chief-autopilot

Run the chief-agent autonomously on the current milestone.

Arguments

• No argument or auto → auto mode (default). Chief makes all decisions, never stops for human input.
• safe → safe mode. Chief stops when ambiguity requires a design decision.

Prerequisite Check

Before doing anything:

1. Identify the active milestone directory under .chief/.
2. Check that _goal/ has at least one non-empty file.
3. Check that _contract/ has at least one non-empty file.

If either is missing → STOP. Tell the user:

"Goals and contracts are required for autopilot. Run /chief-plan first."

Do NOT proceed.

Entry Confirmation

Present the current goals and contracts to the user in a brief summary (file names + 1-line description each).

Ask one question:

"Goals and contracts look correct? Proceed with full automation, or use /chief-plan to revise first?"

If the user says revise → stop. If the user confirms → proceed.

Execution Loop

1. Create or update TODO

Read existing _plan/_todo.md if present. Create the next batch of 3–5 tasks based on goals, contracts, and what's already done.

Write _plan/_todo.md. Do NOT wait for approval — this is autopilot.

2. Delegate to builder-agent

For each uncompleted task in _todo.md:

• Delegate to builder-agent with:
  • The TODO entry
  • Milestone goals (_goal/)
  • Milestone contracts (_contract/)
  • Relevant global rules (.chief/_rules/)
  • Verification expectations
• Wait for builder to complete
• Mark task [x] in _todo.md when done

3. Handle blockers and ambiguity

Auto mode:

• If builder reports a blocker or ambiguity → chief-agent picks the best option and continues.
• Document the decision in the batch report (see below).
• Builder-agent should escalate to chief-agent when possible before giving up.

Safe mode:

• If builder reports a blocker or ambiguity → STOP and present the issue to the user with options.
• Wait for user decision, then continue.

4. Repeat

After completing a batch, check if the milestone goals are fully met:

• If more work remains → go back to step 1, create next batch.
• If goals are met → write final batch report and stop.

Batch Report

After each batch (or when stopping), write a report to:

.chief/<milestone>/_report/autopilot-run-batch-<N>.md

Where <N> is the next available number (1, 2, 3...).

The report MUST contain these sections:

# Autopilot Run Batch <N>

## Mode
auto | safe

## Summary
What was accomplished in this batch.

## Tasks Completed
- task-1: ...
- task-2: ...

## Decisions Made (auto mode only)
For each ambiguity encountered:
- **Issue:** what was ambiguous
- **Options:** what choices existed
- **Chosen:** which option was picked
- **Reason:** why

## Backlog
Remaining work not yet done.

## User Action Needed
Items that require human decision or manual intervention.

Rules

• NEVER start without goals and contracts existing.
• NEVER skip the entry confirmation.
• In auto mode, NEVER stop for human input — make decisions and document them.
• In safe mode, ALWAYS stop on ambiguity — never guess.
• Follow the rules hierarchy: AGENTS.md > .chief/_rules > milestone goals.
• Builder-agent handles all implementation. Chief NEVER writes code.
• Tester-agent is NOT used unless the user explicitly requests it.