aoa-session-self-repair

Transform a diagnosis packet into a precise repair packet with explicit checkpoints and rollback markers.

aoa-session-self-repair

Intent

Use this skill to author a bounded REPAIR_PACKET.

The repair packet should be small, explicit, reversible where needed, and aligned with checkpoint posture before any important system surface is changed.

Trigger boundary

Use this skill when:

  • a reviewed diagnosis already exists
  • the next honest move is a bounded repair plan or repair-ready packet
  • the route may change skill, playbook, agent, eval, or memo surfaces and needs explicit checkpoint posture
  • the route may need prerequisite repair before later automation becomes honest
  • repair can still be kept inside one bounded execution unit

Do not use this skill when:

  • there is no reviewed diagnosis yet
  • the repair is actually a large scenario rollout better owned by a playbook
  • the route is trying to bypass approval, rollback, or health-check posture
  • the request is vague self-improvement rhetoric with no bounded target

Inputs

  • reviewed diagnosis packet
  • owner-layer candidates
  • risk and approval posture
  • known validation surfaces
  • current rollback anchors if any

Outputs

  • REPAIR_PACKET with target owner repo, smallest diff shape, approval need, rollback marker, health check, and improvement-log stub
  • optional repair quest when execution should remain deferred
  • optional automation-readiness prerequisite packet when the real need is to stabilize a route before later automation scanning or seeding
  • explicit stop conditions and escalation points
  • one REPAIR_CYCLE_RECEIPT using references/stats-event-envelope.md and references/repair-cycle-receipt-schema.yaml
  • one CORE_SKILL_APPLICATION_RECEIPT using references/core-skill-application-receipt-schema.yaml

Procedure

  1. start from the reviewed diagnosis rather than from general aspiration
  2. choose the smallest honest repair shape
  3. name the primary owner repo and target artifact class
  4. record checkpoint posture: constitution or policy check, approval gate, rollback marker, post-change health check, bounded iteration limit, improvement log
  5. if the target route was blocked automation, emit the smallest prerequisite repair that would make later automation classification more honest
  6. define validation and stop conditions
  7. emit a repair quest instead of mutating immediately when risk or approval posture requires it
  8. emit one REPAIR_CYCLE_RECEIPT when the repair packet or repair-quest handoff closes, keeping the receipt smaller than the packet
  9. when the finish path closes, emit one CORE_SKILL_APPLICATION_RECEIPT that points back to the bounded repair receipt and records one finished kernel-skill application

Contracts

  • self-repair is not free self-modification
  • important surface changes must pass checkpoint posture
  • repair packets stay bounded and reviewable
  • role law changes route to aoa-agents
  • proof-law changes route to aoa-evals
  • scenario-scale repair routes to aoa-playbooks
  • repair does not smuggle live automation authority into the packet
  • repair-cycle receipts stay descriptive and append-only
  • generic core receipts stay subordinate to the repair receipt and do not replace checkpoint or repair meaning
  • receipt corrections use supersedes rather than silent overwrite

Risks and anti-patterns

  • silent doctrine edits
  • approval bypass
  • retry loops disguised as repair
  • using repair to hide broader governance debt
  • changing too many surfaces at once
  • letting a repair receipt pretend the repair is already verified when it is only planned

Verification

  • confirm diagnosis exists and is cited
  • confirm the chosen repair is the smallest honest shape
  • confirm checkpoint fields are present
  • confirm validation and rollback posture are named
  • confirm escalation route exists if the repair widens
  • confirm any emitted receipt cites diagnosis and validation refs without duplicating the whole packet
  • confirm any emitted CORE_SKILL_APPLICATION_RECEIPT points to the repair detail receipt and stays finish-only

Technique traceability

Manifest-backed techniques:

  • AOA-T-0082 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 5c6f0496edc3c2e74590baa35627c85fe58ef765 using path techniques/agent-workflows/repair-shape-from-diagnosis/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Intent, Inputs, Outputs, Core procedure, Validation
  • AOA-T-0083 from 8Dionysus/aoa-techniques at 5c6f0496edc3c2e74590baa35627c85fe58ef765 using path techniques/agent-workflows/checkpoint-bound-self-repair/TECHNIQUE.md and sections: Outputs, Contracts, Risks, Validation

Adaptation points

Project overlays may add:

  • local approval classes
  • repo-specific rollback anchors
  • bounded repair templates