The method has a shape.
Capable agents still improvise. The practice replaces improvisation with a loop — four moves the runtime already makes, run in the same order every day.
- scout 01
- A tension in; three routes and one recommendation out.
- gate 02
- Nothing passes unverified.
- log 03
- The decision, written to the record.
- seed 04
- The lesson planted where tomorrow reads it.
The method is encoded, not remembered.
Nothing passes the gate unverified.
Every decision leaves a record; every lesson leaves a seed.
Tomorrow's session begins where today's ended.
The loop, one move at a time.
The same four moves, up close — what each actually does, and the mechanics behind it.
Move 01 · the loop opens
scout
A tension in — routes out.
You bring a tension, not a solution. /strategic-scout names three routes with their real tradeoffs, then commits to one — reasoned in the open, before a line is written.
dojo ~ /strategic-scout
Tension: choose between SQLite and Postgres for the new service.
Scout is analyzing 3 routes…
Route 1 — SQLite embedded
Zero ops. Single binary. Limit: no concurrent writers.
Route 2 — Postgres managed
Full SQL. Connection pooling. Cost and ops overhead.
Route 3 — SQLite now, migrate later
Ship today. Abstract the storage interface. Migrate when metrics justify.
Recommendation: Route 3. Ship with SQLite, keep the interface clean.
Move 02 · nothing passes unseen
gate
Verified, or it does not move.
Between deciding and shipping stands the gate. Pre-flight checks, compilation gates, and audits run before any change lands — and the skills meet the same bar: all 101 rated A+, revalidated on every write.
Move 03 · reasoning kept
log
The decision, on the record.
Every consequential choice is written as a short Architecture Decision Record — context, routes weighed, the call, the consequences. Reflection is a step, not an afterthought; the record outlives the session that made it.
Move 04 · the loop closes
seed
The lesson, planted.
What the session learned becomes a seed the next session reads on its own. Seeds gather into trails; the MCP layer ships them as behavioral patches. Memory persists across machines, so each session leaves seeds for the next.
dojo ~ /garden seeds
23 seeds planted. 8 cultivated this week.
Latest: "compilation-as-contract" — planted 2h ago
Read on the first run of tomorrow's session.
The practice compounds.
Discipline you keep does two things — it shows up as rank, and it lives in the files the model reads. Nothing is re-derived.
Method you keep shows up as progress.
/sensei tracks your belt, your XP toward the next, and your streak — small proof the discipline is compounding. The orchestration guide runs alongside it as a graded curriculum, first session to production.
White belt to black — you are at green, four of eight.
dojo ~ /sensei
Green Belt
"Ship small, learn fast, correct course."
Streak: 12 days
The method is encoded, not remembered
What a skill looks like.
A skill is a structured working method — not a prompt template, not a chain, not a wrapper. It defines phases, outputs, quality gates, and decision points. Across 11 plugins and 101 skills, the discipline lives in the file the model reads, not a memory that resets.
Begin with a tension, not a solution.
---
name: strategic-scout
description: Explore tensions, scout routes, decide
model: opus
category: strategic-thinking
outputs:
- Scout document with 3–5 routes
- Architecture Decision Record
---
# Strategic Scout
Begin with a tension, not a solution.
The shape takes a morning to learn — and every morning after to keep.