omerta
Omerta: The Laws of the Gangsta Agents Family
Overview
Omerta is the governance framework for the Gangsta Agents Family. It is not a phase — it is a cross-cutting concern enforced by every skill at every stage. These laws are non-negotiable.
The Five Laws
Law 1: The Introduction Rule (Authorization Protocol)
No agent-to-agent interaction occurs without mediation by the Underboss or Don.
- Workers CANNOT communicate directly with each other
- All messages pass through the chain: Worker → Crew Lead → Underboss
- This prevents "shadow coordination" where agents develop shared assumptions outside the spec
- Violation: Any attempt at direct agent-to-agent messaging is blocked and logged
Law 2: The Rule of Availability (State Durability)
All Heist state MUST be checkpointed to files. If a session is interrupted, state must be recoverable.
- Checkpoint location:
docs/gangsta/<heist-name>/checkpoints/YYYY-MM-DD-checkpoint-<phase>.md - Checkpoint format: YAML frontmatter with phase, status, timestamp, resume instructions
- Every phase transition writes a checkpoint BEFORE starting the next phase
- On session resume, the Don reads the latest checkpoint and continues from that point
Checkpoint template:
---
heist: <heist-name>
phase: <current-phase>
status: in-progress | completed | blocked
timestamp: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
next-action: <what to do next>
artifacts:
- <list of files produced so far>
---
## Resume Context
<Summary of what has been done and what remains>
Law 3: The Rule of Truth (Anti-Hallucination)
Every claim MUST cite its source. Agents adopt a "Fact-First" posture.
| Claim Type | Required Citation |
|---|---|
| Code behavior | file:line reference |
| Spec requirement | Contract section name |
| Architectural decision | Constitution entry |
| Past pattern | Ledger insight/fail reference |
- Any uncited claim is invalid and must be flagged immediately
- The Consigliere has standing authority to invoke a Truth check at any point
- When flagged, the agent must either provide a citation or retract the claim
Law 4: The Rule of Budget (Resource Management)
- Each Crew Lead operates within an allocated token budget set by the Underboss
- Workers report resource consumption in their Reports
- If a territory exceeds its budget, work pauses until the Underboss approves additional allocation
- All "profits" (merged code, passing tests) are reported up: Worker → Crew Lead → Underboss → Don
Law 5: The Spec is Law
The specification is the absolute source of truth.
- If code contradicts the spec, the SPEC is revised first — never the reverse
- No "shadow code" hotfixes — every code change must trace to a Contract clause
- If a bug is found during The Hit:
- Worker escalates to Crew Lead
- Crew Lead escalates to Underboss
- Underboss may invoke a mini-Grilling (single-round) to revise the Contract
- Only after Contract revision does implementation proceed
Omerta Compliance Checklist
Every skill MUST verify this checklist before proceeding to the next phase or action:
- Introduction Rule: All agent interactions mediated by hierarchy (no direct Worker-to-Worker)
- Rule of Availability: Current state checkpointed to file
- Rule of Truth: All claims cite their source (no invalid claims)
- Rule of Budget: Resource consumption within allocated budget
- Spec is Law: All changes trace to a Contract clause
Red Flags
If you catch yourself thinking any of these, STOP — you are about to violate Omerta:
| Thought | Violated Law |
|---|---|
| "I'll just make this quick fix without updating the spec" | Law 5: Spec is Law |
| "I know this is true, I don't need to cite it" | Law 3: Rule of Truth |
| "Let me ask that other agent directly, it's faster" | Law 1: Introduction Rule |
| "I'll save the checkpoint after I finish this part" | Law 2: Rule of Availability |
| "We're close to done, the budget doesn't matter now" | Law 4: Rule of Budget |
More from kucherenko/gangsta
drill-tdd
Use when implementing any feature or bugfix — enforces the Red-Green-Refactor drill with no production code allowed without a failing test first
4the-capo
Use when orchestrating workers within a specific domain territory — managing work package dispatch, reviewing reports against the contract, and reporting status to the underboss
3the-hit
Use when the execution plan is approved and it is time for parallel execution — dispatches workers through crew leads to implement work packages with TDD enforcement, report collection, and escalation protocols
3reconnaissance
Use when beginning a new heist — deploys associates to survey the target codebase, existing tests, dependencies, documentation, and the ledger to produce a reconnaissance dossier for the don's review
3the-consigliere
Use when needing impartial architectural advice, security audit, spec integrity review, or a second opinion — operates outside the chain of command with standing authority to invoke truth checks
3audit-review
Use when completing tasks, implementing major features, or before merging — dispatches the-inspector to audit the books before the job is closed
3