| name | critic-cache |
| description | Check if critic reviews are still valid before re-running Phase 2.5 critics.
Compares plan.json + critic-gates.json content hash against stored hash from last critic run.
Triggers on: entering Phase 2.5, checking critic cache, before launching critics.
Returns CRITIC_CACHE_HIT to skip critics or CRITIC_CACHE_MISS to re-run them.
|
| context | fork |
| allowed-tools | Bash |
Critic Cache
Check whether prior critic reviews are still valid, avoiding redundant Sonnet agent launches when the plan hasn't changed since the last critic run.
When to Use
Activate this skill at the start of Phase 2.5 (Critic Validation), before launching any critic agents. If the cache is fresh, skip the entire critic phase.
Usage
Run the cache check script:
bash ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/check_critic_cache.sh <WORKDIR>
Interpreting Output
Cache Hit
CRITIC_CACHE_HIT
Action: Skip all critic agent launches. Proceed directly to Phase 2.6 (or Phase 2.7 if no merge is needed). The existing $WORKDIR/reviews/*.review.json files are still valid.
Cache Miss
CRITIC_CACHE_MISS
reason: <why the cache is stale or missing>
Action: Run critics as normal. After all critics complete, stamp the cache:
if [ -f ".closedloop-ai/settings/critic-gates.json" ]; then
cat $WORKDIR/plan.json .closedloop-ai/settings/critic-gates.json | shasum -a 256 > $WORKDIR/reviews/.plan-hash
else
shasum -a 256 $WORKDIR/plan.json > $WORKDIR/reviews/.plan-hash
fi
How Freshness Works
The script hashes both plan.json and .closedloop-ai/settings/critic-gates.json (if it exists) into a single combined hash. This ensures:
- Plan content changes → cache miss → critics re-run
- Critic configuration changes (adding/removing critics) → cache miss → critics re-run
- No changes → cache hit → critics skipped
Cache Conditions
Cache hit requires ALL of:
plan.json existsreviews/ directory exists with at least 1 .review.json filereviews/.plan-hash exists- Current combined hash matches stored hash
