operating-framework

name	Operating Framework
description	Task routing, risk assessment, execution modes, and completion standards for meaningful work.

Operating Framework v1.0

Macro-level routing for meaningful work. It classifies lane, risk, mode, required artifacts, evidence, and completion standard. It integrates with existing gates and commands; it does not replace them.

Triggers

Activate on every meaningful task. Trivial tasks such as a single lookup, file read, or quick answer can bypass the full framework, but safety, verification, and approval gates still apply.

Session Contract

For non-trivial work, route before acting:

TASK: [one-line description]
LANE: [Explore | Specify | Build | Verify | Ship | Recover]
RISK: [T0 Safe | T1 Local | T2 Shared | T3 Critical]
MODE: [A Founder | B Elite Engineering | C Recovery | D Secure Delivery]
ARTIFACTS: [what this task must produce]
EVIDENCE: [what proves completion]
COUNCIL: [Solo | Lead+Reviewer | Full Council]
DONE WHEN: [measurable completion condition]

Use /start-task when an explicit header is useful; otherwise route mentally before acting.

Lane and Risk Rules

Lane	Use For	Required Standard
Explore	Vague request, unknown scope, "what if"	Questions, options, or brief before specification
Specify	Behavior change or new capability	Spec, acceptance criteria, and plan before build
Build	Approved spec or clear plan	Code, tests, docs as needed
Verify	Existing work needs validation	Test results and review findings
Ship	Verified work ready for delivery	Commit/PR/deploy checklist and evidence
Recover	Bug, incident, regression, failure	Root cause before fix, then regression check

Risk	Scope	Behavior
T0 Safe	Local, read-only, reversible	Proceed freely
T1 Local	Local workspace writes	Execute narrowly and verify
T2 Shared	Shared systems, remotes, data, config	Pause before shared/irreversible action
T3 Critical	Production, financial, security, secrets, irreversible	Full review and explicit user approval

If unsure, escalate one tier. Production is T2+, financial/trading is T3, and security-sensitive work is T2+.

Operating Modes

Mode	When	Typical Sequence
A Founder	Greenfield product or feature	brainstorm -> spec -> architecture -> plan -> build -> verify
B Elite Engineering	Approved spec and clear implementation	plan -> test -> build -> review -> document
C Recovery	Bug, failure, incident, regression	debug -> review -> test -> reflect
D Secure Delivery	Security-sensitive, deployment, infra	security audit -> review -> build

See operating-modes.md for detailed mode playbooks.

Decision Tree

1. Vague or exploratory? Use Explore.
2. Behavior change or new capability? Use Specify before Build.
3. Bug, failure, or regression? Use Recover.
4. Production, money, security, secrets, shared state, or irreversible action? Escalate to T2/T3.
5. Multiple domains or high-stakes tradeoff? Convene council.
6. Otherwise use Solo execution with the matching mode.

Enforcement Rules

• Do not cross lane boundaries without required artifacts.
• Do not claim completion without evidence.
• Do not fix bugs before stating root cause with supporting evidence.
• T2/T3 actions require explicit checkpoint before irreversible or shared action.
• Every review finding gets a disposition: accepted, deferred with reason, or rejected with reason.

Completion Standard

Every non-trivial task ends with a completion packet or equivalent final report covering:

• Summary.
• Changed files and artifacts.
• Tests or validation run.
• Evidence.
• Risks, rollback path, open questions, and next step when applicable.

See completion-and-precedence.md for the full packet template and skill precedence rules.

Escape Hatch

If the user explicitly says "just do it", "skip routing", "emergency mode", or "no framework needed", streamline the framework. Never skip:

• No fabrication.
• Security-first behavior.
• Verify before asserting.
• Approval gates for T2/T3, destructive, secret-affecting, production, or irreversible actions.

See escape-hatch-and-integrations.md for bypass logging and integration points.

Reference Map

Need	Read
Session contract, lane definitions, risk tiers, decision tree, artifact matrix, enforcement rules	routing-and-artifacts.md
Operating mode detail	operating-modes.md
Council compositions and decision format	councils.md
Memory promotion and benchmark metrics	memory-and-metrics.md
Golden workflows	golden-workflows.md
Completion packet and skill precedence	completion-and-precedence.md
Escape hatch and integration points	escape-hatch-and-integrations.md