Strengthen

Scan spec files for guidance() rules and suggest enforce() replacements backed by real linter rules.

Principle: auto the free wins, nudge for the costs

The dividing line is cost, not strictness. A guidance() → enforce() swap where the linter rule already exists and is enabled is a pure win — free, reversible, no false-positive risk — so apply it (Tier 1 below). Anything that costs something — editing linter config, installing a plugin, or a change that could fail a clean CI — is the user's call: present it with the tradeoff spelled out and let them choose (Tiers 2–4). Never silently edit config, install a dependency, or escalate the repo into strict gating. This is the init enforcement model (structural = on by default, workflow/strict = opt-in) applied at edit time.

Instructions

Step 0: Choose Mode

Ask the user:

> Auto or interactive? > > - Auto — I'll apply all safe changes (direct replacements where the rule is already enabled), commit, and show you the diff. Risky changes (require config edits or plugin installs) go in a summary for you to review. > - Interactive — I'll present each suggestion and you pick which ones to apply.

Default to interactive if the user doesn't specify.

Step 1: Discover What's Installed

Run npx vigiles generate types to get the full list of enabled linter rules in the project. Read .vigiles/generated.d.ts to see every rule available across all detected linters.

Note which linter prefixes appear in the generated types (e.g., EslintRule, RuffRule). You'll only need reference docs for detected linters.

Step 2: Find All Guidance Rules

Find all .spec.ts files in the project (**/*.md.spec.ts). For each file, identify every guidance() rule.

Step 3: Match Against Generated Types (Fast Path)

For each guidance rule, check if an enabled rule in .vigiles/generated.d.ts directly matches. This is the fast, deterministic path — no doc reading needed.

Look for:

• Exact rule name in text — guidance says "no-console" and no-console is in EslintRule
• Semantic match — guidance says "don't use console.log" and no-console is available
• Rule description match — guidance says "unused variables" and no-unused-vars or @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars is available

If a match is found and the rule is in the generated types (meaning it's already enabled), this is a direct replacement — no config changes needed.

Step 4: Read Linter Docs (Slow Path)

For guidance rules that didn't match in Step 3, read the linter reference docs for the project's detected linters:

• ESLint → ../linter-docs/eslint.md
• Stylelint → ../linter-docs/stylelint.md
• Ruff → ../linter-docs/ruff.md
• Pylint → ../linter-docs/pylint.md
• RuboCop → ../linter-docs/rubocop.md
• Clippy → ../linter-docs/clippy.md

Only read docs for linters the project actually uses. Skip docs for linters with no rules in generated types.

Check the plugin tables and decision matrices. The guidance text may describe a pattern covered by:

• A plugin rule that's installed but not enabled
• A plugin that's not installed yet
• A no-restricted-* config pattern (see Step 4b)

Step 4b: no-restricted-* Patterns

Many guidance rules can be enforced via built-in linter config without a custom rule. This is the most common strengthen pattern — "don't do X" maps to a restriction config.

ESLint:

// "Don't import from internal modules"
"no-restricted-imports": ["error", {
  patterns: [{ group: ["src/internal/*"], message: "Use the public API." }]
}],

// "Don't call console.log"
"no-restricted-syntax": ["error", {
  selector: 'CallExpression[callee.object.name="console"]',
  message: "Use the project logger."
}],

// "Don't use moment.js"
"no-restricted-imports": ["error", {
  paths: [{ name: "moment", message: "Use dayjs instead." }]
}],

Ruff:

# "Don't use os.system"
[tool.ruff.lint.flake8-tidy-imports.banned-api]
"os.system".msg = "Use subprocess.run instead."

RuboCop:

# "Don't use puts in production" — if Rails/Output doesn't fit
Custom/NoPuts:
  Enabled: true

When suggesting a no-restricted-* change:

1. Show the exact config edit needed (which file, which section)
2. Show the enforce() rule that references it
3. Note that this changes linter config, not just the spec

Step 5: Present Suggestions

Group the output into tiers:

Tier 1: Direct replacements (rule already enabled — zero risk)

// Before
"no-console": guidance("Use structured logger instead of console.log"),
// After
"no-console": enforce("eslint/no-console", "Use structured logger instead of console.log"),

Tier 2: Config-backed (rule exists but needs config options)

// Spec change:
"no-moment": enforce("eslint/no-restricted-imports", "Use dayjs instead of moment."),

// Config change needed (eslint.config.mjs):
"no-restricted-imports": ["error", {
  paths: [{ name: "moment", message: "Use dayjs instead." }]
}],

Tier 3: Plugin install needed

"cognitive-complexity": guidance("Keep functions simple")
→ Install eslint-plugin-sonarjs, enable sonarjs/cognitive-complexity
→ enforce("eslint/sonarjs/cognitive-complexity", "Keep functions simple")

Tier 4: No match (stays as guidance — candidate for a future rule-synthesis skill)

"research-first": guidance("Google unfamiliar APIs first.")
→ No linter rule can enforce this. Stays as guidance for now.
→ (Custom-rule synthesis is planned but not yet shipped.)

Step 6: Apply Changes

In auto mode:

1. Apply all Tier 1 changes (edit spec files, replace guidance() with enforce())
2. Run npm run build && npx vigiles compile to verify each change compiles
3. If any compilation fails, revert that specific change and report the error
4. Commit all successful changes
5. Present Tier 2-4 as a summary for the user to review

In interactive mode:

1. Present all tiers
2. Ask the user which suggestions to apply
3. For approved Tier 2 changes: edit the linter config, then edit the spec
4. Run npm run build && npx vigiles compile to verify
5. If compilation fails, report the error and revert

For Tier 4 (no match): Tell the user these rules stay as guidance — custom-rule synthesis is a planned skill, not yet available.

Source & license

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

• Author: zernie
• Source: zernie/vigiles
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://vigiles.sh

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