Gate Bead Instruction Template

This file defines the prose template embedded in every gate bead's description. The mol-decompose-with-gates formula reads this template, populates the placeholders, and passes it as the --description to bd create.

Placeholders

Template

Everything below the --- is the literal template that goes into the gate bead description. Placeholders are substituted at creation time.

Context

This is a verification gate for plan {{plan_title}} ({{plan_bead}}).

You are a gate polecat. Your job is to execute the review steps listed below against the implementation work that was done under this plan. You have no memory of the implementation — everything you need is in this description and in the code on the current branch.

Configured review steps: {{step_names}}

How this gate works:

• This bead is blocked by all implementation tasks under the plan.
• When you receive this bead, all implementation is complete.
• Execute each review step below in order.
• If ALL steps pass cleanly, close this gate bead (signals plan is ready).
• If ANY step finds issues, follow the retry loop protocol at the bottom.

Review Steps

{{review_steps}}

Retry Loop Protocol

When a review step finds issues, do NOT close this gate bead. Instead:

1. File one fix bead per issue found:

bd create "Fix: <concise issue description>" \
  --type=task \
  --description="## Context
Found during gate review of {{plan_title}} ({{plan_bead}}).
Gate bead: {{gate_id}}
Review step: <which step found this>

## Issue
<detailed description of what's wrong>

## Location
<file paths, line numbers, function names>

## Expected Fix
<what the fix should accomplish>

## Acceptance Criteria
- <how to verify the fix is correct>"

2. Add each fix as a blocking dependency on THIS gate bead:

bd dep add {{gate_id}} <fix-bead-id>

This ensures the gate bead becomes blocked again until all fixes are closed.

3. Sling each fix to a polecat:

gt sling <fix-bead-id> <rig>

This dispatches the fix work to an available worker.

4. Exit — do NOT wait for fixes:

Clear your assignment and let your session end. You are done for now.

The system handles the rest:

• Fix polecats work on each fix bead independently.
• As each fix bead closes, its blocking dep on this gate is satisfied.
• When ALL fix beads close, this gate bead becomes unblocked again.
• The stranded-bead scan re-dispatches this gate bead to a fresh polecat within 30 seconds of becoming unblocked.
• The fresh polecat re-runs all review steps from the top.

Important: Do NOT attempt to fix issues yourself. Your role is gate review, not implementation. File precise fix beads so fix polecats can execute without ambiguity.

Clean Pass Signal

When ALL review steps pass with no issues found:

bd close {{gate_id}} --reason="Gate passed: all review steps clean"

Closing the gate bead signals that the plan's implementation has passed verification and is ready for human review.

Before closing, verify:

• You executed every configured review step ({{step_names}})
• No issues were found in any step
• You are not skipping a step due to confusion or error

If you are uncertain whether something is an issue, err on the side of filing a fix bead. False positives waste less time than missed defects.