/ship-change — Disciplined Change Procedure

Invoke with: /ship-change <task description>

This skill implements a disciplined change procedure. It prevents "Claude says done too early" — the most common MetaVibing failure mode.

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Procedure

1. Understand

Before writing a single line of code:

• Restate the task in your own words.
• Identify which files are in scope.
• Identify which files are explicitly out of scope.
• State any architectural constraints that apply (from CLAUDE.md or relevant rules).
• Ask one clarifying question if the task is ambiguous — only one.

2. Implement

• Make the smallest change that satisfies the task.
• Do not refactor unrelated code.
• Do not touch files outside the stated scope.

3. Test

• Run the relevant test suite.
• If no tests exist for the changed behavior, write at least one.
• If tests fail, fix them before proceeding.
• Distinguish pre-existing failures from newly introduced ones.

4. Inspect diff

Run:

git diff

Verify:

• No unintended files were modified.
• No debug code, commented-out blocks, or TODO stubs were left in.
• No secrets or local config were included.

5. Review

Read through the diff as if you are a critical reviewer who did not write the code. Ask:

• Does this actually solve the task?
• Does it introduce any new bugs or regressions?
• Is it consistent with the project's architectural conventions?

For non-trivial changes, delegate this step to the final-reviewer subagent instead of self-reviewing.

6. Report

Write a concise completion report:

## Change: <task>
**Files changed:** <list>
**Tests run:** <pass/fail summary>
**Diff size:** +N / -N lines
**Notes:** <anything the human should know>

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What This Prevents

Failure	How this skill prevents it
Claiming done without running tests	Step 3 is explicit and required
Touching unrelated files	Step 1 scopes the work; Step 4 inspects for drift
Forgetting to report	Step 6 is non-optional
Missing architectural violations	Step 5 catches them via explicit review