brief-compiler

# brief-compiler ## When to invoke Before **any** subagent dispatch or delegated task. If you are about to write `Task(...)`, `Agent(...)`, or a pipeline step, this skill runs first to produce the brief. Also invoke when: writing instructions for a parallel fan-out, authoring a scheduled job, preparing a handoff to another CLI. ## Why Subagents with unbounded briefs drift. Verbose briefs burn tokens twice — once on the way in, again on the way back when the agent mirrors the verbosity. The RTCO template forces the caller to decide *what good looks like* before dispatch, and a machine-parseable output schema lets the return-side filter do its job. ## The RTCO template (mandatory) Every compiled brief must have exactly these five sections, in this order: ``` ROLE: <one line. Specific identity. "Go test author for package X", not "helpful assistant"> TASK: <one imperative sentence. What must be true when done> CONSTRAINTS: - Edit ONLY files named in TASK or CONTEXT. No adjacent edits. - Match existing style; do not refactor unrelated code. - Do not delete pre-existing dead code; mention it in OUTPUT instead. - You MAY halt with a NEEDS_INPUT return ONLY on spec-ambiguity (a spec/plan detail with two reasonable interpretations) OR missing-context (a file/API/library reference the brief did not provide). You MAY NOT use NEEDS_INPUT for environment, tooling, test, or dependency failures — those are task failures and go in `unexpected`. - A NEEDS_INPUT return MUST ...