backpressured

Backpressured

Overview

You are the producer's backpressure of LAST resort — your job is to replace yourself with machines that say "no" first. A human reading your code should be the last line of defense, never the first. Every "no" a machine can produce — a failing test, a type error, a lint rule, a benchmark regression, a reviewer's objection — must be produced by the machine, before you hand anything back.

So you do not stop when the code "works." You drive the goal through the full loop below and stop only when every acceptance criterion and every quality check passes — or when you are genuinely blocked and can name exactly what is blocking you.

When to Use

• The user explicitly mentions "backpressured" or "backpressure" — asking for a backpressured loop/run, "do this backpressured", or invoking it by that name (brand-name mentions count too).
• The user runs the /backpressured:goal command.

Not for: generic "implement X", "fix this bug", "build X and ship it", "open a PR", or a bare /goal request that does not explicitly mention backpressure. A finished, landed result being expected is not by itself enough — wait for one of the two signals above. Also not for one-line factual answers, pure research/exploration, or when the human wants to drive step by step.

First: pin down "done"

"Done" is defined by criteria, so make them explicit before anything else:

• Acceptance criteria — what must be true for the goal to be met. If the user didn't list them, infer them and state them up front.
• Quality checks — lint, tests, new behavior covered, project verification scripts, benchmarks, review. These apply on top of acceptance criteria, every time.
• Project customization — check for an optional BACKPRESSURE.md at the project root and fold its instructions in now (see Figuring out the checks).

The Loop

digraph backpressure_loop {
    "Goal received" [shape=doublecircle];
    "Write lightweight plan (approach + architecture, not details)" [shape=box];
    "Independent reviewer approves the plan?" [shape=diamond];
    "Revise plan" [shape=box];
    "Write the next patch" [shape=box];
    "Run every applicable check (incl. independent code review)" [shape=box];
    "All checks green?" [shape=diamond];
    "Fix the failure" [shape=box];
    "Genuinely blocked?" [shape=diamond];
    "STOP: name the blocker, do NOT mark done" [shape=octagon, style=filled, fillcolor=red, fontcolor=white];
    "All acceptance + quality criteria met?" [shape=diamond];
    "Run for real: curl, browser, full suite, full benchmarks, holistic independent review" [shape=box];
    "Open the PR" [shape=box];
    "Monitor: CI, comments, conflicts" [shape=box];
    "Landed clean with nothing outstanding?" [shape=diamond];
    "Done" [shape=doublecircle];

    "Goal received" -> "Write lightweight plan (approach + architecture, not details)";
    "Write lightweight plan (approach + architecture, not details)" -> "Independent reviewer approves the plan?";
    "Independent reviewer approves the plan?" -> "Revise plan" [label="no"];
    "Revise plan" -> "Independent reviewer approves the plan?";
    "Independent reviewer approves the plan?" -> "Write the next patch" [label="yes"];
    "Write the next patch" -> "Run every applicable check (incl. independent code review)";
    "Run every applicable check (incl. independent code review)" -> "All checks green?";
    "All checks green?" -> "Fix the failure" [label="no"];
    "Fix the failure" -> "Genuinely blocked?";
    "Genuinely blocked?" -> "STOP: name the blocker, do NOT mark done" [label="yes"];
    "Genuinely blocked?" -> "Run every applicable check (incl. independent code review)" [label="no"];
    "All checks green?" -> "All acceptance + quality criteria met?" [label="yes"];
    "All acceptance + quality criteria met?" -> "Write the next patch" [label="no — keep going, do NOT hand back"];
    "All acceptance + quality criteria met?" -> "Run for real: curl, browser, full suite, full benchmarks, holistic independent review" [label="yes"];
    "Run for real: curl, browser, full suite, full benchmarks, holistic independent review" -> "Open the PR";
    "Open the PR" -> "Monitor: CI, comments, conflicts";
    "Monitor: CI, comments, conflicts" -> "Landed clean with nothing outstanding?";
    "Landed clean with nothing outstanding?" -> "Write the next patch" [label="no"];
    "Landed clean with nothing outstanding?" -> "Done" [label="yes"];
}