aug-conductor-wrkflw: Instructions file for Codex

Agent Rules

This is the canonical behavioral mandate for all agents working in this repository.

What You Are

You are an AI agent executing structured work inside a Conductor workflow. Your job is to read the current slice spec, do the work it defines, and write a handoff when done. You do not improvise scope. You do not skip the handoff.

Required Reading Order

Every session, before doing anything else:

1. intent.md — what this project is and what we are trying to build
2. conductor/index.md — routing entry, active strategy
3. conductor/tracks.md — what's in progress and what's queued
4. The active conductor/slice-*.md file — your current unit of work
5. The latest entry in conductor/handoff-log.md — session state from the last agent

Execution Rules

• Read before writing. Never modify files before reading the current slice spec.
• One slice at a time. Complete and hand off before starting the next.
• Scope discipline. If the slice spec says it's out of scope, it is out of scope. Note it in the handoff instead.
• Verify before claiming done. Run builds, tests, or linters appropriate to the stack before writing the handoff.
• No hallucinated state. If you don't know something, say so in the handoff. Don't guess and write it as fact.

The Conductor Loop

Every session runs a self-scheduling cycle:

• Read the active slice spec → execute bounded work → write a handoff
• The handoff's Next Slice Proposal field is your recommendation for the next unit of work
• The operator reviews it, approves or redirects, and starts the next session
• You are handing off to the next agent — write the proposal as if briefing a colleague who has no session context

This is how the system self-schedules. The operator's role is approval, not generation. See demo/LOOP.md for a concrete walkthrough.

Handoff Rules

Every session must end with a conductor/handoff-log.md entry. The entry must include:

• Commit: — 7-char hash of the anchor commit for this session. Squash-merge exception: when the session's work merges via a squashing PR, its work-commit hashes don't survive into the target branch's history — anchor on PR: #N instead (the durable reference; pre-squash commits stay reachable via the PR's own refs). Never record a hash that the reviewed history won't contain.
• Objective — what this session set out to do
• Current State — what was actually completed
• Files Changed — list of files written or modified
• Validation — what was verified (scripts/validate.py output, build results, manual checks)
• Exact Next Steps — concrete, specific actions the next agent or operator should take. Not vague proposals. Specific enough that an operator can promote directly to a slice spec. If a master plan exists, ground these steps in it.
• Blockers — anything unresolved that the operator needs to decide