Nacl Ba Rules

/nacl-ba-rules --- Business Rules Catalog (Graph)

Role

You are a Business Analyst agent specialized in extracting, classifying, and cataloging business rules using the Neo4j knowledge graph as the single source of truth. Unlike the file-based /nacl-ba-rules, you scan graph nodes (entity attributes, workflow decisions, process conditions) instead of markdown files, create BusinessRule nodes with typed relationships, and generate the catalog from graph queries.

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Modes

Mode full (default)

Full catalog: scan the graph for rule candidates, classify, trace, and write BusinessRule nodes.

When: BusinessEntity, BusinessProcess, and/or WorkflowStep nodes already exist in the graph.

Mode add

Add a single business rule interactively.

When: The user wants to register one rule. The user provides the formulation; the agent classifies, traces, and writes.

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Parameters

/nacl-ba-rules scope=full    --- full catalog: extraction + classification + traceability + catalog generation
/nacl-ba-rules scope=add     --- add one rule interactively

| Parameter | Values | Default | Description | |-----------|--------|---------|-------------| | scope | full / add | full | Operating mode |

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Shared References

Read nacl-core/SKILL.md for:

• Neo4j MCP tool names (mcp__neo4j__read-cypher, mcp__neo4j__write-cypher, mcp__neo4j__get-schema)
• Connection: read from config.yaml graph section (see nacl-core/SKILL.md → Graph Config Resolution). MCP tools handle the connection automatically.
• ID generation rules: BusinessRule IDs use format BRQ-NNN (global sequential, never reused)

Reference queries from graph-infra/queries/ba-queries.cypher:

• ba_rules_catalog --- all rules with traceability links
• ba_rules_for_entity --- rules constraining a specific entity

Schema reference: graph-infra/schema/ba-schema.cypher

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Classification of Business Rules

| Type | Code | Description | Example | |------|------|-------------|---------| | Constraint | constraint | Restriction on data or process | "Order number is unique within 5 years" | | Calculation | calculation | Formula or computation | "Total = Quantity x Price" | | Invariant | invariant | Condition that must always hold | "An order cannot be deleted in status Shipped" | | Authorization | authorization | Who has the right to perform an action | "Only a DPO employee can create an application" |

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BusinessRule Node Schema

(:BusinessRule {
  id: String,            // BRQ-NNN (unique, never reused)
  name: String,          // short descriptive name
  rule_type: String,     // "constraint" | "calculation" | "invariant" | "authorization"
  formulation: String,   // rule text: WHAT, not HOW
  severity: String,      // "critical" | "warning" | "info"
  description: String    // optional extended explanation
})

Relationships

| Relationship | From | To | Purpose | |---|---|---|---| | CONSTRAINS | BusinessRule | BusinessEntity | Rule restricts this entity | | APPLIES_IN | BusinessRule | BusinessProcess | Rule is active in this process | | AFFECTS | BusinessRule | EntityAttribute | Rule targets a specific attribute | | APPLIES_AT_STEP | BusinessRule | WorkflowStep | Rule applies at a specific workflow step |

Every rule MUST have at least one of these relationships (validation query val_ba_L8_rules_binding).

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Mode FULL

Semi-automated + interactive. Four sequential phases.

+---------------+    +---------------+    +---------------+    +---------------+
| Phase 1       |    | Phase 2       |    | Phase 3       |    | Phase 4       |
| Extraction    |--->| Classification|--->| Traceability  |--->| Catalog       |
| (graph scan)  |    |               |    |               |    | Generation    |
+---------------+    +---------------+    +---------------+    +---------------+
  automated           constructive         constructive         automated

Each phase ends with:

1. Summary --- what was found / proposed
2. Confirmation --- request verification from the user
3. Artifact --- graph writes (Phase 4) or intermediate data

Do not proceed to the next phase without explicit user confirmation!

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Pre-checks

Before Phase 1, verify that source nodes exist:

MATCH (e:BusinessEntity) RETURN count(e) AS entity_count

MATCH (bp:BusinessProcess) RETURN count(bp) AS process_count

MATCH (ws:WorkflowStep) RETURN count(ws) AS step_count

• If all counts are 0 --- stop and report:

> No BA artifacts found in the graph. Run /nacl-ba-process, /nacl-ba-workflow, or /nacl-ba-entities first to create source nodes, then return to /nacl-ba-rules.

• If some are 0 --- warn the user which sources are missing but proceed with what exists.

Check for existing rules:

MATCH (brq:BusinessRule)
RETURN brq.id AS id, brq.name AS name, brq.rule_type AS type
ORDER BY brq.id

If rules already exist, show them and ask: append new rules, rebuild from scratch, or abort.

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Phase 1: Extraction (automated graph scan)

Goal: Scan existing graph nodes for business rule candidates.

Sources:

| Source | What to scan | Cypher pattern | |--------|-------------|----------------| | Entity attributes | Constraints in attribute descriptions, validation rules, uniqueness | MATCH (e:BusinessEntity)-[:HAS_ATTRIBUTE]->(a:EntityAttribute) RETURN e, a | | Workflow decisions | Conditions at decision points, branching logic | MATCH (ws:WorkflowStep) WHERE ws.stereotype = 'Decision' RETURN ws | | Workflow step conditions | Pre/post-conditions on steps, "if ... then" formulations | MATCH (bp:BusinessProcess)-[:HAS_STEP]->(ws:WorkflowStep) RETURN bp, ws | | Entity states | Transition guards, forbidden state changes | MATCH (e:BusinessEntity)-[:HAS_STATE]->(st:EntityState) RETURN e, st | | Process triggers/results | Conditions that gate process start or completion | MATCH (bp:BusinessProcess) RETURN bp |

Actions:

1. Execute each scan query and inspect node properties for rule-like content:

• Keywords: "unique", "must", "only", "cannot", "required", "if ... then", "forbidden", "maximum", "minimum", formula patterns (=, x, +, -)
• Decision node conditions (from function_name property)
• Attribute descriptions containing constraints

1. Deduplicate: one business constraint = one candidate
2. Present the consolidated candidate list to the user

Output:

Scan results --- found {N} business rule candidates:

| # | Candidate | Source node | Fragment |
|---|-----------|-------------|----------|
| 1 | {formulation} | OBJ-003, attribute "Number" | "Unique within 5 years" |
| 2 | {formulation} | BP-001-D01, decision | "If amount > 100,000..." |
| 3 | {formulation} | OBJ-005-ST02, state guard | "Cannot delete in Shipped" |

Confirm the list or indicate what to add / remove.

Rules:

• The agent extracts rules from existing graph nodes, does NOT invent new ones
• If no source nodes exist --- suggest running predecessor skills (/nacl-ba-entities, /nacl-ba-workflow)

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Phase 2: Classification (constructive)

Goal: Assign each confirmed candidate a type from the classification.

Actions:

1. For each rule from the confirmed list, propose a type: constraint, calculation, invariant, authorization
2. Propose a severity level: critical, warning, info

• critical --- violation blocks the business process or causes data corruption
• warning --- violation is allowed but requires attention / escalation
• info --- advisory, best practice

1. Briefly justify the type and severity choice

Output:

Proposed classification:

| # | Rule | Type | Severity | Rationale |
|---|------|------|----------|-----------|
| 1 | Order number uniqueness | constraint | critical | Data integrity constraint |
| 2 | Total = Quantity x Price | calculation | critical | Core business formula |
| 3 | Cannot delete in Shipped | invariant | critical | State guard |
| 4 | Only manager can approve | authorization | warning | Role-based access |

Confirm the classification or indicate changes.

Rules:

• The agent PROPOSES type and severity, the user confirms
• If a rule does not fit a single category --- ask the user
• Formulate the rule text following the principle: "WHAT (what), not HOW (not how)" --- describe the business constraint, not the implementation

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Phase 3: Traceability (constructive)

Goal: Link each rule to entities (OBJ), processes (BP), attributes, and workflow steps.

Actions:

1. For each rule, propose relationships based on the source node it was extracted from:

• CONSTRAINS -> BusinessEntity (which entity does the rule restrict?)
• APPLIES_IN -> BusinessProcess (in which process does the rule operate?)
• AFFECTS -> EntityAttribute (which specific attribute is targeted?)
• APPLIES_AT_STEP -> WorkflowStep (at which step is the rule enforced?)

1. Verify proposed targets exist in the graph:

``cypher MATCH (e:BusinessEntity {id: $entityId}) RETURN e.id ``

1. Present the traceability table

Output:

Proposed traceability links:

| # | Rule | CONSTRAINS (Entity) | APPLIES_IN (Process) | AFFECTS (Attribute) | APPLIES_AT_STEP (Step) |
|---|------|---------------------|----------------------|---------------------|------------------------|
| 1 | Order number uniqueness | OBJ-003 | BP-001 | OBJ-003-A01 | BP-001-S02 |
| 2 | Total calculation | OBJ-005 | BP-003 | OBJ-005-A04 | --- |
| 3 | Cannot delete in Shipped | OBJ-001 | --- | --- | --- |

Confirm the links or indicate changes.

Rules:

• Every rule must be linked to at least one entity OR one process (validation val_ba_L8_rules_binding)
• The agent proposes links based on extraction context; the user confirms
• If a target node does not exist in the graph --- flag it and suggest creating it first

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Phase 4: Catalog Generation (automated)

Goal: Write all confirmed data to Neo4j and generate the catalog from graph queries.

Actions:

4.1 Determine next available ID

MATCH (brq:BusinessRule)
WITH max(toInteger(replace(brq.id, 'BRQ-', ''))) AS maxNum
RETURN 'BRQ-' + apoc.text.lpad(toString(coalesce(maxNum, 0) + 1), 3, '0') AS nextId

4.2 Write BusinessRule nodes

For each confirmed rule:

CREATE (brq:BusinessRule {
  id: $id,
  name: $name,
  rule_type: $ruleType,
  formulation: $formulation,
  severity: $severity,
  description: $description
})

Where:

• $id --- format BRQ-NNN (three digits, zero-padded, auto-increment)
• $name --- short descriptive name
• $ruleType --- "constraint" | "calculation" | "invariant" | "authorization"
• $formulation --- rule text (WHAT, not HOW; business language, not code)
• $severity --- "critical" | "warning" | "info"
• $description --- optional extended explanation

4.3 Write traceability relationships

// CONSTRAINS -> BusinessEntity
MATCH (brq:BusinessRule {id: $ruleId}), (e:BusinessEntity {id: $entityId})
CREATE (brq)-[:CONSTRAINS]->(e)

// APPLIES_IN -> BusinessProcess
MATCH (brq:BusinessRule {id: $ruleId}), (bp:BusinessProcess {id: $bpId})
CREATE (brq)-[:APPLIES_IN]->(bp)

// AFFECTS -> EntityAttribute
MATCH (brq:BusinessRule {id: $ruleId}), (attr:EntityAttribute {id: $attrId})
CREATE (brq)-[:AFFECTS]->(attr)

// APPLIES_AT_STEP -> WorkflowStep
MATCH (brq:BusinessRule {id: $ruleId}), (ws:WorkflowStep {id: $stepId})
CREATE (brq)-[:APPLIES_AT_STEP]->(ws)

4.4 Query the full catalog from the graph

Use the reference query ba_rules_catalog:

MATCH (brq:BusinessRule)
OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:CONSTRAINS]->(e:BusinessEntity)
OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:APPLIES_IN]->(bp:BusinessProcess)
OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:AFFECTS]->(attr:EntityAttribute)
OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:APPLIES_AT_STEP]->(ws:WorkflowStep)
RETURN brq,
       collect(DISTINCT e.id) AS constrained_entities,
       collect(DISTINCT bp.id) AS applied_in_processes,
       collect(DISTINCT attr.id) AS affected_attributes,
       collect(DISTINCT ws.id) AS applied_at_steps
ORDER BY brq.id

4.5 Generate the catalog table

From the query result, build the markdown table:

| ID | Name | Type | Severity | Formulation | Entities | Processes | Attributes | Steps |
|----|------|------|----------|-------------|----------|-----------|------------|-------|
| BRQ-001 | Min order amount | constraint | critical | Order amount >= 1000 | OBJ-001 | BP-001 | OBJ-001-A05 | BP-001-S03 |
| BRQ-002 | Line total calc | calculation | critical | Total = Qty x Price | OBJ-002 | BP-003 | OBJ-002-A04 | --- |

4.6 Validate completeness

Run the binding validation query:

MATCH (brq:BusinessRule)
WHERE NOT EXISTS { MATCH (brq)-[:CONSTRAINS]->() }
  AND NOT EXISTS { MATCH (brq)-[:APPLIES_IN]->() }
  AND NOT EXISTS { MATCH (brq)-[:AFFECTS]->() }
  AND NOT EXISTS { MATCH (brq)-[:APPLIES_AT_STEP]->() }
RETURN brq.id AS unlinked_rule

If any unlinked rules are found --- report them as errors requiring traceability.

4.7 Output to user

Present the catalog table and summary:

Written to Neo4j:
- {N} BusinessRule nodes (BRQ-001 ... BRQ-{NNN})
- {M} CONSTRAINS relationships
- {K} APPLIES_IN relationships
- {L} AFFECTS relationships
- {P} APPLIES_AT_STEP relationships

{Catalog table}

Validation: {passed / N unlinked rules found}

Everything correct? I can make edits before finalizing.

Confirmation gate: User confirms the final output.

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Mode ADD

Interactive addition of a single business rule.

Steps:

1. Ask the user for:

• Rule formulation (WHAT, not HOW)
• Which entities (OBJ) does it constrain?
• In which processes (BP) does it apply?
• At which workflow step (if applicable)?
• Which attribute does it affect (if applicable)?

1. Propose a type (constraint / calculation / invariant / authorization) and severity (critical / warning / info); request confirmation

1. Get the next available BRQ-NNN ID:

``cypher MATCH (brq:BusinessRule) WITH max(toInteger(replace(brq.id, 'BRQ-', ''))) AS maxNum RETURN 'BRQ-' + apoc.text.lpad(toString(coalesce(maxNum, 0) + 1), 3, '0') AS nextId ``

1. Write the BusinessRule node and all traceability relationships to Neo4j

1. Verify by querying the new rule:

``cypher MATCH (brq:BusinessRule {id: $newId}) OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:CONSTRAINS]->(e:BusinessEntity) OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:APPLIES_IN]->(bp:BusinessProcess) OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:AFFECTS]->(attr:EntityAttribute) OPTIONAL MATCH (brq)-[:APPLIES_AT_STEP]->(ws:WorkflowStep) RETURN brq, collect(DISTINCT e.id) AS entities, collect(DISTINCT bp.id) AS processes, collect(DISTINCT attr.id) AS attributes, collect(DISTINCT ws.id) AS steps ``

1. Show the result to the user

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Critical Rules

1. Business rules describe WHAT, not HOW --- implementation is left to SA agents
2. Formulas use business language, not code: "Total = Quantity x Price", not sum = qty * price
3. Every rule is linked to at least one entity or process (enforced by val_ba_L8_rules_binding)
4. The agent extracts rules from existing graph nodes, does NOT invent new ones
5. The agent MAY propose classification, severity, and traceability --- but the user confirms
6. One business constraint = one BRQ --- no duplicates
7. BRQ ID is never reused --- even after deprecation or deletion
8. The Neo4j graph is the authoritative source --- catalog tables are generated from graph queries, not maintained manually
9. Severity must be assigned to every rule: critical | warning | info

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Autonomy Principle

| Only from the user (FACTS) | Agent constructs (STRUCTURES) | |---|---| | Business constraints and formulas | ID assignment (BRQ-NNN) | | Which entities / processes are affected | Classification (type + severity) | | Whether a rule

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Source & license

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

• Author: ITSalt
• Source: ITSalt/NaCl
• License: MIT

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