Step 6: Build + test per repo conventions
Sub-agent type: task (may fan out to several explore sub-agents in
parallel for discovery); budget: 10 min (extension cap up to 2× for
slow suites).
Inputs
- The set of files touched in step 5 (from each fix sub-agent's
files_touched). - Whatever the parent has cached from prior rounds about the repo's build / test / lint command set.
Return contract
{ status, failures }Where status ∈ pass | fail and failures is the relevant
excerpt from the failing tool's output (build errors, test failures,
lint diagnostics) — enough for the parent to decide whether to loop
back to step 5 for a follow-up fix or push as-is.
Procedure
Discovery first — read and combine:
.github/instructions/*.md,AGENTS.md,CONTRIBUTING.md,README.md,package.jsonscripts,Makefile,- language-specific tooling configs,
- AND recent CI workflow runs (
gh run list,gh run view) to learn the actual command set in use.
THEN run those exact commands on the changed code. Independent
discovery axes (build tool / test runner / lint / spelling / format)
can be dispatched as separate explore sub-agents in parallel; cache
the discovered commands per round so re-runs don't re-discover.
Gotchas
- Never invent generic build commands. A broken build wastes the next full review cycle (3–10 min). If discovery turns up nothing, surface the gap — don't guess.
- Respect repo-specific spell-check / lint / format policies. Some repos prefer rewording over allowlist entries; some have a patterns/regex file; some accept inline-ignore directives. Inspect the repo's existing config and recent commits before applying a generic fix.
- Cache discovered commands per round, not per loop. Repo configs can change between rounds (a fix may add a new lint), so re-discover at the start of each round, but reuse within the round.
- Failures route back to step 5. When
status: fail, the parent re-enters step 5 with the failure excerpts as a new finding — don't push a broken build to satisfy step 7.