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
5. 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.

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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.

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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

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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:

• dev

  label → dev-thread-manager

• test

  label → test-thread-manager

• review

  label → review-thread-manager

The thread manager will:

1. Assign issue to @me (atomic claim)
2. Add "in-progress" label
3. Remove "ready" label
4. Post claim comment with session header
5. 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.