probe Reference

Probe Types

Type What is probed Typical steps Containment
architecture Structural feasibility — can this design hold? Scaffold minimal implementation, run against real constraints Worktree isolation, no prod writes
library Fit of an external library or tool Install, write minimal integration test, observe behavior Sandboxed env, pinned version
prompt LLM behavior under specific conditions Run prompt variants, collect outputs, compare against criteria Stateless, no persistent writes
integration Compatibility between two systems Send minimal real requests, observe response shape and error surface Read-only or staging environment
design User or team response to a design decision Prototype minimal artifact, present to stakeholder, sense reaction No code commitment

All probe types: safe-to-fail, minimal footprint, reversible by default. If a step cannot be reversed, it must be explicitly approved at Phase 1 entry gate.

Observability Format

Every probe emits this format at Phase 1 plan presentation and Phase 2 exit gate:

🔬 Probe → [constraints] → [steps] → [patterns] → [result] → GATE

Examples:

🔬 Probe → [worktree, no prod writes] → [scaffold adapter, run unit tests] → [error surface, type compatibility] → confirmed → GATE
🔬 Probe → [staging env, read-only] → [send 3 API requests, inspect response] → [rate limit hit at step 2] → surprise → GATE

Fields:

  • constraints: enabling constraints from Phase 1.2 (comma-separated, abbreviated)
  • steps: probe steps executed (comma-separated, abbreviated)
  • patterns: what emerged (observations, not conclusions)
  • result: confirmed | refuted | partial | surprise
  • GATE: signals human checkpoint — always present, always last

Input Quality Table

Five elements required for a valid probe. If any are missing or weak, the agent asks or proposes — never skips.

Element Strong input Weak/missing input Agent fallback
Hypothesis Specific, falsifiable statement: “X will behave like Y under condition Z” Vague goal: “I want to see if this works” AskUserQuestion: “State one specific hypothesis — what do you believe is true, and under what condition?”
Enabling constraints Named: scope, reversibility boundary, time box Absent or implied Agent proposes based on context: “I suggest constraining to [worktree / staging / 30 min]. Confirm or adjust.”
Confirm/refute criteria Observable signals defined before execution “We’ll know it works when it works” Agent proposes: “Confirmed if [X]. Refuted if [Y]. Surprise if [Z]. Revise or proceed?”
Prior probe results Carried from probe-to-probe-llm.md handoff context First cycle — none expected Skip gracefully: no prior context needed on first invocation
Scope boundary Explicit system/component boundary stated Unbounded (“the whole system”) Agent proposes minimum viable scope: “I suggest scoping to [component]. Expand if needed.”

Fallback rule: agent asks or proposes — user validates. Never skip an element silently. Never assume a hypothesis the user did not state.

Self-Transition Protocol

When result is partial and a refined hypothesis is identifiable:

  1. Write full probe result to a thinking artifact file (e.g., thinking/probes/{project}/{date}-{slug}-llm.md). On collision, append -2, -3, etc.
  2. Fill probe-to-probe-llm.md with:
    • Refined hypothesis (sharpened, not repeated)
    • Carried enabling constraints (unchanged unless probe discovered new ones)
    • What was confirmed (do not re-test)
    • What was refuted (do not retry)
    • New angle to probe
  3. Re-invoke probe with the filled handoff as $ARGUMENTS
  4. Phase 1 qualification is faster — skip rediscovery of confirmed facts

Accumulated context cap: 800 tokens total across a chain. At cap, compress prior cycles to 200 tokens (keep: confirmed facts, active constraints, rejected paths). References to thinking files do not count toward cap.

Knowledge File Convention

Output path: thinking/probes/{project}/{date}-{slug}-llm.md (under your configured workspace root)

{project} = current project folder name. On collision (file exists), append sequence: -2, -3, etc.

Required sections in knowledge file:

  • Hypothesis (as stated at Phase 1)
  • Enabling constraints (as approved at entry gate)
  • Steps taken (ordered list)
  • Observations (raw — what was seen)
  • Sensed patterns (interpreted — what the observations suggest)
  • Result: confirmed | refuted | partial | surprise
  • Eliminated causes (for refuted: what was ruled out — do not re-probe)

Naming: {YYYY-MM-DD}-{hypothesis-slug}-llm.md. Slug is lowercase hyphenated, derived from hypothesis subject.

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