Scope

$scope — Edit Scope Guard

Purpose: Declare which directories are in scope for the current work session. Edits outside the declared scope are hard-blocked by a PreToolUse hook.

YOU MUST EXECUTE THIS WORKFLOW. Do not just describe it.

Quick Start

$scope freeze cli/cmd/ao/                   # Freeze a single directory
$scope freeze cli/cmd/ao/ skills/scope/     # Freeze multiple (additive)
$scope unfreeze cli/cmd/ao/                 # Remove one frozen directory
$scope unfreeze                             # Clear ALL frozen directories
$scope status                               # Show current lock state
$scope status --json                        # JSON output

Behavior Contract

When .agents/scope.lock declares one or more frozen_dirs:

• Any shell / apply_patch tool call whose target path is outside every frozen directory is rejected by hooks/edit-scope-guard.sh with a structured stderr reason and a non-zero exit code.
• Edits to paths under any frozen directory are allowed.
• When the lock file is missing OR frozen_dirs is empty, the hook short-circuits with exit 0 (no enforcement).
• The hook fails open on malformed JSON or missing target-path fields. Defensive default protects against harness changes.

The lock file is written via cli/internal/llmwiki/scope_guard.go:SafeAtomicWrite, so concurrent freeze / unfreeze calls converge atomically.

Subcommands

$scope freeze <dir>...

Append one or more directories to the frozen set. Idempotent.

$scope unfreeze [<dir>]

Without arguments, clears the entire frozen set. With arguments, removes just those entries.

$scope status [--json]

Print the current lock state. With --json, emit a JSON object matching the schema in references/lock-file-format.md.

$scope guard (future combo skill)

Reserved for a follow-up combo skill. Not implemented in this release.

Lock File Format

.agents/scope.lock is a JSON object. Full schema in references/lock-file-format.md.

Notes

• Wave 1 hardcodes .agents/scope.lock. Wave 2 (I5) routes through lib/ao-paths.sh.
• Hooks (session-boundary) and agentopsd (cron-cadence) compose; this skill is session-boundary only.
• Path-scope freezing handles where edits land. For a complementary lane that gates what commands run (rm -rf, git reset --hard, DROP DATABASE, kubectl delete, terraform destroy) — including allowlist layering, one-shot override codes, and PreToolUse wiring — see references/destructive-command-guard-patterns.md. Wire it alongside the scope guard when a wave touches infrastructure or shared data.
• When a workflow needs human approval, hook parity, or simultaneous command review rather than only path freezing, use references/command-approval-and-hook-guardrails.md.
• When authoring new hook behavior rather than using scope's existing guard, use $hooks-authoring.

References

• references/lock-file-format.md
• references/destructive-command-guard-patterns.md
• references/command-approval-and-hook-guardrails.md

Local Resources

references/

• references/lock-file-format.md
• references/destructive-command-guard-patterns.md
• references/command-approval-and-hook-guardrails.md