IMP

Intent

Ship bead-scoped changes end-to-end with proof, then immediately self-review the resulting PR using TRACE and fix what you find.

IMP is a combined execution + review + closure protocol:

• Write code with strong invariants and minimal incision.
• Validate with a full check suite.
• Open a PR.
• Review that PR right away and resolve findings.
• Select the next bead (so bead state is committed).
• Update/monitor/merge/cleanup (CL).

Definition of Done (IMP)

An

imp

run is done when:

• The bead’s acceptance criteria are satisfied.
• The working tree contains only bead-aligned changes.
• Format + lint/typecheck + build + tests have run (or are explicitly recorded as unavailable).

• $close-the-loop

  is invoked and at least one signal is recorded.
• The worked bead is marked

  done

  before PR creation.
• A PR is opened.
• A TRACE self-review is produced (in chat) and all 🔥 + 🟡 items are resolved.

• $select

  is run once (to pick exactly one next bead), and resulting bead state changes (e.g.

  issues.jsonl

  ) are committed into the PR.
• The PR is updated and squash-merged when either:
  • CI is green, or
  • CI is billing-blocked (

    billing

    appears in CI failure text),

    zig build ci

    passes, and the PR is squash-mergeable.
• Local state is cleaned up.
• A bead comment exists with PR link + proof summary.

Guardrails

• Explicit-only; never auto-trigger.
• Source of truth:

  bd

  wins.
• Surgeon’s principle: smallest correct change.
• No intentional product/semantic changes without clarifying.
• Don’t split into multiple PRs unless explicitly asked.
• Don’t merge until the final CL step.

Autonomy gate (conviction)

Proceed without asking only when all are true:

• Local repro (or a tight, credible signal).
• Invariant stated.
• Minimal diff.
• At least one validation signal passes.

Otherwise: clarify before editing.

Core doctrine (canonical)

This section is the single source of truth for how we write and review code.

Surgeon’s principle

• Prefer the smallest change that could be correct.
• Make progress legible and reversible.
• Trade breadth for certainty: keep diffs bead-scoped.

TRACE checklist

• Type: make invalid states unrepresentable.
• Readability: understandable in 30 seconds.
• Atomic: one responsibility; explicit side effects.
• Cognitive: minimize branching/hidden deps/cross-file hops.
• Essential: keep only domain-required complexity.

Complexity Mitigator (CM)

• Keep essential complexity; vaporize incidental.
• Default sequence: flatten → rename → extract.
• If simplification requires new invariants, strengthen them first.

Invariant Ace (IA)

• Name the invariant at risk and current protection level.
• Prefer construction-time/compile-time guarantees.
• If that’s not viable, add the tightest test/assertion that locks the invariant.

Universalist (UN)

• Prefer the smallest algebra that fits: product/coproduct/monoid before higher abstractions.
• Name the laws (identity/associativity/composition) and add a lightweight check when feasible.

Workflow

0) Preflight (don’t skip)

• Confirm the repo uses beads (a

  .beads/

  directory exists).
• Confirm

  imp

  was explicitly invoked.
• If anything blocks progress (missing requirements, no bead, unrelated diffs), stop and resolve before coding.

1) Identify the active bead (source of truth)

1. Anchor on

   bd

   (not chat context).
2. Find the in-progress bead.
3. If no bead is in progress: invoke

   $select

   to pick the next

   bd ready

   bead, then mark it in progress.
4. Restate what “done” means for this bead (1 sentence + acceptance criteria).

2) Clarify until requirements are implementable

• Ask only judgment calls (preferences, tradeoffs, acceptance thresholds).
• Everything else should be discovered in-repo (code, tests, conventions) or in the bead.
• If you encounter ambiguity mid-implementation, stop and re-clarify.

3) Audit the working tree (scope containment)

• Audit changes early and often.
• Keep only bead-aligned diffs.
• Do not smuggle in drive-by refactors.

If you find unrelated work:

• Revert/stash it (or split it only if explicitly asked).

4) Mandatory TRACE mini-pass (before first incision)

Before changing code, do a small

$fix

pass:

1. Cognitive heat map: note hotspots + surprises.
2. Triage failure modes: crash > corruption > logic.
3. State the invariant: what must remain true after the change?
4. Footgun scan: any misuse-prone surface being touched?
5. Incidental complexity: plan to flatten/rename/extract only if it reduces risk.

5) Complexity gate (invoke CPS)

If you identify a complex problem (multi-constraint, cross-subsystem, high uncertainty, or multiple viable designs), invoke

$creative-problem-solver

.

CPS autonomy rule:

• If a clear Advantage Play or Moonshot emerges, pick one and proceed.
• Otherwise, ask for human selection before implementation.

Record (in chat and later in proof): chosen tier + rationale + escape hatch.

6) Surgeon loop (implement + re-check)

Use a tight loop so progress stays legible and reversible:

1. Form a hypothesis: what change likely satisfies the bead?
2. Choose the smallest incision: smallest change that could be correct.
3. Make it observable: add/adjust a test, invariant, or log to prove/diagnose.
4. Implement: modify code with minimal collateral.
5. Re-check locally: re-run the closest fast signal (focused test, typecheck, repro script).
6. Repeat until acceptance criteria pass.

Heuristics by bead type:

• Bug: reproduce if possible; otherwise create a characterization test or diagnostic signal, then fix.
• Feature: implement the smallest end-to-end slice that users can exercise (vertical slice > layered scaffolding).
• Refactor: preserve behavior; add a characterization test/invariant first.

7) Validation (all musts)

Run these categories every time:

• Formatters (autoformat).
• Lint/typecheck (static analysis).
• Build (compile/package).
• Tests (unit/integration as available).

Order (fastest-first):

• Run the fastest local checks first (formatter + lint/typecheck + focused tests).
• Then run the slower checks (build + full test suites).

Entry points:

• Prefer the repo’s canonical entrypoints (

  make

  ,

  just

  ,

  task

  ,

  npm run

  ,

  cargo

  ,

  go test

  , etc.).
• If multiple relevant entrypoints exist for a category, run all of them (or explicitly justify why one is skipped).

If a category genuinely doesn’t exist, record it as N/A in proof with a 1-line reason and run the nearest substitute.

Billing-only CI substitute (Zig):

• Trigger: hosted CI is blocked (CI failure text contains

  billing

  ).
• Run

  zig build ci

  before opening the PR.
• If CI is still not green at merge time, run

  zig build ci

  again immediately before squash-merge.
• If

  zig build ci

  is unavailable, record N/A.

8) Invoke

$close-the-loop

(required)

$close-the-loop

is the forcing function: record at least one signal after you’ve made the change and run validations.

9) Close the worked bead (required)

Before creating the PR:

• Mark the worked bead as

  done

  .

Note: this typically updates bead state files (e.g.

issues.jsonl

). Those changes are part of the workflow and must be included in the PR.

10) Open a PR (do not merge yet)

• Open a single PR.
• Do not merge yet.

11) Immediate TRACE self-review (required, post-PR)

Review the PR output immediately and resolve findings.

Rules:

• Findings must be in severity order.
• Include

  file:line

  references.
• Include violated TRACE letters.
• Resolve all 🔥 + 🟡 items (no deferrals).

If fixes are required:

• Apply smallest sound fixes.
• Re-run validations (Step 7).
• Re-invoke

  $close-the-loop

  (Step 8).
• Repeat review until no 🔥 or 🟡 remain.

12) Select the next bead (required, post-review)

Run the

$select

workflow once to choose exactly one next bead.

Intent:

• Pick the next

  bd ready

  bead via risk-first heuristics.
• Verify dependency/readiness.
• Add missing deps and restart selection when needed.
• Mark the chosen bead

  in_progress

  and leave a short rationale comment.

Critical requirement:

• The bead state changes produced here (commonly

  issues.jsonl

  updates) must be committed and included in the current PR.

13) CL: update PR → check CI + mergeability → squash → cleanup

Follow

codex/prompts/CL.md

, with a billing-only CI bypass:

1. Update the PR.
2. Confirm the PR is squash-mergeable (no merge conflict). If conflicting, merge/rebase the base branch and resolve conflicts.
3. Check CI status (e.g.,

   gh pr checks

   ).
4. If CI is green: squash-merge.
5. If CI is not green:
   • If CI failure text contains

     billing

     : run

     zig build ci

     (again, immediately before merge). If it passes and the PR is squash-mergeable, squash-merge.
   • Otherwise: keep fixes minimal, and iterate until CI is green.
6. Cleanup local state.

CI policy:

• Default: treat non-

  billing

  CI failures as real (fix → re-run validations +

  $close-the-loop

  ).
• Bypass: only skip “wait for green” when CI failure text contains

  billing

  .

14) Record proof (make results auditable)

Record proof in both places:

• PR description: full command list + outcomes.
• Bead comment: short proof summary + PR link.

Proof should include:

• Signals: commands run and outcomes.
• Decision: if CPS was used, record tier + rationale + escape hatch.
• Notes: any N/A validations, known limitations.

Deliverable format (chat)

A) Work summary

• Bead:

  <id>

  + 1-sentence “done means”.
• Change summary: what and why.

B) TRACE self-review (severity order)

For each finding:

• file:line

  — issue — violated TRACE letters — fix applied.

C) Proof

• Format:

  <cmd>

  →

  <ok/fail>

• Lint/typecheck:

  <cmd>

  →

  <ok/fail>

• Build:

  <cmd>

  →

  <ok/fail>

• Tests:

  <cmd>

  →

  <ok/fail>

• CI substitute (if

  billing

  ):

  zig build ci

  (pre-PR; pre-merge if needed) →

  <ok/fail>

• $close-the-loop

  :

  <signal>

• PR:

  <url>

• Merge:

  <squash ok/fail>

• Bead comment:

  <posted/blocked>

Failure paths

• No in-progress bead: invoke

  $select

  , mark chosen bead in progress, then proceed.
• Unclear requirements: stop and ask; do not guess.
• Unrelated diffs: ignore; don't touch or stage; continue. If the requested change would touch the same lines/hunks, stop and ask.
• Validation fails: fix and re-run before opening the PR.
• CI is not green:
  • If CI failure text contains

    billing

    , run

    zig build ci

    and treat “squash-mergeable +

    zig build ci

    ok” as green.
  • Otherwise, keep fixing until CI is green.
• PR is not squash-mergeable (merge conflict): merge/rebase the base branch, resolve conflicts, then re-run validations (Step 7) and retry merge.
• Bug can’t be reproduced: add instrumentation or a characterization test; clearly state limits in proof.

Activation cues

• "imp"
• "ship this bead"
• "implement then review"
• "PR-ready with proof"