Instructions Catalog

Instructions are persistent, always-on engineering standards. The harness automatically injects the instruction into the LLM context when the open or modified file matches the declared applyTo glob.

Overview Table

Instruction	File	Pattern (applyTo)	Domain Guide	Companion Skill	Description
Think	think.instructions.md	**/think.md	Think & Plan	think	Standards for the Think record: 2 to 4 options, blast radius tiering, decision records, zero source code.
Plan	plan.instructions.md	**/plan.md	Think & Plan	plan	Standards for the Plan record: strictly derived from think.md, explicit file scope, acceptance criteria, atomic steps with no source code, bootability preservation.
Code	code.instructions.md	**/pr.md,**/pull_request_template.md,**/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md	Code	code	Code stage rules: no manual code, green before PR, tests named by acceptance criterion, bounded dependencies, short-lived branches, fix-loop limit.
Prove	prove.instructions.md	**/specs/**/prove.md,**/.github/workflows/**,**/control-guard.json	Prove	prove	Standards for the Prove record (prove.md) and Prove controls: all 8 deterministic controls verified, fixed controls (agents run them but never change them), bug rule, fix-loop limit, criteria cross-checked against plan.md, semantic review across intent/behavior/safety, no line-by-line review claims.
Release	release.instructions.md	**/release.md,**/.github/workflows/release*.yml	Release	release-plan	Deploy is not release, the flag is the release decision, thresholds and rollback are declared before deployment, one issue per release.
Learn	learn.instructions.md	**/incidents/**,**/specs/learn/**	Learn	incident-record, hypothesis-ledger	Incident records and the hypothesis ledger: mitigation before diagnosis, a failing test first, review within five working days, humans decide verdicts, invalidated features are deleted.
Decision Record	decision-record.instructions.md	**/docs/decisions/**	Governance & Decisions	decision-record	Decision records and escalations: AI drafts, the Architect signs.
Meeting Pack	meeting-pack.instructions.md	**/meetings/**,**/docs/glossary.md	Meet	meeting-pack	Standards for client meeting records: immutable transcripts, verbatim client evidence, consent, glossary stewardship, human confirmation.
Triage	triage.instructions.md	**/triage.md,**/specs/triage/**	Triage	triage	Standards for triage artifacts: verbatim evidence, coarse scoring, AI proposes and the Product Owner decides, ledger memory.
Sharp Agent	sharp-agent.instructions.md	**	Code	—	Directives against overengineering, premature abstractions, and token waste.
Node.js Express	node-express.instructions.md	src/**/*.js	Tech Stacks	node-express-examples	Layered microservice architecture, routing, middleware flow, and error envelopes.
Node Unit Tests	node-unit-tests.instructions.md	tests/**/*.js	Testing & Verification	—	Jest test conventions: isolated module unit tests for services, utils, controllers, and middlewares.
Node HTTP API Tests	node-api-tests.instructions.md	tests/routes/**/*.js,tests/api/**/*.js	Testing & Verification	—	Supertest HTTP API route test conventions: endpoint contracts, request/response assertions, and boundary mocking.
PostgreSQL & Liquibase	postgres-liquibase.instructions.md	db/**/*.{sql,xml,yml,yaml}	Tech Stacks	postgres-liquibase-examples	Audited schemas, soft-delete triggers, history trails, and migration changeSet conventions.
PostgreSQL Liquibase Tests	postgres-liquibase-tests.instructions.md	tests/db/**/*.sql	Testing & Verification	—	Deterministic SQL assertion scripts validating migrations against containerized DB.
Docker & Compose	docker.instructions.md	docker/**, **/dockerfile*, scripts/**/*.sh	Tech Stacks	docker-examples	Multi-service Compose stack behind Traefik, BuildKit secret mounts, non-root users.
Angular Admin	angular-admin.instructions.md	**/src/app/**/*.ts	Tech Stacks	angular-admin-examples	Feature-sliced entities, PrimeNG components, dynamic ACL, and app-config registries.
Angular Unit Tests	angular-unit-tests.instructions.md	**/src/**/*.spec.ts	Testing & Verification	—	Vitest unit specs (ng test), isolated testing, mock providers, and component DOM assertions.
Angular E2E Tests	angular-e2e-tests.instructions.md	**/e2e/**/*.ts	Testing & Verification	—	Playwright end-to-end tests covering login, CRUD workflows, and responsive layouts.
Migration Docs	migration-docs.instructions.md	**/docs/migration/**/*.md	Migration	migration-docs	Migration records: strict order, minimal application change, evidence, no secrets, rollback designed in.

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Detailed Specifications by Domain

Normative architectural rules and code examples are maintained in the respective domain guides to preserve single authoritative ownership.

Universal Execution Instructions

• Sharp Agent (sharp-agent.instructions.md): Injected across all files (**). Mandates minimal diffs, token efficiency, zero unrequested dependencies, and test verification before completion. See Code and Controls & Safeguards.

Tech Stack Instructions

• Node.js Express (node-express.instructions.md): Enforces strict separation between routes, mappers/middlewares, and services, standard { rows, total } / { statusCode, message } JSON envelopes, and security headers. Detailed in Node.js & Express Microservices.
• PostgreSQL & Liquibase (postgres-liquibase.instructions.md): Mandates rollbackable changeSets, automatic timestamp audit triggers, and soft deletion. Detailed in PostgreSQL & Liquibase Database Evolution.
• Docker & Compose (docker.instructions.md): Enforces multi-stage builds, non-root users, BuildKit secrets, and Traefik routing. Detailed in Docker & Container Infrastructure.
• Angular Admin (angular-admin.instructions.md): Governs feature-sliced entities, PrimeNG tables, and dynamic ACL. Detailed in Angular Enterprise Admin Portal.

Migration Instructions

• Migration Docs (migration-docs.instructions.md): Governs the assessment, migration plan, and runbook. Enforces the strict record order, the Change Budget, infrastructure-first resolution of gaps, evidence for every inventory row, and a designed rollback. Detailed in Migration.

Automated Testing Instructions

• Node Unit Tests (node-unit-tests.instructions.md): Governs Jest module unit assertions for isolated services and utilities. Detailed in Node.js Module Unit Tests.
• Node HTTP API Tests (node-api-tests.instructions.md): Governs Supertest HTTP route integration assertions. Detailed in Node.js HTTP API Route Tests.
• Angular Unit Tests (angular-unit-tests.instructions.md): Governs colocated Vitest specs. Detailed in Angular Vitest Component Specs.
• Angular E2E Tests (angular-e2e-tests.instructions.md): Governs Playwright Page Object Model suites. Detailed in Angular Playwright End-to-End Tests.
• PostgreSQL Liquibase Tests (postgres-liquibase-tests.instructions.md): Governs SQL forward and rollback assertions. Detailed in PostgreSQL Liquibase Tests.

Think & Plan Instructions

• Think (think.instructions.md) & Plan (plan.instructions.md): Govern the Think record (think.md) and the Plan record (plan.md). Enforce 2 to 4 options, blast radius classification, drafted (never signed) decision records, observable acceptance criteria, atomic steps (Files, Action, Verification, Bootable Check, Serves) without source code, a test plan, and bootability checks before build agents touch code. Detailed in Business Needs to Specifications.

Meeting Pack Instructions

• Meeting Pack (meeting-pack.instructions.md): Governs client meeting records (transcript.md, pack.md, and docs/glossary.md). Enforces an immutable transcript, verbatim client-attributed evidence, recorded consent, no secrets, one-page summaries, glossary stewardship, and the rule that AI structures while people confirm. Detailed in Transcript to Meeting Pack.

Triage Instructions

• Triage (triage.instructions.md): Governs persistent triage artifacts (triage.md, the ledger, and the weights). Enforces clean per-need context, verbatim evidence, coarse 1 to 5 scoring, memory of prior decisions, and the rule that AI proposes while the Product Owner decides. Detailed in Candidate Need to Backlog Issue.

Delivery & Governance Instructions

• Code (code.instructions.md): Developers do not write manual code; green before PR; tests named by their AC-<n>; dependencies declared in the plan; short-lived branches; fix-loop limit of 5. See Code.
• Prove (prove.instructions.md): Governs prove.md and the Prove controls: all 8 deterministic controls verified, controls are fixed and agents never change them, waivers need a reason/approver/expiry, no continue-on-error, no production credentials for agents, the bug rule, and semantic review across Client Intent, Behavioral Experience, and Safety & Blast Radius. See Prove.
• Learn (learn.instructions.md): Incident records and the hypothesis ledger: mitigation before diagnosis, a failing test before the fix, review within five working days, humans decide verdicts, invalidated features are deleted, and every Learn output becomes a Triage issue. See Learn.
• Release (release.instructions.md): Deploy is not release; the flag is the release decision; an immutable versioned artifact; thresholds and rollback declared per change; one issue per release. See Release.
• Decision Record (decision-record.instructions.md): AI drafts, the Architect signs; sequential numbering; escalations name a default date. See Governance & Decisions.