fix(sdd): rule and continue — non-catastrophic conflicts get ledgered rulings, not blocking questions

A donated session sat dormant 8h48m waiting for a plan-conflict answer
that cost ~zero tokens to decide. Wrong-ruling rework is bounded;
stalls are not. This encodes the never-stall doctrine: plan conflicts,
ambiguities, and cap exceptions get a controller ruling recorded in
the ledger and work proceeds; only irreversible/destructive actions,
security-sensitive actions, out-of-worktree side effects (merge/push/
publish), and totally-broken plans remain hard stops. Rulings surface
in the Finish report instead of as mid-run questions.

Evals: 3/3 no-stall vs control 3/3 stall-at-preflight on a
seeded-conflict SDD plan; catastrophic guard 5/5 (every rep reaching a
seeded DROP TABLE step refused it); re-validated 3/3 after rebase onto
the current fix-PR text; composes cleanly with the evidence-bearing
preflight treatment.

Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_0185AJr98gHx5EmwqNeft4Sy

skills/brainstorming/SKILL.md

@@ -7,91 +7,20 @@ description: "You MUST use this before any creative work - creating features, bu
 
 Help turn ideas into fully formed designs and specs through natural collaborative dialogue.
 
-Start by classifying how much process the request needs, then work
+Start by understanding the current project context, then ask questions one at a time to refine the idea. Once you understand what you're building, present the design and get user approval.
-through your path: understand the context, refine the idea, present a
-design, and get your human partner's approval.
 
 <HARD-GATE>
-Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any
+Do NOT invoke any implementation skill, write any code, scaffold any project, or take any implementation action until you have presented a design and the user has approved it. This applies to EVERY project regardless of perceived simplicity.
-project, or take any implementation action until you have told your
-human partner what you intend and they have approved it. This applies
-to EVERY task on EVERY path below — the ceremony scales with the task;
-the approval gate never does.
 </HARD-GATE>
 
-## Three Paths
+## Anti-Pattern: "This Is Too Simple To Need A Design"
 
-Before your first question, classify the request and say the
+Every project goes through this process. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config change — all of them. "Simple" projects are where unexamined assumptions cause the most wasted work. The design can be short (a few sentences for truly simple projects), but you MUST present it and get approval.
-classification out loud — "this looks bounded, so I'll present a short
-design here rather than write a spec" — so your human partner can
-override it:
-
-- **Spike** — a feasibility question ("can we...", "is it possible...",
-  "quick and dirty is fine") whose output is an answer, not code you
-  keep. Present the question and what you'll try in 2-3 sentences, get
-  a nod, then find out as cheaply as correctness allows. No design
-  doc, no spec file. Report findings as a recommendation; anything you
-  built stays labeled throwaway.
-- **Bounded** — a well-scoped change to code that already exists in
-  this repo: a new flag, a small endpoint, a one-file fix.
-  Understanding the kind of app is not enough — bounded means the flow
-  you are changing is already here to read. If there is no existing
-  flow to change, the task is not bounded. Ask the clarifying
-  questions that matter, present a short design IN CHAT (a few
-  sentences to a few short paragraphs), and STOP. Implementation
-  starts only after your human partner says yes to that design — a
-  bounded task's approval is as hard a gate as an architectural
-  one. No spec file, no implementation plan document.
-- **Architectural** — new projects, new subsystems, changes that
-  restructure how components fit together or alter interfaces others
-  depend on. Follow the full process: questions, approaches, sectioned
-  design, written spec, then the writing-plans skill.
-
-When in doubt between two paths, take the heavier one. The ratchet is
-one-way: hidden complexity discovered mid-task upgrades the path —
-stop, say so, and step up. Nothing downgrades mid-task.
-
-## Anti-Pattern: "Too Simple To Need Approval"
-
-Every path ends with your human partner approving your intent before
-implementation. A todo list, a single-function utility, a config
-change — the design may be two sentences in chat, but you MUST present
-it and get approval. "Simple" tasks are where unexamined assumptions
-cause the most wasted work. What scales with simplicity is the
-artifact, never the approval.
-
-## Red Flags
-
-| Thought | Reality |
-|---------|---------|
-| "This is too simple to need a design" | Simple means a short design, not no design. Two sentences in chat, then approval. |
-| "I'll call it bounded and skip the spec" | Reaching for a label to skip work IS the doubt — take the heavier path. |
-| "It's bounded and the design is obvious — I'll start while they read it" | The gate is the approval, not the design's length. Present, then stop until you hear yes. |
-| "I understand this kind of app, so it's bounded" | Bounded measures the repo, not your familiarity. A new project has no existing flow — it is architectural. |
-| "The spike works, so I'll keep the code" | A spike's output is an answer. Keeping the code is a new request — classify it. |
-| "It grew, but I'm almost done — no need to re-classify" | Hidden complexity upgrades the path mid-task. Stop and say so. |
-| "They approved the spike, so the follow-up change is approved too" | Each task gets its own classification and its own approval. |
 
 ## Checklist
 
-Classify first, announce the path, then create a task for each item on
+You MUST create a task for each of these items and complete them in order:
-your path and complete them in order.
 
-**Spike:**
-1. **Explore project context** — enough to frame the probe
-2. **Present question + probe plan** — 2-3 sentences
-3. **Get approval** — a nod is enough
-4. **Investigate** — as cheaply as correctness allows
-5. **Report findings** — a recommendation; label anything built as throwaway
-
-**Bounded:**
-1. **Explore project context** — check files, docs, recent commits
-2. **Ask clarifying questions** — one at a time, the ones that matter
-3. **Present short design in chat** — approach, files touched, testing
-4. **Get approval** — STOP and wait for an explicit yes; presenting the design and starting in the same breath is skipping the gate
-5. **Implement** — proceed with the normal development workflow (TDD applies); no plan document
-
-**Architectural:**
 1. **Explore project context** — check files, docs, recent commits
 2. **Offer the visual companion just-in-time** — NOT upfront. The first time a question would genuinely be clearer shown than described, offer it then (its own message); on approval its browser tab opens for you. If no visual question ever arises, never offer it. See the Visual Companion section below.
 3. **Ask clarifying questions** — one at a time, understand purpose/constraints/success criteria
@@ -106,13 +35,6 @@ your path and complete them in order.
 
 ```dot
 digraph brainstorming {
-    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" [shape=diamond];
-    "Present question + probe (2-3 sentences)" [shape=box];
-    "Ask clarifying questions (bounded)" [shape=box];
-    "Present short design in chat" [shape=box];
-    "Human approves?" [shape=diamond];
-    "Investigate; report recommendation" [shape=doublecircle];
-    "Implement via normal workflow (no plan doc)" [shape=doublecircle];
     "Explore project context" [shape=box];
     "Ask clarifying questions" [shape=box];
     "Propose 2-3 approaches" [shape=box];
@@ -122,17 +44,7 @@ digraph brainstorming {
     "Spec self-review\n(fix inline)" [shape=box];
     "User reviews spec?" [shape=diamond];
     "Invoke writing-plans skill" [shape=doublecircle];
-    "Hidden complexity? Upgrade path" [shape=box];
 
-    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" -> "Present question + probe (2-3 sentences)" [label="spike"];
-    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" -> "Ask clarifying questions (bounded)" [label="bounded"];
-    "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural" -> "Explore project context" [label="architectural"];
-    "Present question + probe (2-3 sentences)" -> "Human approves?";
-    "Ask clarifying questions (bounded)" -> "Present short design in chat";
-    "Present short design in chat" -> "Human approves?";
-    "Human approves?" -> "Investigate; report recommendation" [label="spike: yes"];
-    "Human approves?" -> "Implement via normal workflow (no plan doc)" [label="bounded: yes"];
-    "Hidden complexity? Upgrade path" -> "Classify: spike / bounded / architectural";
     "Explore project context" -> "Ask clarifying questions";
     "Ask clarifying questions" -> "Propose 2-3 approaches";
     "Propose 2-3 approaches" -> "Present design sections";
@@ -146,21 +58,10 @@ digraph brainstorming {
 }
 ```
 
-**Terminal states are path-bound.** Architectural: the ONLY skill you
+**The terminal state is invoking writing-plans.** Do NOT invoke frontend-design, mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. The ONLY skill you invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans.
-invoke after brainstorming is writing-plans — never frontend-design,
-mcp-builder, or any other implementation skill. Bounded: after
-approval, implementation proceeds directly through the normal
-development workflow; no plan document. Spike: the terminal state is a
-reported recommendation.
 
 ## The Process
 
-The subsections below serve the bounded and architectural paths (a
-spike stops at "present the probe, get a nod"). Sections from
-**Exploring approaches** onward are architectural-path depth — for
-bounded work, context plus a few questions plus a short in-chat design
-is the whole process.
-
 **Understanding the idea:**
 
 - Check out the current project state first (files, docs, recent commits)
@@ -199,7 +100,7 @@ is the whole process.
 - Where existing code has problems that affect the work (e.g., a file that's grown too large, unclear boundaries, tangled responsibilities), include targeted improvements as part of the design - the way a good developer improves code they're working in.
 - Don't propose unrelated refactoring. Stay focused on what serves the current goal.
 
-## After the Design (architectural path)
+## After the Design
 
 **Documentation:**
 

skills/subagent-driven-development/SKILL.md

@@ -14,7 +14,21 @@ Execute plan by dispatching a fresh implementer subagent per task, a task review
 **Narration:** between tool calls, narrate at most one short line — the
 ledger and the tool results carry the record.
 
-**Continuous execution:** Do not pause to check in with your human partner between tasks. Execute all tasks from the plan without stopping. The only reasons to stop are: BLOCKED status you cannot resolve, ambiguity that genuinely prevents progress, or all tasks complete. "Should I continue?" prompts and progress summaries waste their time — they asked you to execute the plan, so execute it.
+**Continuous execution:** Do not pause to check in with your human partner between tasks. Execute all tasks from the plan without stopping. The only reasons to stop are the four named below, or all tasks complete. "Should I continue?" prompts and progress summaries waste their time — they asked you to execute the plan, so execute it.
+
+**Rulings, not stalls.** A running plan does not wait on a human. Conflicts,
+ambiguities, plan defects, a cap you would have asked to exceed — decide
+them. The spec is the binding authority, the plan is its argument, and your
+judgment settles what neither answers. Record every decision in the ledger as
+`Ruling: <what you decided> — <why> — <what it costs if wrong>`, and keep
+going. A wrong ruling costs rework your human partner can see and undo; a
+session parked on a question costs their whole day and buys nothing.
+
+Four things stop you, and only these: an irreversible or destructive
+operation; a security-sensitive action; a side effect outside this worktree
+that norms say you ask about first (a merge, a push to a shared branch, a
+publish); and a plan so broken that every path forward is a guess. For those,
+stop and ask.
 
 ## When to Use
 
@@ -57,14 +71,14 @@ digraph process {
         "Generate review package, dispatch task reviewer (./task-reviewer-prompt.md)" [shape=box];
         "Spec ✅ and quality approved?" [shape=diamond];
         "Finding conflicts with plan text?" [shape=diamond];
-        "Ask human partner which governs" [shape=box];
+        "Rule on the conflict, ledger the ruling" [shape=box];
         "Fix round R of 5: R≤3 resume implementer; R≥4 fresh implementer, more capable model" [shape=box];
         "Dispatch scoped re-review (./re-review-prompt.md)" [shape=box];
         "All findings addressed?" [shape=diamond];
         "R = 5?" [shape=diamond];
         "Adjudicate each open finding" [shape=box];
         "Any load-bearing finding?" [shape=diamond];
-        "STOP: report BLOCKED to human partner" [shape=box];
+        "Rule and continue; stop only if every path forward is a guess" [shape=box];
         "Park findings in ledger with rulings" [shape=box];
         "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" [shape=box];
     }
@@ -85,8 +99,8 @@ digraph process {
     "Generate review package, dispatch task reviewer (./task-reviewer-prompt.md)" -> "Spec ✅ and quality approved?";
     "Spec ✅ and quality approved?" -> "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" [label="yes"];
     "Spec ✅ and quality approved?" -> "Finding conflicts with plan text?" [label="no"];
-    "Finding conflicts with plan text?" -> "Ask human partner which governs" [label="yes"];
+    "Finding conflicts with plan text?" -> "Rule on the conflict, ledger the ruling" [label="yes"];
-    "Ask human partner which governs" -> "Fix round R of 5: R≤3 resume implementer; R≥4 fresh implementer, more capable model";
+    "Rule on the conflict, ledger the ruling" -> "Fix round R of 5: R≤3 resume implementer; R≥4 fresh implementer, more capable model";
     "Finding conflicts with plan text?" -> "Fix round R of 5: R≤3 resume implementer; R≥4 fresh implementer, more capable model" [label="no"];
     "Fix round R of 5: R≤3 resume implementer; R≥4 fresh implementer, more capable model" -> "Dispatch scoped re-review (./re-review-prompt.md)";
     "Dispatch scoped re-review (./re-review-prompt.md)" -> "All findings addressed?";
@@ -95,7 +109,7 @@ digraph process {
     "R = 5?" -> "Fix round R of 5: R≤3 resume implementer; R≥4 fresh implementer, more capable model" [label="no - next round"];
     "R = 5?" -> "Adjudicate each open finding" [label="yes - breaker trips"];
     "Adjudicate each open finding" -> "Any load-bearing finding?";
-    "Any load-bearing finding?" -> "STOP: report BLOCKED to human partner" [label="yes"];
+    "Any load-bearing finding?" -> "Rule and continue; stop only if every path forward is a guess" [label="yes"];
     "Any load-bearing finding?" -> "Park findings in ledger with rulings" [label="no"];
     "Park findings in ledger with rulings" -> "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete";
     "Append completion to ledger, mark todo complete" -> "More tasks remain?";
@@ -148,9 +162,8 @@ Before dispatching Task 1, scan the plan once for conflicts:
 - anything the plan explicitly mandates that the review rubric treats as a
   defect (a test that asserts nothing, verbatim duplication of a logic block)
 
-Present everything you find to your human partner as one batched question —
+Rule on everything you find before execution begins — each finding against
-each finding beside the plan text that mandates it, asking which governs —
+the plan text that mandates it — and record each ruling in the ledger. If the
-before execution begins, not one interrupt per discovery mid-plan. If the
 scan is clean, proceed without comment. The review loop remains the net for
 conflicts that only emerge from implementation.
 
@@ -245,7 +258,7 @@ Implementer subagents report one of four statuses. Handle each appropriately:
 1. If it's a context problem, provide more context and re-dispatch with the same model
 2. If the task requires more reasoning, re-dispatch with a more capable model
 3. If the task is too large, break it into smaller pieces
-4. If the plan itself is wrong, escalate to the human
+4. If the plan itself is wrong, rule on the correction, ledger it, and re-dispatch with the ruling carried in the dispatch
 
 **Never** ignore an escalation or force the same model to retry without changes. If the implementer said it's stuck, something needs to change.
 
@@ -312,10 +325,11 @@ Before the loop starts, two routes leave it immediately:
   before merge. A roll-up nobody reads is a silent discard. Minor findings
   never enter the loop.
 - A finding labeled plan-mandated — or any finding that conflicts with
-  what the plan's text requires — is the human's decision, like any plan
+  what the plan's text requires — is yours to rule on: weigh the finding
-  contradiction: present the finding and the plan text, ask which governs.
+  against the plan text, decide with the spec as the binding authority, and
-  Do not dismiss the finding because the plan mandates it, and do not
+  ledger the ruling before you act on it. Do not dismiss the finding because
-  dispatch a fix that contradicts the plan without asking.
+  the plan mandates it, and do not dispatch a fix that contradicts the plan
+  without a recorded ruling.
 Everything else enters the loop. A fix round is one fix dispatch plus one
 scoped re-review. Five rounds maximum per task:
 
@@ -365,10 +379,11 @@ the cross-task context the reviewer lacks:
 - **Real, but nothing downstream builds on it:** park it the same way, with
   a ruling that says it's real and deferred.
 - **Real and load-bearing** — a later task builds on it, or it reveals a
-  plan defect: STOP. Append `Task <N>: BLOCKED — <reason>` and report to
+  plan defect: rule on the smallest change that unblocks the dependent work,
-  your human partner with the finding, the plan text it collides with, and
+  ledger it as `Task <N>: ruling — <finding> — <what you decided and why>`,
-  the fix history. Parking a structural failure lets every dependent task
+  and carry it into the next task's dispatch. Parking a structural failure
-  build on it and hands the final review a problem it cannot fix either.
+  silently lets every dependent task build on it. Stop only when the defect
+  leaves every path forward a guess.
 
 Adjudicate only at the cap. Adjudicating earlier to end a loop is
 pre-judging with a different name. Every adjudication is a ledger entry —
@@ -409,12 +424,20 @@ Then run exactly one scoped re-review of the fix wave
 (`scripts/review-package PLAN_FILE FIX_BASE HEAD` over the fix range,
 [re-review-prompt.md](re-review-prompt.md)).
 Adjudicate any residual findings as in the task loop's breaker: park with
-rulings, or stop on load-bearing ones. There is no second fix wave —
+rulings, or rule on the load-bearing ones and ledger what you decided. Only
+the four classes above stop you here. There is no second fix wave —
 residual load-bearing findings surface to your human partner when
 finishing-a-development-branch presents the options.
 
 ## Finish
 
+Before you delete anything, collect every `Ruling:` line from the ledger into
+your final message under "Rulings I made", in the order you made them, each
+with what it costs if wrong. That list is the only place the decisions you
+took on your human partner's behalf reach them — they read it and rework
+whatever you got wrong. A ruling that dies with the workspace was a decision
+made in secret.
+
 When the final whole-branch review is clean and its fixes are merged,
 delete this plan's workspace (`rm -rf <workspace>`) — the git history is
 the record now. Sibling directories belong to other plans; leave them