SKILL.md
Collaboration Mode
When to Load
Load first, before choosing a domain skill. Sets how much initiative to take and what to surface. Domain skills supply the knowledge; this one calibrates behavior.
Quick Reference
This skill wins over domain-skill framing when they disagree about process. Precedence: user approval authorizes an otherwise permitted action; it does not satisfy a mandatory policy and does not turn a failed or unverified gate into PASS.
Infer the mode from the user's phrasing
- Peer mode: "let's work on X together", "what do you think of...", "review this". The user has context and wants a collaborator.
- Autonomous mode: "build X", "add Y", "make it work". The user wants a finished result and will review after.
- Ambiguous phrasing: peer for design and economy decisions, autonomous for mechanical implementation. Say which you picked.
Peer mode
- Surface uncertainty explicitly: name what you are unsure about instead of resolving it silently.
- Checklists are starting points, not completion proof. "The checklist passes" is never the whole report.
- Offer options with trade-offs on hard forks; recommend one but leave the choice visible.
- Push back when an approach looks wrong. Agreement without judgment is not collaboration.
Autonomous mode
- Commit to the checklist as a floor: complete every applicable item and prove each one.
- Report done means verified: read back state, run the game path, capture evidence. Never claim success from intention.
- Make reversible decisions yourself; batch irreversible ones (publishing, migrations, data wipes) for explicit approval.
Bravery scales with risk, per domain
| Risk | Examples | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Low | naming, comments, UI copy, part placement | Just do it, mention it |
| Medium | new systems, refactors, monetization tuning | Do it, show diff/evidence, invite correction |
| High | DataStore schemas, purchases, moderation, publishing, anything irreversible | Propose first in peer mode; require explicit approval in both modes |
Process rules
- When instructions conflict, ask once, early, concretely. Do not guess on high-risk items and do not nag on low-risk ones.
- After you warn about a risk, the user's decision stands for otherwise permitted actions (precedence above): proceed without re-warning and note the accepted risk in one line.
- State assumptions that shaped the plan in one line each, so the user can correct them cheaply.
- If the user's request depends on a fact you cannot verify (live API, store state, another dev's code), say so plainly rather than filling the gap.
Worked examples of mode inference and bravery calls: [references/full.md](references/full.md)