# Graph Build > [Code Intelligence] Use when you need to build, update, or sync the code review knowledge graph. Flag: --scope={full|update|sync} (default auto-detect); --scope=full forces a full rebuild, --scope=update re-parses uncommitted working-tree changes, --scope=sync syncs committed git changes then updates the working tree. - Skill: `duc01226/graph-build` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add duc01226/graph-build` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/duc01226/graph-build/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: duc01226 (https://skillmd.com/u/duc01226) - Updated: 2026-09-09 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/duc01226/graph-build --- > Codex compatibility note: > > - Invoke repository skills with `$skill-name` in Codex; this mirrored copy rewrites legacy Claude `/skill-name` references. > - Task tracker mandate: BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all steps and keep it synchronized as progress changes. > - User-question prompts mean to ask the user directly in Codex. > - Ignore Claude-specific mode-switch instructions when they appear. > - Strict execution contract: when a user explicitly invokes a skill, execute that skill protocol as written. > - Subagent authorization: when a skill is user-invoked or AI-detected and its protocol requires subagents, that skill activation authorizes use of the required `spawn_agent` subagent(s) for that task. > - Do not skip, reorder, or merge protocol steps unless the user explicitly approves the deviation first. > - For workflow skills, execute each listed child-skill step explicitly and report step-by-step evidence. > - If a required step/tool cannot run in this environment, stop and ask the user before adapting. ## Codex Project-Reference Loading (No Hooks) Codex uses static project-reference loading instead of runtime-injected project docs. When coding, planning, debugging, testing, or reviewing, open project docs explicitly using this routing. **Always read:** - `docs/project-config.json` (project-specific paths, commands, modules, and workflow/test settings) - `docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md` (routes to the full `docs/project-reference/*` catalog) - `docs/project-reference/lessons.md` (always-on guardrails and anti-patterns) **Missing/stale context route:** If `docs/project-config.json`, the docs index, `lessons.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, `AGENTS.md`, or any task-required reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run `$project-init` or the narrow setup route (`$project-config`, `$docs-init`, `$scan-all`, `$scan --target=`, `$claude-md-init`) before ordinary project-specific work. If Codex mirrors or `AGENTS.md` are missing/stale, ask the user to run `$sync-codex`; do not auto-run it. **Situation-based docs:** - Project structure/architecture/tech-stack/deployment/setup (any layer — backend, frontend, or infra): `project-structure-reference.md` - Backend/CQRS/API/domain/entity changes: `backend-patterns-reference.md`, `domain-entities-reference.md` - Frontend/UI/styling/design-system: `frontend-patterns-reference.md`, `scss-styling-guide.md`, `design-system/README.md` - Spec authoring, `docs/specs/` pathing, or TC format: `feature-spec-reference.md`, `spec-system-reference.md`, `spec-principles.md` - Behavior/public-contract changes or spec-test-code sync: `workflow-spec-test-code-cycle-reference.md` plus the spec docs above - Derived spec indexes/ERDs/reimplementation guides: `spec-system-reference.md` and source Feature Specs under `docs/specs/` - Integration test implementation/review: `integration-test-reference.md` - E2E test implementation/review: `e2e-test-reference.md` - Code review/audit work: `code-review-rules.md` plus domain docs above based on changed files Do not read all docs blindly. Start from `docs-index-reference.md`, then open only relevant files for the task. ## Quick Summary **Goal:** [Code Intelligence] Build, update, or sync the code review knowledge graph. Parses codebase with Tree-sitter into a structural graph (functions, classes, imports, calls, tests) stored in SQLite. Enables blast-radius analysis and graph-powered code review. `--scope` selects the lifecycle operation — `full` (rebuild), `update` (working-tree changes; folds former `/graph-update`), `sync` (committed git changes + working-tree update; folds former `/graph-sync`) — default auto-detects from graph status. **Workflow:** 1. **Detect** — classify request scope and target artifacts. 2. **Execute** — apply required steps with evidence-backed actions. 3. **Verify** — confirm constraints, output quality, and completion evidence. **Key Rules:** - **Scope flag** (see [Scope Mode](#scope-mode---scope)): default (no flag) auto-detects via `status` (full if never built, else incremental); `--scope=full` forces rebuild; `--scope=update` = uncommitted working-tree changes (CLI `update`, folds `/graph-update`); `--scope=sync` = committed git changes then working-tree update (CLI `sync` + `update`, folds `/graph-sync`). - MUST ATTENTION keep claims evidence-based (`file:line`) with confidence >80% to act. - MUST ATTENTION keep task tracking updated as each step starts/completes. - NEVER skip mandatory workflow or skill gates. ## Prerequisites Requires Python 3.10+ with: `pip install tree-sitter tree-sitter-language-pack networkx` ## Scope Mode (`--scope=`) | `--scope` | CLI verb(s) | What it does | Former skill | | ----------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------- | | _(none, default)_ | `status` → `build` or `update` | Auto-detect: full build if never built, else incremental update | — | | `full` | `build --json` | Force full rebuild (ignore existing graph) | — | | `update` | `update --json` | Re-parse uncommitted working-tree changes (staged/unstaged) | `/graph-update` | | `sync` | `sync --json` then `update --json` | Sync committed git changes (last_synced_commit → HEAD), then working tree | `/graph-sync` | Default (no `--scope`) auto-detects from `status`. `update` = working-tree changes (base `HEAD~1`, options `--base`/`--repo`). `sync` = committed changes + chained working-tree `update` (the sync→update chain is preserved). Pick `--scope` FIRST (default auto-detect), then run the matching branch. **Automatic HEAD reconciliation (independent of this skill).** Two hooks call the CLI `sync` directly, so a manual run is rarely needed just because HEAD moved: | Hook | Fires | Catches | | -------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `graph-session-init` | SessionStart (`startup\|resume`) | Commits that landed while the session was away | | `graph-prompt-sync` | UserPromptSubmit | A `git pull` / `checkout` / `merge` performed MID-session — gated on a cheap `git rev-parse HEAD` compare, so Python spawns only when HEAD actually moved | The `graph-auto-update` PostToolUse hook covers file EDITS; these two cover HEAD MOVES. Between them the graph should already be current — reach for a manual `--scope=sync` only to force the issue or after a rebase/force-push. ## Steps ### Default (auto-detect) — build or incremental update 1. **Check availability** — Run via Bash: ```bash python .claude/scripts/code_graph status --json ``` - If error (Python/deps missing): show install instructions and stop - If `last_updated` is null: graph never built → proceed with full build - If `last_updated` exists: graph exists → proceed with incremental update 2. **Build or update** — Run via Bash: - Full build: `python .claude/scripts/code_graph build --json` - Incremental: `python .claude/scripts/code_graph update --json` 3. **Report results** from JSON output: - Files parsed, nodes created, edges created - Languages detected - Any errors encountered - Build type (full vs incremental) ### `--scope=full` — force full rebuild ```bash python .claude/scripts/code_graph build --json ``` Always does a complete reparse (ignores existing graph). Report: files parsed, nodes/edges created, languages, build type. ### `--scope=update` — uncommitted working-tree changes (folds `/graph-update`) ```bash python .claude/scripts/code_graph update --json ``` Diffs the working tree against a base commit (default `HEAD~1`), re-parses changed/added files, removes deleted files from the graph, then re-runs the API + implicit connectors. Options: `--base ` (default `HEAD~1`), `--repo `. Report: files updated/added/deleted, or "Working tree clean — graph already up to date". ### `--scope=sync` — committed git changes + working tree (folds `/graph-sync`) 1. **Sync committed changes** via Bash: ```bash python .claude/scripts/code_graph sync --json ``` Diffs `last_synced_commit` → HEAD, re-parses changed/added files, removes deleted files, re-runs connectors, stores new HEAD. If it reports `full_rebuild_fallback` (unreachable commit after rebase/force-push), a full rebuild was triggered — inform the user. 2. **Update working tree** (chained — former graph-sync step 4) via Bash: ```bash python .claude/scripts/code_graph update --json ``` 3. **Report:** files synced/added/modified/deleted, then working-tree update results (or "working tree clean"). > **Older checkout is a deliberate no-op.** When HEAD is an ANCESTOR of the graph's `last_synced_commit` — you checked out an older branch or commit the graph already covers — `sync` returns `{"reason": "graph_ahead_skipped"}` and changes nothing: no re-parse, and `last_synced_commit` is NOT dragged backwards. This is intentional. `git diff A..B` succeeds in BOTH directions, so without the guard an older checkout would silently rewrite the graph to the older tree. **Trade-off to know:** while sitting on that older branch the graph describes the newer tree, so it can report symbols the checked-out code does not have; run `--scope=full` if you need the graph to match an older branch exactly. Diverged branches are NOT "behind" (neither commit is an ancestor of the other) and still sync normally. > **sync vs update:** `sync` detects **committed** changes only (`last_synced_commit` → HEAD; use after pull/merge/checkout). `update` detects **working-tree** changes (staged/uncommitted, mid-session). No `--files` flag on `sync`/`update` (auto-detected from git); there is no `incremental` subcommand (use `update`). ## When to Use - First time setting up graph for a project - After major refactoring or branch switches - If graph seems stale or out of sync - Graph auto-updates via the PostToolUse hook (file edits) and auto-syncs via the SessionStart / UserPromptSubmit hooks (HEAD moves), so manual builds are rarely needed ## Notes - Graph stored at `.code-graph/graph.db` (SQLite, auto-gitignored) - Supported: Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, Vue, Go, Rust, Java, C#, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, PHP, Solidity, C/C++ - Initial build: ~10s for 500 files. Incremental: <2s ## Connectors (Auto-Run) After build/update, graph connectors run automatically if configured in `project-config.json`: - **API Endpoints**: Frontend HTTP calls matched to backend routes (`graphConnectors.apiEndpoints`) - **Implicit Connections**: Entity events, message bus, command events (`graphConnectors.implicitConnections`) See `$graph-connect-api` and `.claude/docs/code-graph-mechanism.md` for details. ## DB Performance Indexes The graph database includes optimized indexes created automatically on first build: - `idx_nodes_name` — fast node name lookups for search - `idx_edges_kind_source` — composite index for filtered edge queries (kind + source) - `idx_edges_kind_target` — composite index for filtered edge queries (kind + target) These indexes are defined in the init schema and auto-create in any new project on first `graph build`. ## Auto-Connect After Build After building, the CLI automatically runs: 1. **API connector** — detects frontend HTTP calls matching backend route definitions 2. **Implicit connector** — detects behavioral relationships (entity events, bus messages, command events) based on rules in `project-config.json → graphConnectors.implicitConnections[]` This creates edges for MESSAGE_BUS, TRIGGERS_EVENT, PRODUCES_EVENT, TRIGGERS_COMMAND_EVENT, and API_ENDPOINT — enabling full system flow tracing via the `trace` command. ## Describe (AI-Friendly Command Reference) Run `python .claude/scripts/code_graph describe --json` to get MCP-style structured descriptions of all available CLI commands, their parameters, and usage. Useful for AI agents to discover graph capabilities programmatically. ## Valid CLI Subcommands `build`, `update`, `status`, `blast-radius`, `query`, `connections`, `trace`, `search`, `find-path`, `batch-query`, `sync`, `export`, `export-mermaid`, `connect-api`, `connect-implicit`, `review-context`, `describe` `migrate-paths` is also available to convert existing databases built with absolute file paths into repo-relative storage without reparsing the repository. ### Common Mistakes (DO NOT USE) | Invalid Command | Correct Alternative | | ----------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | `incremental` | `update --json` (incremental is the default behavior of `update`) | | `update --files ` | `update --json` (auto-detects changed files via git diff) | | `build --files ` | `build --json` (always does full rebuild) | | `sync --files ` | `sync --json` (auto-detects from git) | | `file_summary` | `connections --json` | --- # Build Graph Build or incrementally update the persistent code knowledge graph for this repository. > **AI Mistake Prevention** — Failure modes to avoid on every task: > > **Re-read files after context changes.** Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting. > **Verify generated content against source evidence.** AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing. > **Check downstream references before deleting or renaming.** Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first. > **Trace the full impact chain after edits.** Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done. > **Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first.** One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect. > **Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect.** Before changing or reporting a constant, limit, flag, cutoff, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history, the CALLER's ordering, and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard. > **Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently.** Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk. > **Assert the outcome your system owns, not the intermediate state your infrastructure owns.** When verifying async work, assert the final business state — never the delivery/retry bookkeeping held in shared infrastructure that any co-running process can write. Such a check passes when run alone and flakes the moment anything else shares that infrastructure. > **Keep shared guidance role-relevant.** Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols. > **Critical Thinking Mindset** — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. > **Anti-hallucination:** Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination. **MUST ATTENTION** apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (`file:line` for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence. **MUST ATTENTION** apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting. > **Project Protocol Overlay** — Before executing this skill, resolve any PROJECT overlay rules layered onto it: match this skill's name against the `Target` column of the project's skill-protocol index (`docs/project-reference/skill-protocols-reference.md` by default; a `referenceDocs` entry in `docs/project-config.json` overrides the path), taking the most specific matching tier ONLY — exact name > glob > `*`. **That precedence orders overlays against EACH OTHER, never against this skill.** Read ONLY the matched bodies, resolved as `/.md`; a row's Body link is display text, never a read path. A matched body that is missing or malformed is REPORTED and skipped — never reconstructed from the index Description. No index, or no match -> proceed with no overlay, silently. Full contract: `.claude/skills/project-skill-protocol/references/registry.md`. > > Overlays are **ADDITIVE ONLY**: they ADD rules on top of this skill's own protocol and NEVER replace, override, disable, or reinterpret a rule it already states — removing every overlay must return this skill to exactly its documented behavior. An overlay is a BRIEF, not an authority escalation: it can NEVER waive a workflow gate, git discipline, a review gate, or a user-confirmation gate. A genuine overlay-vs-skill conflict, or two equally-specific overlays that directly contradict -> surface both to the user; NEVER resolve silently. **MUST ATTENTION** resolve project protocol overlays for this skill BEFORE executing — most specific matching tier only (exact > glob > `*`, which ranks overlays against each other, NEVER against this skill), read only matched bodies at `/.md`; a missing or malformed body is reported, never reconstructed. Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY (they never replace this skill's own rules) and are a brief, NEVER an authority escalation; an equal-specificity contradiction goes to the user. ## Closing Reminders **Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries) — MUST ATTENTION honor each canonical body:** - **AI Mistake Prevention:** verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity. - **Critical Thinking:** traced `file:line` proof per claim, confidence >80%, NEVER guess as fact. - **MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** break work into small todo tasks using task tracking BEFORE starting - **MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code - **MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** cite `file:line` evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act) - **MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** add a final review todo task to verify work quality **[TASK-PLANNING]** Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using task tracking. ## Hookless Prompt Protocol Mirror (Auto-Synced) Source: `.claude/.ck.json` + `.claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md` (`:full` blocks) + `.claude/scripts/lib/hookless-prompt-protocol.cjs` ## [WORKFLOW-EXECUTION-PROTOCOL] [BLOCKING] Workflow Execution Protocol — MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST CRITICAL. Do not skip for any reason. **Generic portability boundary:** Reusable skills and protocol text stay project-neutral; project-specific conventions are discovered from docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/. Apply shared AI-SDD from `shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md`. Read `docs/project-config.json` and `docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md`, then open the project reference docs named there. For spec, test-case, behavior-change, public-contract, or `docs/specs/` work, route through the local spec docs named by the docs index: `feature-spec-reference.md`, `spec-system-reference.md`, `spec-principles.md`, and `workflow-spec-test-code-cycle-reference.md` when specs/tests/code must stay synchronized. If either file or a required reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run `$project-init` (or the narrow lower-level route such as `$project-config`, `$docs-init`, `$scan-all`, or `$scan --target=`) before ordinary project-specific work. Any supported AI tool may execute when this shared context and local docs are available. 1. **DETECT:** If the prompt starts with an explicit slash skill/workflow command, execute it directly. Otherwise match the prompt against the workflow catalog and skill list. 2. **ANALYZE:** Choose the best option: execute directly, invoke a skill, activate a standard workflow, or compose a custom step combination. 3. **AUTO-SELECT:** Pick the best option yourself. Do not ask the user to choose between direct execution, skill, standard workflow, or custom workflow. 4. **ACTIVATE:** For a selected workflow, call `$start-workflow `; for a selected skill, invoke that skill; for a custom workflow, sequence custom steps directly; for direct execution, proceed with the task. 5. **CREATE TASKS:** task tracking for ALL workflow/skill/custom steps before execution when the selected path has multiple steps. 6. **PARALLELIZE:** Before executing the task list, tag each task `PAR` (independent inputs + write set disjoint from every other `PAR` task) or `SEQ` (name the blocking dependency), group `PAR` tasks into waves, declare the wave plan, and spawn each wave's sub-agents in ONE message — all-return barrier per wave, fan-out one level deep unless a sub-agent's own definition authorizes further fan-out. Sequential-by-default is a defect when tasks are independent; do not parallelize shared write targets, output-consuming tasks, trivial single-file work, ordering a skill or workflow explicitly fixes, or user-approval gates. 7. **EXECUTE:** Advance per the **Workflow Step Advancement & Parallel Phases** rule in your context instructions — model-driven; a sub-agent completion advances a step identically to an inline call; a parallel-phase group is an all-return barrier (advance only after ALL members return, never serialize it) ## Shared AI-SDD Protocol Markers Source: `.claude/skills/shared/sync-inline-versions.md` ## SYNC:ai-sdd-artifact-contract > **AI-SDD Artifact Contract** — Shared spec-driven development rules stay portable and source-owned. > > 1. Keep reusable AI-SDD principles in `.claude`; put repository-specific paths, commands, owners, products, and formats in project config/reference docs. > 2. Preserve cycle: `spec -> plan -> tasks -> implement -> verify -> update spec/docs`. > 3. Trace every requirement or invariant through decision, task, TC/test, source evidence, and docs/spec update. > 4. Treat code-to-spec extraction as reference-only until accepted by the canonical spec owner. > 5. Any supported AI tool may plan, implement, review, or verify with synced context; using multiple tools is optional. > 6. Update `.claude` source first, then sync generated mirrors; do not manually edit `.agents`, `.codex`, or `AGENTS.md`. — why: mirrors are generated artifacts; hand-edits are overwritten on the next sync > 7. If `docs/project-config.json`, root instruction files, or a required project-reference doc is missing or stale, auto-run `$project-init` or the narrow lower-level route before ordinary project-specific work. > > **Active reference:** `shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md` in the active skills root. --- ## SYNC:ai-sdd-artifact-contract:reminder - **MANDATORY** Apply `shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md`; keep reusable AI-SDD in `.claude` and local rules in project docs. - **MANDATORY** Code-to-spec extraction is reference-only until canonical acceptance; any supported AI tool may execute with synced context. - **MANDATORY** Update `.claude` source before syncing generated mirrors; do not manually edit `.agents`, `.codex`, or `AGENTS.md`. - **MANDATORY** Missing or stale project config, root instruction files, or required reference docs route project-specific work through `$project-init` or the narrow setup route automatically. **[TASK-PLANNING] [MANDATORY]** BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all planned steps, then keep it synchronized as each step starts/completes. ## [LESSON-LEARNED-REMINDER] [BLOCKING] Task Planning & Continuous Improvement — MANDATORY. Do not skip. Break work into small tasks (task tracking) before starting. Add final task: "Analyze AI mistakes & lessons learned". **Extract lessons — ROOT CAUSE ONLY, not symptom fixes:** 1. Name the FAILURE MODE (reasoning/assumption failure), not symptom — "assumed API existed without reading source" not "used wrong enum value". 2. Generality test: does this failure mode apply to ≥3 contexts/codebases? If not, abstract one level up. 3. Write as a universal rule — strip project-specific names/paths/classes. Useful on any codebase. 4. Consolidate: multiple mistakes sharing one failure mode → ONE lesson. 5. **Recurrence gate:** "Would this recur in future session WITHOUT this reminder?" — No → skip `$learn`. 6. **Auto-fix gate:** "Could `$code-review`/`$code-simplifier`/`$security-review`/`$lint` catch this?" — Yes → improve review skill instead. 7. BOTH gates pass → ask user to run `$learn`. **[CRITICAL-THINKING-MINDSET]** Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. **Anti-hallucination principle:** Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination. **AI Attention principle (Primacy-Recency):** Put the 3 most critical rules at both top and bottom of long prompts/protocols so instruction adherence survives long context windows. **Goal-driven execution:** Define success criteria first, loop until verified, and stop only when observable checks pass. **Tests verify intent:** Tests must protect business rules/invariants and fail when the protected intent breaks, not only mirror current behavior. ## Common AI Mistake Prevention (System Lessons) - **Re-read files after context compaction.** Edit requires prior Read in same context; compaction wipes read state. Re-read before editing. - **Grep for old terms after bulk replacements.** AI over-trusts find/replace completeness. Grep full repo after bulk edits for missed refs in docs/configs/catalogs. - **Check downstream references before deleting.** Deletions cascade doc/code staleness. Map referencing files before removal. - **After memory loss, check existing state before creating new.** Compaction wipes prior-work memory. Query current state to resume — never blindly duplicate. - **Verify AI-generated content against actual code.** AI hallucinates APIs, class names, method signatures. Grep to confirm existence before documenting/referencing. - **Trace full dependency chain after edits.** Changing a definition misses downstream consumers. Trace the full chain. - **When renaming, grep ALL consumer file types.** Some file types silently ignore missing refs (no compile error). Search code, templates, configs, generated files. - **Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness.** Code existing ≠ code executing. Trace early exits, error branches, conditional skips — not just happy path. - **Update docs that embed canonical data when source changes.** Docs inlining derived data (workflows, schemas, configs) go stale silently. Update all embedding docs alongside source. - **Verify sub-agent results after context recovery.** Background agents may finish while parent compacted — grep-verify output, don't trust assumed completion. - **Cross-check full target list against sub-agent assignments.** Parallel sub-agents by category miss boundary items. Reconcile union of assignments against target list before proceeding. - **Sub-agents inherit knowledge only from their agent .md definition — use custom agent types, not built-in Explore.** Tool adoption = permission + knowledge + enforcement (numbered workflow step). - **Persist sub-agent findings incrementally, not as a final batch.** Long sub-agents hit cutoffs before final write — findings lost. Instruct append-per-section to report file. - **When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing.** Trace caller (wrong data) vs callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. - **Test failure → record a provisional verdict before trace/edit, then investigate.** Use the full five-way taxonomy: SOURCE-WRONG (production violates intent), TEST-WRONG (assertion/setup is stale), TEST-NOT-OPTIMAL (valid but fragile or low-signal test), ENVIRONMENT-BLOCKED (external state prevents a verdict), or AMBIGUOUS (intent/evidence cannot choose safely). Then trace root cause and triangulate against the governing spec (`docs/specs/**` if one exists) AND source. NEVER weaken an assertion, add a skip, relax a timeout, or change source merely to force green. - **Grep ALL removed names after extraction/refactoring.** Primary file "done" ≠ secondary files clean. Grep entire scope for every removed symbol before declaring complete. - **Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect.** Pattern-matching as "wrong" skips context. Before changing or reporting any constant/limit/flag/cutoff: read comments, git blame, the CALLER's ordering (the guarantee that makes the value correct usually lives in code running immediately BEFORE the cited line), and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard — and in a validation pass, an accurate `file:line` citation proves the transcription, never the defect. - **Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first.** One build green ≠ all green. Multi-stack changes (backend/frontend/tests/docs) require verifying EVERY output. - **Evaluate fit before copying a nearby pattern.** Closest example ≠ matching preconditions — verify the new context shares the same constraints, base classes, scope, lifetime. - **Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap.** Don't dive into first plausible cause. List EVERY precondition (config, env vars, paths, DB, endpoints, creds, versions, DI, data). Verify each against evidence (grep/query — not reasoning). Ask "what would falsify this?" — if nothing, it's not a hypothesis. Most expensive failure: going deeper in "obvious" layer while bug sits in layer never questioned. - **Surgical changes — apply the diff test (context-aware).** Two modes: (1) Bug fix → every line traces to the bug; no restyling; orphan cleanup only for imports YOUR changes made unused. (2) Review/enhancement → implement improvements AND announce as "Enhancement beyond main request: [what]". Never silently scope-creep. Diff test: "Would this line exist if I wasn't asked to do X?" — if no, delete or announce. - **Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently.** Multiple valid interpretations → present each with effort: "[Request] could mean (1) [N h], (2) [N h]. Which matters?" List scope/format/volume/constraints assumptions first. If simpler path exists, say so. Never silently pick. - **[MANDATORY FIRST ACTION] ALWAYS activate a suitable skill or workflow BEFORE responding.** Match task against workflow catalog + skill list; invoke via skill invocation or `$start-workflow `. NEVER answer or write code before checking. Skip = protocol violation. - **Why-Review adversarial mindset — apply when reviewing any plan, decision, or design.** Default SKEPTIC not VALIDATOR: steel-man a rejected alternative, invert each stated reason ("what does it sacrifice?"), stress-test top 2-3 assumptions, run pre-mortem ("ships, fails in 3 months — what breaks?"), surface 1-2 alternatives author missed. Section presence ≠ quality; quality = causal reasoning + concrete mitigations + evidence, not "it's better" or "monitor closely". - **Front-load report-write in sub-agent prompts for large reviews.** Many-file sub-agents hit budget before final write — findings lost. Design prompts so: (1) report-write is first explicit deliverable, (2) append per-file/section (not batched), (3) scope bounded so reads don't exhaust budget. Truncated mid-sentence with no report file → spawn narrower scope, don't retry same prompt. - **After context compaction, re-verify all prior phase outcomes before continuing.** Summaries describe intent, not environment state (git index, filesystem, processes). On resume, FIRST audit: git status, re-read modified files, verify filesystem. Every "completed" claim is an untested hypothesis until evidence confirms. - **OOM/memory: check row count before row size.** Triage: (1) Unbounded query — no DB filter for trigger? Push filter to DB; eliminates OOM. (2) Large rows? Projection reduces proportionally. Row reduction > projection in ROI. - **Assert the outcome your system OWNS, never the intermediate state your INFRASTRUCTURE owns.** When testing anything asynchronous (queue/broker delivery, retries, background jobs, caches, replication), assert the final business/entity state. NEVER assert the delivery bookkeeping — consume/send status, attempt counts, last-error, row existence or counts in a broker, scheduler, or outbox/inbox table. That bookkeeping lives in shared infrastructure that ANY co-running process (a peer worker, a second replica, a leftover local container) can write, usually under a deterministic shared key, so the assertion silently tests the developer's environment instead of the system: green when run alone, flaky the instant anything else shares that broker + database. Gate question for every assertion: "would this hold no matter WHICH process did the work?" — if no, assert the converged data state instead. Corollary: process-local fault injection and in-process telemetry cannot gate work any process may perform — use them as stress amplifiers (arm → bounded window → disarm → assert convergence), never as preconditions. - **Keep domain concepts out of generic/shared/infrastructure layers.** Reusable layer (shared library, framework, infra module) must reference NO consumer-specific domain concept — tenant/customer/product IDs, business entities, feature rules. Leak compiles + runs → passes review silently while coupling the "reusable" layer to one consumer. Keep shared type domain-free; push domain fields/logic down into the consumer via subclass/composition. — why: a layer coupled to one consumer's domain is no longer reusable.