# Build Execute > Bounded execution loop for a validated build plan. Hard caps on iterations, edits, and (where applicable) spend prevent runaway loops. Each iteration runs a CONDITIONAL adversarial review (only when the change touches a contract, a pinned constant, a refusal limb, or an unmutated path), applies the edit, measures via parallel fixture runs, and auto-invokes five-whys on stagnation or regression. Calls writing-quality on prose edits. Stops on success, on cap hit, on stagnation, or on regression. Use after Stage 3 is dispositioned (PASS, SKIPPED or WAIVED - recorded either way), before build-evaluate. Triggers — "execute the build", "build it", "iterate the X", "implement the plan". Refuses to start if the probes mismatch, the plan-soundness gate fails, the Stage 3 disposition is unrecorded, or profile preconditions are unmet. - Skill: `shawnclybor/build-execute` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add shawnclybor/build-execute` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/shawnclybor/build-execute/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: shawnclybor (https://skillmd.com/u/shawnclybor) - Updated: 2026-09-21 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/shawnclybor/build-execute --- # Build Execute Bounded execution loop. The scheduler and budgeter; per-iteration work is delegated. ## Hard preconditions (REFUSE if unmet) - `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/prd.md` exists - `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/plan.md` exists - `bash .claude/PRPs/{slug}/probes/run.sh` re-run in THIS session: 0 MISMATCH, 0 source changed - `check-plan-soundness.py {slug}/plan.md --prd {slug}/prd.md` exits 0 - **Stage 3 disposition is RECORDED in `state.json` as `validate_regime`** and is one of the three below - Profile's hard preconditions (defined in the profile) are met - No prior `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/state.json` is in `state: running` (refuse double-runs) If any precondition fails: stop, list the failures, do nothing else. ### The three Stage 3 dispositions Premises get reviewed **once** — confirmed, contradicted, or decided. None of those improves by re-reviewing, so "validate again until PASS" is not a thing. Record exactly one: | `validate_regime` | When | Must also record | |---|---|---| | **PASS** | Panel ran, frame held | Date, which premises were contested | | **SKIPPED** | Nothing contested — no new module, no schema change, no reversal of what a field MEANS. The common case on a running build | Suite green, **mutations FULL PASS**, driver written RED first | | **WAIVED** | Panel ran, FAILED, owner overrode on the record | Who, when, why, substituted gate, and `what_is_NOT_claimed` | ⚠ SKIPPED needs a **mutation-proven** suite. Green but unmutated is unfalsifiable — that reverts the target to greenfield, which takes the panel. So does a schema change or a new module, whatever the surrounding suite proves. ⚠ Three FAILs on one target is a process defect (Hard Rule 9). Re-scope; don't convert a repeated FAIL into a waiver. ## Hard caps (defaults — overridable per invocation but not per iteration) - **Max iterations**: 3 (override `--max-iterations N`) - **Max edits per iteration**: defined by profile (e.g., skill = 1 file, plugin = N skills × 1 file each) - **Max spend**: profile-defined. Skip if profile has no spend (most internal builds have none) - **Stagnation**: 2 consecutive iterations with no measurable progress on the acceptance test → stop automatically Caps are enforced BEFORE each new iteration. They cannot be raised inside the loop. ## Pre-iteration-1 gate (REVIEW GATE — skip with `--autonomous`) After preconditions PASS but BEFORE iteration 1 starts, present the run plan and ask for confirmation: ``` Print: - Shape: {single-shot / iterative-bounded / pipeline / wrapper} - Max iterations: {N} - Max edits per iteration: {profile-defined} - Files that will be touched: {list from plan Step-by-step tasks} - Acceptance bar: {from PRD} - Estimated effort: {from plan} AskUserQuestion: Question: "Plan ready to execute for {slug}. Begin iteration 1?" Options: - "Yes, begin" → start iteration 1 - "Yes, but dry-run first" → re-invoke with --dry-run, present what would happen, ask again - "Adjust caps" → ask follow-up for new --max-iterations / --max-spend, then begin - "Stop" → exit cleanly, leave state.json with state: aborted-pre-iteration ``` Why: the first edit commits the direction. If the plan says "rewrite SKILL.md prose for clarity" but Shawn realizes the actual issue is the trigger phrasings, this is the cheapest moment to course-correct. Skip this gate if `--autonomous` was passed (e.g., for scheduled/batch runs). ## Per-iteration workflow For iteration N (N starts at 1): ### Step 1 — READ STATE Read prior iteration report if N > 1 (at `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/iterations/{N-1}.md`). Otherwise read the plan's "Step-by-step tasks" section for the iteration-1 starting point. ### Step 2 — DECIDE THE CHANGE (champion fan-out if ambiguous) Identify ONE specific change to apply this iteration. Sources for the change, in priority order: 1. The next pending task from the plan (single-shot or pipeline shape). 2. The highest-severity finding from the prior iteration's per-iteration review (iterative-bounded shape). 3. User-supplied instruction (if user provided one with the invocation). **If multiple candidate changes are tied in priority** (common in iterative-bounded shape when adversarial review surfaces 2-3 must-fixes), spawn champion agents in parallel — one per candidate — to argue for its choice. Synthesize the best argument: ``` # Spawn N agents in one message, one per candidate: Agent(subagent_type="general-purpose", description="Champion: {candidate-1}", prompt="Argue why {candidate-1} is the right change for iteration {N}. Context: . One paragraph, end with confidence 0-1.") Agent(subagent_type="general-purpose", description="Champion: {candidate-2}", prompt="") # ... up to 3 ``` Use `mcp__sequential-thinking__sequentialthinking` to synthesize and pick the winner. Express the chosen change as a one-paragraph plan. ### Step 3 — PRE-EDIT BASELINE (iterative-bounded shape only, parallelized) Capture the current state of the acceptance metric. If the profile names >1 fixture, run them in parallel via concurrent Bash calls (one per fixture in a single message). For single-shot / pipeline / wrapper shapes, skip this step. ### Step 4 — ADVERSARIAL REVIEW (CONDITIONAL — see the trigger list) ⚠ **This was MANDATORY on every iteration until 2026-09-01 and is now conditional.** Reviewing every line change is the same pathology as re-panelling every plan revision, one scale down: it manufactures findings proportional to the edits it just reviewed, and on a build with a mutation-backed suite it re-derives what the mutations already prove. Once the harness can fail, **the harness is the reviewer**. Run the per-iteration adversarial review when — and only when — the proposed change does one of: - **changes a contract** — what a field means, what a function promises, what a writer may emit - **moves a pinned constant** — a threshold, a hash pin, a closed enum, a blocking-type set, an assertion floor - **adds a refusal limb**, or changes the conditions of an existing one - **touches a path with no mutation covering it** — if nothing would go red when this is broken, a reviewer is the only detector you have Otherwise **skip it and go straight to apply-and-measure.** A change that adds a case to a covered path, adjusts a message, or extends a fixture is already guarded; the suite plus the mutation run is a stronger signal than an opinion about a diff, and it costs seconds. Record which branch each iteration took in the iteration report. An iteration that skipped the review says so — never silently. When it does run: spawn the profile's reviewer on the proposed change BEFORE applying. Must-fix blocks the iteration; the change goes back to Step 2 with the finding added to the candidate set. ⚠ **If the suite has no mutation harness proving it can fail, every iteration takes the review.** An unfalsifiable green suite is not a reviewer, and the conditional above assumes one that is. ### Step 4.5 — WRITING QUALITY PASS (if edit touches prose) If the proposed edit modifies prose-heavy content (SKILL.md body, deliverable text, README, doc, judge prompt rubric), invoke `writing-quality` skill (rewrite mode) on the proposed text BEFORE applying. This is the same gate CLAUDE.md Rule 4 enforces for client-facing prose; applies equally to artifact prose. ``` Skill(skill="writing-quality", args="rewrite ") ``` Skip if the edit is to code only (JSON, YAML frontmatter, scripts). ### Step 5 — APPLY THE EDIT + TICK THE PLAN CHECKLIST Make the actual file changes. The change must match what was planned in Step 2 (and rewritten by Step 4.5 if invoked) verbatim — no scope creep mid-iteration. **Then update the plan's checklist in place.** For each `- [ ]` item in `plan.md` "Step-by-step tasks" that the edit completed, flip it to `- [x]`. Do the same in "Acceptance checklist" if this iteration moved any criterion from unmet to met. The plan is the source of truth for "what's left" — the checklist is how that's read at a glance. ### Step 6 — POST-EDIT MEASUREMENT (parallelized) Run the acceptance test from the plan (or the per-iteration check the profile defines). If multiple fixtures, run them in parallel (same pattern as Step 3). Capture each result. ⚠ **Capture the WHOLE output; trim only when you display it.** A log cut with `tail -N` at write time loses whatever printed above the cut, and a parser over it then reports the value as absent — which reads exactly like a failed build. Measured 2026-09-10: a corpus log trimmed to 12 lines dropped the per-matter table, and the closing check printed the anchor NOT MET while the same number sat in the driver's own tally line and in the records the probes read. A verdict-bearing check gets a second witness that reads the artifact directly; on a failed check the first question is whether the measurement failed or the reading of it. ### Step 7 — DECIDE: CONTINUE / STOP Compare post-edit measurement to pre-edit baseline (or to acceptance bar for single-shot): - **Acceptance bar met** → stop with success. Skip remaining iterations. - **Measurable improvement, bar not yet met** → continue to next iteration. - **No measurable change** → stagnation +1. **If stagnation_count reaches 2, invoke `five-whys` BEFORE the third strike** to root-cause whether the plan's change set is even the lever. Pass the iteration reports as input. The five-whys output may justify stopping, may justify continuing with a different change set, or may surface a deeper plan-level issue. - **Regression** → stop AND invoke `five-whys` to root-cause the regression. **Then present an explicit choice to the user** (REVIEW GATE — skip only with `--autonomous`): ``` # Step 1: diagnose (always) Skill(skill="five-whys", args="trigger= slug={slug} iterations=") # Step 2: gate (unless --autonomous) AskUserQuestion: Question: "Regression detected in iteration {N}. Pre-edit measurement: {X}. Post-edit: {Y}. Five-whys root cause: {summary}. How to proceed?" Options: - "Revert iteration {N}" → undo the edit, leave state at iteration {N-1}, mark run stopped - "Continue with different change" → return to Step 2 with the original candidate REMOVED from the candidate set - "Accept regression and stop" → leave edit, mark run stopped, user will manually fix later - "Abort run entirely" → revert all iterations (1..N), mark run aborted ``` Without the gate, the loop would silently stop after diagnosis — the user loses agency over revert / continue / abort. The five-whys output informs the choice; the user makes it. Same gate applies on stagnation_count == 2 (before strike 3): five-whys first, then ask "Continue with a different change set / Stop and re-plan / Abort." ### Step 8 — WRITE ITERATION REPORT Write `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/iterations/{N}.md`: ```markdown ## Iteration {N} **Change applied:** {one paragraph} **Files touched:** {list} **Pre-edit measurement:** {value or N/A} **Post-edit measurement:** {value} **Delta:** {improvement / same / regression} **Stagnation count:** {N} **Decision:** {continue / stop-success / stop-stagnation / stop-regression / stop-cap} ### Plan checklist state (after this iteration) Step-by-step tasks: - [x] {tasks flipped this iteration} - [x] {tasks flipped in prior iterations — preserved} - [ ] {tasks still open} Acceptance checklist: - [x] {criteria now met} - [ ] {criteria still unmet} **Flipped this iteration:** {count of `- [ ]` → `- [x]` in this run} **Remaining open:** {count of `- [ ]` still unticked} ``` The plan.md itself is updated in Step 5. This report mirrors the current state so the per-iteration history shows how the checklist closed over time. ## State tracking Write `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/state.json` continuously: ```json { "slug": "{slug}", "state": "running | success | stopped", "iterations_completed": N, "iterations_max": N, "stagnation_count": N, "cumulative_spend": 0.0, "last_measurement": {...}, "started_at": "{ISO}", "finished_at": "{ISO or null}" } ``` State is the source of truth for re-entry. If the loop is interrupted mid-iteration, re-invocation reads state and resumes (or refuses if `state: running` and the heartbeat is stale). ## Output ``` ## Execute Run: {slug} **Final state:** success / stopped **Iterations completed:** {N}/{cap} **Final measurement:** {value} **Acceptance bar:** {target} **Bar met:** yes / no **Iteration reports:** .claude/PRPs/{slug}/iterations/ ### Next step {If success}: Verify with `build-evaluate {slug}` — offer to dispatch via `Skill(skill="build-evaluate", args="{slug}")` if user confirms. {If stopped via five-whys}: The five-whys report at `.claude/PRPs/{slug}/iterations/five-whys-{ISO}.md` names the root cause. Decide — fix at the plan level (re-run `build-plan`) or accept partial progress. ``` ## The session report — what the HUMAN reads ⚠ The block above is the machine record. This is the report you give the person paying for the build, and it has a **fixed shape**. Adopted 2026-09-02 after a session where the owner had to ask "what's the overall status?" mid-run and then "is any of this a big deal or just a formality?" — both questions are symptoms of a report that buried the decisions in the findings. **No jargon. Ever.** Not "mutation harness", "refusal limb", "per_source", "fail-closed". If a sentence needs a term the owner would not use at dinner, rewrite the sentence. Name the money, the document, and the person affected instead. ### 1. Executive summary — 3 to 5 lines What moved, in plain terms. Lead with the thing the owner actually asked for and whether it happened. One line of hard numbers (tests, gates) — not a table. ### 2. What I need from you The section that matters most, and the one most often written wrong. **Rules:** - **Every item carries a verdict and a time cost.** `**This is the big deal.**` / `**This is a formality.** ⏱️ 30 seconds` / `**Your call, low risk.**` The owner is triaging; do the triage for them. - **Say plainly what does NOT need them.** A list of three asks reads like a list of three problems unless you close it with "nothing else needs you — the dangerous one is mine to fix." - **Escalate what is genuinely theirs, and NOTHING else.** A target that no longer matches what the build produces, a scope decision, a gate you were told to skip. Never pad this section with work you could just do. - ⚠ **Never silently repair a TARGET.** If the PRD's number is now wrong, say so and ask — do not edit it and report success. Changing the target after seeing the result is how a build grades its own homework, and it is this repo's recorded failure mode. Say that reason out loud; owners respect it and it explains why you are asking instead of acting. - **One word should be enough to answer each.** "Build it or cut it." "Say update them." ### 3. The sequence A table of **rounds, not tasks.** A remaining-task count is a lie about effort — group the work by what ships together, and **mark the row where the thing is actually done**: | Round | Work | What it buys | |---|---|---| | 1 | … | … | | — | — | **⬅ The demo is done here.** | Then one line separating what is the deliverable from what is completeness. ⚠ **If a required piece is missing from the plan entirely, that is the headline of this section**, not a footnote. Say "one required piece isn't on the list at all" and name it. ### 4. General thoughts — your call, no jargon A short closing section, unstructured, entirely the model's judgement. Use it for the thing the owner should know but did not ask about: an honest note on pace, a risk that is not yet a decision, something the measurements suggest about the work ahead. **Not a summary of the above.** If there is nothing worth saying, leave it out rather than padding it. ### On pace, when the owner is frustrated Answer straight, once, factually — what took the time and why. Do not grovel, do not get defensive, and do not bury it. Then move to the sequence. ⚠ If tasks were bugs rather than features, **say so and say what the bug would have cost** — "a subrogation vendor was being printed as a doctor on a settlement sheet" is information; "I fixed 3 defects" is not. ## Dry-run mode `--dry-run` prints the iteration plan (what would happen) without applying edits or spending budget. Useful for sanity-checking the loop's decision logic before committing. ## Guidelines - The loop NEVER bypasses the acceptance bar to "ship it." Acceptance comes from the PRD's anchor case + success criteria; the loop is not authorized to redefine them mid-run. - One change per iteration. Bundling multiple changes hides which one moved the metric. - Stagnation is not failure — it's a signal that the plan's current change set isn't the lever. Stop and re-plan. - This skill does NOT decide what the artifact does long-term. It executes the plan as written.