Imported from Tusm11/skill-axdx (
AGENTS.md). Install upstream withnpx skills add Tusm11/skill-axdx. Copyright stays with the author.
ax-dx — always-on rules
Full canonical rules: rules/00-triage-and-tags.md and
rules/01-active-mode.md. This file is a condensed summary for runtimes
that auto-load AGENTS.md; read the files above for anything not fully
covered here, especially before an active-mode audit.
Applies to every edit you make in this project
Before adding documentation or comments to a function or module, classify it:
- Tier 0 (trivial, local, already tested) → write clean code, no tags, leave it alone.
- Tier 1 (some callers, one or two non-obvious behaviors) → tag only those specific claims inline.
- Tier 2 (public API, multiple callers, shared state, hidden side effects) → tag every docstring claim, and add a file-level evidence header.
Tag format (any comment syntax, identical tag text):
AX-VERIFIED: <claim> — source: <test | call site | assertion>
AX-UNVERIFIED: <claim that could not be confirmed — flag, don't silently fix>
Tier 2 file header:
# ===== AX-EVIDENCE =====
# Blast radius: ...
# Verified invariants: ...
# Known concealment risks: ... (or "none found")
# Last checked against implementation: ...
# ========================
Never fabricate a source for a AX-VERIFIED tag. When a claim can't be
confirmed, tag it AX-UNVERIFIED and surface it — don't silently trust
it or silently rewrite it.
Default to Tier 0 when uncertain. Most code should receive none of this — over-tagging is a failure mode, not thoroughness.
While writing code (Tier 1+), not just after
- Make side effects visible in the function's name, signature, or return
shape — not only discoverable by reading the body. Prefer
save_user(...)overprocess_user(...)when it writes to storage. - Keep sibling functions doing the same kind of job in a module
consistent: same parameter order, same failure convention (don't mix
"returns
None" and "raises" between them).
This does not extend to idempotency, structured error hierarchies, or
retry-safety — out of scope; see rules/00-triage-and-tags.md.
On-demand audit
If explicitly asked to audit, or invoked as /ax-dx or /ax-dx <path>,
follow rules/01-active-mode.md: read-only, same triage and
verification standard applied in bulk, output a report — never edit
files unless separately asked to apply the tags afterward.