harness-eval

name	harness-eval
description	Evaluate a repo agent harness (AGENTS.md, rules, skills, skill refs) for broken paths/commands, redundant instructions, and usefulness using a stack-agnostic dual-judge protocol with planted traps. HIGH PRIORITY questionnaires at top: Q1 optional docs, Q2 B/C budget before Track A (certainty/tokens). A always runs after Q2; B/C opt-in. ADRs/RFCs excluded from T2. Mixed apply uses 11-mixed-apply.md (KEEP/CUT). Use when the user says harness eval, harness-eval, harness debug, audit AGENTS.md, audit skills/rules, instruction audit, redundancy of agent instructions, usefulness of skills, Ship/Review/Hold/Slim/Keep-core for harness, or wants Track A/B/C harness evaluation. Do NOT use for harness setup or init, feature spec-driven work (tlc-spec-driven), or applying Ship/Slim trims unless the user explicitly asks after the report.
license	CC-BY-4.0
metadata	{"author":"Tech Leads Club - github.com/tech-leads-club","version":"1.8.2"}

Harness Eval

Run a full, stack-agnostic harness evaluation and stop at reports. Do not auto-edit AGENTS.md or skills unless the user explicitly asks after reviewing Ship/Slim.

User questionnaires (HIGH PRIORITY)

Stop and ask before continuing. Do not skip these gates. Do not silently include optional docs or spawn B/C judges.

Order after inventory: Q1 (if needed) → Q2 → then Track A (A always runs) → B/C only if approved.

Q1 — Optional project docs (after inventory)

When optional-docs-candidates.md lists optional types, ask before Q2 / Track A:

Inventory found cited project docs outside the agent skill trees.

- **Always in scope:** skill-tree files (`.agents/skills`, `.cursor/skills`, `.claude/skills`)
- **Always excluded:** ADRs / RFCs / decision-record trees (never scored as T2)
- **Optional (default: omit):** see types/paths in `optional-docs-candidates.md`

Include any optional doc types or paths in this run?
Reply with: `none` (default), type ids (e.g. `docs`), and/or specific paths.

Re-run inventory with --include-doc-type / --include-doc only after the user answers. If no optional types, skip Q1.

Q2 — Tracks B and C (before Track A — budget)

Ask before Track A so the user sets spend up front. Track A always runs next (deterministic, ~0 model tokens). B/C run only if approved.

Choose eval scope for this run (before Track A).

| Track | Question | Certainty | Token consumption |
|-------|----------|-----------|-------------------|
| **A — Correctness** | Cited path/command exists? | **Highest** — script only, no LLM. Prefers false negatives over false BROKEN. | **~0 model tokens** (always runs next) |
| **B — Redundancy** | Would an agent rediscover this cheaply without the harness? | **Medium** — dual LLM + plants; Ship only if trap PASS and both agree. Disagree → Hold. Less model-sensitive than C. | **High** — 2 judges × every claim (~N in this inventory). Each may spot-check the repo. |
| **C — Usefulness** | Does this surface change behavior vs theory/demo/overlap? | **Lowest / most subjective** — dual LLM + plants + fan-in; **model-sensitive**. Slim/Mixed need gates; prefer second-model check before large deletes. | **Highest** — 2 judges × every surface (whole files; often dominates the run). |

Notes: Ship (B) ≠ Slim (C). Rediscoverable ≠ useless. A always runs; B/C are optional.

Reply with one of: `A only`, `B`, `C`, or `B+C`.

Fill claim count from claims.md when known; surface count ≈ T0+T1+T2 markdown after extract (or say “after surfaces_extract” if not run yet).

• A only: run Track A; present 04; stop (no B/C judges).
• B: Track A, then Steps 4–6.
• C: Track A, then Steps 7–10 (C does not need B).
• B+C: Track A, then Steps 4–11.

If the user already requested B/C/full eval in the triggering message, treat as approval — still show the Q2 table once so costs are visible.

Loading this skill's files

This skill is self-contained. Protocol, scripts, and judge prompts live under this skill directory (the folder that contains this SKILL.md). Resolve SKILL_DIR as that directory — never assume another install path.

• Read references/PROTOCOL.md completely before the first run in a session (and again if scripts fail).
• Read references/judge-prompts.md when spawning Track B or Track C judges.
• Plain-language terms: references/GLOSSARY.md (also embedded at the top of 04 / 07 / 10 reports).
• Claim record shape: references/claims.schema.json (for tooling; agents do not need to load it every run).
• Run scripts as python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/<name>.py" ....

Run outputs (not protocol) go to the target repo at .harness-eval/runs/<run-id>/.

Critical rules

1. Report-only by default. Judgment ≠ remediation.
2. README out of scope as harness surface and as rediscovery/usefulness evidence.
3. Stack-agnostic. Never hard-code package managers, DBs, frameworks, or folder layouts in prompts or plants. Discover manifests that exist (JS, Python, Make/Task, Rust, Go, PHP, Ruby/Rails, Java/Gradle/Maven, plus bin/*).
4. Doc scope. T2 always includes agent skill-tree refs (.agents/skills, .cursor/skills, .claude/skills). ADRs / RFCs (decision-record trees) are always excluded from T2 surfaces. Other cited project docs are optional — default omit; ask via Q1 at the top of this skill, then re-run with --include-doc-type / --include-doc.
5. Track A always runs after inventory (deterministic, high-precision). Prefer false negatives over false BROKEN. Placeholders (SPEC_FOLDER, {x}, [feature]) are never BROKEN. Never normalize paths with str.lstrip('./').
6. Tracks B and C require user approval via Q2 before Track A. Do not spawn B/C judges until the user opts in. User may approve B only, C only, both, or A only.
7. Track B needs dual judges + plants. Judge2 is blind (must not read Judge1 scores or trap-key.json). Ship only if trap gate PASS and dual REDUNDANT with Judge2 cost ≤ 1.
8. Track C needs dual judges + plants. Blind Judge2 must not read 08-usefulness-j1.md or usefulness-trap-key.json. Slim only if trap PASS, dual SLIM/ROUTING-ONLY, and fan-in PASS (no other harness surface hard-loads the path as SoT — merge enforces this on the full skill tree, not just --seed). Usefulness is model-sensitive — record model: <id> in both score files; prefer same model within a run; re-judge on a second model before large Slim deletes.
9. KEEP / KEEP-CORE plants must not be verbatim copies of claims/surfaces already in the deck.
10. Subagents: use an allowlisted non-fast model (prefer the same family as the parent when policy allows). Do not use *-fast models.
11. Do not equate tracks. Track B Ship ≠ Track C Slim. Rediscoverable ≠ useless; useful ≠ non-redundant.

Instructions

Step 1: Resolve SKILL_DIR

Set SKILL_DIR to the directory containing this SKILL.md. Verify:

• $SKILL_DIR/references/PROTOCOL.md
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/inventory_extract.py
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/track_a_correctness.py
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/merge_agreement.py
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/surfaces_extract.py
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/merge_usefulness.py
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/slim_fanin.py
• $SKILL_DIR/scripts/doc_scope.py

If missing, the skill install is broken — stop.

Step 2: Inventory + claim deck

From the target repo root:

RUN_ID=$(date -u +%Y-%m-%d)-full
python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/inventory_extract.py" --root . --run-id "$RUN_ID"
# Optional scope: AGENTS.md + one-hop related skills only
# python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/inventory_extract.py" --root . --run-id "$RUN_ID" --seed AGENTS.md

Expected under .harness-eval/runs/$RUN_ID/: inventory.json, claims.jsonl, claims.md, trap-key.json, optional-docs-candidates.md (+ .json).

Step 2b: Optional docs — Q1 (see top)

Read optional-docs-candidates.md. If optional types exist, run Q1 from User questionnaires. Re-run inventory only after approval:

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/inventory_extract.py" --root . --run-id "$RUN_ID" \
  --include-doc-type docs   # and/or --include-doc path

Step 2c: Track budget — Q2 (see top)

Run Q2 from User questionnaires before Track A. Record the answer (A only / B / C / B+C). Do not start Steps 4+ unless B and/or C were approved.

Step 3: Track A (deterministic) — always run

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/track_a_correctness.py" --root . --run-id "$RUN_ID"

Expected: 04-correctness.md (includes term definitions at top). Spot-check that .agents/... cites resolve (not agents/...).

Summarize Track A (broken count + notable clusters). If Q2 was A only, stop. Otherwise continue to the approved B and/or C steps.

Step 4: Track B — Judge1

Read references/judge-prompts.md (Track B Judge1). Spawn an independent subagent with an allowlisted model. Point it at .harness-eval/runs/$RUN_ID/claims.md. It writes 05-redundancy-j1.md (include model: <id>).

Judge1 may read inventory.json. Must not read trap-key.json.

Step 5: Track B — Judge2 (blind)

Read references/judge-prompts.md (Track B Judge2). Spawn a second subagent. Writes 06-blind-scores.md.

Forbidden for Judge2: trap-key.json, 05-redundancy-j1.md, 07-agreement.md, prior agreement reports.

Prefer Steps 4 and 5 in parallel.

Step 6: Merge Track B agreement

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/merge_agreement.py" --run-dir .harness-eval/runs/$RUN_ID

Expected: 07-agreement.md (Ship/Review/Hold + What these words mean). On trap FAIL: fix plants per PROTOCOL, rescore P00x, re-merge — do not Ship.

Step 7: Track C — surface deck

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/surfaces_extract.py" --root . --run-id "$RUN_ID"

Expected: surfaces.md, surfaces.json, usefulness-trap-key.json.

Step 8: Track C — Usefulness Judge1

Read references/judge-prompts.md (Usefulness Judge1). Spawn subagent with allowlisted model (record same id in header). Writes 08-usefulness-j1.md.

Must not read usefulness-trap-key.json.

Step 9: Track C — Usefulness Judge2 (blind)

Read Usefulness Judge2 prompt. Prefer same model as Step 8 for agreement stability. Writes 09-usefulness-j2.md.

Forbidden: usefulness-trap-key.json, 08-usefulness-j1.md, 10-usefulness-agreement.md, and using Track B 05/06/07 to decide usefulness classes.

Prefer Steps 8 and 9 in parallel.

Step 10: Merge Track C agreement

python3 "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/merge_usefulness.py" --run-dir .harness-eval/runs/$RUN_ID

Expected: 10-usefulness-agreement.md (Slim/Keep-core/Mixed/Hold + What these words mean), 11-mixed-apply.md (KEEP/CUT per Mixed ID), plus slim-fanin.json. On trap FAIL: do not Slim. Surfaces with slim-fanin-blocked are Hold — not Slim apply candidates.

Step 11: Present results

Summarize from the agreement reports (each starts with term definitions):

• Track A broken count → 04-correctness.md
• Track B trap + Ship/Review/Hold → 07-agreement.md
• Track C trap + fan-in + Slim/Keep-core/Mixed/Hold → 10-usefulness-agreement.md
• Call out 11-mixed-apply.md when Mixed count > 0 (the only Mixed apply path)
• Call out model ids used for Track C and that Slim is model-sensitive
• Call out any Slim fan-in blocked rows (consumers outside seed may appear here)

Stop unless the user asks to apply Ship/Slim/Mixed. When applying:

• Slim: only paths in the Slim table (fan-in PASS); never stub fan-in-blocked paths without updating citers first.
• Mixed: open 11-mixed-apply.md and execute KEEP/CUT per ID only (rule 12). Never re-judge from the Mixed path list alone. Never add code-tree path pointers as substitutes for cut demos (rule 11).

Examples

Example 1: Full harness eval

User says: "run harness eval on this repo"

Actions: inventory → Q1 if needed → Q2 (B/C budget table) → Track A → if approved, Steps 4–11. Parallel B judges, then C judges. Present agreements (terms are in the files).

Example 2: Usefulness only (existing run)

User says: "run Track C usefulness on the last harness-eval run"

Actions: Steps 7–11 on that RUN_ID (inventory must already exist).

Example 3: Wrong skill

User says: "setup harness" / "init harness" → harness setup (not this skill). User says: "specify feature" → tlc-spec-driven.

Troubleshooting

Trap gate FAIL (Track B or C)

Cause: KEEP/KEEP-CORE plants were deck duplicates, or blind judge mis-family. Solution: use skill’s fixed plant templates; rescore plants; re-merge.

Track A false missing .agents/...

Cause: bad path normalization. Solution: skill script must use normalize_cite (strip ./ only). Re-run Track A from $SKILL_DIR/scripts/.

Subagent blocked

Cause: missing/allowlisted model or *-fast blocked. Solution: re-spawn with an allowlisted non-fast model.

Track C Slim looks wrong after model change

Expected: usefulness is model-sensitive. Re-run C1+C2 on a second model; intersection of Slim bands is the safe delete set.

Mixed apply rewrote conventions / removed modules

Cause: apply agent re-judged from the Mixed path list instead of following KEEP/CUT. Solution: apply only via 11-mixed-apply.md; if that file is missing, re-run merge_usefulness.py; if Keep-core/Slim cells are vague, re-score those IDs before apply.

T2 empty / skill references/ missing from inventory

Cause: path normalize used lstrip("./") and turned .agents/… into agents/…. Solution: doc_scope.normalize_rel must strip only a ./ prefix (same rule as Track A).

ADRs appeared in Track C

Cause: old inventory treated all one-hop docs/** as T2. Solution: v1.7+ excludes decision-record trees; only user-approved optional doc types (never ADR/RFC) can enter T2.

Slim stub broke another skill that loads that file

Cause: content OVERLAP/Slim without fan-in — older runs, or apply skipped the gate. Solution: restore the checklist body; re-merge with merge_usefulness.py (fan-in scans full skill trees). Confirm with slim_fanin.py --path <P>.

Scripts missing

Cause: incomplete skill folder. Solution: restore $SKILL_DIR/scripts/ and references/.