| name | orca-goal-mode |
| description | Convert bounded specs or milestones into safe, verifiable goal contracts and use host-native goal mode when available. |
ORCA Framework Goal Mode
What This Skill Is
A workflow for deciding whether long-running work should become a goal and for creating the contract that governs execution.
Trigger
Use when a non-trivial task has an approved spec or bounded milestone, measurable completion condition, and one clear verification contract.
Do Not Trigger
Do not use goal mode for ambiguous discovery, vague improvement requests, risky destructive work without approval, or tasks without verification.
Required Inputs
- Approved spec or milestone
- Work item or issue
- Verification method
Optional Inputs
- Host adapter
- Approval record
- Tool constraints
- Time or turn budget
Exact Workflow
- Decide whether the task is a good goal candidate.
- Reject vague or unsafe goals before execution.
- Convert the spec or milestone into a goal contract.
- Check host support for native
/goal.
- Prefer native
/goal on Codex and Claude Code when the host supports it and the contract is complete.
- Fall back to ORCA Framework status artifacts when native support is unavailable.
- Record lifecycle state in run memory, traces, and goal status.
Expected Outputs
- Filled
templates/goal-contract.md
- Filled
templates/goal-status.md
Quality Bar
The goal must be concrete, milestone-sized, verifiable, and safe to resume.
Anti-Patterns
- using
/goal without a spec
- using
/goal for ambiguous discovery work
- using
/goal for vague "make this better" asks
- using
/goal without a meaningful verification path
- using
/goal for risky or destructive tasks without approval
- making a whole roadmap one goal
- turning a project-sized outcome with fuzzy verification into one goal
Relationship To Other ORCA Framework Skills And Commands
Works with orca-spec, orca-plan, orca-approve, orca-trace, orca-state, and orca-inspect.
