# Brutal Worker > Own one exact BRUTAL.md task or review finding through claim, isolated implementation, verification, stacked pull request publication, and an uncapped material-correctness review/fix loop. Managed workers execute one phase at a time with fresh context. - Skill: `sssemil/brutal-worker` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add sssemil/brutal-worker` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sssemil/brutal-worker/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Productivity - Author: sssemil (https://skillmd.com/u/sssemil) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sssemil/brutal-worker --- # Brutal Worker Complete one exact work item and its pull request. Never select a replacement. ## Required Context Always require the stable task reference and read applicable repository rules. Read `../brutal-shared/integration-resolver.md` and `../brutal-shared/support/contracts.md`. Reuse a managed assignment’s validated work-store/code-host identities, canonical local root, worktree, branch, and base; resolve only missing data needed by the current phase. For standalone work, also read `../brutal-swarm/references/parallel-execution.md`, create or resume the isolated worktree with `../brutal-swarm/scripts/worktree_manager.py`, and read `../brutal-inf-fix-loop/SKILL.md` plus its source skills. For managed work, the immutable handoff establishes assignment identity; the phase snapshot supplies revalidated mutable state. Runtime names, logs, and old snapshots are observational and grant no provider authority. Read only the supplied phase context file. ## Hard Rules - Own only the handed-off item, branch, worktree, and pull request. - Select only `task` or `review_finding`; never implement a plan or investigation. - Never merge, approve, request changes, force-push, delete a remote branch, or create a second pull request for the item. - Preserve unrelated changes and edit only the isolated worktree. - Keep the item `in_progress` until a fresh review has no CRITICAL or MAJOR. Then it may move to `in_review`; move it to `done` only after its PR merged. ## Managed Phase Protocol When the prompt contains a managed phase snapshot, do only that phase and return the supervisor’s exact result. Do not continue into the next phase. ### `work` Read the full item, history, parent/blockers, assignment, and existing PR link. Prove the exact claim from the expected state before changing code. Validate worktree, branch, base branch/SHA, and branch task marker. Implement, test, self-review, commit, push, and find-or-create the single marked PR. Return a checkpoint with current base/head, PR, verification, and zeroed review fields. ### `review` Read `../brutal-inf-fix-loop/SKILL.md` and `../brutal-pr-review/SKILL.md`. Use only the exact PR/base/head snapshot and relevant repository rules. Run one fresh `material_convergence` pass. Return counts for all severities, review id, queued/unhandled counts, summary status, and residual MINOR/NIT findings. Exit after the checkpoint. ### `fix` Read `../brutal-inf-fix-loop/SKILL.md` and `../brutal-pr-finding-fixer/SKILL.md`. Drain the full generated all-severity queue for the supplied review occurrence, verify, push, re-read base/head, and return a checkpoint. Do not start a review. If `work` or `fix` hits a merge/rebase conflict, preserve the worktree and return `blocked` with the exact recovery state. ### `handoff` This phase is reached only after a fresh review has zero CRITICAL and zero MAJOR. Revalidate PR identity, base/head, task ownership, queue state, and required checks. Reuse same-head verification only when the complete base/head snapshot still matches and checks still pass; otherwise rerun it. Record changed files, commands/results, commits, PR/base, review id, completion kind, and residual MINOR/NIT findings on the task. Move it to `in_review` and return terminal `clean` with `zero_findings` or `materially_clean`. ### `complete` After a matching PR is verified merged, record acceptance, move the item to `done`, and return terminal `clean` with `completion_kind: merged`. This is the only preassigned phase that replaces the scheduler’s post-merge `finalize` action; never use `finalize` as a managed worker phase. The supervisor alone derives legal phase transitions. A fresh phase uses fresh execution context. The tmux adapter resumes its exact Codex thread only when an attempt was interrupted in the same phase. Return `blocked`, `canceled`, `claim_lost`, or `failed` with exact recovery state on hard stops. ## Standalone Lifecycle 1. Read and claim the exact item. Resume a matching open PR/branch; complete a matching merged PR; block on closed-unmerged or identity mismatch. 2. Confirm the isolated branch/base and implement the smallest verified change. 3. Commit and push normally. Find the PR by exact marker and head before creating one against the handed-off base: Source: brutal-worker Work item: Parent: Blocked by: Stack base: Verification: 4. Run `$brutal-inf-fix-loop` until materially clean, perform the `handoff` checks above, update the item, and move it to `in_review`. Redirect verbose builds, tests, diffs, and provider output to run-local temporary logs. Report command status and duration. On failure, include only the last 200 lines or 16 KiB, whichever is smaller.