| name | spec-kitty-runtime-review |
| description | Review runtime-owned outputs using the Spec Kitty review workflow surface, then direct approval or rejection with structured feedback. Triggers: "review this work package", "check runtime output", "approve this step", "review WP", "is this WP ready to approve", "check this implementation". Does NOT handle: setup-only repair requests, direct implementation work, editorial glossary maintenance, or runtime loop advancement. |
spec-kitty-runtime-review
Operate the Spec Kitty review workflow surface: load review context, claim a
work package, read the generated review prompt, and issue an approve or reject
transition.
When to Use This Skill
- Claim a completed work package for review
- Read the review prompt generated by the review workflow
- Issue an approval or rejection with structured feedback
Step 1: Load Review Context
spec-kitty charter context --action review --json
The returned text contains governance context. The review prompt (generated
in Step 2) includes project-specific acceptance criteria and review guidance
from doctrine — do not restate those rules here.
Step 2: Claim the Work Package
spec-kitty agent action review WP## --agent <your-name>
This moves the WP from for_review to in_review and prints the path to a
generated review prompt file. Read that path from the command output.
Step 3: Read the Review Prompt
cat <prompt-file-path>
The review prompt contains:
- Acceptance criteria for this specific WP
- Git diff commands with the correct base branch (use those, not hardcoded
main)
- Dependency warnings if the WP has downstream dependents
- WP isolation rules
- Completion instructions (approve/reject commands)
Follow the review prompt. It is the source of truth for what to check and how
to check it. The review criteria come from doctrine and the WP definition, not
from this skill.
Step 3.5: Contract Round-Trip Check
If the mission ships a kitty-specs/<mission>/contracts/ directory, walk it
before issuing a verdict. Contracts pin concrete examples (payloads, CLI
invocations, schema fragments, error messages, allowed-value sets) that the
implementation must round-trip verbatim. Vocabulary or shape drift here is
invisible to spec-level review and surfaces late at mission-review or
downstream consumption time.
- Enumerate —
ls kitty-specs/<mission>/contracts/. If the directory is
absent, record a one-line note ("no contracts/ artifact") and skip to
Step 4.
- Filter — for each contract file, decide whether this WP touches the
symbols, payloads, or commands it pins. Skipped files get a one-line note
("orthogonal to WP##").
- Walk every concrete example — extract every YAML block, JSON snippet,
CLI invocation, schema fragment, and error message in the in-scope
contracts. Verify the implementation accepts inputs and produces
outputs verbatim: singular vs plural, default values, enum members,
exit codes, flag names — all of it.
- SSOT cross-check — if a contract pins a closed set (allowed values,
registered triggers, enum members), require one assertion that mirrors
the runtime constant against its test-side or doc-side copy byte-for-
byte. If the WP introduces such a constant without that mirror
assertion, reject.
- Verdict — any contradiction between the implementation and a contract
example is a BLOCKER, cited as
contract file:line plus
impl symbol. Contracts are spec artifacts, not preferences.
Step 4: Issue Verdict
Take exactly one action — never "approve with conditions".
Approve (all acceptance criteria met)
spec-kitty agent tasks move-task WP## --to approved --note "Review passed: <summary>"
Reject (acceptance criteria not met)
Write structured feedback to a temp file, then move the WP back to planned:
spec-kitty agent tasks move-task WP## --to planned --force \
--review-feedback-file <feedback-file-path>
Every blocking finding must map to a specific, verifiable remediation action.
The feedback reference is mandatory, not optional. A rejection moves the WP
along a backward "review-rejection" edge, and the status contract requires that
edge to carry a rationale: the --review-feedback-file (or --note) you
pass is recorded as the transition's review_ref / reason and travels on the
event wire. Rejecting a WP to planned/in_progress without a feedback
reference or note produces a contract-invalid status event that is accepted
locally but silently rejected by hosted sync — so the rejection never
propagates. Always attach the feedback file (or a --note) when you reject or
send a WP back for rework. The rework agent reads exactly that referenced
feedback to know what to fix.
Step 5: Check Downstream Impact
If you rejected and the WP has downstream dependents:
spec-kitty agent tasks status --mission <mission-slug>
Note dependent WPs and include a rebase warning in your feedback.
Review Precedence Rules
- Acceptance criteria are the primary gate — a WP meeting all criteria
passes even if the reviewer would have done it differently
- The review prompt is the source of truth — it contains the specific
checks, criteria, and doctrine context for this WP
- One clear verdict per review — approve or reject, nothing in between
- The reviewer does not implement fixes — feedback must be actionable by
the original implementing agent
