harness-map

name	harness-map
description	Map a repository's mechanical harness layers: canonical check command, local and CI gates, architecture boundaries, structural rules, behavioral verification, docs ratchets, evidence workflows, and operator-facing surfaces. Use when you need to understand how a repo keeps change safe.
writes-to	HARNESS.md
allowed-tools	["Read","Write","Edit","Bash(find:*)","Bash(rg:*)","Bash(grep:*)","Bash(git:*)"]
hard-guards	["Facts first - identify what exists before making recommendations","Include exact file paths and line anchors when applicable","Do not modify source code while mapping the harness unless explicitly asked","Distinguish local gates, CI gates, policy layers, evidence layers, and operator surfaces"]

Harness Map

Map the repository's actual harness: the mechanical checks, policies, workflows, and artifacts that make change safe.

This skill is narrower than generic codebase research. It is specifically for answering questions like:

• "What is the harness in this repo?"
• "What does check actually run?"
• "Which layers are local vs CI vs docs vs evidence?"
• "How is architecture enforced here?"
• "What operator surfaces teach agents how to use the harness?"

Core Principle

Map the harness as implemented, not as imagined.

Prefer:

• commands that actually run
• config files that actually enforce policy
• CI workflows that actually gate merges
• docs and playbooks that actually structure investigations
• agent/operator files that actually expose the workflow

Avoid:

• aspirational architecture prose without enforcement
• recommendations before the map exists
• broad codebase summaries that skip the gate structure

What Counts as Harness

A repo harness usually includes some or all of these layers:

1. Canonical local command
   • just check, make check, task check, npm test, etc.
2. Architecture boundaries
   • Import Linter, dependency-cruiser, Bazel visibility, custom dependency tests
3. Structural rules
   • ast-grep, semgrep, custom lint rules, codemod rule tests
4. Behavioral verification
   • unit/integration tests, snapshots, goldens, deterministic checks, build verification
5. Docs ratchets
   • docs link checks, nav checks, metadata/frontmatter checks, allowlists
6. CI decomposition
   • matrix jobs or separate workflows that mirror harness gates
7. Evidence workflows
   • session logs, diff reports, chunk docs, experiment records, replay/debug artifacts
8. Operator surface
   • AGENTS.md, .codex/, environment files, repo-local skills, slash commands

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks to:

• map or explain the harness
• identify all gate layers in a repo
• compare local checks with CI checks
• document how architectural constraints are enforced
• understand how agents/operators are expected to use the repo safely

Workflow

1. Find the canonical local entrypoint

Inspect common entrypoint files first:

• justfile
• Makefile
• package.json
• pyproject.toml
• task runner config files

Capture:

• the canonical command name
• every subcommand it runs
• whether it chains all gates or only a subset

2. Find CI gate execution

Inspect CI workflows:

• .github/workflows/*.yml
• other CI configs (.gitlab-ci.yml, buildkite, etc.)

Capture:

• job names
• matrix dimensions
• whether fail-fast is enabled
• which local gates are mirrored in CI
• which gates only exist in CI

3. Find architecture enforcement

Look for:

• Import Linter / grimp
• dependency-cruiser
• layering tests
• package-boundary configs
• forbidden import tests

Capture:

• contract names
• source and forbidden modules
• ignore lists / allowed exceptions
• exact config path

4. Find structural rule enforcement

Look for:

• sgconfig.yml, ast-grep rule directories
• semgrep configs
• custom lint rule packages
• rule tests and snapshots

Capture:

• rule config files
• rule directories
• test directories
• snapshot/baseline locations
• any custom parser or language extensions

5. Find behavioral verification layers

Look for:

• test commands
• snapshot directories
• golden outputs
• deterministic helpers
• numerical equivalence docs
• build verification steps

Capture:

• exact commands
• test conventions docs
• locations of snapshots/goldens
• special validation steps outside the main test runner

6. Find docs ratchets

Look for:

• docs check scripts
• nav validation
• broken-link validation
• frontmatter/tag checks
• allowlists / baselines

Capture:

• categories of docs failures
• allowlist file paths
• whether the check behaves as a ratchet

7. Find evidence workflows

Look for:

• chunk docs
• debugging session logs
• replay/trace diff playbooks
• benchmark result docs
• evidence indexes

Capture:

• index files
• per-session or per-chunk docs
• required evidence fields
• exact commands recorded in those artifacts

8. Find operator-facing surfaces

Look for:

• AGENTS.md
• .codex/environments/*
• .codex/skills/*
• command docs
• plugin manifests

Capture:

• setup / run / test actions
• repo-local skills that wrap harness flows
• operator instructions that point to real commands

9. Synthesize the harness map

Write the harness map directly to the repository root as:

HARNESS.md

This file serves as the single source of truth for how this repository keeps change safe. Write it in a style that a new developer or agent can use to understand the harness immediately.

Recommended structure:

---
title: "<repo> – Harness Map"
phase: Research
date: "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS"
owner: "<agent_or_user>"
tags: [research, harness, <repo>]
---

# <repo> – Harness Map

A living map of the mechanical checks, policies, workflows, and artifacts that make change safe in this repository.

## Canonical Entry Point
- `path:line-line` → command and subcommands

## Harness Layers

### Layer 1: Local Checks
| Check | Command | Config | Enforces |
|-------|---------|--------|----------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 2: Architecture Boundaries
| Contract | Source | Forbidden | Config |
|----------|--------|-----------|--------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 3: Structural Rules
| Rule Set | Config | Test Location | Notes |
|----------|--------|---------------|-------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 4: Behavioral Verification
| Test Suite | Command | Snapshot/Golden Location | Notes |
|------------|---------|--------------------------|-------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 5: Docs Ratchet
| Check | Command | Allowlist | Notes |
|-------|---------|-----------|-------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 6: CI Matrix
| Job | Triggers | Gate | Config |
|-----|----------|------|--------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 7: Evidence Workflow
| Artifact | Location | Triggers | Format |
|----------|----------|----------|--------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Layer 8: Operator Surface
| Surface | Location | Purpose | Usage |
|---------|----------|---------|-------|
| ... | ... | ... | ... |

## Command Chain
Ordered list of checks as executed by the canonical entry point:
1. ...
2. ...
3. ...

## Quick Reference
- **Run all local checks:** 
  
  ...


| File | What It Contributes |
|------|-------------------|
|  | ... |

Output Requirements

Write the harness map to HARNESS.md in the repository root. This file must:

• identify the single best local entrypoint if one exists
• show where each layer is enforced
• distinguish between enforced config and descriptive docs
• include exact file paths
• include line numbers when they materially improve traceability
• describe what exists before suggesting changes
• use tables for scannable layer summaries
• include a quick reference section for operators

Good Output Example

# myrepo – Harness Map

## Canonical Entry Point
- `justfile:22-29` defines `check *args:` and runs Ruff, Import Linter, ty, docs checks, ast-grep, pytest, and Zig checks.

## Harness Layers

### Layer 2: Architecture Boundaries
| Contract | Source | Forbidden | Config |
|----------|--------|-----------|--------|
| core-api | src/core | src/plugins | pyproject.toml:80-110 |

### Layer 6: CI Matrix
| Job | Triggers | Gate | Config |
|-----|----------|------|--------|
| test | push | all checks | .github/workflows/ci.yml:13-79 |

Bad Output Example

The repo appears to care about quality and uses several tools.
It has some tests and some linting.

Handoff

After generating HARNESS.md:

• commit it to the repo so it stays current
• use plan-phase if the user wants to add or improve a harness layer
• compare two repos' HARNESS.md files to understand their differences