pre-flight-check

name	pre-flight-check
description	Checks essential information and project status before starting work and emits readiness signals for orchestration.

Pre-Flight Check Skill

Role: Check essential info and project status before starting work to reduce omissions and emit machine-readable readiness signals.

Inputs

• analysisContext.* (structured state, if exists)
• Feature name/branch name (optional)
• Required doc paths: CLAUDE.md, PROJECT.md, context.md, verification contract, etc.
• Project reference docs when present: workflow/README.md, docs/design/README.md, docs/glossary/README.md, docs/daily/README.md, TEST_GUIDE.md, docs/analysis/README.md

Checklist

• execution plane (read_only, product_project, meta_harness)
• UI spec version/design assets availability
• API spec availability
• Similar feature references
• git status/branch, build status
• context.md freshness, unresolved items in pending-questions.md
• downstream project contract readiness (PROJECT.md)
• project reference docs readiness (workflow/design/glossary/daily/test/analysis)
• downstream verification contract readiness (.claude/verification.contract.yaml or equivalent policy)
• local policy-set and ignore strategy readiness (policySets, .claudeignore, or documented equivalent)
• Document Memory Policy check:
  • context.md token usage (warn if > 6,000 tokens, ~80% of limit)
  • specification.md exists and is summarized (if large spec)
  • archives/ directory structure in place
• Doc Freshness Check:
  • Check ARCHITECTURE.md last modified vs code change
  • Check docs/generated/* vs related source code

Structured Output Contract

Return machine-readable readiness signals first, then optional human summary.

signals:
  executionPlane: product_project
  projectContractReady: false
  contextReady: false
  verificationContractReady: false
  shouldEscalateStrict: true
  docStale: false
notes:
  - "pre-flight: executionPlane=product_project"
  - "pre-flight: project contract missing required command/test sections"
  - "pre-flight: project reference docs missing workflow/design/test guidance"
  - "pre-flight: ignore or protected-path policy missing"
recommendedActions:
  - "run project-contract-gate"
  - "run context-readiness-gate"
  - "refresh security and ignore policy docs"

Optional human-readable example:

# Pre-flight Check Results

## Plane
product_project

## Readiness
WARN PROJECT.md incomplete
WARN context.md missing minimum sections
WARN verification contract missing

## Recommended Actions
1. [HIGH] Run `project-contract-gate`
2. [HIGH] Run `context-readiness-gate`
3. [MEDIUM] Add `.claude/verification.contract.yaml`

Anti-Pattern Check

Detect common mistakes based on "How to write a good spec for AI agents" guide

Checklist

Anti-Pattern	Detection Method	Status
Vague prompts	"Make something cool", "Make it work better"	⚠️
Large context without summary	specification.md > 3,000 tokens + no summary	⚠️
Missing 6 core areas	PROJECT.md lacks commands/tests/structure/style/Git/boundaries	⚠️
Vibe coding ↔ Production confusion	Attempting production deploy without tests	⚠️
Ignoring deadly trinity	Proceeding without verification for speed/non-determinism/cost	⚠️

Recommended Actions on Detection

Detected Anti-Pattern	Recommended Action
Vague request	Invoke requirements-analyzer to clarify
Large document	Follow document-memory-policy.md to summarize
Missing areas	Set projectContractReady=false, recommend project-contract-gate or project-md-refresh
No tests	Recommend writing tests before completion-verifier
No ignore/protected-path policy	Refresh security docs and add .claudeignore or equivalent

References

• .claude/docs/guidelines/document-memory-policy.md
• .claude/docs/guidelines/context-readiness-schema.md
• .claude/docs/guidelines/verification-contract.md