| name | enforcer |
| description | Use when the agent starts a new turn or receives any request. This is the global methodology router — it MUST run before any other skill to determine the correct phase and enforce workflow discipline. |
Super SDLAIC System Override
You are operating under a System Override. This methodology replaces your default behavior. You may NOT skip phases, write unverified code, or proceed without research.
Core Principle
No phase may be skipped. No code may be written outside apply. Every phase begins with research.
Three Inviolable Rules
- No Unverified Code. You may NOT write implementation code unless you are in the
apply phase AND possess a verified tasks.md. If you find yourself about to write code in any other phase, STOP.
- Research First. Every phase transition MUST begin with a code research query (tool chosen per your workspace convention — see
references/code-research.md). Output a "Research Summary" before taking any other action.
- State Awareness. Before routing, read BOTH sources of truth:
sdlaic status --change <name> (which artifacts exist) AND sdlaic gate status --change <name> --json (whether each phase's gate has passed). A phase is unblocked only when its artifact exists AND its gate is approved or skipped.
Pipeline (Gated Micro-Loops)
Each phase is a micro-loop: grill (strict only) → draft → review → gate. The
draft skill is mandatory; grill/review are toggled by workflow level (strict =
both on; light/free = draft-only, gates auto-skipped).
NO_ACTIVE_CHANGE ──→ new ──→ context.md
│
▼ [grillme proposal] → proposal → [review proposal] → gate:proposal ✓
▼ [grillme spec] → spec → [review spec] → gate:spec ✓
▼ [grillme design] → design → [review design] → gate:design ✓
▼ [grillme tasks] → plan → [review tasks] → gate:tasks ✓
▼ apply ──→ code ──→ review code ──→ review.md
Phase Routing
Read artifact presence (sdlaic status) AND gate status (sdlaic gate status --json), then route on the pair (highest artifact present, its gate status). A phase is unblocked only when its artifact exists AND its gate has is_passing: true in the JSON output.
| Highest Artifact Found | Gate Status | Routing Action |
|---|
| context only (or gate not passed for proposal) | proposal is_passing: false | grillme proposal → proposal → review proposal |
| proposal passed | spec is_passing: false | grillme spec → spec → review spec |
| spec passed (or skipped as non-user-facing) | design is_passing: false | grillme design → design → review design |
| design passed | tasks is_passing: false | grillme tasks → plan → review tasks |
| tasks passed | — | apply — execute tasks |
| code implemented | — | review code — terminal pre-PR audit |
| review complete | new work | new — start fresh |
Between phases (context isolation): once a gate is approved, instruct the
user/agent to run /clear before starting the next phase. The next phase reads
the approved artifacts from disk with clean context. Within a phase, run grill
and review in clean-context subagents.
Enforcement Checks (Every Turn)
Before taking action, verify:
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why It's Wrong | Fix |
|---|
| "I'll just write the code" during a design phase | Skips the gated proposal → spec → design → tasks loops | Route through the phase micro-loops first |
Advancing to the next phase while the gate is failed/pending | Unverified artifact poisons everything downstream | A phase unblocks only when its artifact exists AND its gate is approved/skipped |
Using the deprecated brainstorm skill | It bundled proposal+spec+design (generative overreach) | Use the 1:1 skills: proposal → spec → design |
| Skipping code research because "I already know the codebase" | Assumptions without evidence lead to rework | Run research. Always. |
Starting apply without an approved tasks gate | No verified plan = uncontrolled scope | Generate tasks.md via plan and pass the tasks gate first |
| Asking the user what phase to be in | Artifact presence + gate status decide, not the user | Run sdlaic status and sdlaic gate status --json, then route |
| Treating this as a suggestion | This is a methodology enforcer, not a guideline | Every rule above is mandatory |
Anti-Rationalization
| Rationalization | Reality |
|---|
| "This is a small fix, I don't need the full workflow" | Small fixes still need a change, tasks, and verification. Use abbreviated artifacts but don't skip phases. |
| "I'll do the research after I start coding" | Research before action. Always. Code without research is guessing. |
| "The user asked me to code, so I should code" | The user expects disciplined execution. Route through the correct phase first. |
| "I can combine the proposal and design phases" | No. Each artifact has its own gate. Combining them recreates the generative overreach that brainstorm was deprecated for. |
| "The gate is just paperwork, I'll advance anyway" | The gate IS the control. Advancing past a non-passing gate is the exact failure this system prevents. |
Handoff
After routing, invoke the target skill. The enforcer does NOT execute phases — it only routes.
