keep goal rule source canonical

Objective: Keep goal as a Skiller .mdc source, remove the attempted nested skill source, regenerate .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md, and verify no stale nested source references remain.

Goal plan: docs/plans/2026-05-25-move-goal-rule-source.md

Template: docs/plans/templates/task.md

Task source:

• type: chat correction
• id / link: N/A
• title: Restore goal.mdc and generated skill references
• acceptance criteria:
  • .agents/rules/goal.mdc exists.
  • The attempted nested skill source does not exist.
  • .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md is generated by pnpm install.
  • No references to the abandoned nested source path or temporary sync script remain.

Completion threshold:

• The canonical source is .agents/rules/goal.mdc.
• Generated goal skill metadata points to .agents/rules/goal.mdc.
• pnpm install completes without the Skiller unmanaged-goal warning.
• node .agents/rules/goal/scripts/check-complete.mjs docs/plans/2026-05-25-move-goal-rule-source.md passes.

Verification surface:

• File existence checks for old and new paths.
• pnpm install.
• rg stale-path audit.
• Goal plan completion check.

Constraints:

• Preserve Skiller’s standard .agents/rules/*.mdc source model.
• Do not hand-edit generated .agents/skills/*/SKILL.md except through sync.
• Keep the abandoned compatibility script out.

Boundaries:

• Source of truth: user correction in chat.
• Allowed edit scope: .agents/rules/goal.mdc, generated .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md, generated AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md sync, package.json restoration, removal of the temporary sync script, and this plan.
• Browser surface: N/A.
• Tracker sync: N/A.
• Non-goals: PR, commits, broad historical docs rewrite.

Blocked condition:

• Blocked only if pnpm install cannot regenerate Skiller output from .agents/rules/goal.mdc.

Task state:

• task_type: agent-skill-source cleanup
• task_complexity: small
• current_phase: closeout
• current_phase_status: complete
• next_phase: final response
• goal_status: active

Current verdict:

• verdict: done
• confidence: high
• next owner: final response
• reason: canonical source and generated skill output are restored.

Completion rule:

• Do not call update_goal(status: complete) while any required checklist item remains unchecked. If an item does not apply, check it and add N/A: <reason>.
• Do not call update_goal(status: complete) until every completion threshold above is satisfied, final handoff evidence is recorded, and node .agents/rules/goal/scripts/check-complete.mjs docs/plans/2026-05-25-move-goal-rule-source.md passes.
• Do not create hook state for this goal. This file plus the active goal are the durable state.

Start Gates:

Gate	Applies	Evidence
Skill analysis before edits	yes	Used goal because repo rules require goal for measurable durable work; inspected Skiller behavior from local package.
Active goal checked or created	yes	Active goal was created before the user corrected the direction; this plan records the corrected target.
Source of truth read before edits	yes	Read user correction: restore goal.mdc, no nested SKILL.md, references through generated goal skill.
Tracker comments and attachments read	no	N/A: no tracker.
Video transcript evidence required	no	N/A: no video.
docs/solutions checked for non-trivial existing-code work	no	N/A: small agent-source cleanup, no product-code behavior.
TDD decision before behavior change or bug fix	no	N/A: no runtime behavior change.
Branch decision for code-changing task	no	N/A: user did not request branch/PR.
Release artifact decision	no	N/A: no package release change.
Browser tool decision for browser surface	no	N/A: no browser surface.
PR expectation decision	no	N/A: no PR requested.
Tracker sync expectation decision	no	N/A: no tracker.

Work Checklist:

• Objective includes outcome, completion threshold, verification surface, constraints, boundaries, and blocked condition.
• Task source classified with source type, id/link, title, task type, acceptance criteria, caveats, likely files/routes/packages, browser surface, and root-cause layer.
• Required video or screen-recording evidence is cached/read as normalized <video-transcripts> XML, or marked N/A with reason.
• Nearby repo instructions and implementation patterns read before edits.
• Implementation fixes the right ownership boundary, or the narrower choice is recorded with reason.
• Release artifact requirement recorded: changeset, registry changelog, or N/A with reason.
• Final handoff shape decided: concise local-change summary plus verification commands.
• Branch handling recorded for code-changing work: N/A, no branch/PR.
• Local-env-rot retry policy recorded: N/A, no surprising repo-wide failure.
• Workspace authority recorded: proof commands ran in /Users/zbeyens/git/plate-2.
• High-risk note recorded: command-contract risk was Skiller ownership; pnpm install proved the restored .mdc path removes the warning.
• Review/autoreview target selected: N/A, trivial cleanup after user correction.
• Agent-native review decision recorded: read .agents/skills/agent-native-reviewer/SKILL.md; no UI/tool parity issue applies because this only changes agent instructions/source sync.

Completion Gates:

Gate	Applies	Required action	Evidence
Named verification threshold	yes	Run path checks, pnpm install, stale-path audit, completion check	Path checks and pnpm install passed; completion check recorded below.
Bug reproduced before fix	no	Record failing test/repro or N/A with reason	N/A: user corrected a source-layout choice.
Targeted behavior verification	yes	Verify generated skill source metadata and stale refs	sed confirmed metadata source .agents/rules/goal.mdc; rg found no nested-source refs.
TypeScript or typed config changed	no	Run relevant typecheck	N/A: no TS/config behavior.
Package exports or file layout changed	no	Run pnpm brl before final verification	N/A: no package exports/barrels.
Package manifests, lockfile, or install graph changed	yes	Run pnpm install	pnpm install passed after restoring package prepare.
Agent rules or skills changed	yes	Run pnpm install and verify generated skill sync	pnpm install regenerated .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md.
Workspace authority proof	yes	Run verification in owning repo	All commands ran in /Users/zbeyens/git/plate-2.
Browser surface changed	no	Capture browser proof or record waiver	N/A.
Browser final proof	no	Attach screenshot or caveat	N/A.
CI-controlled template output changed	no	Restore generated template output or record why kept	N/A.
Package behavior or public API changed	no	Add changeset or record why none	N/A.
Registry-only component work changed	no	Update docs components changelog or record N/A	N/A.
High-risk mini gate	yes	Record failure mode, proof plan, chosen boundary	Failure mode was Skiller not owning nested rule source; restored .mdc boundary and proved pnpm install clean.
Agent-native review for agent/tooling changes	yes	Load reviewer and close findings or record N/A	Loaded reviewer; no action parity gap applies to instruction-source cleanup.
Local install corruption suspected	no	Run reinstall or N/A	N/A.
Autoreview for non-trivial implementation changes	no	Run autoreview or N/A	N/A: trivial cleanup of abandoned approach.
PR create or update	no	Run check before PR work	N/A: no PR requested.
PR proof image hosting	no	Host proof images or N/A	N/A.
Tracker sync-back	no	Post issue/Linear sync or N/A	N/A.
Final handoff contract	yes	Fill final handoff fields	Filled below.
Final lint	no	Run pnpm lint:fix or scoped equivalent	N/A: markdown/generated instruction cleanup; pnpm install is the relevant sync gate.
Goal plan complete	yes	Run node .agents/rules/goal/scripts/check-complete.mjs docs/plans/2026-05-25-move-goal-rule-source.md	Pending final run.
Knowledge extraction	no	Evaluate ce-compound	N/A: no reusable new pattern beyond correcting local source layout.

Phase / pass table:

Phase	Status	Evidence	Next
Intake and source read	complete	User correction read; Skiller source model inspected.	implementation
Implementation	complete	Restored .agents/rules/goal.mdc; removed nested SKILL.md source and temporary sync script.	verification
Verification	complete	pnpm install, path checks, generated skill inspection, stale-path audit.	closeout
PR / tracker sync	complete	N/A: no PR/tracker requested.	final response
Closeout	complete	Plan completion check pending final command.	final response

Findings:

• Skiller’s supported local source path remains .agents/rules/*.mdc; the nested skill-source path caused bad ownership behavior.

Decisions and tradeoffs:

• Restored the standard Skiller source shape instead of keeping a repo-side compatibility layer.
• Historical plan files still mention .agents/rules/goal.mdc as source provenance; not rewriting old records.

Implementation notes:

• Moved the attempted nested skill source back to .agents/rules/goal.mdc.
• Removed the temporary pre-sync script.
• Restored package.json prepare to bun x skiller@latest apply.
• Regenerated .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md with pnpm install.

Review fixes:

• Agent-native reviewer loaded; no parity issue applies.

Error attempts:

Error / failed attempt	Count	Next different move	Resolution
Nested goal skill source not recognized by Skiller ownership	1	Restore .mdc source	Restored goal.mdc; pnpm install clean.

Verification evidence:

• pnpm install: passed; Skiller apply completed successfully without unmanaged-goal warning.
• Path checks confirmed the attempted nested skill source and temporary pre-sync script are gone, while .agents/rules/goal.mdc and .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md exist.
• sed -n '1,18p' .agents/skills/goal/SKILL.md: confirmed metadata.skiller.source: .agents/rules/goal.mdc.
• Stale-reference audit over .agents docs package.json AGENTS.md CLAUDE.md .codex: no abandoned nested source path or temporary sync-script references.

Final handoff contract:

• PR line: N/A, no PR requested.
• Issue / tracker line: N/A.
• Confidence line: high.
• Flow table:
  • Reproduced: Skiller rejected nested source with unmanaged warning earlier.
  • Verified: restored source path and clean Skiller sync.
• Browser check: N/A.
• Outcome: canonical goal.mdc source restored; generated skill present.
• Caveat: historical plans still mention .agents/rules/goal.mdc because that is correct provenance.
• Design:
  • Chosen boundary: Skiller-supported .agents/rules/*.mdc source.
  • Why not quick patch: Generated SKILL.md hand edits would be overwritten.
  • Why not broader change: Patching Skiller or adding repo-side source shims is worse DX than using its native contract.
• Verified: pnpm install, path checks, stale-path audit, generated metadata.

Final handoff / sync:

• PR: N/A.
• Issue / tracker: N/A.
• Browser proof: N/A.
• Caveats: historical docs untouched.

Timeline:

• 2026-05-25T07:18:42.122Z Task goal plan created.
• 2026-05-25T07:25Z Nested goal/SKILL.md approach tested and found bad: Skiller emitted unmanaged-goal warning.
• 2026-05-25T07:31Z User corrected direction: restore goal.mdc, no nested SKILL.md.
• 2026-05-25T07:34Z Restored .agents/rules/goal.mdc, removed temporary sync script, ran pnpm install, and verified generated goal skill.

Reboot status:

Question	Answer
Where am I?	Closeout
Where am I going?	Final response
What is the goal?	Restore canonical goal .mdc source and generated skill references
What have I learned?	Skiller local sources are .agents/rules/*.mdc; nested source was wrong
What have I done?	Restored source, regenerated skill, verified no stale nested source refs

Open risks:

• None.