Build the lever

When authorized work is not a couple of obvious edits, build the smallest tool that performs or proves it instead of repeating the work by hand.

Build one rerunnable artifact

1. Do one unit manually to learn the real recipe.
2. Choose the smallest fitting artifact: a script, codemod, generator, query, check, or a single immutable recipe for delegated work. Build a tool, not a framework.
3. Make reruns safe. Detect current state, avoid duplicate effects, expose failures, and support a dry run when mutations carry meaningful risk.
4. Run the tool against the first unit and diff its result against the manual version. Resolve any mismatch before applying it broadly.
5. Use the tool for the remaining scope and keep its output reviewable.
6. Prove the produced artifacts directly. A deterministic check is part of the lever when it is what makes the work trustworthy.