRD/Sprint artifact is attached or named, stop and request it instead of inventing product intent from chat history.
- If the PRD and Sprint contradict each other, report the conflict and route to
repo-harness-sprint or repo-harness-prd repair before starting /goal.
- If acceptance checks are subjective or missing, stop and ask for or derive machine-checkable acceptance from the PRD/Sprint before continuing.
- If an active contract worktree or active plan already owns the same scope, report that state and route through the existing artifact instead of starting a parallel goal.
Boundaries
- Does not create, approve, or execute a Goal session without detailed PRD/Sprint context.
- Does not replace
repo-harness-prd or repo-harness-sprint; it consumes their artifacts.
- Does not bypass
$think, repo-harness run capture-plan, task contracts, /check, external acceptance, or repo-harness verification gates.
- Never treats
tasks/todos.md as the active goal backlog; it is only the deferred-goal ledger.
- Preserve host-native
/goal ownership: repo-harness prepares the prompt and contract, while Codex or Claude owns continuation mechanics.
