Creep Check

Pause. Compare work-in-progress against Path and Delta.

When to Run

Run it when:

• You sense complexity growing
• Implementation touches more files than expected
• You catch yourself saying "while we're at it"

Protocol

1. Find the active workspace file:

   ls workspace/*_active* 2>/dev/null
   

2. Read Anchor—the fixed point:

   • Path: The data transformation
   • Delta: The minimal change

3. Compare against recent work:

   • Am I still on the Path?
   • Am I within Delta?

4. For each addition beyond Path/Delta, ask:

   • Is this on the Path?
   • Does it exceed Delta?

   If yes = creep. Name it. Remove it.

Report

CREEP CHECK

Path: [from workspace]
Delta: [from workspace]

Status: [clean | creeping]

Off Path:
- [list or "none"]

Exceeds Delta:
- [list or "none"]

Action: [continue | remove X | clarify with user]

Creep Signals

Watch for these in your own reasoning:

If creep is found: name it, remove it, continue simpler.