Follow Goals

Create a goal contract before starting long-running autonomous work. Make the contract specific enough to keep progress moving without repeated steering.

Goal Contract

Before execution, write:

• Objective: one durable outcome.
• Stop condition: exact state where work should stop.
• Context to read first: files, docs, tickets, logs, plans, screenshots, or examples.
• Constraints: non-goals, safety limits, style rules, architecture limits, approvals needed.
• Validation loop: commands, checks, artifacts, or behaviors proving progress.
• Checkpoints: small milestones with expected evidence.
• Progress log: concise format for status updates.
• Pause conditions: what should stop work and request user input.

If any required field is missing and not discoverable, ask one blocking question. Prefer a recommended answer.