Audit Rule

Audit Rule

Goal

Audit a behavioral RULE document. RULEs are always-loaded (or auto-included) prescriptions of agent behavior — distinct from SKILLs (invocable on-demand) and WORKFLOWs (multi-step procedures with checkpoints).

The audit catches the failure modes that let a compliant-looking actor violate the rule's intent: behavior-vs-surface confusion, embedded biases, escape hatches, performative compliance, and others. The audit produces a report with findings; the audit does not modify the rule.

Instructions

1. Read the rule in full. Don't paraphrase. The exact wording is what's enforced.
2. State the rule's intent in one sentence. If you can't, the rule has a clarity problem before any of the other checks apply.
3. Identify the document type. Confirm it's a RULE (not a SKILL or WORKFLOW). See steering-audit-suite/shared/doc-types.md for discriminators.
4. Read at least two structurally-proven exemplars of rules in the same vendor format. See steering-audit-suite/shared/reference-exemplars.md.
5. Walk the audit checklist (15 checks) from steering-audit-suite/shared/checklist.md. For each, note specific evidence — line references, exact phrases. Mark "no finding" explicitly for each check applied.
6. For Antigravity-specific rules (AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, .agent/rules/*.md), additional checks:
   • Plain Markdown, no YAML frontmatter (Antigravity convention)
   • When both GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md exist, GEMINI.md takes precedence — does the project intend that, and is the override scope deliberate?
   • Multiple files in .agent/rules/ — is the file split deliberate, and do they conflict?
   • Nested rule files (e.g., src/components/AGENTS.md) — do they correctly scope to their directory?
7. Distinguish surface fixes from intent fixes. Some findings are wording issues; some indicate the rule's intent is unclear or contested.
8. Produce the audit report in the format defined in steering-audit-suite/shared/output-format.md.
9. Do not rewrite without authorization. Present findings; let the author decide.

Skip the Portability Pass

RULEs prescribe behavior, not tools. Skip the portability/graceful-degradation audit (that's for SKILLs and tool-prescribing WORKFLOWs).

Examples

Input: A .agent/rules/coding-style.md that says "Always use 2-space indentation. Never use tabs. Don't say 'utilize' when you mean 'use'."

Audit finding (Surface vs Behavior): "Don't say 'utilize' when you mean 'use'" prohibits a specific token. The underlying intent appears to be "prefer simple direct vocabulary." A compliant agent could substitute "leverage" or "employ" and still violate the spirit. Behavioral form: "Use the simplest accurate verb. Avoid corporate-speak synonyms when a plain verb fits."

Input: A GEMINI.md with YAML frontmatter and a tags field.

Audit finding (Format): Antigravity convention is plain Markdown for GEMINI.md and AGENTS.md, no frontmatter. The frontmatter will not be processed and adds noise. Surface fix: remove the frontmatter and integrate any meaningful metadata into the prose.

Constraints

• Don't audit your own session behavior into the rule. If the rule applies to you and you've been violating it, the audit isn't the place to confess.
• Don't gut the original wording in the audit output. Quote it; don't replace it.
• Don't make stylistic preference findings. Audit for behavior leakage, not aesthetics.
• Don't add new rules. The audit surfaces findings about the existing rule, not new rules to adopt.
• Don't apply changes without explicit authorization from the rule owner.

Reference Files

• steering-audit-suite/shared/checklist.md — the 15 checks
• steering-audit-suite/shared/doc-types.md — RULE vs SKILL vs WORKFLOW
• steering-audit-suite/shared/reference-exemplars.md — finding exemplars per vendor
• steering-audit-suite/shared/output-format.md — report shape