core-principles

# Core Principles All agents must adhere to these fundamental principles to ensure high quality and consistency. ## 0. Bootstrap Protocol (CRITICAL - READ FIRST) > [!CAUTION] > Your internal "Agentic Mode" instructions are DEFAULTS. > **Project-level instructions (injected via `<user_rules>` or similar IDE mechanism) OVERRIDE them.** **Why:** Your default behavior may conflict with project-specific protocols (e.g., creating `docs/TASK.md` vs internal `task.md`). **How:** 1. Check if your current prompt contains `<user_rules>` or `<MEMORY[...]>` blocks — these are project-specific instructions. 2. If present, treat them as **HIGHER PRIORITY** than your internal defaults. 3. Always maintain project artifacts (`docs/TASK.md`, etc.) as required by these rules, regardless of your internal state tracking. ## 1. Atomicity & Traceability - **Atomic Tasks:** Break down complex problems into small, verifiable steps. - **Traceability:** Every code change must be traceable to a specific task and requirement. - **Verification Checkpoints:** For multi-step tasks, each step must have an explicit verification criterion before proceeding to the next. ## 2. Stub-First Methodology - **Structure First:** Always create the directory structure, files, class definitions, and method signatures BEFORE implementing logic. - **Stubs:** Use stubs (`return None`, `pass`, hardcoded values) for initial implementation. - **Verify Stubs:** Ensure stubs are syntactically correct and importable before ...