autoresearch-code-skill

What I do

I run an autonomous code-optimization loop. Each iteration: read the audit trail → hypothesize one atomic code change → apply → commit → run the benchmark evaluator → run the Guard command → run the Consumer Coverage check → keep the commit if {"pass":true,"score":N} shows improvement AND the guard stays green AND no downstream consumer is broken, else git reset --hard HEAD~1. I am Tier 1 (mechanical evaluator) — every keep/revert decision comes from a program, never from LLM self-judgment. I overlap with tdd-workflow-skill, but I am autonomous-loop-flavored (iterate to a target overnight) where TDD is single-cycle (write-one-test-then-implement).

Triggers

Load me (or route to autoresearch-code-subagent) when the user says any of:

• "optimize code", "optimize until", "iteratively improve"
• "test coverage", "increase coverage to N%"
• "bundle size", "reduce bundle"
• "performance", "reduce runtime", "speed up"
• "fix errors", "reduce error count", "drive failures to zero"
• "autoresearch code", "git-as-memory optimization"

Do not trigger for ML training (→ autoresearch-ml-skill) or literature review (→ autoresearch-research-skill).

Citations

• autoresearch-core-skill/references/evaluator-contract.md — the {"pass":bool,"score":N} shape my benchmark evaluator emits.
• autoresearch-core-skill/references/stuck-detection.md — 3-strike pivot (switch from micro-opt to algorithmic change; target a different hotspot).
• autoresearch-core-skill/references/iteration-safety.md — Verify/Guard separation; never modify .env, node_modules/, or run rm -rf.
• autoresearch-core-skill/references/audit-trail.md — the 8-column TSV I append to (<skill>-results.tsv).
• autoresearch-core-skill/references/crash-recovery.md — syntax error → free fix; guard failure → revert.

Skill-specific overrides

1. TDD mapping (the key override). When the metric is "test pass-count":
   • pass: true GREEN (all targeted tests pass)
   • pass: false RED (any targeted test fails)
   • score pass-count (number of tests passing)
   • This makes tdd-workflow-skill and this skill mechanically equivalent when the metric is test-pass; the difference is I iterate to a target autonomously rather than running one RED→GREEN cycle.
2. Verify vs Guard vs Consumer Coverage. Verify emits {"pass":bool,"score":N} (e.g. pytest --cov → coverage %). Guard is a separate command that must stay green (e.g. npm test). Consumer Coverage is a third mandatory check that enumerates downstream callers of every changed symbol and forces revert on any broken reference. A failing Guard or a failing Consumer Coverage check forces revert regardless of Verify — you cannot trade test-green for a broken downstream consumer.
3. Tier 1 (mechanical evaluator). No agent-as-evaluator fallback.
4. Git-as-memory. Commit before Verify so revert is one command. Never edit the working tree without committing first — an uncommitted change cannot be cleanly reverted.
5. Bounded-by-default. Iterations: 25 default. Lower for fast benchmarks (e.g. Iterations: 10 for npm run build cycles).
6. Consumer Coverage sub-step (mandatory, between Guard and Keep/Revert). Guard is necessary but not sufficient — Guard validates a fixed suite (e.g. npm test), but it cannot detect downstream breakage in code paths the suite does not exercise. The Consumer Coverage sub-step traces the actual call graph of the symbols this iteration touched:
   • With .codegraph/: codegraph_callers on each changed symbol; revert if any caller is broken.
   • Without .codegraph/: grep -r/glob for importers and references of each changed symbol; revert if any grep hit references the old (now-renamed/removed) symbol.
   • Log discard with consumer-broken note in *-results.tsv when this gate forces a revert. Cross-references the agent's implementation in autoresearch-code-subagent.md §Consumer Coverage Gate.

Templates

• autoresearch-code-skill/templates/benchmark.py.template — emits {"pass":bool,"score":N} JSON; parameterized {{COMMAND}}, {{METRIC_NAME}}, {{TARGET_VALUE}}.
• autoresearch-code-skill/templates/research.md.code-template — inline Goal/Scope/Metric/Verify/Guard format with worked examples (coverage, bundle size, runtime).
• autoresearch-code-skill/templates/guard.example.sh — example safety-net pattern (npm test must pass while optimizing bundle size).

NEVER STOP / NEVER ASK

Inherits the core autonomy directive. Once the loop has begun, do not pause to ask whether to continue. The evaluator answers keep/revert mechanically; the human expects you to work until the predicate is met, the plateau+ceiling both trip, or max iterations is reached.

References

• uditgoenka/autoresearch (MIT) — methodology source (command structure, TSV format, keep/revert pattern). Full notice: THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.
• karpathy/autoresearch (MIT) — source for the git-as-memory pattern (commit → verify → keep/reset). Full notice: THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.
• wjgoarxiv/autoresearch-skill (MIT) — inspiration for the strict {"pass":bool,"score":N} evaluator contract. Full notice: THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.md.