# Agent instructions + loop state

Everything an AI agent needs to work on Nomarchy, vendor-neutral and
git-tracked. Protocol: **[LOOP.md](LOOP.md)**. Entry point for every
harness: repo-root **[AGENTS.md](../AGENTS.md)**.

## Instructions (how to work)

| File | Who writes | Role |
|------|------------|------|
| [LOOP.md](LOOP.md) | Human | One-iteration protocol (orient → pick → work → verify → commit → record) + the V0–V3 ladder |
| [VERIFICATION.md](VERIFICATION.md) | Human (agents propose) | Enforcement: preflight, honesty rules, visual protocol, hardware-blocked checks, reporting |
| [DELEGATION.md](DELEGATION.md) | Human (agents propose) | Capability tiers, scout/runner roles, token economy, parallel fan-out |
| [GOALS.md](GOALS.md) | Human (agents propose) | Pillars, quality bars, non-goals |
| [CONVENTIONS.md](CONVENTIONS.md) | Human (agents propose) | How to write code/menu/state while shipping |
| [THEME-DESIGN.md](THEME-DESIGN.md) | Human (agents propose) | Theme/visual design instructions |

## State (what's happening)

| File | Who writes | Role |
|------|------------|------|
| [BACKLOG.md](BACKLOG.md) | Both | **Prioritized queue** — only executable work list |
| [JOURNAL.md](JOURNAL.md) | Agents | Append-only iteration log (read last 3–5 entries; older → [JOURNAL-ARCHIVE.md](JOURNAL-ARCHIVE.md)) |
| [MEMORY.md](MEMORY.md) | Agents | Curated durable gotchas |
| [HARDWARE-QUEUE.md](HARDWARE-QUEUE.md) | Agents append, human checks | On-hardware V3 tests only Bernardo can run |

## Product / design docs (not a queue)

| File | Role |
|------|------|
| [../docs/VISION.md](../docs/VISION.md) | v1.0 product themes — agents slice into BACKLOG PROPOSED |
| [../docs/ROADMAP.md](../docs/ROADMAP.md) | Design history + shipped log |
| [../docs/README.md](../docs/README.md) | Full docs map |

## Harness adapters (vendor-specific, thin)

Shared content never lives in an adapter — adapters only register/route
into the files above, in whatever format their harness requires.

| Path | Harness | Role |
|------|---------|------|
| [../AGENTS.md](../AGENTS.md) | any | Entry point (`CLAUDE.md` is a symlink to it) |
| [../.claude/settings.json](../.claude/settings.json) | Claude Code | Tool permissions |
| [../.claude/agents/](../.claude/agents/) | Claude Code | `nomarchy-scout` / `nomarchy-runner` role defs (contracts in [DELEGATION.md](DELEGATION.md)) |

Do **not** put backlog items, vision text, or policy under an adapter
directory — it is not shared with other agent runners.

## Rules of thumb

1. **Execute** from BACKLOG only (NOW → NEXT; never PROPOSED without human triage).
2. **Orient** with GOALS + CONVENTIONS + MEMORY + last journal + BACKLOG; when the task is product-shaped, also read the relevant **VISION §**.
3. **Record** lasting design in ROADMAP ✓ when something ships that future humans should know; delete the BACKLOG line.
4. **v1 branch** is human-only — never advance from an agent session.