auto-ceo-review

name	auto-ceo-review
description	Product go/no-go on a framed spec. Use after auto-frame, before planning.
metadata	{"stage":"frame"}

auto-ceo-review

Product-direction gate. Decides whether a spec is worth building before planning begins.

First action: run scripts/get-context.mjs → JSON {activeChange, stage, canonicalSpec, canonicalDesign, canonicalPlan, productReview, engineeringReview, diagnostics} (missing state normalizes to "none"/null). If any diagnostic has level "error", stop and report it before proceeding.

Preamble

Product bet review. Restates the objective as one crisp bet, identifies differentiation, calls out generic or mis-scoped direction. Does not design implementation or write code.

Loading discipline: one SPEC.md read, one review paragraph, one verdict. Read project files when understanding the codebase helps ground the review — verify that spec claims reflect what actually exists before approving or rejecting.

Quality Gate

Before appending the product review:

• Replace strategic filler with user, action, value, and risk.
• Separate supported claims from assumptions.
• Name the strongest risk even when approving.
• Read references/quality.md (~36 lines: anti-patterns, better shape, prose hygiene scan patterns) when the review sounds like polite validation.

Do

Load State

Read .agent/steering/STATUS.md. Read the canonical SPEC.md.

Restate the Bet

In one sentence: "We are betting that [specific user] will [specific action] because [specific reason], and the risk is [specific risk]."

Evaluate

Assess differentiation, user value, generic or mis-scoped elements, and shippability. Ground each in evidence from the spec.

Render Verdict

Use exactly one of the four approved values.

Verdict Values

Use strict vocabulary. No synonyms.

Verdict	Meaning	Next Action
approved	Direction is sound. Proceed to planning.	auto-plan
approved_with_risks	Direction is sound but carries known risks. Document them in the review.	auto-plan
needs_clarification	Direction cannot be evaluated. Return to framing.	auto-frame or auto-office-hours
descoped	Direction is out of scope or low-leverage. Do not pursue.	auto-office-hours or stop

Append Review

Add a ## Review: Product section to SPEC.md using the exact template in references/review-template.md.

Update State

Run sync-status.mjs from this skill's scripts directory. Update .agent/.automaton/state/current.json:

• product_review → <verdict>

Recommend

State the next skill based on the verdict.

Output

• SPEC.md with appended ## Review: Product section
• .agent/.automaton/state/current.json updated with product_review; stage is unchanged by this skill
• Diagnostic handling: error-level diagnostics block the review; warning-level diagnostics surface to the next stage
• Recommended next skill, mapped from verdict: approved or approved_with_risks → auto-plan; needs_clarification → auto-frame or auto-office-hours; descoped → auto-office-hours or stop. The user or host invokes the next skill; auto-ceo-review does not chain.

Rules

• Be decisive, not theatrical. A sharp verdict is better than a long analysis.
• Do not turn the review into implementation design. Stay in product bet territory.
• Verdict vocabulary is strict. Use only the four approved values.
• If the spec is missing or unreadable, verdict is needs_clarification. Do not guess.

Deep

Review Template

Read references/review-template.md for the exact markdown format. (~21 lines: 5-field format covering verdict/strength/concern/action/de-scoped, with rules on sentence limits and no extra commentary.)

Product Bet Framing

Read references/bet-framing.md for 10x check, platonic ideal, dream state mapping. (~70 lines: crisp vs. vague bet examples, reframing structure, 10x check, platonic ideal exercise, dream state mapping diagram, temporal interrogation by implementation hour, expansion framing FLAT vs. EXPANSIVE pattern.)

Review Modes

Read references/review-modes.md for four scope postures and mode selection defaults. (~48 lines: SCOPE EXPANSION, SELECTIVE EXPANSION, HOLD SCOPE, SCOPE REDUCTION, each with ceremony/protocol; mode selection table by context.)

Product Checklist

Read references/product-checklist.md for premise challenge, differentiation, scope calibration. (~44 lines: 7 check categories covering premise challenge, differentiation scan, scope calibration, leverage assessment, user sovereignty, anti-goal filter, temporal check.)

Cognitive Patterns

Read references/cognitive-patterns.md for 18 thinking instincts. (~53 lines: 18 patterns from classification instinct to design-for-trust; application map linking patterns to review tasks.)