/factors

// the twelve operating rules for agentic software, in four tiers

GAPS CLOSED:J judgmentD durable learningL loop closure

TIER · I - IIIPREPARESet up the environment.

Context

Context Is Everything

Put only task-relevant context in the window.

Track

Track Everything in Git

Keep work state, decisions, and learnings in git.

Scope

One Agent, One Job

Give each agent one bounded job and a fresh window.

TIER · IV - VIBOUNDConstrain what may act.

Privilege

Enforce Least Privilege

Act inside a least-privilege envelope untrusted input cannot widen.

Research

Research Before You Build

Inspect the integration surface before writing code.

Isolate

Isolate Workers

Separate concurrent workers by workspace, context, and state.

TIER · VII - IXSELECTDecide what survives.

Validate

Validate Externally

The worker reports evidence; an independent checker writes the verdict.

Lock

Lock Progress Forward

Turn validated work into the new baseline.

Extract

Extract Learnings

Record what the session learned, not only what it changed.

TIER · X - XIIGOVERNSteer and feed back.

Compound

Compound Knowledge

Wire learnings — positive and negative — back into future work.

Supervise

Supervise Hierarchically

Escalate up a clear tree; a stuck job goes to a fresh agent.

Measure

Measure Outcomes

Track fitness toward goals, not agent activity.

Keep the loop simple. Make it repeatable.

Twelve rules, four tiers, one operating loop, backed by plain files in your repo.