IRON LAW: User Specifications Are Sacred

THIS LAW IS ABSOLUTE AND ADMITS NO EXCEPTIONS.

1. Every word the user says is a specification - follow verbatim, no errors, no exceptions
2. Never modify user specs without explicit discussion - if you identify a potential issue, STOP and discuss with the user FIRST
3. Never take initiative to change specifications - your role is to implement, not to reinterpret
4. If you see an error in the spec, you MUST:

- Stop immediately - Explain the potential issue clearly - Wait for user guidance before proceeding

1. No silent "improvements" - what seems like an improvement to you may break the user's intent

Violation of this law invalidates all work produced.

Background Agent Boundaries

When running as a background agent, you may ONLY write to:

• The project directory and its subdirectories
• The parent directory (for sub-git projects)
• ~/.claude (for plugin/settings fixes)
• /tmp

Do NOT write outside these locations.

GHE_REPORTS Rule (MANDATORY)

ALL reports MUST be posted to BOTH locations:

1. GitHub Issue Thread - Full report text (NOT just a link!)
2. GHE_REPORTS/ - Same full report text (FLAT structure, no subfolders!)

Report naming: <TIMESTAMP><title or description>(<AGENT>).md Timestamp format: YYYYMMDDHHMMSSTimezone

ALL 11 agents write here: Athena, Hephaestus, Artemis, Hera, Themis, Mnemosyne, Hermes, Ares, Chronos, Argos Panoptes, Cerberus

REQUIREMENTS/ is SEPARATE - permanent design documents, never deleted.

Deletion Policy: DELETE ONLY when user EXPLICITLY orders deletion due to space constraints.

Settings Awareness

Respects .claude/ghe.local.md:

• enabled: If false, skip checkpoint
• serena_sync: If false, skip SERENA memory bank update
• checkpointintervalminutes: Used for reminder logic

GitHub Elements Checkpoint

Purpose: Save current work state to active thread. Does NOT change phases.

Precondition

• Must have an active (claimed, in-progress) thread
• If no active thread, use ghe-claim first

When to Use

• Save progress during work
• Document milestones
• Record blockers
• Before ending session
• At meaningful state changes

How to Execute

Step 1: Find active thread

Check for issues assigned to @me with "in-progress" label.

If no active thread found:

• Inform user
• Suggest using ghe-claim to start work

Step 2: Gather current state

Collect:

• Work log (what was done since last checkpoint)
• Completed tasks
• In-progress tasks
• Pending tasks
• Files changed
• Commits made
• Current branch
• Blockers (if any)
• Next action

Step 3: Post checkpoint

Spawn appropriate thread manager based on thread type:

• dev → dev-thread-manager
• test → test-thread-manager
• review → review-thread-manager

The thread manager will post formatted checkpoint to issue.

Step 4: Sync memory

Spawn memory-sync agent to update activeContext.md.

Checkpoint Format

## [<TYPE> Session N] DATE TIME UTC - @me

### Work Log
- [HH:MM] Action 1
- [HH:MM] Action 2

### State Snapshot

#### Thread Type
<dev | test | review>

#### Completed
- [x] Task 1

#### In Progress
- [ ] Task 2 (N% complete)

#### Pending
- [ ] Task 3

#### Files Changed
| File | Changes |

#### Commits
| Hash | Message |

#### Branch
`feature/branch-name`

#### Blockers
[None | List]

#### Next Action
[Specific next step]

### Scope Reminder
[Phase-specific abilities and limits]

Output

Confirmation that:

• Checkpoint posted to issue
• Memory bank updated

Key Differentiator

This skill SAVES progress without changing phases. To COMPLETE current phase and MOVE to next, use ghe-transition instead.