Disposable Distill — Phase 3: Synthesize

Transform autopsy findings into a structured improvement specification that guides the next iteration or production implementation.

Prerequisites

• Completed autopsy: .disposable/cycles/cycle_{N}/autopsy-report.json must exist
• Template: references/distill-template.md in disposable-cycle skill

Procedure

Step 1: Load Autopsy Context

1. Determine cycle: use $ARGUMENTS if provided, otherwise read latest from .disposable/history.json
2. Load autopsy report from .disposable/cycles/cycle_{N}/autopsy-report.json
3. Load spike metrics from .disposable/cycles/cycle_{N}/spike-complete.json
4. If parentCycleId exists in metrics, load previous cycle's distill spec for delta analysis

Step 2: Extract Constraints

From autopsy findings, extract discovered constraints:

1. Hard constraints (priority: must): From critical and major findings
   • Security violations → security constraints
   • Correctness failures → behavioral constraints
   • Architecture issues → structural constraints
2. Soft constraints (priority: should/could): From minor and info findings
   • Performance patterns → optimization targets
   • Readability issues → style guidelines
   • Documentation gaps → documentation requirements

Format each constraint with:

• ID: C-{NNN}
• Description
• Source: axis name and finding ID
• Severity: must / should / could

Step 3: Identify Architecture Decisions

From autopsy architecture, maintainability, and dependency-hygiene axes:

1. Extract decisions that emerged naturally in the prototype
2. For each decision:
   • Context: Why this decision was forced or emerged
   • Decision: What the prototype chose
   • Rationale: Evidence from autopsy scores and findings
   • Trade-offs: What was sacrificed
3. Compare with previous cycle's decisions (if any) to detect:
   • Confirmed decisions (same choice, improved score)
   • Reversed decisions (different choice this cycle)
   • New decisions (not present in previous cycle)

Step 4: Extract Interface Contracts

From the spike code and autopsy correctness / testability axes:

1. Extract type signatures, API shapes, protocol definitions
2. Mark contracts as:
   • Validated: Tests exist and pass
   • Assumed: No test coverage, derived from code
   • Disputed: Test failures or autopsy findings suggest issues

Step 5: Document Rejected Options

From autopsy findings and prototype exploration:

1. List approaches that were tried or considered but rejected
2. For each:
   • What the option was
   • Why it was rejected (evidence from findings)
   • Under what conditions it might be reconsidered

Step 6: Compile Implementation Notes

Insights that must carry forward:

• Non-obvious behaviors discovered during spike
• Gotchas and edge cases
• Environment-specific requirements
• Performance characteristics observed

Step 7: Identify Open Questions

Unresolved items that need investigation:

• Assumptions that need validation
• Trade-offs that need user input
• Dependencies on external factors

Step 8: Generate Distill Specification

Using references/distill-template.md, produce the specification:

1. Fill all template sections
2. Include cycle metadata (ID, timestamp, parent cycle)
3. Cross-reference finding IDs from autopsy report
4. Ensure every constraint has an evidence trail

Step 9: Save & Report

1. Write specification to .disposable/cycles/cycle_{N}/distill-spec.md
2. Mask sensitive data:

   node {plugin_root}/scripts/dist/mask-sensitive.mjs \
     .disposable/cycles/cycle_{N}/distill-spec.md --in-place

3. Present to user:
   • Constraint count by severity
   • Architecture decisions (new / confirmed / reversed)
   • Interface contracts status
   • Open questions requiring input
   • Recommendation: iterate (another spike) or graduate (to production)

Output

• .disposable/cycles/cycle_{N}/distill-spec.md — improvement specification
• Ready for next /disposable-spike cycle or production implementation

Graduation Criteria

Recommend graduating to production when:

• Previous autopsy verdict was PASS
• No must constraints remain unaddressed from prior cycles
• Architecture decisions are stable (no reversals in last 2 cycles)
• Interface contracts are all validated
• Open questions are resolved or deferred by user decision

Otherwise recommend iterating with another disposable spike.