always-on-guidance

name	always-on-guidance
description	Global coding rules and tool usage discipline
tags	["always-on","coding","quality"]

Always-On Guidance

Rules that apply to every coding session.

Tool Usage Discipline

• Read files before editing — never guess at content
• Use replicator_org_* tools for work item management
• Use replicator_comms_* tools for agent messaging and file reservations
• Use replicator_forge_* tools for multi-agent coordination
• Use dewey_store_learning / dewey_semantic_search for learning storage and retrieval
• Check dewey_semantic_search before solving problems from scratch

Code Quality

• Functions do one thing well
• Names reveal intent — no abbreviations
• Comments explain why, not what
• No dead code or unused imports
• Error messages include context

Testing

• Write tests for all new code
• Use db.OpenMemory() for database tests
• Use t.TempDir() for filesystem tests
• Standard library testing package only — no testify
• Test names: TestXxx_Description

Error Handling

• Return errors, don't panic
• Wrap errors with context: fmt.Errorf("operation: %w", err)
• Handle all error paths — no ignored returns
• Use errors.Is for sentinel error checks

Command Template Fidelity

• When a command template prescribes a fixed exit or output format, re-read that section from the template file before emitting — especially after context compression
• After compression, the template file is the sole authority for prescribed output format — never reconstruct it from memory or compressed summaries

Git Discipline

• Conventional commits: type: description
• Never force push to main
• Commit early, commit often