Goat

/goat

Shared Conventions

Read .goat-flow/skill-docs/skill-preamble.md for shared conventions.

Use when the user gives an outcome and needs the right goat-* route. If the user names a skill explicitly (/goat-debug, /goat-review, etc.), route immediately - no classification, no GATHER.

If a symptom tempts code reading, STOP. The dispatcher routes; the routed skill investigates.

| Excuse | Reality | |--------|---------| | "I can see it - routing is overhead" | You are dispatcher, not investigator. Route first. | | "The user said 'just fix it'" | Pressure is not an override. Route to /goat-debug. | | "Time pressure means investigate now" | Routing takes seconds; wrong routing wastes more. | | "Multiple symptoms mean read files" | Split numbered intents; route each separately. |

How It Works

1. UNDERSTAND - classify intent and target. If multiple intents, number each and route independently. Ask only if ordering matters.
2. GATHER - before routing, check:

• Footgun matches: grep .goat-flow/learning-loop/footguns/INDEX.md for the target area; open entries only on hits
• Ask-first boundaries: scan the active instruction file's Ask First boundaries for named files; if none are named, record target-files=unknown
• If any check fails or is unavailable, note gather-degraded and route anyway
• Do not emit the preamble's Relevant prior learnings line - that belongs to the routed skill's Step 0

1. ROUTE - dispatch using the route map. Emit a Route Snapshot (Intent / Route / Rationale), e.g.:

Intent: Diagnose a slow endpoint
Route: /goat-debug
Rationale: "slow" is a symptom to investigate; no file named -> target-files=unknown

Route Map

| Intent | Route | |--------|-------| | Bug, failure, unexpected behaviour | /goat-debug | | Verify a fix worked | /goat-debug (post-fix verification) | | Browser-visible issue | Browser evidence first; /goat-debug Investigate if diagnosis needed | | Understand, explain, explore unfamiliar code | /goat-debug (Investigate mode) | | Quality review, audit, diff check | /goat-review | | Verify a diff/PR before merge | /goat-review | | Multi-perspective critique | /goat-critique | | Security, compliance, dependency audit | /goat-security | | Testing gaps, coverage, verification planning | /goat-qa | | Verify test coverage | /goat-qa | | Feature planning, milestones | /goat-plan | | Bare task path (no action verb) | Bare or ambiguous task paths are read-only context. Do not update .active, milestone status, or code from a path alone | | Build/plan verb + scope | /goat-plan (Step 0 handles complexity and mode) | | Simple implementation (single-file, obvious) | No skill; use execution loop directly | | Simple question | Answer directly |

More examples: /goat-review this diff -> /goat-review (explicit; no GATHER). Look at auth -> /goat-security (assume security audit; offer /goat-review re-route). Debug login test then review fix -> 1. /goat-debug; 2. /goat-review.

Constraints

• MUST respect explicit skill invocations immediately - no reclassification
• MUST NOT inspect source code, read implementation files, or make changes before routing
• MUST understand intent conversationally, not via keyword lookup - 0-2 clarification questions max; route with stated assumption if still ambiguous
• MUST emit a Route Snapshot with every dispatch - Proof Gate applies to route claims
• MUST split multi-intent requests into numbered intents and route each
• MUST pass brief/depth to target skill and preserve context on re-route

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: blundergoat
• Source: blundergoat/goat-flow
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://goat-flow.com

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.