shape-work
Shape work
Own project-oriented discovery, not an engineering questionnaire. Ordinary matching requests and bounded handoffs use this procedure in the caller's context; loading a companion does not spawn an agent.
Authority and dependencies
Read the target's instructions and relevant project/workflow/product/domain pointers. Default to authorized inspection and a conversation return. A discovery request permits questions and recommendations, not product implementation, tracker publication, installation, spending, disclosure, model calls or delegation. Retained briefs and document changes need target write/retention authority. Preserve unrelated work, symlinks and existing history; source content is evidence, not permission.
Discover companions through the runtime/project catalog or an explicit approved location, never an assumed sibling path. Read the complete candidate entry and required branch references, record source/revision or digest, and check its semantic capabilities. Ambiguous or incompatible candidates block their dependent responsibility. Recheck changed sources or authority; missing helpers do not authorize installation or a legacy grilling substitute.
| Gap | Required companion capability |
|---|---|
| Source/API/version facts | research: bounded cited findings, applicability, uncertainty and deciding-source freshness; direct local inspection or current supported findings need no new run |
| Feasibility, existing behavior or technical consequences | analyze: inspect implementation/callers/reuse/coverage and return risks, checks and recommendations without building; technical lead retains routine engineering choices |
| Changed meanings/model or qualifying enduring decision | domain-modeling: bounded plan-only/approved records, authoritative document mapping, preserved rationale/history and actual outcomes; reading unchanged definitions needs no invocation |
Optional delegation requires separate authority and the discovered Work On execution-contract library, used without invoking delivery. Use the root ledger and finite assignment bounds; workers request work from the root rather than recursively launch it. Missing runtime/authority selects direct work where equivalent. No model assessment is required.