assert

/assert - Independent Outcome-Based Assertion

Codex asserts independently in an isolated worktree. Claude Code orchestrates and synthesizes. Emits a ternary Gate decision (Ready / Ready (caveat) / NotReady) from reconciled static + dynamic evidence.

Input and Mode

Use --base <branch> as the base branch when given, otherwise main. Scope is determined from $ARGUMENTS per the table below.

$ARGUMENTS	Mode	Scope
file path	target	The single file (regardless of git tracking state)
directory	target	git ls-files <path> output (recursive, .gitignore respected, tracked only)
omitted, uncommitted changes exist	diff	Changed files (uncommitted)
omitted, commits ahead of base branch	diff	Changed files (branch diff)
omitted, no changes	-	Abort

Pre-flight

Outcome-based assertion needs the outcome it is asserting against. Read .claude/OUTCOME.md before Phase 0 to establish what "done" means for the repo.

Condition	Action
.claude/OUTCOME.md exists	Read and cache the Behavior / Non-goals / Constraints sections
.claude/OUTCOME.md absent	Generate stub via /outcome, then proceed
Behavior empty or all sections TBD	Treat as absent. Run /outcome
Asserted change touches a Non-goal	Flag in report as Intent Assertion finding; let Phase 4 decide if it blocks
Asserted change violates a Constraint	Promote as [adversarial] finding (Issues>0 routes to NotReady)

Phases

Phases whose Mode column is parallel (required) issue all Task / Bash / Codex exec calls concurrently within a single response (sequential invocation negates the fan-out and doubles wall time).

Phase	Action	Executor	Mode	Depends On	Detail
pre	OUTCOME.md read	orchestrator (Read)	sequential	-	Pre-flight section above
0	Bootstrap worktree	orchestrator (Bash)	sequential	pre	${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-0.md
1	Evidence collection	Codex CLI + audit agents	parallel (required)	Phase 0	${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-1.md
2	Deep assertion	Codex CLI + audit agents	parallel (required)	Phase 1	${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-2.md
3	Intent assertion	orchestrator (Claude Code)	sequential	Phase 2	${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-3.md
4	Evidence synthesis	enhancer-evidence	single task	Phase 3	${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-4.md
final	Worktree cleanup	orchestrator (Bash)	sequential	Always	${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-0.md § Cleanup

Report

The leader does not generate the gate itself; it decodes the JSON decision block returned by enhancer-evidence and relays it verbatim. The template is ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/templates/report-template.md. All gate-related rules are consolidated in ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-4.md.

Looking for	Section in phase-4.md
Ready / Ready (caveat) / NotReady decision rule	§ Gate Rule
JSON decision block decode procedure	§ Gate Decode
Gate routing on bootstrap failure	§ Bootstrap Failure Handling
When to state gate = Ready in completion message	§ /goal Integration

Error Handling

Error	Recovery
codex not installed	Print install instructions, abort
Bootstrap fail / env	Skip Phase 1c + 2a, continue static-only. Gate routing is ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-4.md § Bootstrap Failure Handling
Bootstrap fail / build smoke	Skip Phase 1c + 2a. Gate routing is ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/phase-4.md § Bootstrap Failure Handling
Bootstrap timeout (780s overall)	Treat as build smoke fail if the build had started; otherwise as env fail
Codex review fails	Log error, proceed with audit reviewers only
Codex exec timeout (600s)	Skip that phase, log in report
Reviewer stall (120s)	Proceed without, log warning
Challenger stall	Proceed with verifier only
Verifier stall	Proceed with challenger only
Integrator stall	Leader synthesizes manually (simplified report)
Worktree cleanup fails	Log warning, suggest manual cleanup

Escalation

Condition	Action
Any issue (challenger / verifier / adversarial)	Block merge, suggest /fix
Architectural root causes found	Suggest /think for design review
Adversarial tests reveal coverage gap	Suggest /code to add tests
gate = Ready (caveat)	Re-run /assert after restoring environment (or accept dynamic-evidence gap consciously)

Completion Criteria

End only when all of the following hold. Record the reason in the report for any item that cannot be met.

Item	Criterion
Mode	Detected target / diff
Bootstrap	Attempted (success or failure reflected in gate)
Phase 1	Collected static + dynamic evidence
Phase 2	Ran challenger / verifier
Phase 4	Decoded the enhancer-evidence JSON decision
Gate	Displayed the ternary gate
Worktree	Cleaned up (on failure, present manual steps)