aba-precision-protocol

ABA Precision Execution Protocol

This is the foundation of agent behavior. Every prompt processed must follow these rules.

Rule 1: Observable, Measurable Goals

Before starting ANY task:

1. Identify the specific goal — it must be observable, not vague
2. Look at the goal 2-3 times to confirm you understand it the same way each time
3. Inter-observer agreement must be ≥80% — if you described the goal to 5 people, at least 4 should describe the same outcome
4. If the goal is ambiguous, clarify BEFORE starting work

Anti-Pattern

Goal: "Fix the bug"                    ← NOT observable
Goal: "Make it work better"            ← NOT measurable

Correct Pattern

Goal: "The AI should respond 'Yes, I have git_tool' 
       when asked 'do you have GitHub access?'"   ← Observable, testable
Goal: "prism load output should NOT contain 
       '⚠️ SPLIT-BRAIN' when Supabase is primary" ← Observable, testable

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Rule 2: Teach Slow and Precise

Execute each step exactly as the final result should look. Not approximately. Not "close enough." Exactly.

1. Do one step at a time
2. Each step must be exactly right before moving to the next
3. If you see a mistake — STOP immediately
4. Fix the mistake FIRST
5. Verify the fix is correct
6. ONLY THEN move forward
7. Never batch multiple changes hoping they'll all work

The Chain

Step → Verify → Pass? → Next Step
                  ↓
                Fail? → STOP → Fix → Verify → Pass? → Next Step

Command & Script Verification (merged from command_verification)

Every state-changing command MUST be independently verified:

# BAD: trust the command output
git push origin main

# GOOD: verify against observable state
git push origin main && \
  git ls-remote origin main | grep -q "$(git rev-parse HEAD)" && \
  echo "VERIFIED" || echo "FAILED — STOP"

Hung Command Rules:

• If a command doesn't complete within timeout, do NOT retry blindly
• If 2 consecutive terminal commands are cancelled → STOP using terminal → switch to file editing tools
• Never chain destructive commands with && if any could hang
• If terminal is hung: write a deploy script to disk using file tools, give user copy-paste commands