The operator owns intent and limits
The operator sets the outcome, risk boundary, budget and acceptance. The orchestrator coordinates execution. Workers produce artefacts. Verifiers check observable facts. These roles can be implemented by scripts, people or bounded AI calls; their responsibilities remain distinct. More workers do not automatically make evidence independent.
The task packet is the working interface
A packet names the task, outcome, inputs and their dates, allowed edits, forbidden areas, checks and stop conditions. Add finite time or call limits when execution uses an external service. State exactly what the next receiver should inspect. Never put access tokens, private keys or customer secrets in a public packet or learning exercise.
Protect concurrent work
Capture the initial worktree state. Assign disjoint allowed paths. A modified or untracked file is not disposable and is not proof of ownership. If another writer changes a required file, stop editing that path and reconcile. Preserve incomplete outputs when a task is interrupted. A tidy diff is less valuable than preserved work.
Separate billing from subscription quotas
Metered API work needs an explicit provider ceiling, a session identifier and fail-closed accounting when cost is uncertain. Account-authorized terminal subscriptions have separate quota rules; do not invent a per-call charge for them. A daily ceiling is not a spending target. An unavailable or exhausted provider does not authorize an automatic switch to a paid route.
Close the loop
Before calling work complete, inspect the built result, run the agreed checks and verify the delivered surface. A local file is not a deployed website. A simulated operation is not a live operation. Record limitations alongside successful checks. Update the handoff so the next operator can continue without reconstructing the entire conversation.
Sources and boundaries
Adapted from the project operator wiki and recorded engineering evidence, observed 15 October 2026. Practical recommendations are distinguished from scoped implementation results.
Read the related evidence wiki →