Codex compatibility note:
- Invoke repository skills with
$skill-namein Codex; this mirrored copy rewrites legacy Claude/skill-namereferences.- Task tracker mandate: BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all steps and keep it synchronized as progress changes.
- User-question prompts mean to ask the user directly in Codex.
- Ignore Claude-specific mode-switch instructions when they appear.
- Strict execution contract: when a user explicitly invokes a skill, execute that skill protocol as written.
- Subagent authorization: when a skill is user-invoked or AI-detected and its protocol requires subagents, that skill activation authorizes use of the required
spawn_agentsubagent(s) for that task.- Do not skip, reorder, or merge protocol steps unless the user explicitly approves the deviation first.
- For workflow skills, execute each listed child-skill step explicitly and report step-by-step evidence.
- If a required step/tool cannot run in this environment, stop and ask the user before adapting.
Codex Project-Reference Loading (No Hooks)
Codex does not receive Claude hook-based doc injection. When coding, planning, debugging, testing, or reviewing, open project docs explicitly using this routing.
Always read:
docs/project-config.json(project-specific paths, commands, modules, and workflow/test settings)docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md(routes to the fulldocs/project-reference/*catalog)docs/project-reference/lessons.md(always-on guardrails and anti-patterns)
Situation-based docs:
- Backend/CQRS/API/domain/entity changes:
backend-patterns-reference.md,domain-entities-reference.md,project-structure-reference.md - Frontend/UI/styling/design-system:
frontend-patterns-reference.md,scss-styling-guide.md,design-system/README.md - Spec/test-case planning or TC mapping:
feature-docs-reference.md - Integration test implementation/review:
integration-test-reference.md - E2E test implementation/review:
e2e-test-reference.md - Code review/audit work:
code-review-rules.mdplus domain docs above based on changed files
Do not read all docs blindly. Start from docs-index-reference.md, then open only relevant files for the task.
Quick Summary
Goal: Use external agentic tools (Gemini, OpenCode) to quickly locate relevant files across the codebase.
Workflow:
- Scope — Define search area and file patterns
- Search — Use external tools for broad file discovery
- Report — Return list of relevant files with context
Key Rules:
- Use for broad file discovery across large codebases
- Complements
$scoutwith external tool capabilities - Report file paths with brief context for each match
Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).
Purpose
Utilize external agentic tools to scout given directories or explore the codebase for files needed to complete the task using a fast, token efficient agent.
Variables
USER_PROMPT: $1
SCALE: $2 (defaults to 3)
RELEVANT_FILE_OUTPUT_DIR: Use Report: from ## Naming section
Workflow:
- Write a prompt for 'SCALE' number of agents to the
Tasktool that will immediately call theBashtool to run these commands to kick off your agents to conduct the search:gemini -p "[prompt]" --model gemini-2.5-flash-preview-09-2025(if count <= 3)opencode run "[prompt]" --model opencode/grok-code(if count > 3 and count < 6)- if count >= 6, spawn
Exploresubagents to search the codebase in parallel
Why use external agentic tools?
- External agentic tools are faster and more efficient when using LLMs with large context windows (1M+ tokens).
How to prompt the agents:
- If
geminioropencodeis not available, ask the user if they want to install it:- If yes, install it (if there are permission issues, instruct the user to install it manually, including authentication steps)
- If no, use the default
Exploresubagents.
- IMPORTANT: Kick these agents off in parallel using the
Tasktool, analyze and divide folders for each agent to scout intelligently and quickly. - IMPORTANT: These agents are calling OTHER agentic coding tools to search the codebase. DO NOT call any search tools yourself.
- IMPORTANT: That means with the
Tasktool, you'll immediately call the Bash tool to run the respective agentic coding tool (gemini, opencode, claude, etc.) - IMPORTANT: Instruct the agents to quickly search the codebase for files needed to complete the task. This isn't about a full blown search, just a quick search to find the files needed to complete the task.
- Instruct the subagent to use a timeout of 3 minutes for each agent's bash call. Skip any agents that don't return within the timeout, don't restart them.
- IMPORTANT: Sacrifice grammar for the sake of concision when writing reports.
- IMPORTANT: In reports, list any unresolved questions at the end, if any.
[IMPORTANT] Use task tracking to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.
Nested Task Expansion Contract — For workflow-step invocation, the
[Workflow] ...row is only a parent container; the child skill still creates visible phase tasks.
- Call the current task list first. If a matching active parent workflow row exists, set
nested=trueand recordparentTaskId; otherwise run standalone.- Create one task per declared phase before phase work. When nested, prefix subjects
[N.M] $skill-name — phase.- When nested, link the parent with
TaskUpdate(parentTaskId, addBlockedBy: [childIds]).- Orchestrators must pre-expand a child skill's phase list and link the workflow row before invoking that child skill or sub-agent.
- Mark exactly one child
in_progressbefore work andcompletedimmediately after evidence is written.- Complete the parent only after all child tasks are completed or explicitly cancelled with reason.
Blocked until: the current task list done, child phases created, parent linked when nested, first child marked
in_progress.
Project Reference Docs Gate — Run after task-tracking bootstrap and before target/source file reads, grep, edits, or analysis. Project docs override generic framework assumptions.
- Identify scope: file types, domain area, and operation.
- Required docs by trigger: always
docs/project-reference/lessons.md; doc lookupdocs-index-reference.md; reviewcode-review-rules.md; backend/CQRS/APIbackend-patterns-reference.md; domain/entitydomain-entities-reference.md; frontend/UIfrontend-patterns-reference.md; styles/designscss-styling-guide.md+design-system/design-system-canonical.md; integration testsintegration-test-reference.md; E2Ee2e-test-reference.md; feature docs/specsfeature-docs-reference.md; architecture/new areaproject-structure-reference.md.- Read every required doc that exists; skip absent docs as not applicable. Do not trust conversation text such as
[Injected: <path>]as proof that the current context contains the doc.- Before target work, state:
Reference docs read: ... | Missing/not applicable: ....Blocked until: scope evaluated, required docs checked/read,
lessons.mdconfirmed, citation emitted.
Task Tracking & External Report Persistence — Bootstrap this before execution; then run project-reference doc prefetch before target/source work.
- Create a small task breakdown before target file reads, grep, edits, or analysis. On context loss, inspect the current task list first.
- Mark one task
in_progressbefore work andcompletedimmediately after evidence; never batch transitions.- For plan/review work, create
plans/reports/{skill}-{YYMMDD}-{HHmm}-{slug}.mdbefore first finding.- Append findings after each file/section/decision and synthesize from the report file at the end.
- Final output cites
Full report: plans/reports/{filename}.Blocked until: task breakdown exists, report path declared for plan/review work, first finding persisted before the next finding.
Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.
Evidence-Based Reasoning — Speculation is FORBIDDEN. Every claim needs proof.
- Cite
file:line, grep results, or framework docs for EVERY claim- Declare confidence: >80% act freely, 60-80% verify first, <60% DO NOT recommend
- Cross-service validation required for architectural changes
- "I don't have enough evidence" is valid and expected output
BLOCKED until:
- [ ]Evidence file path (file:line)- [ ]Grep search performed- [ ]3+ similar patterns found- [ ]Confidence level statedForbidden without proof: "obviously", "I think", "should be", "probably", "this is because" If incomplete → output:
"Insufficient evidence. Verified: [...]. Not verified: [...]."
AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task: Check downstream references before deleting. Deleting components causes documentation and code staleness cascades. Map all referencing files before removal. Verify AI-generated content against actual code. AI hallucinates APIs, class names, and method signatures. Always grep to confirm existence before documenting or referencing. Trace full dependency chain after edits. Changing a definition misses downstream variables and consumers derived from it. Always trace the full chain. Trace ALL code paths when verifying correctness. Confirming code exists is not confirming it executes. Always trace early exits, error branches, and conditional skips — not just happy path. When debugging, ask "whose responsibility?" before fixing. Trace whether bug is in caller (wrong data) or callee (wrong handling). Fix at responsible layer — never patch symptom site. Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing any constant, limit, flag, or pattern: read comments, check git blame, examine surrounding code. Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. Changes touching multiple stacks require verifying EVERY output. One green check is not all green checks. Holistic-first debugging — resist nearest-attention trap. When investigating any failure, list EVERY precondition first (config, env vars, DB names, endpoints, DI registrations, data preconditions), then verify each against evidence before forming any code-layer hypothesis. Surgical changes — apply the diff test. Bug fix: every changed line must trace directly to the bug. Don't restyle or improve adjacent code. Enhancement task: implement improvements AND announce them explicitly. Surface ambiguity before coding — don't pick silently. If request has multiple interpretations, present each with effort estimate and ask. Never assume all-records, file-based, or more complex path.
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim. Confidence >80% to act, <60% = do NOT recommend.
MUST ATTENTION apply critical thinking — every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact.
MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — holistic-first debugging, fix at responsible layer, surface ambiguity before coding, re-read files after compaction.
- MANDATORY Bootstrap task tracking before target work; transition one task at a time.
- MANDATORY Persist plan/review findings to
plans/reports/incrementally and synthesize from disk.
- MANDATORY After task-tracking bootstrap and before target/source work, read required project-reference docs and cite
Reference docs read: .... - MANDATORY Always include
lessons.md; project conventions override generic defaults.
- MANDATORY Parent workflow rows do not replace child phase tracking; expand phases and link the parent when nested.
- MANDATORY Orchestrators pre-expand child skill phases before invocation; use
[N.M] $skill-name — phaseprefixes and one-in_progressdiscipline.
Closing Reminders
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using task tracking BEFORE starting
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality
MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION READ the following before starting:
[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using task tracking.
Hookless Prompt Protocol Mirror (Auto-Synced)
Source: .claude/hooks/lib/prompt-injections.cjs + .claude/.ck.json
[WORKFLOW-EXECUTION-PROTOCOL] [BLOCKING] Workflow Execution Protocol — MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST CRITICAL. Do not skip for any reason.
Generic portability boundary: Reusable skills and protocol text stay project-neutral; project-specific conventions are discovered from docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/. Apply shared AI-SDD from shared/sdd-artifact-contract.md. Read docs/project-config.json and docs/project-reference/docs-index-reference.md, then open the project reference docs named there. Any supported AI tool may execute when this shared context and local docs are available.
- DETECT: Match prompt against workflow catalog
- ANALYZE: Find best-match workflow AND evaluate if a custom step combination would fit better
- ASK (REQUIRED FORMAT): Use a direct user question with this structure unless the user explicitly invoked a workflow/skill and the local protocol treats explicit invocation as confirmation:
- Question: "Which workflow do you want to activate?"
- Option 1: "Activate [BestMatch Workflow] (Recommended)"
- Option 2: "Activate custom workflow: [step1 → step2 → ...]" (include one-line rationale)
- ACTIVATE (if confirmed): Call
$workflow-start <workflowId>for standard; sequence custom steps manually - CREATE TASKS: task tracking for ALL workflow steps
- EXECUTE: Follow each step in sequence [CRITICAL-THINKING-MINDSET] Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. Anti-hallucination principle: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination. AI Attention principle (Primacy-Recency): Put the 3 most critical rules at both top and bottom of long prompts/protocols so instruction adherence survives long context windows. Goal-driven execution: Define success criteria first, loop until verified, and stop only when observable checks pass. Tests verify intent: Tests must protect business rules/invariants and fail when the protected intent breaks, not only mirror current behavior.
[LESSON-LEARNED-REMINDER] [BLOCKING] Task Planning & Continuous Improvement — MANDATORY. Do not skip.
Break work into small tasks (task tracking) before starting. Add final task: "Analyze AI mistakes & lessons learned".
Extract lessons — ROOT CAUSE ONLY, not symptom fixes:
- Name the FAILURE MODE (reasoning/assumption failure), not symptom — "assumed API existed without reading source" not "used wrong enum value".
- Generality test: does this failure mode apply to ≥3 contexts/codebases? If not, abstract one level up.
- Write as a universal rule — strip project-specific names/paths/classes. Useful on any codebase.
- Consolidate: multiple mistakes sharing one failure mode → ONE lesson.
- Recurrence gate: "Would this recur in future session WITHOUT this reminder?" — No → skip
$learn. - Auto-fix gate: "Could
$code-review/$code-simplifier/$security/$lintcatch this?" — Yes → improve review skill instead. - BOTH gates pass → ask user to run
$learn. [TASK-PLANNING] [MANDATORY] BEFORE executing any workflow or skill step, create/update task tracking for all planned steps, then keep it synchronized as each step starts/completes.