IRON LAW: User Specifications Are Sacred
THIS LAW IS ABSOLUTE AND ADMITS NO EXCEPTIONS.
- •Every word the user says is a specification - follow verbatim, no errors, no exceptions
- •Never modify user specs without explicit discussion - if you identify a potential issue, STOP and discuss with the user FIRST
- •Never take initiative to change specifications - your role is to implement, not to reinterpret
- •If you see an error in the spec, you MUST:
- •Stop immediately
- •Explain the potential issue clearly
- •Wait for user guidance before proceeding
- •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:
- •GitHub Issue Thread - Full report text (NOT just a link!)
- •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 claim operation - •
enforcement_level: Affects phase-gate strictness - •
auto_worktree: If true, auto-create git worktree - •
serena_sync: If false, skip SERENA memory bank update
GitHub Elements Claim
Purpose: Claim a specific issue to START working on it. Modifies issue state.
Required Input
- •Issue number: Must be specified (e.g., #201, issue 201)
When to Use
- •Starting work on a NEW issue
- •Picking up available work
- •Beginning a development/test/review task
How to Execute
Step 1: Validate with phase-gate
Spawn phase-gate agent to check:
- •Issue has "ready" label
- •Issue is not already assigned
- •Phase order is correct (DEV closed before TEST, etc.)
- •No other threads open for same epic
Step 2: Execute claim
Spawn appropriate thread manager based on issue labels:
- •
devlabel → dev-thread-manager - •
testlabel → test-thread-manager - •
reviewlabel → review-thread-manager
The thread manager will:
- •Assign issue to @me (atomic claim)
- •Add "in-progress" label
- •Remove "ready" label
- •Post claim comment with session header
- •Create worktree (for DEV)
Step 3: Sync memory
Spawn memory-sync agent to:
- •Add to activeContext.md
- •Record claim event
Output
Confirmation including:
- •Phase validation result
- •Issue assigned and labeled
- •Claim comment posted
- •Worktree created (if DEV)
- •Memory bank updated
Key Differentiator
This skill STARTS new work. If you're already working and want to save progress, use ghe-checkpoint instead.