Runbook

Facilitate a structured alignment conversation, then produce the artifacts that seed an autonomous loop. The conversation surfaces intent; the artifacts encode it for unattended execution.

Two Phases

Track progress through alignment, gate check, seeding, and deployment using available task tracking tools.

Phase 1 — Alignment. Open-ended dialogue to decompose the user's intent into a concrete lens: what the loop looks for, what authority it consults, what scope it covers, and what success looks like.

Phase 2 — Seeding. Produce three files (FOCUS.md, TASKS.md, LEARNINGS.md) and a loop prompt. Optionally deploy via CronCreate.

Context Loading

Load references only when the current phase needs them.

Phase	Load	Do NOT Load
Alignment	references/alignment-guide.md	seeding-guide, loop-prompt, checklist
Gate check	references/checklist.md	alignment-guide, seeding-guide
Seeding	references/seeding-guide.md, references/loop-prompt.md	alignment-guide, checklist

Phase 1: Alignment

Load references/alignment-guide.md and follow its protocol.

The alignment conversation surfaces seven elements:

1. What — the work, decomposed to the level where a single lens applies
2. Why — the motivation, so discovery can prioritize
3. Lens — what the loop looks for or builds toward (feature requirements, style compliance, design improvements, security, performance, migration targets)
4. Authority — what reference the loop consults (a PRD, design spec, style guide, issue tracker, architecture doc)
5. Scope — directories, files, or areas in and out of bounds
6. Success — what "done" looks like, concretely
7. Mode — tight loop (default) or recursive decomposition (opt-in)

Use inline visualizations, scope diagrams, and AskUserQuestion for structured choices. Decompose vague intent into specific, testable goals.

Tight loop vs. recursive decomposition

Most work is a tight loop: one lens, one scope, grind until converged. This is the default.

Recursive decomposition is opt-in, for work that has independent sub-problems benefiting from separate lenses. When selected, the parent FOCUS.md seeds child FOCUS.md files, each scoped tighter. Children report outcomes upward via LEARNINGS.md. The parent aggregates.

Only propose recursive mode when the problem's structure demands it.

Exit conditions

Apply all three, in order:

1. Convergence detection. Notice when questions stop producing new constraints. State this observation explicitly.
2. Checklist gates. Load references/checklist.md. Validate every gate. Present pass/fail to the user.
3. Explicit approval. Halt and request confirmation before seeding. Never seed without the user's "go."

Phase 2: Seeding

Load references/seeding-guide.md and references/loop-prompt.md.

Produce the following artifacts in the project root (or a user-specified directory):

Tight loop output

File	Purpose	Who writes it
FOCUS.md	Lens, authority, scope, success criteria	This skill, during seeding
TASKS.md	Empty board skeleton (## Open / ## In Progress / ## Done)	This skill, during seeding
LEARNINGS.md	Empty, append-only memory	This skill, during seeding
Loop prompt	Customized from references/loop-prompt.md with this runbook's lens	This skill, presented to user

Recursive decomposition output (additionally)

File	Purpose
Child FOCUS.md files	One per sub-lens, scoped tighter than the parent
Parent FOCUS.md	References children, defines aggregation strategy

Deployment

Present the loop prompt and offer deployment options:

• Deploy now via CronCreate (specify interval)
• Save to a file for manual use
• Display for copy-paste

Rules

1. Alignment is a conversation, not a form. Explore, reflect, let the user correct. Do not interrogate with a checklist upfront.
2. Never seed without explicit approval. Checklist gates are necessary but not sufficient. The user's confirmation is the hard stop.
3. Default to tight loop. Only propose recursive decomposition when sub-problems are clearly independent.
4. LEARNINGS.md is append-only. The loop writes, the user reads. Never overwrite or delete entries.
5. Scope belongs in FOCUS.md, not the prompt. Keep the loop prompt generic. Keep specifics in the lens file.
6. Resist adding machinery. If something can be a line in FOCUS.md instead of a feature in the prompt, put it in FOCUS.md.

Additional Resources

Reference Files

• references/alignment-guide.md — Conversation protocol for Phase 1: decomposition techniques, question patterns, visualization approaches
• references/checklist.md — Structured gate validating alignment completeness before seeding
• references/seeding-guide.md — Artifact templates and production instructions for FOCUS.md, TASKS.md, LEARNINGS.md
• references/loop-prompt.md — The autonomous loop prompt template, customizable per runbook