netresearch Agent Harness
The agent harness makes a repo agent-ready with self-sustaining enforcement. This skill installs it; CI, hooks, and conventions then enforce it.
Modes
1. Verify (primary)
Always start here. From the target repo root, run:
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/verify-harness.sh
Analyse the output and fix or suggest fixes. Verification checks dead references, line counts, missing artefacts, and command/target alignment.
2. Bootstrap
When artefacts are missing, create them from templates:
| Artefact | Template | Platform |
|---|---|---|
AGENTS.md |
templates/AGENTS.md.tmpl |
All |
docs/ARCHITECTURE.md |
templates/ARCHITECTURE.md.tmpl |
All |
docs/exec-plans/{active,completed}/ |
Create directories | All |
.github/workflows/harness-verify.yml |
templates/harness-verify.yml.tmpl |
GitHub |
.gitlab-ci.yml (harness-verify job) |
templates/gitlab-ci-harness-verify.yml.tmpl |
GitLab |
.forgejo/workflows/harness-verify.yml |
templates/forgejo-harness-verify.yml.tmpl |
Forgejo/Gitea |
.github/pull_request_template.md |
templates/pull_request_template.md.tmpl |
GitHub |
.gitlab/merge_request_templates/Default.md |
templates/merge_request_template.md.tmpl |
GitLab |
.forgejo/pull_request_template.md |
templates/pull_request_template.md.tmpl |
Forgejo/Gitea |
.envrc |
templates/envrc.tmpl |
All |
| Makefile harness targets | templates/Makefile.harness.tmpl |
All |
scripts/verify-harness.sh |
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/verify-harness.sh (copy directly) |
All |
Populate with repo-specific values; never overwrite existing files without confirmation.
3. Audit
Report the repo's maturity level (1, 2, or 3) and show what is needed to reach the next level. See references/maturity-levels.md for detailed criteria.
Key Principles
- AGENTS.md is an index, not an encyclopedia. Keep it under 150 lines. Put detail in
docs/. - Enforcement is project-level. CI workflows, git hooks, and branch protection enforce the harness -- not this skill at runtime.
- Verify first, bootstrap second. Always run verification before creating artefacts. The skill checks artefacts, not tools.
- Delegate specialist work. See
references/skill-integration-map.mdfor skill routing (@agent-rules,@github-project,@enterprise-readiness,@retro). - Does not own learning. Session retrospection, outcome review, and constitutional audits are delegated to
retro-skill. The harness verifies integration points exist (AH-22, AH-23) but does not invoke retro at runtime.
Maturity Levels
Level 1 -- Basic: AGENTS.md exists, is an index, documents commands.
Level 2 -- Verified: CI enforces harness integrity, AGENTS.md references resolve, commands match Makefile/scripts, ARCHITECTURE.md exists.
Level 3 -- Enforced: Branch protection requires harness CI, git hooks auto-activate, PR template includes checklist, drift detection on push.
See references/maturity-levels.md for the full breakdown.
References
references/maturity-levels.md-- Maturity criteria and progressionreferences/harness-engineering-overview.md-- Theory: four functions, patternsreferences/agent-first-architecture.md-- Legibility, layered deps, agent-first techreferences/enforcement-mechanisms.md-- 10-mechanism table (CI, hooks, protection, drift)references/skill-integration-map.md-- Skill routing map + integration contracts with companion skills