autopilot

name

autopilot

description

Optional explicit Blueprint mode for one bounded spec/build/check/audit pass. It can pick or resume the current feature, write the spec when needed, create or reuse the branch, implement small steps, run build/tests/checks, create checkpoint commits after passing steps, audit changed code, repair confirmed high-severity findings, and stop with a review packet. It never completes, merges, pushes, deploys, publishes, sends, or performs destructive actions without explicit approval. Use only when the user explicitly runs /autopilot, invokes $autopilot, or directly asks for Autopilot.

autopilot - optional Blueprint loop

Where this sits in the workflow:

/status  ->  [autopilot]  ->  review packet  ->  /complete
(where       (spec, build,      (human review,    (log, commit,
 are we?)     check, audit)      fixes if needed)  merge with approval)

Autopilot is an explicit opt-in path. It uses the same Blueprint files and the same quality gates, but it does not stop after every normal review point. A single user request is permission to run one bounded loop until the feature is ready for review, blocked, or unsafe to continue.

It does not replace the normal workflow. /feature, /implement, /check, and /complete remain the conservative default.

Do not suggest Autopilot as the default next action. Use it only when the user explicitly asks for it.

The explicit Autopilot request is permission to create checkpoint commits on the feature or fix branch after passing implementation steps. It is not permission to merge, push, deploy, publish, send, delete data, or run destructive actions.

Input

Common forms:

• No argument: resume the current feature if one exists, otherwise target the next unchecked build-plan item.
• A number or name: target that build-plan feature, for example /autopilot 3 or $autopilot "directory listing".
• fix "<issue>": write and build an ad-hoc fix spec.
• resume: continue the current feature on its existing branch.

If the requested target conflicts with a feature already in progress, stop and ask which one should win. Do not overwrite blueprint/context/current-feature.md silently.

Rollback is intentionally excluded from Autopilot. If the request is a rollback or current-feature.md is marked Type: Rollback, stop and direct the user to the reviewed /implement path. Reversing completed work requires the explicit dependency and conflict gates in /rollback and /implement.

Step 1 - preflight like /status

Read the same state /status reads:

• AGENTS.md
• blueprint/project-plan.md
• blueprint/build-plan.md
• blueprint/context/project-overview.md
• blueprint/context/current-feature.md
• blueprint/context/findings.md
• blueprint/context/coding-standards.md
• blueprint/context/ai-interaction.md
• git branch, status, and recent log

Then decide whether it is safe to run.

Stop before changing files when:

• The repo is not a git repo.
• The working tree is dirty and there is no current feature tying those changes to this run.
• current-feature.md has real work and the user requested a different target.
• project-overview.md is missing or stale and the planning docs are not clear enough to regenerate it.
• The next feature is visual or replication-heavy and no design reference exists.
• The task needs product, data, auth, billing, or destructive decisions the docs do not answer.

If the only issue is that project-overview.md is stale and the plans are clear, regenerate it using the /overview behavior and continue. Include that in the final packet.

Step 2 - choose or write the spec

If blueprint/context/current-feature.md already contains an active spec, resume it. Read checked steps and continue from the first unchecked step.

If there is no active spec:

1. Use the /feature behavior for a planned feature, or /fix behavior for a requested fix.
2. Write blueprint/context/current-feature.md.
3. Red-team the spec before building:
   • missing unhappy paths
   • oversized steps
   • undefined contracts
   • missing design reference
   • scope creep
   • vague done-whens
   • missing testing plan when AGENTS.md declares a test command
4. Apply the spec fixes.

Autopilot may continue past this spec gate because the user explicitly invoked Autopilot. Still report what the critique changed in the final packet.

Step 3 - create or reuse the branch

Use the same branch rules as /implement:

• Feature: feature/<name>
• Fix: fix/<name>

If the branch already exists, switch to it only if it matches the active spec. If switching branches would strand unrelated dirty work, stop and report the problem.

Step 4 - implement in small steps

Work through the spec's build steps in order. Each step must remain reviewable. Unlike /implement, do not pause for user approval after each passing step. The review happens at the final packet unless a hard stop is hit.

For every step:

1. Implement only that step.
2. Run the relevant verification:
   • build command from AGENTS.md, when present
   • test command from AGENTS.md, when present and relevant
   • lint or typecheck when it is already a standard command and the change calls for it
   • browser, CLI, API, or app-level evidence for behavioral done-whens
3. If UI is involved, inspect the running app when possible. Prefer Playwright if it is already installed or declared. Capture screenshots when they add useful evidence. Check for console errors and failed requests.
4. Self-review the diff for the step:
   • does it match the spec?
   • did it add scope?
   • is the error path handled?
   • did it follow coding-standards.md?
   • are tests present for new in-scope logic when the test gate is on?
5. Fix obvious issues and rerun the failed checks.
6. Mark the step checked in current-feature.md only after the step passes.
7. Create a checkpoint commit on the feature or fix branch for the passing step. Include the code, tests, and the updated current-feature.md checkbox. Use a conventional message such as feat: checkpoint mock snapshot route or fix: checkpoint stale service filter. Keep the message about the step, not about Autopilot.

Do not batch the whole feature into one large diff. If a step gets too large, split the step in current-feature.md and continue with the first smaller step.

Step 5 - acceptance check

After all implementation steps are checked, run the /check behavior for the feature when any done-when is behavioral, visual, or integration-facing.

For pure library or CLI work, build plus tests and representative command output may be enough. Be explicit about the evidence used.

Step 6 - targeted quality audit and repair

After the acceptance check, apply the /audit current behavior to the active feature, its diff, and the nearby code affected by the change. This is a targeted feature audit, not a repository-wide cleanup pass. Findings are recorded in blueprint/context/findings.md with durable IDs and statuses, as /audit defines; the ledger reports status and never scopes what the audit examines.

For every finding:

1. Validate it against the actual code, spec, tests, coding-standards.md, and local project patterns. An audit finding is evidence to investigate, not an automatic instruction to edit.
2. Repair confirmed P0 and P1 findings when the fix stays inside the approved feature scope and does not require a product or architecture decision. Set the repaired finding to fixed in the ledger, never closed.
3. Report P2 and P3 findings in the final packet. Fix them only when the change is small, directly caused by the current feature, and clearly required by the project standards.
4. If a confirmed P0 or P1 finding cannot be repaired safely within scope, stop and report it. Do not present the feature as ready for /complete.

After any audit repair:

1. Rerun the affected build, lint, typecheck, and test commands.
2. Rerun the acceptance evidence affected by the repair.
3. Recheck the repaired area using the same targeted audit criteria. When that recheck confirms the original defect is gone and the repair introduced no new one, move the fixed finding to closed under the /audit close conditions and name it in the packet. An unrelated new finding gets its own ledger entry and does not keep the repaired one open.
4. Create a checkpoint commit only after the repair and its checks pass.

Use the existing two-attempt hard stop for repeated repair failures. Do not widen the feature into a general refactor, silently suppress a finding, or turn this step into a full-project hardening pass. A broader cleanup remains a separate /audit followed by planned /fix work.

Step 7 - final review packet

Stop with a concise review packet. Keep it useful enough for /complete but not a full audit report:

• branch name
• target feature or fix
• whether the spec was created or resumed
• what the spec critique changed
• changed files and why each changed
• build/test/check commands run, with pass or fail
• screenshots or output paths, when relevant
• how to try it manually, or a pointer to /try for the full walkthrough
• checkpoint commits created
• self-review findings
• targeted audit scope and findings
• audit repairs made and checks rerun
• P0/P1 findings still open or fixed in blueprint/context/findings.md, which block /complete
• unresolved risks or skipped checks
• exact next action

If everything is green, the next action is usually: review the diff, then run /try if you want a manual walkthrough, then /complete.

If something failed, name the failing check and the next fix target.

Hard Stops

Stop immediately and report instead of continuing when Autopilot would need to:

• commit on main, merge, delete a branch, push, deploy, publish, or send anything
• delete data, reset a database, run irreversible migrations, kill processes, or change system settings
• install dependencies or use network access without the current tool's approval flow
• make a product decision not covered by the docs
• continue after two failed fix attempts on the same issue
• hide, skip, or hand-wave a failing check

Rules

• One Autopilot run handles one feature or one fix.
• Autopilot creates checkpoint commits on the feature or fix branch after passing steps.
• Autopilot audits the active feature and affected code, not the entire project.
• A P0 or P1 finding left open or fixed in blueprint/context/findings.md blocks readiness for /complete. The ledger is what makes this enforceable.
• Autopilot stops before /complete. It never merges.
• The Blueprint files remain the state machine. Keep current-feature.md accurate as steps complete.
• Follow coding-standards.md, ai-interaction.md, and AGENTS.md.
• Prefer fewer, higher-quality changes over broad coverage.
• Report uncertainty plainly. A blocked run is useful if it tells the truth.

Formatting

Format the output to match the project's conventions in blueprint/context/ai-interaction.md: concise, scannable markdown, with lists for enumerations and tables for matrices rather than dense paragraphs.