Files
AILang/docs/journals/2026-05-12-iter-boss.md
T
Brummel e953b137eb iter boss: /boss skill — autonomous-mode discipline gated to user invocation
CLAUDE.md previously mixed universal facts (agent role boundaries,
commit discipline, design rationale, file roles, TDD-for-bugs) with
mode-specific autonomy rules (direction freedom, notifications,
WhatsNew procedure). Autonomous-by-default conflicted with the user's
intent that a fresh session should be collaborative-interactive unless
explicitly elevated.

Add `skills/boss/` containing only the three genuinely mode-specific
subsections — Direction freedom, Notifications, Done-state notifications:
WhatsNew.md. Trim CLAUDE.md from 343 to 243 lines; extend the skill-
system pointer paragraph with a one-sentence /boss gate. Universal
orchestrator discipline stays in CLAUDE.md because it applies whether
/boss is active or not.

Two cross-references that named the moved subsections by sub-heading
are repointed: skills/implement/SKILL.md and the implement-orchestrator
agent's standing reading list. The other ~11 agent-file references to
"orchestrator framing" still resolve correctly because that framing
stays in CLAUDE.md.

skills/README.md skill table extended with a `boss` row (now eight
skills); pipeline-diagram caption notes /boss wraps the pipeline.
.claude/skills/boss symlink follows the existing relative-path
convention.
2026-05-12 10:14:33 +02:00

3.3 KiB

2026-05-12 — iter boss: /boss skill — autonomous-mode discipline gated to user invocation

What shipped

  • New skill at skills/boss/SKILL.md. Consolidates the three mode-specific subsections that previously lived in CLAUDE.md: Direction freedom, Notifications, Done-state notifications: WhatsNew.md.
  • CLAUDE.md refactored. Three subsections removed (~95 lines). Skill-system pointer paragraph extended with one sentence naming /boss as the autonomous-mode gate.
  • .claude/skills/boss symlink created (../../skills/boss), matching the discoverability convention codified in skills/README.md.
  • skills/README.md updated: skill table extended with a boss row, heading shifted from "seven skills" to "eight skills", pipeline diagram captioned with a /boss-wraps note.
  • Two cross-references repointed: skills/implement/SKILL.md and skills/implement/agents/ailang-implement-orchestrator.md both named the "Done-state notifications" subsection of CLAUDE.md by sub-heading; both now point at skills/boss/SKILL.md.

Why

CLAUDE.md is always loaded into context. Mixing universal facts (agent role boundaries, commit discipline, design rationale, file roles, TDD-for-bugs) with mode-specific autonomy rules (direction freedom, notifications, WhatsNew procedure) was OK while autonomous-by-default was the operating assumption — but it conflicted with the user's intent that a fresh session should be collaborative-interactive unless explicitly elevated.

The mode-switch needs to be explicit. /boss is the explicit elevation, and only the three genuinely mode-specific subsections move with it. Universal orchestrator discipline stays in CLAUDE.md because it applies whether /boss is active or not: agents need to know role boundaries when dispatched in any session, design discipline applies whenever a design choice is made (including a brainstorm invoked outside /boss), and the orchestrator can edit skills at any time.

Decisions

  • Tightened the move-list from seven items to three. The initial spec proposed moving "My role: orchestrator", "Authority over skills/", "Design rationale ≠ effort", "Feature acceptance", "When NOT to delegate", plus the three mode-specific subsections. Planner recon surfaced that the first five are universal, not mode-specific — they apply in any session. The move-list was narrowed to the three genuinely mode-specific items. The brainstorm Step 7.5 grounding-check was re-dispatched on the edited spec and returned PASS.
  • No private agents under skills/boss/agents/. /boss is an orchestration layer, not a worker. It dispatches the existing skills (and their agents). The skill table reflects this by listing boss as a meta-skill without an agent-roster row.
  • Cross-reference repoints kept tight. Recon found 11+ agent/skill files that reference "CLAUDE.md — orchestrator framing". Most of those resolve correctly to the universal content that stays in CLAUDE.md. Only two files name the moved subsections by sub-heading (implement/SKILL.md and the orchestrator-agent's standing reading list); only those two were repointed.

Status

Iter closed. No bench regressions to check (markdown-only change, no compiler touch). No audit needed (single-iter milestone, no DESIGN.md change). Acceptance criteria from the spec all met.