/gov - Governed Workflow

Execute a complete, auditable workflow for: $ARGUMENTS

Outputs: Implemented change, updated governance artifacts where needed, validated tests/checks, and a completed work item.

Agent Patterns

CLI choice

Use govctl for governance operations.

When working on the govctl repo itself, use cargo run --quiet -- instead. Commands below use govctl for brevity.

Non-interactive commands

Use non-interactive CLI commands only. Prefer --stdin for multi-line content.

Verification

After each governance write or substantive code change, run the relevant validation (govctl check, tests, render when needed).

Quick Reference

govctl status
govctl work list pending
govctl work show <WI-ID>
govctl work new --active "<title>"
govctl work move <WI-ID> <status>
govctl work set <WI-ID> description "Scope and why"
govctl work add <WI-ID> acceptance_criteria "add: Implement feature X"
govctl work add <WI-ID> journal "Ran tests; fixed parser bug" --scope parser
govctl work add <WI-ID> notes "Do not retry old fixture path; it fails because snapshots are stale"
govctl work add <WI-ID> refs RFC-0001
govctl work add <WI-ID> tags <tag>
govctl tag new <tag>
govctl tag list
govctl rfc list
govctl adr list
govctl rfc new "<title>"
govctl adr new "<title>"
govctl rfc finalize <RFC-ID> normative
govctl rfc advance <RFC-ID> <impl|test|stable>
govctl check
govctl render

Critical Rules

1. Use govctl for governance operations. Never edit governed files directly.
2. Respect phase discipline: spec -> impl -> test -> stable.
3. Behavior changes must be grounded in a normative RFC. If behavior is unspecified or ambiguous, stop and escalate.
4. Ask permission before govctl rfc finalize ... or govctl rfc advance ... unless $ARGUMENTS explicitly grant full authority.
5. Keep an active work item before implementation. govctl check --has-active is the gate.
6. In source comments, reference artifacts with [[artifact-id]].
7. Use work item fields correctly:
   • description: task scope and why; set once, rarely change
   • journal: execution log; append actions and outcomes
   • notes: durable learnings; record constraints, decisions, retry rules, and failure causes
8. Avoid loops. If the same approach already failed, do not repeat it unchanged.
9. Spec-only governance maintenance does not belong here. Use /spec when no implementation work is required.
10. Work items are operational memory, not normative authority. If implementation needs a new requirement or design decision, amend the RFC or ADR instead of stuffing it into description, journal, or notes.

Working Memory

The active work item is persistent working memory. Read it with govctl work show <WI-ID>; do not rely on raw TOML.

Read order

1. description tells you the scope.
2. journal tells you what was tried and what happened.
3. notes tells you what to remember before the next attempt.
4. acceptance_criteria tells you what must be true before closure.

Write rules

• Add a journal entry after meaningful progress, verification, or failure.
• Add a notes entry when you learn something future steps must obey.
• On failure, write both when appropriate:
  • journal: what you ran and what failed
  • notes: why it failed, what not to retry, or what to try instead

Workflow

0. Initialize

govctl status

• Read gov/config.toml.
• Classify the task:
  • Doc-only: skip governance analysis, but still use a work item
  • Bug fix: usually no new RFC if behavior is already specified
  • Feature: likely requires an RFC or ADR
  • Deprecation or removal: amend the governing RFC before implementation
  • Refactor: ADR may be needed if it changes architecture

1. Resolve the work item

govctl work list pending

• Matching active item: use it
• Matching queued item: govctl work move <WI-ID> active
• No match: govctl work new --active "<concise-title>"

Then immediately:

govctl work show <WI-ID>
govctl work set <WI-ID> description "Brief scope: what and why"
govctl work add <WI-ID> acceptance_criteria "chore: govctl check passes"

Add task-specific acceptance criteria and refs as needed:

govctl work add <WI-ID> acceptance_criteria "add: Implement feature X"
govctl work add <WI-ID> refs RFC-0001

Follow the wi-writer skill for acceptance criteria quality.

2. Analyze governance

Skip this step for doc-only changes.

govctl rfc list
govctl adr list

Choose the smallest thing that matches reality:

• New behavior not covered by an RFC: draft an RFC
• Ambiguous interpretation or architectural choice: draft an ADR
• Deprecation or removal of specified behavior: amend the governing RFC first
• Existing normative RFC already specifies the change: proceed
• Spec-only artifact maintenance with no implementation: stop and use /spec

If you create artifacts:

• Follow rfc-writer or adr-writer
• Review drafts with the appropriate reviewer agent
• Fix critical findings before implementation

3. Enter implementation

Before writing code:

govctl check --has-active

For RFC-governed work, verify the RFC state:

• draft/spec: ask permission, then finalize and advance to impl
• normative/spec: ask permission, then advance to impl
• normative/impl+: proceed
• deprecated: stop

If implementation reveals a spec bug, do not silently deviate. Amend the RFC per [[ADR-0016]] or stop and ask.

Implementation rules:

1. Keep changes focused.
2. Follow RFC clauses and cite them in source comments when useful.
3. After each substantive change, run the relevant validation.
4. Update working memory as you go:

govctl work add <WI-ID> journal "Implemented X; govctl check passes" --scope <scope>
govctl work add <WI-ID> notes "Do not retry Y; it fails because Z"

4. Test

If an RFC exists, ask permission before govctl rfc advance <RFC-ID> test unless full authority was granted.

Run the relevant verification for the change:

• govctl check
• Project tests
• Render commands when governed output changed

If a check fails:

• Record the failed attempt in journal
• Record the lesson or retry rule in notes
• Change approach before retrying

Do not continue until green.

If the change implements, removes, or materially alters RFC-governed behavior, invoke the compliance-checker agent before moving to stable. Treat Critical compliance findings as a release gate; fix them before continuing.

5. Complete

Run final validation:

govctl check
govctl render

If an RFC exists and all required testing is done, ask permission before govctl rfc advance <RFC-ID> stable unless full authority was granted.

Before advancing to stable for RFC-governed behavior:

1. Run compliance-checker
2. Fix any Critical findings
3. Re-run the relevant checks if code changed

Before closing the work item:

1. Review the work item with wi-reviewer
2. Tick completed acceptance criteria
3. Move the work item to done

Example:

govctl work show <WI-ID>
govctl work tick <WI-ID> acceptance_criteria "<pattern>" -s done
govctl work move <WI-ID> done

Error Handling

Stop and ask when

1. Requirements are ambiguous.
2. A normative RFC conflicts with the requested change.
3. The change would break existing behavior.
4. Security or secret-handling issues appear.
5. The task grows beyond the original scope.
6. The same failure recurs and you do not have a materially different next step.

Otherwise recover and continue

Commit Conventions

• chore(work): activate or complete a work item
• docs(rfc) / docs(adr): draft governance artifacts
• feat(scope) / fix(scope) / refactor(scope) / docs(scope) / test(scope): implementation commits

Use the commit skill for all raw VCS operations.

Execution Checklist

• Environment validated; config read
• Active work item exists
• govctl work show <WI-ID> read before implementation
• description, journal, and notes used correctly
• Governance analysis completed or explicitly skipped
• Validation and tests passed
• Acceptance criteria ticked
• Work item closed

BEGIN EXECUTION NOW.