// Use when making a repo agent-ready, verifying harness consistency, checking for documentation drift, bootstrapping harness infrastructure (AGENTS.md as index, docs/ structure, CI verification, enforcement mechanisms), or auditing repo agent-readiness maturity level.
[HINT] Download the complete skill directory including SKILL.md and all related files
| name | agent-harness |
| description | Use when making a repo agent-ready, verifying harness consistency, checking for documentation drift, bootstrapping harness infrastructure (AGENTS.md as index, docs/ structure, CI verification, enforcement mechanisms), or auditing repo agent-readiness maturity level. |
| license | (MIT AND CC-BY-SA-4.0). See LICENSE-MIT and LICENSE-CC-BY-SA-4.0 |
| compatibility | Requires Bash, Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep tools |
| metadata | {"author":"Netresearch DTT GmbH","version":"1.2.0","repository":"https://github.com/netresearch/agent-harness-skill"} |
| allowed-tools | Bash(git:*,make:*,bash:*,wc:*,test:*,chmod:*) Read Write Edit Glob Grep Agent |
The agent harness is repo-level infrastructure that makes repositories agent-ready with self-sustaining enforcement. This skill is the installer; the harness enforces itself via CI, hooks, and conventions once installed.
Always start here. Run the verification script against the target repo:
scripts/verify-harness.sh /path/to/target-repo
Analyse the output. Fix issues directly or suggest fixes to the user. Verification checks for dead references, line count limits, missing artefacts, and command/target alignment.
When artefacts are missing, create them from templates:
| Artefact | Template | Platform |
|---|---|---|
AGENTS.md | templates/AGENTS.md.tmpl | All |
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md | templates/ARCHITECTURE.md.tmpl | All |
docs/exec-plans/{active,completed}/ | Create directories | All |
.github/workflows/harness-verify.yml | templates/harness-verify.yml.tmpl | GitHub |
.gitlab-ci.yml (harness-verify job) | templates/gitlab-ci-harness-verify.yml.tmpl | GitLab |
.github/pull_request_template.md | templates/pull_request_template.md.tmpl | GitHub |
.gitlab/merge_request_templates/Default.md | templates/merge_request_template.md.tmpl | GitLab |
.envrc | templates/envrc.tmpl | All |
| Makefile harness targets | templates/Makefile.harness.tmpl | All |
scripts/verify-harness.sh | scripts/verify-harness.sh (copy directly) | All |
Populate with repo-specific values. Do not overwrite existing files without user confirmation.
Report the repo's maturity level (1, 2, or 3) and show what is needed to reach the next level. See references/maturity-levels.md for detailed criteria.
docs/.references/delegation-map.md for skill routing (@agent-rules, @github-project, @enterprise-readiness).Level 1 -- Basic: AGENTS.md exists, serves as an index (not a wall of text), and documents available commands.
Level 2 -- Verified: CI checks enforce harness integrity, all AGENTS.md references resolve, documented commands match actual Makefile/script targets, and ARCHITECTURE.md exists.
Level 3 -- Enforced: Branch protection requires harness CI to pass, git hooks auto-activate on clone, PR template includes harness checklist, and drift detection runs on every push.
See references/maturity-levels.md for the full breakdown.
references/maturity-levels.md -- Maturity criteria and progressionreferences/agents-md-rules.md -- AGENTS.md authoring rulesreferences/artefact-inventory.md -- Harness artefacts listreferences/delegation-map.md -- Skill routing mapreferences/harness-engineering-overview.md -- Theory: four functions, patternsreferences/agent-first-architecture.md -- Legibility, layered deps, agent-first techreferences/enforcement-mechanisms.md -- 10-mechanism table (CI, hooks, protection, drift)references/skill-integration-map.md -- Integration contracts with companion skills