# Gov > Execute governed implementation with work-item traceability, RFC/ADR authority, risk-scoped verification, and closure - Skill: `govctl-org/gov` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add govctl-org/gov` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/govctl-org/gov/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: govctl-org (https://skillmd.com/u/govctl-org) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/govctl-org/gov --- # Governed Implementation Deliver `$ARGUMENTS` under the repository's governance model. Use this skill for substantive implementation; use `quick` for trivial non-behavioral changes and `spec` when no implementation is required. ## Operational Baseline ### Discovery Establish current state before choosing a workflow: ```bash govctl status govctl work list active govctl work list queue govctl loop list open govctl search ``` Read a matching Work Item with `govctl work show ` and inspect relevant RFCs or ADRs through their `show` commands. Use `govctl --help` for current syntax and diagnostics for recovery. In the govctl repository itself, invoke the development binary as `cargo run --quiet --`. ### Hard Stops - RFCs are authoritative. Stop when the requested behavior conflicts with a normative RFC or is materially unspecified. - Do not implement behavior that depends on a draft RFC. - Obtain user authorization before lifecycle-owned or destructive artifact operations, including acceptance/rejection, phase or version changes, deprecation, supersession, and deletion, unless the request already grants it. - Do not edit files under `gov/` directly; use canonical govctl resource commands. Clause operations use the root `govctl clause` namespace. - Substantive implementation needs a matching active Work Item. Do not create separate Work Items for mechanical substeps. - Stop before mutation when authoritative lifecycle state or the required recovery path cannot be established. ## Decision Policy ### Choose The Smallest Governance Path | Situation | Action | | ------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Existing normative RFC fully specifies the change | Implement against it | | Behavior is new, ambiguous, deprecated, or incompatible | Establish the obligation in an RFC; use an ADR only for supporting design rationale | | Change is trivial and non-behavioral | Hand off to `quick` | | Work is governance-only | Hand off to `spec` | Use one Work Item for one durable outcome. Reuse a matching active item, activate a queued item, or create one only when the result deserves durable tracking. Use `wi-writer` for field quality and choose the narrowest guards that cover the changed risk. Project defaults are for checks required by every Work Item. Use a loop when non-trivial execution needs local round evidence. Let govctl generate the loop ID, reuse an open matching loop, and keep transient progress in loop state rather than Work Item notes. ### Preserve Artifact Authority - RFC: obligations and externally relevant invariants. - ADR: design choice, rationale, and consequences. - Work Item: task scope, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and durable execution facts. - Conformance Case: a derived, non-normative mapping from a project scenario to versioned RFC Clauses and reusable Guards. Work Item `description` states scope and reason. `notes` hold only facts or retry constraints that remain useful after closure. Progress, validation output, plans, and temporary blockers belong in loop evidence or the final response. Use `govctl conformance trace` for requirement-to-scenario navigation. Never treat a Case as authority for behavior that is absent from its RFC requirements. ### Respect RFC Lifecycle Boundaries Inspect the current RFC with `show` and read its governing lifecycle clauses before mutation. Do not implement against draft or deprecated content, progress an amended sealed version without its authorized bump, or mutate a post-`spec` RFC whose sealed baseline cannot be established. Clause `since` is lifecycle-owned; use canonical Clause lifecycle commands rather than editing history. ### Implement And Verify Keep implementation scoped to the Work Item and governing artifacts. When work reveals a specification defect, repair the specification through the authorized lifecycle rather than silently deviating. When source reference scanning is enabled, express its positive domain in `source_scan.include`. Project `.gitignore` files provide baseline exclusions; put governance-specific exclusions and re-inclusions in `.govignore`. A custom `source_scan.pattern` uses capture group 1 as the artifact ID for every match. Run the narrowest useful checks while developing. Before closing the Work Item, do not manually repeat guards that `govctl work move done` is about to run. Standalone verification is for diagnosis or evidence while the item remains active. Use the `compliance-checker` agent, not an artifact reviewer, when RFC-governed implementation behavior changes materially. Recover from diagnostics by changing the failing assumption or approach. Do not repeat the same failed command without new evidence. ## Completion Evidence The task is complete when: - implementation matches the governing RFCs and accepted ADRs; - `govctl check` passes for the governed repository; - relevant focused tests and generated projections are current; - semantic review has no unresolved critical finding; - Work Item acceptance criteria reflect the delivered outcome; - moving the Work Item to `done` passes its effective guards; and - the final response reports the result, validation, and any residual risk. Use the `commit` skill for raw VCS operations.