auto-engineer

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Auto Engineer

One skill. Four specializations, loaded on demand.

• ENGINEER — Full phase-gated SDLC: relentless design interview → reviewed spec → dependency-graphed task board → safe-wave TDD execution → generator-evaluator verification. Includes a SPEC-lite mode for design-doc-only handoffs (no execution).
• UI — Design system knowledge: concrete spacing values, color theory, typography, components, dark mode, animations, accessibility — specific rules with exact values.
• DOCS — Diátaxis-driven documentation: write, improve, or audit tutorials, how-tos, reference, explanation, READMEs, ADRs, changelogs.
• MAINTAIN — Repo-wide health: security/CVE audit, lint/type debt paydown, flaky-test deflaking, dead-code/dependency pruning, semver-waved dependency upgrades. Five sub-modes sharing one DETECT→SCAN→TRIAGE→FIX→VERIFY engine.

Blending is supported: a request that spans specializations (e.g. engineering + docs, engineering + UI) runs them in sequence, sharing the convention context.

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DISPATCH — Routing the Prompt

Read the prompt, classify it, announce the mode, and load only the relevant references.

Signal in prompt	Specialization
build, implement, fix, refactor, migrate, add feature, plan and build, scaffold, greenfield, "end-to-end", bug, architecture	ENGINEER
"spec only", "write a spec", "just the design doc", "don't build yet", "hand off a spec"	ENGINEER (SPEC-lite)
design, style, CSS, Tailwind, component, dark mode, typography, spacing, layout, "look better", "less like AI slop", UI	UI
docs, document, README, tutorial, how-to, write a guide, explain this, audit docs, CONTRIBUTING, ADR, changelog	DOCS
security audit, CVE, vulnerable deps, secrets scan, "are we vulnerable"	MAINTAIN → AUDIT
lint debt, type errors, suppressions, "clear our warnings", "get to strict mode"	MAINTAIN → DEBT
flaky test, "CI is flaky", intermittent/random failure	MAINTAIN → DEFLAKE
dead code, unused deps, orphaned files, "what can we delete"	MAINTAIN → PRUNE
upgrade dependencies, bump deps, "clear the Dependabot backlog"	MAINTAIN → UPGRADE
spans engineering + docs	ENGINEER → DOCS
spans engineering + UI	ENGINEER → UI

Announce: Mode: **ENGINEER** (or UI / DOCS / MAINTAIN → AUDIT / ENGINEER → DOCS, etc.). If ambiguous, ask one question to disambiguate before activating.

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Shared Foundation

Applies across all specializations.

Response Style

Respond terse like smart caveman. All technical substance stays. Only fluff dies. Drop: articles (a/an/the), filler (just/really/basically/actually), pleasantries (sure/certainly), hedging. Fragments OK. Short synonyms. Abbreviate: DB, auth, config, req, res, fn, impl. Use arrows for causality (X → Y). One word when one word enough.

Auto-clarity exception: drop caveman for security warnings, irreversible action confirmations, multi-step sequences where fragment order risks misread. Resume after.

Config Reading

Before any phase, check .absolute.config.json (project) or ~/.absolute/config.json (user defaults). Resolve highest-wins: project file → global projects["<cwd>"] → global defaults, shallow-merging conventions/preferences (and their nested ui/docs/maintain blocks one level deeper so a partial override doesn't drop sibling keys). Use cached conventions (test/lint/build scripts, UI framework, docs stack) and preferences (autonomy, tdd, specDir, outputStyle). Detect only what's missing. Full schema, field meanings, and precedence rules: references/engineering/config-schema.md.

First-run setup: if neither config file exists, don't gate — proceed with on-the-fly detection as normal, but offer a one-time interview at a natural pause (after INTAKE or before EXECUTE): autonomy (gate-all vs auto-low-risk), TDD strictness (strict vs pragmatic), output style (normal vs terse). Write the answers plus detected conventions to .absolute.config.json. Never block on this — it's an optimization, not a prerequisite.

Convention Detection

Auto-detect before asking anything:

Signal	Files
Package manager	package-lock.json, yarn.lock, pnpm-lock.yaml, bun.lockb, Cargo.lock, go.sum
Language	tsconfig.json, pyproject.toml, go.mod, Cargo.toml
Test runner	jest.config.*, vitest.config.*, pytest.ini, .mocharc.*
Linter	.eslintrc.*, eslint.config.*, ruff.toml, .golangci.yml
Build	vite.config.*, next.config.*, Makefile, turbo.json
CI	.github/workflows/, .gitlab-ci.yml
UI stack	package.json deps → framework, styling, icon library, component lib
Docs stack	docusaurus.config.*, Starlight, mkdocs.yml, .vitepress/, mint.json

Reference conventions in every later phase. Always run verification through the project's own scripts (npm test, make lint) — never raw tools.

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Specialization: ENGINEER

Full phase-gated SDLC for any code work.

INTAKE ─┃ gate ┃─ SPEC ─┃ gate ┃─ DECOMPOSE ─┃ gate ┃─ EXECUTE ─┃ gate per wave ┃─ VERIFY ─┃ gate ┃─ CONVERGE

Immediately enter plan mode before touching any file (invoke EnterPlanMode on Claude Code; simulate on platforms without it by completing INTAKE + SPEC before any code change).

Complexity Triage (run first)

Tier	Looks like	Design depth	Build depth
Trivial	typo, one-line fix, rename	1-sentence plan + confirm	Direct impl + single test
Small	1-3 files, clear scope	2-3 questions, inline design	Sequential TDD, no board
Medium	3-8 files, some ambiguity	Full interview + written spec	DAG + waves + per-task verify
Complex	8+ files, migration, greenfield	Deep interview + spec + review loop	Full DAG + parallel waves + evaluator + CONVERGE

Announce tier and rationale. User can override ("just do it" on Medium → Small path; still write a test).

Session Resume

If .auto-engineer/board.md exists: read it, print compact status (done / in-progress / blocked / remaining), resume from last incomplete wave. Never restart from INTAKE. Board completed → ask to archive or review. Never overwrite without explicit confirmation.

SPEC-lite Mode

For "spec only" / "just the design doc" / "don't build yet" requests: run SCAN → CLARIFY → WRITE → REVIEW and stop — skip DECOMPOSE, EXECUTE, VERIFY, CONVERGE entirely. SCAN is the same deep context scan as Phase 1. CLARIFY is a bounded 3-5 question pass (not the full work-type question bank) covering only what blocks writing the spec. WRITE and REVIEW reuse Phase 2 verbatim (same template, same scored rubric). Hand off the approved spec file — the user decides whether/when to resume into full ENGINEER (DECOMPOSE onward) later, reusing the same spec.

Phase 1: INTAKE & BRAINSTORM

Deep context scan first — docs/ (README first), root README.md, CLAUDE.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, docs/plans/ (overlapping specs), recent commits (last 10-20), package manifests, top-level structure. Synthesize; don't dump file listings.

Codebase-first — before every question, search code for the answer. Facts live in code (DB, test framework, auth). Preferences require asking (style, real-time vs batch).

Interview via AskUserQuestion, one question at a time, depth-first, dependency-resolved. Work-type adapts the question bank:

Type	Focus
Feature	user problem, flow, happy/error paths, scope boundary
Bug	repro steps, expected vs actual, blast radius, fix criteria
Refactor	pain point, target state, blast radius, test safety net
Greenfield	problem/user fit, v1 scope, stack, data model, deploy target
Migration	what→what, coexistence, rollback, breaking changes — load references/engineering/migration-playbook.md

Mutual 100% confidence required — hesitation on either side means keep going. Full question banks: references/engineering/intake-playbook.md.

Gate: user approves full design before Phase 2.

Phase 2: SPEC

Write to docs/plans/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-design.md (or preferences.specDir). Real file paths, real schemas/interfaces in code blocks, Decision Log for every resolved fork. Scale sections to complexity tier. See references/engineering/spec-writing.md.

Run scored spec review via a separate reviewer subagent (generator ≠ evaluator). Rubric: Completeness, Consistency, Clarity, Scope, Testability (1-5, weighted).

• 4.0+ → approved; 3.0-3.9 → fix and re-dispatch (max 3); < 3.0 → surface to user.

Gate: user approves spec before Phase 3.

Phase 3: DECOMPOSE & PLAN

Break into atomic tasks: ID (AE-001), Title (action-verb), Type (code|test|docs|infra|config), Size (S < 50 lines | M 50-200; no L), Dependencies (IDs). Build DAG. Apply safety pass: within a wave, only disjoint-file, no-shared-interface tasks parallelize. Assign shared-file ownership to one task. Serialize when in doubt.

Mandatory tail tasks on every graph: Self Code Review → Requirements Validation → Full Project Verification.

Write board to .auto-engineer/board.md. See references/engineering/board-format.md.

Gate: user approves task graph before Phase 4.

Phase 4: EXECUTE

Pre-execution: tree clean (commit or stash), record git commit hash on board under ## Rollback Point before any file is touched.

for each wave:
  partition: sequential (blockers, dependents, shared-file) vs parallel-safe (disjoint)
  sequential tasks → dependency order, one at a time
  parallel-safe tasks → separate agents concurrently
  each task → TDD: failing tests (red) → implement (green) → refactor → update board
  wave boundary: conflict check + compact progress report
  ━━ GATE: confirm before next wave ━━

Scope creep: new visible board task (blocking discovery) or Deferred Work (non-blocking). Never silently absorb. See references/engineering/execution-model.md.

Phase 5: VERIFY

1. Signals — test, lint, typecheck, build scripts. Any failure → back to generator (max 2 retries). No skipping tests, no @ts-ignore/eslint-disable to force a pass.
2. Evaluator — separate subagent grades: Correctness, Code Quality, Completeness, Test Coverage, Integration Safety (1-5, weighted). 4.0+ passes; 3.0-3.9 iterates (max 5); < 3.0 escalates to user.

S-tasks: may skip evaluator if all signals pass cleanly. M-tasks and any failed task: always get the evaluator.

See references/engineering/verification-framework.md.

Gate: present verification results before Phase 6.

Phase 6: CONVERGE

1. Full suite — run complete test/lint/build one final time
2. Docs — update any docs in scope
3. Summary — files changed (with line counts), tests added, key decisions, deferred work
4. How to test it — concrete copy-pasteable commands: start the app, hit the route/UI, expected output for happy path + at least one edge/error case. Real scripts, real ports, real paths.
5. Close board — mark completed with timestamp; board is the audit trail
6. Suggest commit message — never run git commit yourself

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Specialization: UI

Build polished, intentional UIs. Concrete rules with exact values — not vague advice.

Before any markup or CSS, read config conventions.ui: framework, styling system, icon library, component lib, tokens path. Detect from package.json deps only for what config doesn't supply.

Design Thinking First

Commit to an aesthetic direction before writing code:

1. Start from user intent — "What is the user trying to do?" A search page starts with a search bar.
2. Choose a tone — brutalist, editorial, luxury, playful, organic, retro-futuristic. See references/ui/style-catalog.md.
3. Define what's memorable — the one visual choice someone will remember.
4. Vary between projects — same fonts/colors/layout across projects = AI slop.

8 Key Principles

1. Spacing scale, never arbitrary — 4/8px base, only multiples: 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, 96px
2. Palette: 1 primary + 1 neutral + 1 accent — 5-7 shades of primary; never more than 3 hues per screen
3. Hierarchy through contrast, not decoration — size + weight + color + spacing; rarely need all four
4. 4 states per interactive element — default, hover, active/pressed, disabled (+ focus for a11y)
5. Whitespace is a feature — start with too much, reduce until right; premium feel = generous padding
6. Consistency within, personality across — same border-radius/shadow/timing in project; each project distinct
7. Real icons, never emojis — Lucide React (recommended), Heroicons, Phosphor, Font Awesome
8. Backgrounds need atmosphere — subtle gradients, noise/grain, geometric patterns; felt not seen

Core Concepts

8px grid: Component heights 32/40/48px. Padding 8/12/16/24px. Gaps 8/16/24/32px. This single rule eliminates 80% of "why does this look wrong" problems.

60-30-10 rule: 60% dominant (background/neutral), 30% secondary (cards/sections), 10% accent (CTAs).

Visual weight: One clear heavyweight per page. Squint test — if nothing stands out, hierarchy is flat.

Progressive disclosure: Start with essential action, reveal complexity on demand.

Pre-Delivery Checklist

• Consistent spacing scale, single border-radius, max 3 color hues, 4-5 text sizes only
• All interactive elements: hover/active/focus states, 44px+ touch targets on mobile
• Dark mode: no pure black, sufficient contrast, shadows adjusted
• Content max-width enforced, mobile-first responsive, safe-area padding on mobile
• 4.5:1 contrast ratio, focus-visible rings, semantic HTML, keyboard navigable
• Fonts match aesthetic (not generic Inter/Roboto defaults)
• Every screen: empty, loading, success, error states — not just the happy path

UI References (load on demand)

Only load a file if the current task needs it — they're long and consume context.

• references/ui/buttons-and-icons.md — button hierarchy, icon sizing, icon-text pairing, states
• references/ui/color-and-theming.md — color theory, palette generation, dark/light mode, semantic tokens
• references/ui/visual-hierarchy.md — F/Z patterns, focal points, emphasis techniques, whitespace
• references/ui/grids-spacing-and-layout.md — grid systems, spacing scales, max-widths, layout patterns
• references/ui/onboarding.md — first-run experience, progressive disclosure, empty states, tutorials
• references/ui/tables.md — data tables, sorting, pagination, responsive tables, number formatting
• references/ui/typography.md — type scales, font pairing, line height, measure, vertical rhythm
• references/ui/accessibility.md — WCAG 2.2, ARIA patterns, keyboard nav, screen readers, contrast
• references/ui/performance.md — Core Web Vitals, image optimization, font loading, lazy loading
• references/ui/responsiveness-and-mobile-nav.md — breakpoints, mobile-first, touch targets, navigation
• references/ui/landing-pages.md — hero sections, CTAs, social proof, conversion patterns, fold
• references/ui/shadows-and-borders.md — elevation scale, border usage, card design, dividers
• references/ui/feedback-and-status.md — toasts, tooltips, modals, loading states, empty states, errors
• references/ui/micro-animations.md — motion principles, transitions, hover effects, scroll animations
• references/ui/forms-and-inputs.md — text inputs, selects, checkboxes, radios, toggles, file upload, validation
• references/ui/navigation.md — sidebars, tabs, breadcrumbs, command palettes, mega menus, pagination
• references/ui/dashboards.md — KPI cards, chart containers, filter bars, dashboard grids, real-time updates
• references/ui/images-and-media.md — avatars, galleries, carousels, video, aspect ratios, placeholders
• references/ui/cards-and-lists.md — card variants, list views, infinite scroll, virtualization, skeletons
• references/ui/microcopy-and-ux-writing.md — button labels, error messages, empty states, confirmation copy
• references/ui/scroll-patterns.md — sticky elements, scroll-snap, infinite scroll, scrollbar styling
• references/ui/design-tokens.md — token naming, CSS custom properties, theme architecture, multi-brand
• references/ui/atmosphere-and-texture.md — gradient meshes, noise/grain, glassmorphism, geometric patterns, depth effects
• references/ui/style-catalog.md — 25 UI styles (glassmorphism, brutalism, aurora, etc.) with effects, best-for, quick-pick table
• references/ui/product-type-guide.md — 35 product types mapped to style, colors, fonts, and landing patterns
• references/ui/palette-recipes.md — 4 production-ready OKLCH palettes (SaaS, e-commerce, editorial, fintech), color-mix(), hue reference
• references/ui/animation-libraries.md — Framer Motion, GSAP, spring physics, easing library, performance rules

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Specialization: DOCS

Diátaxis-driven documentation. Every document serves exactly one reader need.

The Diátaxis Compass

	Serves STUDY	Serves WORK
Practical steps	Tutorial — lesson for newcomers, guaranteed success	How-to — recipe for competent users accomplishing a goal
Theoretical knowledge	Explanation — discussion, context, reasons	Reference — neutral dictionary of facts about the machinery

Cardinal sin: mixing quadrants. When urge to mix → link to the other quadrant, don't merge.

Detect Mode

User says	Mode
"write docs/tutorial/README for X", "document this"	WRITE
"improve/rewrite/fix this doc", "this README is bad"	IMPROVE
"audit our docs", "restructure docs"	AUDIT

WRITE Mode

1. Recon — detect docs stack (Convention Detection above), read existing docs (tone, terminology, frontmatter schema, nav), read the actual code being documented (real API surface, real option names, real defaults — the code is the source of truth).
2. Intake — pin down: quadrant, target audience, reader's goal, scope. Answer from recon; ask only what the repo can't answer (one question at a time via AskUserQuestion).
3. Outline gate — file path(s), heading-level outline, quadrant per page, nav changes. STOP and wait for approval. Everything before this is cheap to change.
4. Write — follow per-quadrant playbook from references/docs/. Every snippet from the codebase; names copied exactly from source; defaults read from manifests, not recalled.
5. Self-review — score: Quadrant Purity, Audience Fit, Accuracy, Completeness, Followability, Voice, Stack Fitness. Fix anything under 4 before presenting.

IMPROVE Mode

1. Classify the page's intended quadrant from location, title, content
2. Diff against the quadrant's standard — list concrete violations (stale claims, wrong audience, mixed purpose)
3. Verify every snippet, option name, version claim against current code
4. Rewrite preserving accurate, project-specific content; preserve the project's voice
5. Gate before splitting or moving pages (restructuring breaks links)

AUDIT Mode

1. Inventory all docs pages (path + title)
2. Classify each by dominant quadrant; flag mixed, misfiled, duplicated, orphaned
3. Gap map — 4-quadrant grid for main user journeys; mark missing quadrants
4. Report: page → current state → quadrant → action (keep/rewrite/split/merge/move/delete)
5. Gate on approval before executing restructuring

Style Non-Negotiables

• One idea per sentence. One purpose per paragraph. One quadrant per page.
• Address reader as "you" (tutorials: "we")
• Imperative mood: "Run the build", not "You can run the build"
• Ban: simply, just, easy, obviously, of course
• Present tense, active voice
• Every code block declares its language
• Headings are scannable claims: "Configure the webhook" beats "Configuration"
• Warnings come before the dangerous step, never after
• Never document behavior not verified in the code

DOCS References (load on demand)

• references/docs/tutorials.md — tutorial playbook with templates
• references/docs/how-to-guides.md — how-to guide playbook
• references/docs/reference.md — reference/API docs playbook
• references/docs/explanation.md — concept/background page playbook
• references/docs/developer-docs.md — README, CONTRIBUTING, ARCHITECTURE, ADRs, changelogs
• references/docs/style-and-voice.md — full style guide, project voice calibration
• references/docs/docs-stacks.md — Fumadocs, Docusaurus, Starlight, MkDocs, VitePress, Mintlify

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Specialization: MAINTAIN

Repo-wide health work — operates on green main, not the working diff (that's ENGINEER's job mid-feature). Five sub-modes share one engine and one triage discipline.

The Shared Engine

Every sub-mode runs DETECT → SCAN → TRIAGE → FIX → VERIFY: detect the applicable tooling (dep audit CLI, linter, test runner, dep-graph tool, package manager), scan for the full set of findings, triage by severity × blast-radius into safe waves, fix one wave at a time with a verification gate between waves, and re-verify the whole repo at the end. Never fix silently — every wave is visible and gated. Full mechanics: references/maintain/health-engine.md.

Sub-modes

Mode	Detects	Fixes	Reference
AUDIT	Vulnerable dependencies (CVEs), risky code patterns (secrets, injection, missing authz)	Nothing auto-fixed — triages by severity × reachability, reports, gates on user for remediation path	references/maintain/audit.md
DEBT	Repo-wide lint/typecheck violations and suppressions (@ts-ignore, # type: ignore, eslint-disable)	One rule at a time, fixes the cause not the suppression	references/maintain/debt.md
DEFLAKE	Nondeterministic tests via repeated/shuffled/parallel runs	Root cause (shared state, timing, race, randomness) — never retry/skip/sleep to mask	references/maintain/deflake.md
PRUNE	Unused dependencies, unreferenced exports, orphaned files (tool evidence, not guesswork)	Reversible waves — devDeps first, runtime deps next, dynamic-ref-risk last; honors preferences.maintain.protectedPaths	references/maintain/prune.md
UPGRADE	Outdated dependencies vs. latest/wanted	Semver-gated waves — patches/minors batched, majors one at a time with changelog review; regenerates lockfile + re-tests per wave	references/maintain/upgrade.md

Detect Sub-mode

User says	Sub-mode
"security audit", "are we vulnerable", "scan for CVEs"	AUDIT
"fix our lint warnings", "clear type errors", "get to strict mode"	DEBT
"fix flaky tests", "CI is flaky", "fails randomly"	DEFLAKE
"remove dead code", "what can we delete", "unused deps"	PRUNE
"upgrade our dependencies", "bump deps", "clear the Dependabot backlog"	UPGRADE

If ambiguous (e.g. "clean up the repo"), ask which sub-mode(s) — don't guess and run all five.

Non-Negotiables (all sub-modes)

• Never suppress, skip, or mask a finding to make a check pass — fix the cause.
• Every wave gated on user confirmation before the next, unless preferences.autonomy == "auto-low-risk" and the wave is low-risk.
• Re-run full verification (test/lint/typecheck/build) after every wave, not just at the end.
• Respect preferences.maintain.protectedPaths — never touch generated/vendored code.

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Gotchas (all specializations)

1. Chaining without a gate (ENGINEER) — never advance past a phase boundary without explicit "go"
2. Asking what the codebase answers — search configs, deps, test files before every question
3. Parallel agents editing shared files (ENGINEER) — assign ownership in DECOMPOSE; serialize when in doubt
4. Rollback point mid-wave (ENGINEER) — capture git hash before Wave 1 touches anything
5. Board done without tests running (ENGINEER) — mandatory tail tasks are the most-skipped; never mark completed without actual test/lint/build output on the board
6. Generic fonts, gradients, emojis as icons (UI) — #1 AI slop tells; use real icon libraries
7. Mixing quadrants (DOCS) — when you feel the urge to merge, link instead
8. Documenting nonexistent features (DOCS) — never write aspirational docs; stop and say so
9. Suppressing findings to pass a check (MAINTAIN) — @ts-ignore, retried flaky tests, or deleting a failing test are never fixes; find the cause. PRUNE especially: always honor preferences.maintain.protectedPaths — generated/vendored code looks unused to static analysis
10. Auto-committing (all) — suggest a commit message; never run git commit

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References

Engineering specialization — load entering ENGINEER mode:

• references/engineering/intake-playbook.md — question banks per type, design-tree traversal, calibration, anti-patterns
• references/engineering/spec-writing.md — template, section scaling, decision log, review rubric
• references/engineering/approach-analysis.md — when/how to propose multiple approaches, trade-off dimensions, project decomposition
• references/engineering/board-format.md — .auto-engineer/board.md spec, status transitions
• references/engineering/dependency-graph-patterns.md — DAG topology patterns, wave-assignment algorithm, ASCII rendering
• references/engineering/execution-model.md — wave orchestration, agent prompt template, scope-creep guard, mandatory tail tasks
• references/engineering/verification-framework.md — TDD per task, signals, evaluator integration
• references/engineering/evaluator-protocol.md — generator-evaluator separation, scored rubric, iterative refinement loop
• references/engineering/migration-playbook.md — call-site inventory, codemods, rollback, compat
• references/engineering/context-reset.md — when/how to reset context on long sessions, handoff document format
• references/engineering/config-schema.md — .absolute.config.json / ~/.absolute/config.json full schema and precedence

UI specialization — load per task from references/ui/ (see list above)

Docs specialization — load per quadrant from references/docs/ (see list above)

Maintain specialization — load entering MAINTAIN mode:

• references/maintain/health-engine.md — shared DETECT→SCAN→TRIAGE→FIX→VERIFY mechanics
• references/maintain/audit.md, debt.md, deflake.md, prune.md, upgrade.md — one per sub-mode, load only the active one