work-issues — one autonomous iteration

Do exactly one AFK task end-to-end, then stop. Headless wrappers (bin/loop.sh, bin/once.sh) read this same file as their prompt — keep workflow rules here only.

Inputs

You need two things in context:

• Issues: every *.md under issues/ (or whatever the project uses). AFK-eligible only — skip anything tagged HITL.
• Recent commits: last ~5 commits, so you don't repeat or undo prior work.

Headless mode pre-pastes both into the prompt. Interactive mode (e.g. /work-issues) — gather them yourself:

git log -n 5 --format="%H%n%ad%n%B---" --date=short
ls issues/*.md  # then read the relevant ones

If issues/ doesn't exist, ask the user where the queue lives or whether to run prd-to-issues first. Don't invent tasks.

Done check

If no AFK tasks remain, output exactly <promise>NO MORE TASKS</promise> and stop. The loop runner uses this string to exit cleanly.

Task selection — pick one, in priority order

1. Critical bugfixes
2. Dev infrastructure (tests, types, dev scripts) — unblocks feature work
3. Tracer bullets — thin end-to-end slice through every layer of a new feature
4. Polish and quick wins
5. Refactors

Exploration

Read before editing. Open the issue, files it references, and adjacent code. Don't guess at structure.

Implementation

If the task fits TDD (testable behavior change), use the tdd skill. Otherwise: smallest correct change, then verify.

Don't bundle unrelated work. If you find a second problem, append a note to its issue file or open a new one — don't fix it now.

Feedback loops

Detect and run the project's loops before committing:

• Node: scripts in package.json (e.g. npm test, npm run typecheck, npm run lint)
• Python: pytest, ruff, mypy per pyproject.toml / Makefile
• Go: go test ./..., go vet ./...
• Rust: cargo test, cargo clippy
• Other: whatever the README or CI uses

Don't commit a red build. If a loop fails for reasons unrelated to your change, note it in the commit message and the issue file — don't suppress.

Commit

One commit per iteration. Message must include:

1. Key decisions and why
2. Files changed (high-level summary)
3. Blockers or notes for next iteration

Do not add Claude as a co-author.

Rubric check (if a sibling rubric exists)

If issues/NNN-*.rubric.md exists alongside the issue, walk its criteria after the commit and report unmet items in the iteration summary. Do not gate the commit on unmet items — surface, don't block. The rubric is a sharper restatement of acceptance criteria; the human decides whether unmet items are blockers or follow-ups.

Issue housekeeping

• Complete → move to issues/done/ (create if missing). Sibling *.rubric.md (if present) moves alongside.
• Incomplete → append a dated note: what you did, what remains, blockers.

Hard rules

• One task per iteration.
• No destructive git ops (reset --hard, push --force, branch deletion) unless the issue explicitly authorizes them.
• Unexpected repo state (uncommitted work you didn't make, detached HEAD, in-progress merge/rebase) → stop, write an issue describing it, exit. Don't guess.
• The runner halts before this skill is entered when a STOP sentinel exists; no need to check yourself.