constraint-engine (制約)#

Unified skill for constraint generation, pre-action checking, circuit breaker management, and constraint lifecycle. Consolidates 7 granular skills into a single enforcement system.

Trigger: 行動前∨閾値到達 (pre-action or threshold reached)

Source skills: constraint-generator, circuit-breaker, emergency-override, constraint-lifecycle, constraint-versioning, positive-framer (partial), contextual-injection (partial)

Installation#

bash

openclaw install leegitw/constraint-engine

Dependencies: leegitw/failure-memory (for eligibility data)

bash

# Install with dependencies
openclaw install leegitw/context-verifier
openclaw install leegitw/failure-memory
openclaw install leegitw/constraint-engine

Standalone usage: Requires failure-memory for constraint generation from observations. For full lifecycle management, install the complete suite (see Neon Agentic Suite).

Data handling: This skill operates within your agent's trust boundary. When triggered, it uses your agent's configured model for constraint checking and generation. No external APIs or third-party services are called. Results are written to output/constraints/ in your workspace.

What This Solves#

Instructions get ignored. Rules get forgotten. Documentation goes unread. This skill takes a different approach — constraints generated from actual failures:

1. Generate constraints from observations that meet the eligibility threshold ( R≥3 ∧ C≥2)
2. Enforce constraints at runtime with a circuit breaker (CLOSED → OPEN → HALF-OPEN)
3. Manage lifecycle from proposal through adoption to retirement

The insight: A constraint born from "this actually broke" carries more weight than "this might break." Consequences teach better than instructions.

Usage#

text

/ce <sub-command> [arguments]

Sub-Commands#

CommandCJKLogicTrigger/ce check検査action→constraints[]→pass∨blockNext Steps (auto)/ce generate生成eligible(obs)→constraintNext Steps (auto)/ce status状態active[], circuit∈{CLOSED,OPEN,HALF}Explicit/ce override上書constraint→bypass(temp), audit.log++Explicit/ce lifecycle周期state∈{draft→active→retiring→retired}Explicit/ce version版本constraint→v++, history.preserveExplicit/ce threshold閾値user∨context→custom_thresholdExplicit

Arguments#

/ce check#

ArgumentRequiredDescriptionactionYesAction to check against constraints--severityNoMinimum severity to check: critical, important, minor (default: all)

/ce generate#

ArgumentRequiredDescriptionobservationYesObservation ID or pattern to generate constraint from--forceNoGenerate even if eligibility criteria not met

/ce status#

ArgumentRequiredDescription--circuitNoShow circuit breaker status only--activeNoShow active constraints only

/ce override#

ArgumentRequiredDescriptionconstraintYesConstraint ID to overridereasonYesReason for override (logged for audit)--durationNoOverride duration (default: "session")

/ce lifecycle#

ArgumentRequiredDescriptionconstraintYesConstraint IDstateYesTarget state: draft, active, retiring, retired

/ce version#

ArgumentRequiredDescriptionconstraintYesConstraint ID--bumpNoVersion bump type: major, minor, patch (default: minor)

/ce threshold#

ArgumentRequiredDescription--RNoCustom recurrence threshold (default: 3)--CNoCustom confirmation threshold (default: 2)--resetNoReset to default thresholds

Configuration#

Configuration is loaded from (in order of precedence):

1. .openclaw/constraint-engine.yaml (OpenClaw standard)
2. .claude/constraint-engine.yaml (Claude Code compatibility)
3. Defaults (built-in)

yaml

# .openclaw/constraint-engine.yaml
thresholds:
  R: 3                       # Recurrence threshold (default: 3)
  C: 2                       # Confirmation threshold (default: 2)
  false_positive_max: 0.2    # Max D/(C+D) ratio (default: 0.2)
circuit_breaker:
  critical_threshold: 3      # Violations to trip for CRITICAL
  important_threshold: 5     # Violations to trip for IMPORTANT
  minor_threshold: 10        # Violations to trip for MINOR
  window_days: 30            # Violation window (default: 30 days)
lifecycle:
  review_reminder_days: 80   # Days before 90-day review to remind

Core Logic#

Eligibility Criteria#

Observation becomes eligible for constraint when:

text

R≥3 ∧ C≥2 ∧ D/(C+D)<0.2 ∧ sources≥2

CriterionMeaningR≥3At least 3 recurrencesC≥2At least 2 human confirmationsD/(C+D)<0.2False positive rate under 20%sources≥2Observed by at least 2 different sources

Positive Reframing#

Constraints are automatically reframed positively:

NegativePositive"Don't commit without tests""Always run tests before commit""Don't push to main directly""Always create PR for main changes""Don't deploy without review""Always get code review before deployment""Don't skip migrations""Always run database migrations before release"

Example: Code Review Constraint#

text

[CHECK BLOCKED] deploy production
Constraint violated: CON-20260212-005
  "Always get code review approval before production deployment"
  Severity: CRITICAL

Action: Request review via /ro twin, then retry deployment.

Example: Deployment Gate Constraint#

text

[CHECK PASSED] deploy staging
Active constraints checked: 3
  ✓ CON-20260210-001: Tests pass
  ✓ CON-20260211-002: Staging smoke test
  ✓ CON-20260212-003: Database migration verified
All constraints satisfied. Proceeding to staging.

Circuit Breaker States#

StateMeaningBehaviorCLOSEDNormal operationConstraints enforcedOPENCircuit trippedBlock all related actionsHALF-OPENTesting recoveryAllow limited actions

Circuit Breaker Thresholds#

SeverityThresholdWindowCRITICAL3 violations30 daysIMPORTANT5 violations30 daysMINOR10 violations30 days

Constraint Lifecycle#

text

draft → active → retiring → retired
  │        │         │
  └────────┴─────────┴── 90-day review gates

Output#

/ce check output (pass)#

text

[CHECK PASSED] git commit -m "feature"
Active constraints checked: 5
All constraints satisfied.

/ce check output (block)#

text

[CHECK BLOCKED] git commit -m "feature"

Constraint violated: CON-20260210-001
  "Always run tests before commit"
  Severity: CRITICAL

Action: Run tests first, then retry commit.
Override: /ce override CON-20260210-001 "emergency hotfix"

/ce status output#

text

=== Constraint Engine Status ===

Circuit Breaker: CLOSED (healthy)

Active Constraints (5):
- CON-20260210-001: Always run tests before commit [CRITICAL]
- CON-20260212-003: Always lint before commit [IMPORTANT]
- ...

Draft Constraints (2):
- CON-20260215-001: Pending approval

Violations (30d): 2

/ce generate output#

text

[CONSTRAINT GENERATED]

From: OBS-20260210-003 (lint-before-commit)
ID: CON-20260215-001
Text: "Always run lint before commit"
Severity: IMPORTANT
Status: draft

Next: Review and approve with /ce lifecycle CON-20260215-001 active

Integration#

• Layer: Core
• Depends on: failure-memory (for eligibility data)
• Used by: governance (for constraint reviews), safety-checks (for enforcement)

Failure Modes#

ConditionBehaviorInvalid sub-commandList available sub-commandsConstraint not foundError with suggestion to searchIneligible observationShow missing criteria, suggest /fm statusCircuit OPENBlock action, show recovery guidanceOverride without reasonRequire reason for audit trail

Next Steps#

After invoking this skill:

ConditionActionConstraint generatedAdd to output/constraints/draft/, notify userConstraint activatedMove to output/constraints/active/Action blockedLog to output/hooks/blocked.log, explain whyCircuit OPENSurface to user with recovery guidanceOverride usedAudit log entry, temporary bypass only

Workspace Files#

This skill reads/writes:

text

output/
├── constraints/
│   ├── draft/           # Pending constraints
│   │   └── CON-YYYYMMDD-XXX.md
│   ├── active/          # Enforced constraints
│   │   └── CON-YYYYMMDD-XXX.md
│   ├── retired/         # Historical constraints
│   │   └── CON-YYYYMMDD-XXX.md
│   └── metadata.json    # VFM scoring data
└── hooks/
    └── blocked.log      # Actions blocked by constraints

Security Considerations#

What this skill accesses:

• Configuration files in .openclaw/constraint-engine.yaml and .claude/constraint-engine.yaml
• Observation data from failure-memory (via .learnings/ directory)
• Its own output directories output/constraints/ and output/hooks/

What this skill does NOT access:

• Files outside declared workspace paths
• System environment variables
• Network resources or external APIs

What this skill does NOT do:

• Send data to external services
• Execute arbitrary code
• Modify files outside its workspace

Dependency note: This skill reads observation data from failure-memory skill's workspace ( .learnings/). Install leegitw/failure-memory for full constraint generation functionality. Without failure-memory, constraint generation will have no observation data to process.

Audit logging: Override actions are logged to output/hooks/blocked.log for audit purposes. Logs are stored locally in the workspace only.

Acceptance Criteria#

• /ce check validates action against active constraints
• /ce check blocks when constraint violated, shows reason
• /ce generate creates constraint from eligible observation
• /ce generate applies positive reframing
• /ce status shows circuit breaker state and active constraints
• /ce override creates temporary bypass with audit log
• /ce lifecycle transitions constraint through states
• /ce version increments constraint version preserving history
• Circuit breaker trips at severity-appropriate thresholds
• Workspace files follow documented structure

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Consolidated from 7 skills as part of agentic skills consolidation (2026-02-15).