Agent Skills: Karpathy Execution Gate

Karpathy Execution Gate

Role

Run a short discipline gate right before implementation to reduce over-engineering and scope drift.

When to use

• Immediately before the first implementation-runner call for medium/complex tasks
• Re-run when plan assumptions or scope boundaries change

Inputs

• analysisContext.request, analysisContext.signals, analysisContext.estimates
• Current plan artifacts (context.md, task checklist, pending questions)

Gate steps

1. Think Before Coding
   • Restate target outcome and acceptance criteria in 3 lines max.
   • List explicit assumptions and unresolved blockers.
2. Simplicity First
   • Choose the smallest viable approach.
   • Reject optional architecture changes unless required by acceptance criteria.
3. Surgical Changes
   • Define in-scope files and out-of-scope areas.
   • Keep the first implementation batch minimal and reversible.
4. Goal-Driven Execution
   • Create a short milestone order: implement -> verify -> review.
   • Map each milestone to a concrete command or check.
5. TDD Handoff
   • If the work changes observable behavior, hand off to test-driven-development before production code changes.
   • If test-first is infeasible, record the reason and alternate verification path.

Blocking conditions

• Acceptance criteria cannot be stated clearly.
• Required assumptions are unresolved.
• Proposed diff scope is broader than user request without approval.

If blocked, return to planning and resolve blockers before coding.

Output (patch)

karpathyGate:
  status: pass|blocked
  targetOutcome: "..."
  acceptanceCriteria:
    - "..."
  assumptions:
    - "..."
  scope:
    inScopeFiles:
      - "src/..."
    outOfScope:
      - "infra/..."
  milestones:
    - "Implement minimal change"
    - "Run verification"
    - "Run review"
  blockers: []
notes:
  - "karpathy-gate: simplicity=pass, surgical=pass"

Contract

• This gate does not implement code directly.
• Keep output concise and actionable for the next implementation step.