| name | lich-explain |
| description | Walks through why Lich flagged a specific finding — M1 flag rationale, M5 sandbox witness (if confirmed), M7 rubric scores per axis, Kappa reliability, M6 posterior state. Use when: the user runs /lich-explain <finding_id>, or wants to understand a HOLD/FAIL verdict. Do not use for: general code review (/lich-review handles that), rule disabling (/lich-disable handles that), or modifying rubric axes (rubric-v1.json edits go through a separate migration skill).
|
| model | sonnet |
| tools | ["Read"] |
lich-explain
Preconditions
- A finding exists in
plugins/lich-verdict/state/verdict.jsonl with the given finding_id.
plugins/lich-rubric/config/rubric-v1.json exists (defines the 5 axes).plugins/lich-rubric/state/kappa-log.jsonl has a per-axis Kappa entry for the finding's review.
Inputs
- Slash command:
/lich-explain <finding_id>
Steps
- Resolve the finding. Load
plugins/lich-verdict/state/verdict.jsonl, find the record with matching finding_id.
- Assemble engine traces. Read per-engine state files:
plugins/lich-core/state/review-flags.jsonl → M1 flag rationale (variable, abstract value, failure class)plugins/lich-sandbox/state/run-log.jsonl → M5 outcome (confirmed / timeout / sandbox-error / no-bug + witness input if applicable)plugins/lich-rubric/state/kappa-log.jsonl → M7 per-axis scores + Kappa reliabilityplugins/lich-preference/state/learnings.json → M6 (developer, rule) posterior
- Compose explanation. Render a structured block:
- Finding:
<one-line summary>
- M1 says: abstract interpretation traced
<var> to <abstract value>, flagging <failure class> at <severity>.
- M5 says: witness input
<input> produced <outcome>. (If confirmed: "bug reproduces"; if timeout: "alarm fired at 10s"; if no-bug: "all witnesses ran clean, static flag still stands with reduced confidence".)
- M7 says: per-axis scores
{clarity: 4, correctness: 3, ...}, Kappa {clarity: 0.72, correctness: 0.68, ...}. Flag any axis with Kappa < 0.4 as "unstable".
- M6 says: this rule's posterior for you is
Beta(α, β) → surfacing probability P. (If probability hit the 5% floor, note it.)
- Verdict:
DEPLOY / HOLD / FAIL. Why this verdict (which threshold tripped).
- Emit to stdout, reader-friendly formatted.
Outputs
- stdout: human-readable explanation.
- No state writes — this is a read-only skill.
Handoff
If the developer disagrees with the finding: suggest /lich-disable <rule_id>. If the developer agrees but wants to fix: the explanation already surfaces the witness input (if M5 confirmed), which is the starting point.
Failure modes
- F02 fabrication — never invent a witness or abstract value. If a trace file is missing or malformed, say so: "M5 state unavailable for this finding."
- F04 task drift — this skill explains, it does not re-review or re-score. Don't re-run engines.
- F13 distractor pollution — don't dump full JSONL records into the explanation. Pick the fields that answer "why was this flagged?"
Why Sonnet tier
Composing a reader-friendly explanation from 4-5 structured JSONL sources with honest-uncertainty framing (especially when Kappa is low or M5 timed out) benefits from Sonnet's reasoning. Haiku would oversimplify the nuance; Opus is overkill for a read-only explanation.
