ground-state

## Sub-agent contract /contract **Constraint: read-only reconnaissance.** Surveyors and the synthesizer MUST NOT call `edit_file`, `write_file`, or any mutating bash command (no `git commit`, `git push`, `git checkout`, `mv`, `rm`, file redirection, package installs, etc.). Read-only tools only: `read_file`, `grep`, `glob`, `list_directory`, and read-only bash (`git status`, `git log`, `git diff`, `cat`, `ls`, `find`, etc.). If the survey reveals a fix that's tempting to apply, **return it as a recommendation in the snapshot** — the orchestrator decides whether to act. Even if the invoking brief sounds prescriptive ("draft the edit", "apply the change"), this skill stops at the snapshot and the preamble artifact. The orchestrator dispatches a separate implementation step afterward. Before any multi-step implementation (not single-file fixes, not pure Q&A), dispatch three parallel reconnaissance sub-agents, each with a narrow target. Adapt the first two surveyors to the domain: **State surveyor** *(domain-aware)* | Domain | What to survey | |--------|---------------| | `software` | Current branch, `git log --oneline -5`, `git status -s`, diff-summary vs `origin/<default-branch>`, stash list. Flag: diverged, uncommitted changes, stale upstream. | | `research` | Bibliography state (how many papers collected, citation manager in use), data pipeline status (raw data present? processed?), draft status (outline? partial draft? submitted?), publication target and deadline if kno...