Agent Harness
Add only controls missing from the runtime. “写一个 harness” first turns user intent into a
reviewable contract; it does not itself create .harness artifacts, select Audited, or dispatch a
worker.
Intent-to-Contract Gate
For an explicit harness request, read references/spec-synthesis.md and run its synthesis
protocol before the Mode Gate or any dispatch, even with a measurable plan.
Produce a user-reviewable alignment packet and contract; for non-implementation work, return them
and stop. The contract names:
- user-facing and system outcomes, observable
done_when, and explicitsuccess_not; - allowed scope, ownership, non-goals, compatibility, constraints, relevant edge/failure handling, and approval boundaries;
- evidence plus a decidable pass algorithm for every acceptance criterion;
fact,assumption,recommended_default, andopen_decisionlabels.
Use recommended_default only for low-risk, reversible gaps. A material choice, conflict, missing
owner/capability, public-contract change, security/privacy issue, cost, irreversible behavior, or
approval need is an open_decision: expose it and do not dispatch. The packet precedes the first
worker and includes false-success signals, phase map, and the first narrow task.
Dispatch Readiness
Dispatch only after outcome, system completion, done_when, success_not, scope, ownership,
non-goals, constraints, edge/failure handling, approvals, evidence/pass algorithms, and
defaults are explicit with no material open decision. The first task needs one responsibility,
dependencies, bounded inputs/outputs, allowed scope, execution guidance, verification gate,
decidable PASS, and Stop rule. Write one runtime plan; track worker status and evidence.
Workflow Composition
For code changes, use the repository's established coding workflow or an available matching coding skill. This skill does not replace, copy, or weaken it; do not require a particular companion skill by name.
Mode Gate
Choose once after synthesis:
| Mode | Use when | Durable state |
|---|---|---|
| Native | Session can implement and verify the slice. | None; use the runtime Plan |
| Portable | Work crosses a session/model boundary, external wait, or context loss. | .harness/<slug>/contract.json, events.jsonl, capsule.md |
| Audited | Protected/disputed transition needs typed proof. | Only justified witness, receipts, fencing, trace, and registry controls |
Mode controls persistence and evidence depth; synthesis is orthogonal. If Native fits, do not load references, create harness files, or add audit controls solely because this skill triggered.
Execution Shape
Delegation is independent of mode. V3 micro work may stay on the parent/main route only after
explicit scope-local, low-risk/no-protected-boundary, context-complete,
short-verification, and delegation-cost-higher confirmations. Explicit user delegation
overrides the micro direct route. Ordinary or execution-heavy work uses one bounded worker;
complex work uses parallel workers only at independent modules or ownership boundaries; coupled
writes stay serial or with one owner. Try another verifiable bounded worker first; if none
exists or resolution fails, block. Parent direct fallback requires explicit user authorization.
Workers do not redefine the contract; they do not recursively delegate. Keep
requested and resolved models separate; only runtime evidence establishes the route.
The main agent owns goal, contract, plan, dispatch, status, integration, and acceptance. Each worker gets a self-contained packet with constraints, edge cases, evidence requirements, PASS, and Stop; it returns actual changed paths, verification output and exit status, unverified paths, assumptions, and blockers. A worker report or PASS never establishes completion; the parent inspects actual diff and decisive evidence.
Progress Circuit Breaker
Progress is new evidence, an artifact change, a test result, or a binding decision advancing a named
done_when criterion or named critical-path blocker. Generated metadata, reports, package rebuilds
are activity that does not count as progress. After two consecutive no-progress
cycles, run the cheapest falsifying experiment; if it yields no evidence, stop and report STALLED.
This policy must not increase reasoning effort because work stalled.
Durable And Audited Work
Materialize Portable state only after an actionable plan and durability trigger; read
references/portable-contract.md before materialize, handoff, resume, or close. Preserve
legacy handoff-v1/Full reads and resumability. For Audited work, read
references/harness-protocol.md and one control reference; add only justified protected
controls. Persist observable facts, never hidden reasoning, chats, secrets, or provider
sessions.
Load On Demand
Use references/proportionality.md for mode/stall decisions, references/public-contracts.md
for public JSON/CLI contracts, references/state-witness.md for stateful behavior,
references/tdd-gates.md for protected chronology, references/stop-conditions.md for
detailed stops, and references/model-routing.md plus the adapter for optional routing.
Agent Harness v10.0.0 | 2026-08-27