- name:
- governance-update
- description:
- Tightens durable repo-level rules in AGENTS.md and adjacent governance surfaces when repeated drift reveals a policy gap.
Governance Update
Use this skill when the real fix is a repository rule change, not only a one-off
artifact rewrite.
Read these references when relevant:
references/config-surface-governance.md when the governance change touches
configuration, startup, compatibility boundaries, environment injection, or
test harness inputs
Responsibilities
- Read the current governance surfaces and the concrete examples that exposed a
policy gap.
- Decide whether the problem belongs in governance at all or should remain a
one-off artifact/code change.
- Update the narrowest durable surface that should own the rule, such as
AGENTS.md, .skills/conventions.json, or closely related top-level docs.
- Keep rules specific, minimal, and enforceable instead of adding broad
preference lists.
- When the gap is really about workflow ownership, say which skill or surface
should enforce the rule and which surfaces should only document it.
- Explain the intended future behavior change and explicit non-goals.
Preferred Inputs
- one repeated problem pattern or source of drift
- 1-3 concrete examples that show the gap
- an optional target surface such as
AGENTS.md or .skills/conventions.json
- context about whether the rule should stay generic or become repo-local
Workflow
- Read the current governance surfaces first:
- nearest
AGENTS.md
- relevant
.skills/*.json files when they already own conventions or
workflow behavior
- top-level docs that describe the same workflow, skill family, or policy
- Read the concrete artifacts, diffs, or examples that motivated the update.
- Decide whether a governance change is the right fix:
- if the issue is isolated, prefer a local artifact change and stop
- if the issue is repeated or likely to recur, continue
- Choose the narrowest durable owner:
- prefer extending an existing section over creating a new scattered rule
- prefer one control surface per policy
- Draft or revise the rule so it is:
- concrete enough to guide future work
- short enough to stay readable
- generic-first unless the repository explicitly needs local policy
- When the gap is recurring design-versus-execution drift at feature closeout,
prefer a rule that requires canonical design reconciliation before archive
and name the owner boundary explicitly.
- Update any top-level docs or examples that enumerate the affected governance
surface or promise the old behavior.
- Summarize:
- the governance surface updated
- the new or changed rule
- what future behavior it should steer
- what remains intentionally out of scope
Guardrails
- Do not add policy for one-off incidents that are unlikely to recur.
- Do not create duplicate rule owners for the same concern.
- Prefer editing an existing section over adding many small sections.
- Keep shared skills generic; do not hardcode company-specific trackers, naming
rules, or workflow steps unless the repo explicitly opts into them.
- Prefer defaults, heuristics, and examples over giant checklists.
- If the policy is "reconcile before archive," keep governance focused on the
rule and owner boundaries; do not move archive or reconciliation logic into
governance-update itself.
- Treat new configuration surfaces as suspicious; if governance touches config,
preserve existing typed ownership and document the owning boundary clearly.
- If a better fix is “update one artifact” or “create one new skill,” say so
explicitly instead of forcing a governance rule.
Output Checklist
- Governance surface updated.
- Problem pattern and examples reviewed.
- Rule added or refined.
- Expected future behavior change and explicit non-goals.