Workflow Guardian Skill#

Purpose#

Give the agent a system for HOW to work — not just what to do. Every repeating task type gets a defined workflow. Every workflow has rules, checkpoints, and gates. Violations are caught in real time and logged for review.

---

Core Concepts#

ConceptMeaningworkflowOrdered step sequence for a specific task typeruleA do or don't that applies globally or per workflowcheckpointMandatory verification point inside a workflowgateHard stop — cannot proceed until condition is metadvisorySoft warning — log it, do not blockviolationA rule or gate broken during executionpost-fixCorrective action applied after a violation

---

Workflow States#

StateMeaningpendingDefined, not yet startedactiveCurrently executingpausedWaiting on gate condition or owner inputcompletedFinished successfully, all checkpoints passedabortedStopped — violation or owner cancelpost-fixCompleted but violation found, correction in progress

---

Rule Types#

TypeEnforcementWhat happens on breakhard-doMandatory actionGate — workflow stopshard-dontProhibited actionGate — workflow stopssoft-doRecommended actionAdvisory — log + warnsoft-dontDiscouraged actionAdvisory — log + warnglobalApplies to ALL workflowsEither hard or softscopedApplies to one workflow onlyEither hard or soft

---

Folder Structure#

text

workflow-guardian/
  workflows/
    active/                  ← currently defined workflows
      <workflow-id>/
        workflow.md          ← definition: steps, gates, rules
        run-log.md           ← execution history (append-only)
    archived/                ← deprecated workflows (never delete)
    templates/               ← reusable workflow templates
  rules/
    global/
      do.md                  ← global hard/soft dos
      dont.md                ← global hard/soft don'ts
    do/                      ← scoped do rules by workflow
      <workflow-id>.md
    dont/                    ← scoped don't rules by workflow
      <workflow-id>.md
  checkpoints/
    <workflow-id>.md         ← checkpoint definitions per workflow
  violations/
    raw/                     ← captured immediately on detection
      YYYY-MM-DD-<wf>-<slug>/entry.md
    reviewed/                ← processed violations
  hooks/
    pre-task.md              ← runs before any workflow step
    post-task.md             ← runs after any workflow step
    on-violation.md          ← fires immediately on rule break
    on-complete.md           ← fires when workflow completes
  memory/
    schema.json              ← validated memory structure
    index.json               ← runtime state (auto-managed)
  templates/
    workflow.md              ← template for new workflow definitions
    violation-entry.md       ← template for violation entries
  crons/
    active/
    completed/
  WORKFLOW_LOG.md            ← master execution log (append-only)
  RULES_INDEX.md             ← all rules in one place
  STATS.md                   ← compliance rate, violation counts
  SOUL.md                    ← persistent soul context
  AGENT.md                   ← behavioral enforcement rules

---

Slug Format#

Workflow IDs: <category>-<task-type> e.g. code-review, file-creation, api-integration Violation slugs: YYYY-MM-DD-<workflow-id>-<rule-broken>

---

Immediate Violation Capture Rule#

The moment a rule is broken — before any other action:

1. Write to violations/raw/<slug>/entry.md (minimum viable)
2. Fire hooks/on-violation.md
3. If hard rule → GATE: stop workflow, surface to owner
4. If soft rule → ADVISORY: log, warn, continue

---

Post-Fix Protocol#

When a violation is found AFTER workflow completion:

1. Set workflow state to post-fix
2. Write violation entry
3. Determine corrective action
4. Apply fix if autonomous, else escalate
5. Mark workflow completed only after fix confirmed

---

Workflow Definition Requirements#

Every workflow in workflows/active/ MUST define:

• steps[] — ordered list with descriptions
• gates[] — hard stop conditions
• checkpoints[] — verification points
• rules[] — scoped dos and don'ts
• post-fix-policy — what to do if violation found after completion

---

Stats Tracking#

After every workflow completion or violation:

• Update STATS.md compliance rate
• Update memory/index.json
• If compliance rate drops below 80% for any workflow → advisory to owner