scout

Sprint 3 composable skill (v8.16+). Inspired by addyosmani/agent-skills/spec-driven-development. Invoked as /evo:scout and called by the loop macro.

When to invoke

• Cycle goal is one line ("add fan-out to auditor") and details haven't been fleshed out
• The change touches multiple files
• About to make an architectural decision

When NOT to invoke

• Cycle goal already has explicit task list with file paths
• Single-line bug fix
• Pre-defined task from failedApproaches retry queue (the spec already exists)

Workflow

Step	Action	Exit criteria
1	Read cycle goal from .evolve/state.json	Goal extracted
2	List explicit assumptions about scope, stack, constraints	At least 3 numbered assumptions
3	Identify dependency graph (what depends on what)	Dependency tree drawn
4	Surface unknowns + risks	Risks enumerated with mitigation hints
5	Write spec to <workspace>/spec.md	File present, fresh, contains challenge token

Spec format (standalone deliverable)

Spec at <workspace>/spec.md with sections:

• ## Goal (one paragraph)
• ## Assumptions (numbered list)
• ## Dependency Graph (text or ASCII)
• ## Risks (table: risk / likelihood / mitigation)
• ## Out of Scope (explicit deferrals)

Phase facts

Fact	Value
Phase	scout (plan archetype, mandatory)
Persona	agents/evolve-scout.md
Profile	.evolve/profiles/scout.json — CLI codex-tmux, tier balanced, fan-out ×3
Inputs	intent.md
Artifact	scout-report.md (cycle workspace)

Output contract

scout-report.md must declare:

• ## Selected Tasks (also accepted: ## Proposed Tasks)

Composition

Invoked by:

• /evo:scout (when scout-codebase sub-scout runs)
• loop macro skill at calibrate→research transition

This skill does not invoke other personas. It is a workflow used by Scout-class personas.

Reference

For deeper detail see skills/loop/phase1-research.md. The spec format follows addyosmani/agent-skills/spec-driven-development conventions.